The Rookie Writer Show

Welcome to Season 2 of The Rookie Writer Show! Every week, I'll share three concepts (and a hack) from a writing book or class focusing on either mindset, craft, business, productivity, or self-care for writers. Check show notes for helpful links! To suggest a book or class, reach out to me by email at therookiewritershow [at] gmail.com.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Rookie Writer Show! Every week, I'll share three concepts (and a hack) from a writing book or class focusing on either mindset, craft, business, productivity, or self-care for writers. Check show notes for helpful links! To suggest a book or class, reach out to me by email at therookiewritershow [at] gmail.com.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Rookie Writer Show! Every week, I'll share three concepts (and a hack) from a writing book or class focusing on either mindset, craft, business, productivity, or self-care for writers. Check show notes for helpful links! To suggest a book or class, reach out to me by email at therookiewritershow [at] gmail.com.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Rookie Writer Show! Every week, I'll share three concepts (and a hack) from a writing book or class focusing on either mindset, craft, business, productivity, or self-care for writers. Check show notes for helpful links! To suggest a book or class, reach out to me by email at therookiewritershow [at] gmail.com.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Rookie Writer Show! Every week, I'll share three concepts (and a hack) from a writing book or class focusing on either mindset, craft, business, productivity, or self-care for writers. Check show notes for helpful links! To suggest a book or class, reach out to me by email at therookiewritershow [at] gmail.com.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Rookie Writer Show! Every week, I'll share three concepts (and a hack) from a writing book or class focusing on either mindset, craft, business, productivity, or self-care for writers. Check show notes for helpful links! To suggest a book or class, reach out to me by email at therookiewritershow [at] gmail.com.

This week we’re reviewing another class: Productivity Hacks for Writers by Jessica Brody class in her “Writing Mastery” series offered on the Udemy platform. She also offers courses through her website on topics such as how to deal with writer’s block, how to brainstorm and write a bestseller, and how to submit to a major publisher.

Jessica has written and published more than seventeen novels for teens, tweens, and adults, but you may also know her for her bestselling writing advice book, Save the Cat Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need. Her books have been published and translated in over 23 countries and several are in development to be made into films. She publishes about four books a year.

She’s done all that by writing for only about two to three hours a day. So she has a thing or two to teach us about how to be productive and efficient.

She divides the course into three main components:

* Hacking Your Brain* Hacking Your Space* Hacking Your Devices

I’ll go ahead and pull one thing from each of these categories, but know that there are many, many other good hacks under each of these topics.

Three Things

1 The Hack Your Brain component makes up a good chunk of the course. During it she makes a strong case for following what she calls the “Morning Magic Routine,” before you write every day. The routine urges you to try getting dressed and moving right away after the alarm rings. Then she encourages you to follow that with a quick fueling of your mind (through meditation), body (with nutritious, protein-rich food), and soul (through gratitude journaling). Finally, a small writing ritual of your choosing. (She, for instance, doesn’t have her first sip of coffee until the computer is on and her work-in-progress is loaded up on the screen). She does have suggestions for you Night Owls, as well, called (wait for it) the “Evening Magic Routine.

This week we’re reviewing our first class: David Baldacci Teaches Mystery and Thriller Writing presented on the Master Class platform. It was first offered in June 2019.

Let me just say this before I say anything else about this class. David Baldacci just seems like a really, really nice person. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten around to reading any of his forty books, But like a lot of the sentient world walking around in 1997, I saw Absolute Power, the film based on his debut book of the same name. He’s done okay since, with more than $130 million in book sales worldwide.

I do read a lot of mysteries and thrillers, though I don’t tend to gravitate to the subject matters of a lot of David’s books (i.e. political intrigue, the CIA, the FBI). After this class, however, I will be looking for one to try. The effort, heart, and professionalism he puts into his craft is evident in the way he talks about his writing and the way he presents the information in this course.

This course has lessons on everything from mindset to craft to the business of writing. Included:

* 18 video lessons* A 97-page class workbook with key points from the lessons and writing assignments to help you get the most out of the lessons* Examples of his handwritten outlines for two of his books (both around 40 pages) * A forum community (facilitated by Master Class staff) where you can interact with others taking the course

There’s a lot here, but like usual, I’m just here to give you a taste. Here are my…

Three Things

1 He spends two lessons discussing research methods and sources, which makes sense given his books are known for being very thoroughly researched and therefore pretty realistic. He urges you to get out there and talk to people, to walk the space whenever you can, etc. That being said, he reminds you to stop and actually write the story. Or as he says, “Research is fun; it’s hard work, too. No research is as hard as actually writing the story.” He now alternates writing and research rather than waiting until he has all the research he needs before starting. He commiserates, “I know it’s attractive to keep researching. It’s like being a permanent student…Just as a writer, realize that you have to…stop the research and write the book.” Research is important, but it can also be a siren’s call to endlessly prepare and procrastinate actually writing your book. (If you know me at all, you are laughing right now.)

2 Echoing last week’s episode, think of your relationship with your editor as a collaborative one, and not a combative one. Many times he’s had a situation where an editor pointed out something on say, page 48, that had him write something completely different on page 238 that the editor didn’t even mention. The other eyes make your story stronger. Remember,

This week’s book is How to Work with an Editor: A Guide for (Nervous) Authors written by Jennifer McIntyre and published in conjunction with Mark J. Dawson and his Self Publishing Formula empire in 2017.

The author is Jennifer McIntyre, an editor with twenty years of experience, more than ten of them as a freelance editor. She wrote this under the auspices of the Self Publishing Formula (SPF) line, which is Mark Dawson’s baby. SPF offers courses, a writing podcast and vlog, and a number of free and inexpensive books on writing.

The SPF‘s audience is obviously primarily independent authors, however, the advice offered by McIntyre is useful whether you choose to go the traditional or indie publishing route. Sooner or later, one way or another, if you plan to publish professionally, you’re going to be dealing with an editor.

* If you’re going the independent route, all the best advice out there urges you to hire a freelance editor to help you get your work ready before releasing it out into the world. * Even if you’re going the traditional route, you may choose to hire a freelance editor to get your work polished in an effort to increase the likelihood of landing an agent. * And if your work is accepted by a traditional publisher, you will definitely work with an editor before your work is published

So the day will come when an editor will become a part of your professional writing life. McIntyre is here to tell you that there’s no reason to dread this day. In fact, it is something you should embrace, dare I say, even look forward to?

Three Things

1 First and foremost, know what kind of edit your work needs at this juncture. There are three main types of edits: The Developmental Edit (think big picture, structural questions), the Copy Edit (consistency check, grammar, some fact-checking sorts of things), and the Proofread (the fine tune, the polish, the last punch-list check).

2 This is both a business and a personal relationship. Honor both aspects in your search for an editor. You obviously want someone who’s qualified to offer the kind of edit you need, but that person needs to be someone that you can see yourself working with on your creative “baby.” There are soft-touch editors and brutally honest editors and everything ...

This week’s book is Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins, published in 2017.

The author is Jeff Goins, the man behind Tribe Writers, which offers group coaching in marketing for writers, especially bloggers and “authorpreneurs.” He also hosts a podcast called The Portfolio Life, which addresses similar topics. He writes a popular blog and is a bestselling author of five nonfiction books on marketing for creatives. He got his street cred by building a million-dollar business in three years by employing the methods he teaches other creatives how to do.

Most of the topics Goins addresses are around an artist’s mindset, but there’s a little business advice sprinkled throughout. He divides the book into three sections: Mindset, Market, and Money. I’ll include one thing from each section.

Three Things

1 Mindset – Goins challenges underlying notion that writers and other artists must stop thinking that writing is something you’re born to do or aren’t. As if fate came around and sprinkled fairy dust on some and not on others. In his mind, the real difference between a writer and someone who simply wishes to be a writer is gritty stubbornness. You have to believe in yourself before others will. But when you do, others begin to believe in you, too, which builds your confidence, which makes more people believe in your work, your vision. Gritty stubbornness applied to the belief in yourself and the commitment to see your dream through: It’s the pathway to everything.

2 Market – There’s lots of good stuff about the importance of community in getting more work out there and better work at that. But I’m going to zero in on another one of the concepts he talked about in this section of the book: practicing in public. It reminded me a little of my favorite chapter in last week’s book (Dear Writer, You Need to Quit by Becca Syme) which urged writers to stop (over) preparing and get to it. Goins version of this is to “Practice in Public.” Don’t wait until you’re perfectly ready for every challenge. Get better by doing the actual work and getting it out there in front of the world, for others to see, react to. It’s the path to improvement.