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One of the biggest challenges my clients face is figuring out how to write during semesters when they are also teaching.

It’s not just a matter of trying to fit writing into their schedules—which is a huge challenge in and of itself.

But it’s also about the difficulty of balancing the short-term, hard deadlines of teaching with the longer-term, seemingly lower stakes deadlines that are usually attached to book writing.

The former feels urgent while the latter does not.

So with that in mind, I decided to devote today’s episode to talking about the similarities between book writing and teaching.

My hope is that once you start seeing these activities as aligned rather than as completely different kinds of projects, it will be easier to incorporate writing your book into your teaching schedule.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

In today's episode I clear up the question: should you submit your materials for review to more than one press at the same time?

I talk about whether you should meet with multiple editors at the same time.

I also go into detail about the process of simultaneous review--what the ethics are and the three main points to keep in mind if you want to go down this path.

Ultimately, this episode will clear up any misperceptions about your obligations to a press once you’ve started talking with them and smooth your way to a book contract!

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

Today I’m going to be re-releasing one of my favorite podcast episodes, which helps you set clear and sustainable boundaries with your job.

It is based on an exercise I call “Semester Absolutes” that is best to do at the very beginning of your semester before things get overly hectic and you start just saying yes to everything.

Trust me, if you set your limits ahead of time and then truly commit to honoring them, you will vastly lower your chances of exhausting yourself and burning out.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

Right now, I’m visiting my family in California, so I’ve decided to re-release the very first episode of my podcast. 

It also happens to be my most listened-to episode of all time. 

For those of you who started tuning in later, I introduce myself and explain why I became a book writing coach.

I also talk about how your thoughts and mindset influence your writing and give you an exercise that will change the way you think about your own possibilities as an author.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

This episode will give you some questions that will help you process the roller-coaster of 2022 in all its glory and reflect on everything you’ve accomplished!

You can get reacquainted with your own priorities and the things you value, and bring them front and center again moving forward.

 By the end of the year, we forget so much of what happened, especially since we’re all still managing the toll that the pandemic has taken on our mental health and well-being. 

You might even think that the year went really badly in terms of achieving your writing goals. 

However, after you reflect on the following questions, you will likely realize you did much more than you’re giving yourself credit for.

Furthermore, being intentional about what has happened and envisioning what you would like to happen inspires motivation and helps you design meaningful new goals and create plans to meet them.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

Today’s episode is inspired by a lively webinar I participated in recently called “How Writing Coaches Get Unstuck” that helped kick off Academic Writing Month for Sage Publishing.

The webinar featured myself, Michelle Boyd, and Cathy Mazak. We’re all writing coaches and published authors and were also there to celebrate the publication of Michelle’s wonderful new book with Sage, which is called Becoming the Writer You Already Are (https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Writer-You-Already-Are/dp/1483374149) . 

 Michelle runs Inkwell Retreats, which are online and in-person week-long scholarly writing retreats, and Cathy runs various group coaching programs for women and non-binary academic writers.

The webinar garnered huge interest from around the world. We were asked to give our best tips about ways to get unstuck when you’re working on a long-term project like a book and are feeling frustrated or unmotivated.

I will provide four of these tips for you today.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.
 
 

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

Today’s podcast episode is inspired by a workshop I recently ran for mid-career faculty at Rutgers University. The topic was the challenges of writing your second book.

They asked me to run this because most book writing advice—and let’s admit, job advice in general—is geared towards helping junior faculty.

This makes sense in a lot of ways because junior scholars have the most to learn about the rules, both written and unwritten, of publishing and of their institutions that will move their careers forward.

But by the time you get tenure, there’s an assumption that you have it all figured out and the mentorship often stops or at least gets pared back significantly.

And if you’ve managed to publish a book during that time, the expectation is that you will definitely be able to do it again. Why wouldn’t you?

Today, I’m going to talk about the reasons why that’s not necessarily the case.

I’ll also give you a reflective exercise to think through ways to make the process of writing your second book more manageable.

And for those of you who are working on your first book and think that this topic might not apply to you, you’ll still get value from taking a sneak peak into what’s in store for you in the future!

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

Today I am going to try to clear up some misconceptions about book contracts and clarify whether or not it’s in your best interests to obtain an advance contract for your manuscript.

In a nutshell: it depends! And I’ll explain all the reasons why and help you sort this out for yourself.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

On today’s episode we are going to talk about a topic that is somewhat taboo in academia, and that’s money.

Specifically, I’m going to give you some ideas for how to get writing coaching and other kinds of professional development funded by your institution. 

But more broadly, I’m going to talk about the concept of money mindsets and why we need to view spending money on ourselves as good and necessary investments.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...

Send us a text

Hiring an expert to help you get through the process of writing your manuscript is one of the most surefire ways to make sure your book gets published. 

But how do you know whether you would benefit more from working with a coach or an editor? When should you hire one or the other? Or is it better to hire both?

One of the most common questions I’m asked by potential clients is whether I will do extensive editing of their manuscripts or give them detailed feedback on their ideas.

Because I’ve had to explain the differences between coaching and editing so many times, I thought I would devote today’s podcast to clarifying these issues.

For step-by-step support for your writing projects apply for Leslie's Your Words Unleashed Six-Month Program.

Check out Leslie's website at www.YourWordsUnleashed.com!

The three ways Leslie can help you in 2025:

#1: Six-month Your Words Unleashed signature book writing coaching program. Through 8 hour-long sessions tailored to your own needs and goals, we will pinpoint what’s keeping you stuck. We’ll figure out personalized solutions and strategies so you can create direction and lasting momentum with your book writing. I’ll also provide detailed feedback on your writing throughout

#2: Four-month Career Reset Program for Overwhelmed Academics who want to reconnect with purpose. Over the course of 6 hour-long sessions, we’ll clarify your personal career vision, create space for what matters, overcome internal obstacles to change, and define what success means on your own terms so you can work less and live more.

#3: Group Zoom Workshops that balance personal well-being with writing productivity. Topics include transforming your dissertation into a book; connecting to the deeper purpose of your work; as well as boundary setting.

Check everything out on my website and if you are interested in any of these, please shoot me an email at ...