In one of the most downloaded episodes of 2023, we're tackling the one thing stopping writers from bringing their story to the finish line.

Fear.

Maybe you fear visibility, and the expectations and judgements you’ll open yourself up to.  

Then there's fear of rejection. Even if you’re nowhere near ready to submit your story, it  prevents you from finishing.

Maybe you're afraid of putting your book out there. You just keep wanting to do one read-through after another. It's never good enough.

Maybe your greatest fear is that you'll let yourself down.

In this episode, we're breaking down 4 common fears that may be keeping you stuck.  Then we'll replace those fears with mindset shifts to get you unstuck. So you can shift your writing from dream to reality.

Also Listen To:

Episode 108: 3 Things Published Authors Do Differently

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Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

What is scene? What is summary?

In this episode, learn the crucial difference between them.

We'll explore the common ways writers get scene and summary wrong.  And you'll get guidelines on how to balance both to enhance the pace of your story.
 
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Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

Looking for original gift ideas for writers? Want to add some to your own holiday  wish list? 

In this episode, I’m sharing 10 gifts ideas perfect for writers.

Whether you want to find one or two of these under your Christmas tree, or want to gift your favorite writing buddy, you’re sure to find something special in this episode.

You'll find all 10 gifts, along with links to purchase by clicking here on the episode's show notes.

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

Overthinking your plot with beats and pinch points? Plot doesn't need to be complex or over-thought to capture your reader.  In fact, when your plot is too complicated, it's likely to confuse and disengage your reader.

In this episode, learn how to simplify your plot using 4 core elements.

You'll learn: 

• What plot is, and how it differs from structure
• 5 common ways plots go off the rails
• How to translate character desire into a tangible goal
• What meaningful conflict is and how to let it escalate
• The link between character goals and consequences

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

How do you turn good writing into great writing?

With stories that engage, thrill, and surprise your reader.

That create drama right on the sentence level.

How do you keep readers hooked moment by moment?

In this episode, I’m giving 3 little known techniques to turn good writing into great writing.   

These are techniques I learned from my graduate writing teachers - techniques you likely haven't heard of...

Until now.   

This episode will transform the way you write,  and will give your story an edge. 
 
Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

What do you do when you want to write, but don't think you have anything to say?  Or you do have something to say, but don't know how to say it.
 
In this episode, I'll give you 3 powerful writing exercises to help you find your way into your story.

These exercises will help unearth material you can open up and use in your fiction or memoir.

Use them to start a story, warm up, or get unstuck.

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

How do you keep writing when you don’t have the motivation to keep going?
 
 How do you recapture the excitement you had when you first started?

In this episode, you'll get my 3 top strategies for getting your writing back on track with renewed motivation. 

You'll learn:

• The natural cycle of creativity
• Why the struggle is necessary
• How to take a rest from the work without taking a rest from your commitment to your work
• What to do when you're paralyzed by self doubt

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

It’s November, also known as National Novel Writing Month.

NaNoWriMo can be a great jumpstart to a writing project, or to make progress on an existing project. It can help instill a regular writing routine, along with community and support. 

But too often writers will start something in NaNoWriMo and never finish. Because after the initial inspiration fades, they lose momentum and drive.

In this episode, I’ll give you some guidelines to get the most out of your work in progress. And if you’re participating in NaNoWriMo, I’ll tell you how to get the most progress in the next 24 days and beyond.

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

Having a large cast of characters can overwhelm your readers, especially if the characters are introduced all at once, too many characters crowd a scene, their roles are too similar or just not clear.

Readers will struggle to keep track of who’s who, and who they should be paying attention to. This can hinder their engagement with your story.

So you want to carefully consider the necessity of each character.

Not every character needs the same amount of depth and range. But you want to make sure that every character, no matter how minor, contributes to the overall narrative in a meaningful way.

In this episode, I’m breaking down three types of characters you’ll likely have in your story: major characters, minor characters, and  functional characters. You'll learn how to give each of these characters a clear story purpose.

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.

How do you write stronger, more structured scenes that excite you and captivate your reader?

Each scene is a microcosm of the whole story. It creates an emotional connection to your reader. 

But when scenes lack structure and focus, readers don't know what to pay attention to. And they're not much  fun for you to write. 

It's all comes down to framing each scene.  

In this episode, learn 5 ways to craft stronger, more structured scenes that guide readers seamlessly through your story.

These will make your scenes easier and more fun to write, and exciting to read.

Episode Web Page

Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts.  

Love what you're learning from the Writer Unleashed podcast? Pease consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more writers -- just like you -- to write the story that won't let them go.

Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!

Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast so you never miss an episode. 

Structure your story with this FREE 3-Act Worksheet. Go beyond outlining and write a story that keeps readers hooked from beginning to end.   Grab your FREE Worksheet here.