The Writer's Mindset

To tide you over during the summer, we've put together compilations of some of the best bits from previous interviews. This week, we share our guests' top tips on dealing with overwhelm.

To tide you over during the summer, we've put together compilations of some of the best bits from previous interviews. This week, we share our guests' top tips on plotting.

More furry interrupts and times we just couldn't brain.

While it may sound counterproductive, rest is an important part of being a productive writer. It can help us to concentrate and feel calmer. It can even help us to problem solve!

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What rest ACTUALLY is (and why most people get it wrong)
• How just a little bit of rest can help you get more done
• Why rest is so important to our wellbeing
• Different things you can try as a form of rest

Helen Scheuerer is the YA fantasy author of the bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles and the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet. Her work has been highly praised for its strong, flawed female characters and its action-packed plots. More recently, she has also delved into publishing advice for authors with her debut nonfiction book, 'How To Write A Successful Series'.

Helen’s love of writing and books led her to pursue a Bachelor of Creative Writing at the University of Wollongong and a Masters of Publishing at the University of Sydney. Now a full-time author, Helen lives amidst the mountains in Central Otago, New Zealand and is constantly dreaming up new stories.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to get started with your series
• The importance of a series bible
• How to handle series fatigue
• The benefits of outlining your series

Shane Millar is a Fictionary Certified Story Coach and the author of the Write Better Fiction craft guides. He is also the author of the Myth & Magic urban fantasy thriller series.

Shane holds a BA in journalism and is a member of The Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). He lives in Buckinghamshire, England.

He has taken too many writing courses to count and enjoys reading as much as possible. Shane is obsessed with five things: the writing craft, mythology, personal development, food, and martial arts movies.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The key ingredients every book beginning needs
• Why it's important to hook your reader from the start
• Where newbie - and experienced - writers go wrong with their beginnings

Tammi Labrecque lives in Central Maine with three spoiled cats, two neurotic dogs, and dozens of fictional characters that keep her awake nights.

She writes under a few pen names across several genres, including urban fantasy, thriller, and LitRPG.

Under her own name, you can find her writing romance novels that no one reads or teaching at newsletterninja.net.

In this (mammoth) episode, you'll learn:

• What a reader magnet is and why they matter
• What types of stories are the most effective reader magnets
• How to handle feeling completely overwhelmed by everything you have to do as an indie author
• Email content idea generation tips

Links

• Get your freebie from Tammi

Gudrun is a copywriter and content marketer who helps businesses to make the most of their best content. History is her real passion and she joined us to share some spooky stories, local tales, and content ideas.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How obsessed with history and ghost stories Kristina and Ellie are
• Spooky stories and locations to inspire your fiction

Libbie Hawker is a bestselling novelist who specializes in historical and literary fiction. She is also the author of the popular how-to guide Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing. She also publishes under the names Olivia Hawker and Libbie Grant, and she has been a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and the Willa Literary Award for Historical Fiction.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• The benefits of having a plot/outline before you begin
• Why you don't need to know every last detail before you start

G.M. White has always been an avid reader, a love of the written word instilled in him by his parents at an early age. This may or may not have something to do with the fact that he was a very talkative child and the only time he was quiet was when he had his head in a book. Anyway, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

He lives on St Martin’s, in the Isles of Scilly, with his wife and son. Like many people on the islands he wears a few different hats. Now a full time stay at home dad, he also works several part time jobs, is on the local Coastguard rescue team, sits on the committee for St Martin’s Island Hall and Reading Room, plays cricket (poorly) for St Martin’s Cricket Club, and somehow finds time to write.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• Common book cover mistakes
• Why genre research is important
• How fantasy covers have changed over time