Last week, I wrote about how to shift some of your unhelpful thoughts about writing. Today, I thought we could practice this with another frequent thought that comes up for writers in the early stages of their writing journey…

“I’m not a Real Writer.”

Depending on how used you are to catastrophizing, you might find this thought shows up for you as… 

“I’ll never be a Real Writer.”

A quick reminder: we’re learning how to shift our unhelpful thoughts about writing and this takes time, so don’t give up if it doesn’t seem to “stick” for you immediately. You’ve had years of thinking some of these thoughts, so give yourself time to make the shift to more helpful ones.

Here again are the four steps to this thought-shifting practice:

1. Observe
2. Challenge
3. Replace
4. Repeat

Let’s take a look at “I’m not [never will be] a Real Writer” using these steps.

1. Observe

Our first task is to...

Humans think just over 6000 thoughts a day. That’s a lot of thoughts! 

And for writers, 80% of them are probably some form of “my book is shite.”

We have a tendency to think all our thoughts are true. But understanding that our thoughts are ephemeral AND that they can be changed is a huge step forward in our writing lives.

This is one in a series of short blog posts about the unhelpful thoughts we have about ourselves as writers and our writing lives and how we can shift them.

Unhelpful Thought #1: I’ll Never Finish

Writing a book is a long process. Everyone’s different, of course, but for a new writer completing the first draft of a book-length manuscript in any genre can take YEARS.

But that’s not all writing time. In fact, most of that time is spent avoiding writing and thinking unhelpful negative thoughts about the book and ourselves as writers. Without the nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah from our psyche running in the back of our minds,...

Of all the reasons writers give for not [yet] finishing their books, time is at the top of the list.

We think we would finish the book we’ve started – the one gathering pixel dust deep in the recesses of our laptops – if only we had more time.

How much more time?

Heaps! Gobs! Bunches! Loads!

At least one completely free day every weekend, but preferably just weeks and weeks of open time as we go off somewhere alone and away from all our daily tasks and distractions.

We want a long stretch of time with nothing to do but write, ideally with someone bringing us yummy food, and changing out the towels and bed sheets every 2-3 days. (I confess: IT ME!)

For many writers, it’s impossible to conceive of finishing a book without a blank calendar that stretches miles out into the distance.

And when was the last time any of us had one of those?

You can see the dilemma.

But here’s what I’ve learned the really hard way: you don’t need swaths of open...

Tell me.

I lost some sleep this week.

I’m in the habit of turning off all my screens at 9pm, and going to bed with a good book. Usually this means I’m asleep by 10pm, all comfy and snug under my duvet with a little lavender oil scenting the air from my diffuser, and I sleep through for most of the night until about 6am. 

I LOVE a good night’s sleep and because it’s what I’m used to, when I don’t get those delicious 8 hours of sleep, I really feel their absence – even a few hours off my quota and I’m cranky and craving carbs like a bear fresh out of its cave in Spring.

This week: oof, it hurt. Here’s what happened…

Four Thousand Weeks, or Less

Last weekend in The Writer’s Flow Studio we had one of our mindset masterclasses, on the topic of “deep work.” One of the writers [waves to Kim!] recommended a new book on productivity that came out last year, called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for...

Wondering how to use Submittable and Duotrope to help you publish in literary magazines? Or confused about Submittable vs. Duotrope and what the role of each might be?

And if you know your way around a fountain pen converter more easily than most software, don’t worry – I will break things down for you.

Submittable vs. Duotrope

If you’re new to submitting work for publishing and you’re just starting to build your lit-mag list, you’ve probably noticed Submittable on the submissions guidelines for many lit-mag websites. So, what is it?

Submittable is an online submissions tool that helps writers submit their work and keep track of submissions. 

You may have also heard of Duotrope, another submission resource that can serve emerging writers. Today, I’m going to give you some insight into both and tell you how they can help your writing career. 

This is not spon-con. No one from Submittable or Duotrope is paying me to write this piece, and...

Busy Women on Writing Books

This is another instalment in a new interview series on writing, profiling women writers who’ve written and published books while also working, parenting, volunteering, caring for family, attending school, and ALL OF THE THINGS.

This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to my friend, Scottish Indie author Emma Dhesi.

Emma is a book coach and the author of The Day She Came Home, a contemporary women's novel, as well as the novels Belonging and More Than Enough -- all of which are available on Kindle. Now an accomplished Indie author, Emma knew she wanted to be a writer when she was just 8 years old. Emma lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her family and is the host of the podcast Turning Readers Into Writers.

I know how amazing you are, but please let everyone else know a bit about yourself and the books you’ve written thus far. Own it and brag a bit for us!

I’ve now written six manuscripts and published three - which amazes me...

Someone has to win: why not you?

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

Writers like to talk a big game about how we’re all in it for the craft. The ecstasy of creation. The absolute joy of finding the perfect word for the perfect phrase. The therapeutic benefit of tapping into subconscious thoughts we didn’t even know we harboured, until we wrote them down. 

And sure, that stuff’s all great. #bigfan

But the truth is, most writers have a competitive side too. We don’t just want to write, we also want to win at writing. We want to see our words lifted up, celebrated above the rest.

Shameless, right? 

Hey, maybe. Writers aren’t angels, after all. We’re artists, and as much as we’re doing it for ourselves, we’re doing it for the accolades, too; we want other people to love our art as much as we do. We want our talent recognized. 

And winning a lit mag contest definitely gives you a leg up when it comes time to...

At some point, you have to go back in.

Have you finished a draft of your book? 

PHEW! That’s a lot. Maybe you dashed it off within a couple of months, or maybe it took a little longer…or maybe even a lot longer. But the important thing is YOU FINISHED! So let’s talk about what comes next.

How to Re-Enter Your Book for Revision

First Things First: CELEBRATE!

It is a really big deal to finish a book-length project. It’s sometimes said that 80% of people think they have a book in them, but most won’t write it. And you did! That’s something to be truly proud of and it’s important to take the time to celebrate.

Answer this seriously now: how will you mark this important milestone in your writing life?

Some of my students in the First Book Finish program have shared some wine or champagne with a partner or friends…others have bought a new pen, new journal or new pair of earrings to mark the occasion. However you decide the...

AHA! Lightbulb moment. The air is practically sizzling around you because you, Dear Writer, have a new idea for a book.

TA-DAAA!! How completely and wonderfully awesome is that? CONGRATULATIONS!

Except, once the adrenaline wears off and you’ve maybe dashed off a few initial pages, you might be left wondering how the heck to actually write the beautiful book you’’ve imagined… 

Books come to us in different ways. Some books arrive as an image, some as a character, some as a situation, and some begin with voice. Depending on what your starting point is, you’ll need to take a slightly different path to flesh out your basic book idea so that you can turn it into a full book.

When you’ve got a great idea and are wondering how to write a book now that all you have is the start of a great idea, the trick is to know what questions to ask yourself. By asking yourself key questions, you can write all the way from the start to the end of a first draft.

Writers often find me when they haven’t been writing for a while. Most times they feel guilt and embarrassment about this, and maybe even a little shame.

Sometimes my email inbox has the tenor of a confessional, with writers sheepishly admitting “it’s been a while.”

Usually it starts with just missing one writing session. Just one. No biggie.

But then one session becomes two, which becomes days/weeks/months of this activity known as Not Writing.

And writers have a plethora of reasons for why they’re Not Writing. Here’s a few I’ve heard most recently…

Reasons Writers Say They’re Not Writing

My life is so busy.

My children need me.

My spouse needs me.

My parents need me.

I have to work.

I have to take care of my health.

I just have to finish this other [non-writing] project first.

I’m tired. 

I can’t focus.

Something happened in my life that took all my energy for a while.

The pandemic.

Climate change.

Late-stage...