We writers need a certain amount of solitude, but when that turns to loneliness or isolation, our creative work suffers. In this episode, we talk about why we need other writers in our lives, how to find them, and how to balance community and that much-needed space to be with ourselves. Introvert or extrovert, this one’s for you. You are not alone.

Writers who hang out on the more Intentional end of the Writing Process Ribbon always know where they’re going… until the caution flags indicate it’s time to slow down and play a little. In this episode, we talk about how to do that, without abandoning your authentic approach.

Intuitive Writers (formerly known as “Pantsers”) create freely and magically… until they hit the inevitable speed bumps. In this episode we talk about how to let those slow-downs work FOR you, without losing your authentic writerly self.

Knowing our own personal writerly whys—why we keep writing, why we quit from time to time, why we’re crazy people—is essential. So is answering them. Because then we get to ask the why nots—and that’s where the fun begins.

Are you as weary as I am of (if not downright ticked off by) having holes poked into your creativity by social media pressures and random trends and even other aspiring authors? Those things are and always have been challenges for writers. We can meet those challenges by once more falling in love with our writerly lives and nurturing the romance. Take 5 stepping stones to reclaim what you love about being a writer. It will make you a better one.

Y’know that voice that chirps in your head, telling you that this new idea is way better than the one you’re currently working on? Sometimes that serves us writers well, and sometimes it’s a TIWE, Tiny Imp Who Entices. In this episode we talk about how to tell the difference, and what to do with the TIWEs so we don’t completely lose their magic.

Raise your hand if you have ever asked your writerly self, “Am I bad at this?” All of you? It’s natural to question yourself, but when those doubts interfere with your creative process—and even paralyze you—they need to be dealt with. That’s what we’re about in this episode, in concrete, doable ways, so that your answer can be an unequivocal “No! I am NOT!”

Writerly intentions are essential. Writers gotta have them. But, then, what do we DO? In this episode we continue Building From Where We are by going through the process of discovering our next stepping stones—the two or three moves we can make without pulling a creative hamstring. Steps. Checklist. And an offer for free one-on-one help.

Goals are for fitness and finance. Intentions are for writers. Not the kind the road to hell is paved with. The kind that define how we need to be in order to fulfill the why of what we do. Sound complicated? Nah. Deep? Yes. Let’s go there.

As we start any new season, whether it's January, March, or the end of a blistering August, let’s forget resolutions and goals. We need writerly intentions when we begin again, and those arise from one writerly word. In this episode we’ll talk about the qualities of such a word, how to discover ours, and what NOT to listen to as they take shape within our creative selves. In a word, this is writer-changing. Okay, that’s two. But there’s a hyphen…