The Word Weaver Podcast

On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I introduce you to my HOLY SHIT LIST, my ultimate milestone checklist (or bucket list) for writers, to celebrate checkpoints throughout the writing/publishing process that make you go “holy shit! I did it!”

Writing can be a lonely business and since everyone’s journey to publishing a book varies, it’s important to be your own biggest cheerleader and celebrate your wins, both big and small, along the way!

You can download my exact Holy Shit List for free HERE — a printable, one-page PDF to tape to your wall, stick on your fridge, put in your journal or agenda to remind you of how far you’ve come and what you still strive to achieve.

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

#WordWeaverPodcast

Today’s Word Weaver podcast chapter is all about the law of attraction and using the power of manifestation to achieve your wildest writing dreams, from finishing your manuscript to getting a book deal.

I used to think it was a bit “woo-woo,” but I truly believe you attract what you think. If you’re always focused on the negative, it’s almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy where the worst case scenario will happen. Like attracts like and positive thoughts attract positive outcomes. I share my favourite tips and tricks to implementing the law of attraction in your everyday life and learning to focus more on what you WANT instead of what you don’t want.

The first thing is getting HONEST with yourself on what it is you actually want (it’s a lot harder than it sounds!). Then, it’s about learning to change “I want” to “I will” and fully embodying the emotions and feelings associated with achieving your future goals.

Self-doubt will creep in, but it becomes easier to ignore with these practices:

Write it down (in a journal or on a sticky-note in your agenda/day planner so it’s visible)

Create a vision board of what your future self as a bestselling author looks like (I like to create a mood board for my book that encompasses the theme, setting, time period of the book and a second mood/vision board of my personal life as a full-time author)

Make a “mock” design of your future book cover and put it as the background of your computer or cell phone — you could also change it to an image of an author/writer you admire or a bookish photo from Pinterest of what you hope to achieve

Say it out loud, first to yourself in your room or in a car or while walking, and then start talking about what you want to manifest to other people

Meditate — use it as a visualization exercise to think about what it will be like walking into a bookstore and seeing your novel on shelf, what the cover design will look like, what it will feel like signing copies on a book tour, what it will be like opening galleys and ARCS, what kind of food you’ll serve at your book launch party — for 5, 10, or 15 minutes of your day let your mind fantasize about the fun rewards that come after the long slog of writing, editing, and querying a book — it’s a great way to manifest and motivate yourself to keep going

One of my favourite tips comes from Jim Carrey — he wrote himself a cheque for $10 million in 1985 for “acting services rendered” and dated it 10 years in the future. For a decade he kept that cheque in his wallet and call it a coincidence or the law of attraction and manifestation, but in 1995 he was cast in “Dumb and Dumber” and his paycheque was $10 million.

Try writing yourself a cheque for “writing services rendered” and pick a date in the future — tape it to your wall or keep it in your wallet as a daily manifestation

Another fun one I heard recently was an author who created a fake New York Times Best Seller list — she got a real one and photoshopped the name of her future book (she hadn’t even written it yet) and picked a date four years in the future (near her birthday as a gift to herself). She printed off her NYT Best Seller list, circled her name/book in the #1 spot and kept it on her vision board.

Try creating your own NYT Best Seller (or Amazon or USA Today or Wall Street Journal or Globe & Mail Best Seller list) and allow yourself to work toward that dream!

The key to the law of attraction and manifestation as a writer or an author, is that you don’t have to know HOW you are going to do something, or WHEN you will get it, you just have to know that IT WILL HAPPEN.

Remember, you are not only the author of the work you are producing, but the author of your own life. If you believe it, you can achieve it!

6 Books on The Law of Attraction and Manifestation if you’d like to learn more:

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

The Power of the Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy

The Secret by Rhonda Bryne

Ask and It is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

#WordWeaverPodcast

#WordWeaverPodcast

In today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, I'm sharing seven things nobody tells you about being a writer! There are a million more things you’ll discover as you go along through this bookish journey, but these are a few I’ve experienced. Happy listening!

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

#WordWeaverPodcast

In today's chapter, I'm sharing my advice on what to do when you get an offer of representation from a literary agent. A friend of mine recently got her first offer after being in the querying trenches for nearly a year and had a few questions for me! It reminded me of my experience along this crazy publishing journey and how I really wished I'd had someone to ask all of these burning questions to.

From making sure you take the time celebrate this huge milestone (pop that champagne!! This is a big deal!!) to what to avoid, what to ask, and everything else in-between, I hope you find this episode reassuring and helpful as you chase your dream of becoming a writer. If you haven’t already, you WILL hit this milestone. The key is just not to give up.

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

In today's chapter, I'm sharing how to take your amazing book idea and create an outline. It’s one thing to have a starting point, it’s something else entirely getting to the finish line.

Whether you're a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid of both, an outline will act as your daily roadmap with the milestones you want to hit (the big scenes) and the highways/roads in-between en route to the final destination (when you can type "The End").

I use good old fashioned pen and paper as well as digital outlines (index cards, sticky-notes, my white wall, binders, scrivener and excel spreadsheets).

Hopefully, sharing my method will at least motivate you to go from idea to outline in whichever format you choose!

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast