In this final episode of this Finishers mini-series, I am sharing some of the lessons I've learned in the past four years from helping nearly 200 writers to finish their books -- finish drafts, revise, edit and get their books out into the world

There are times when we wonder if it's all worth it, if our intention to finish a book and get it out into the world really matters. Join me for the first episode in a series dedicated to all the writers intending to finish their books in 2024.

Here's a truth: no one really has time to write a book, especially a first book. Yet we can still manage to get them written and out into the world. In today's episode I'll walk through how you can fit finishing your book into an already busy life. And here's a free resource for you as well -- my guide called 30 New Ways to Find More Time to Write.

In today’s episode, I’ll walk you through the six phases of writing a book, which will not only make the overall book-writing process easier, but will help you defeat your self-doubt and get your book out into the world. 

As we start work on our book and the idea starts to take shape, the amount of work a book-length project takes can feel overwhelming. You’re left paralyzed and with a half-done draft—so now what? 

You have to change the way you view your book so you can turn it into a manageable project. Don’t let fear hold you back. It’s time for you to finish! Today's episode will show you how.

Writing a book and getting it published is a wonderful, fulfilling process… and it’s also very intimidating, especially for first-time authors and beginning writers. 

But don’t worry, writer - there’s a lot you can learn to make these processes easier, and Ellen Baker knows all about them. As she’ll tell you, some things take a lot of trial and error, but in the long run, they’ll help make your book the best it can be. 

Doing research may be the highlight of the writing process for you, or it might be the part you put off as long as possible. Either way, research is critical—but it doesn't have to involve sitting at the computer for hours. 

Instead, author Mary Carroll Moore used the people around her as resources. Their insight helped make Mary’s writing accurate and engaging enough for her audiobook to remain on the Amazon bestseller list to this day. 

Writer, have you ever been afraid of sharing your work? Finding the courage to do so can set you down a new path in your writing life, perhaps one you never thought was possible. 

Author Esther Schultz has been writing her whole life, but she never shared her work with anybody until her mother-in-law moved in. But after receiving encouragement from her, Esther took the leap into writing books and becoming independently published.

Life has a wonderful habit of getting in the way of our writing time. But if we want to finish our books, we can't stand by and let it happen. 

We need strategies to make time to get to the page. Author Debra Martens developed her own while constantly moving between countries and dealing with recurring illness, and even uses a lesson from time spent in recovery to this day to bolster her writing life. 

As writers, we may sometimes write myths - but we can also be affected by them. I’m not talking about fantastical stories in this case, though. I’m talking about myths about writing, which harm us and can keep us from making progress, or keep us from writing, period. 

This week, we'll explore three myths that impact writers and how, once we know how to identify them, we can work through the issues they may cause in our writing lives.