We writers know about myths. Either because we’ve read them, or written something based on them or even written our own. 

But what do we know about the kinds of myths that affect us every single time we sit down to write? 

Myths about writing haunt us, and can make it difficult for us to get to the page, or difficult to get the words down even if we manage to get our butt-in-chair. 

If we know about these myths, though, we can learn how to deal with each one. That’s why I’m breaking down three common writing myths for you in today’s episode. 

Listen to learn: 

• How and why writing myths are harmful 
• How to deal with the issues caused by each myth 
• Why you need to watch out for ads that say you can finish a book in a month or weekend
• Why a bad writing session isn’t a big deal

Here’s a sneak peek… 

[01:44]  They're just in the ether, and so we absorb them and then we think there's...

When we write memoir, there are a million things we have to think about. 

We have to know what story we want to tell, and we have to know how to tell it. 

We have to be ready to be vulnerable on the page. And then, we have to be ready to share our vulnerability with all of our readers!

Choosing to write a memoir can be a difficult choice, especially when dealing with serious subject matter as Stephanie Kain’s memoir does. 

Despite Stephanie’s initial hesitance at her agent’s suggestion of turning her journaling into a memoir, she went into it with an open mind and came out the other side of the publishing process with a wonderful experimental memoir. 

Listen to learn: 

• How to become comfortable with being vulnerable in your writing 
• How to choose what to include and exclude in your memoir 
• About the benefits of writing experimentally 
• The value of writing something even if you’re afraid of being judged 

...

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Sometimes, being a writer can make us feel like we’re standing all on our own, especially if we don’t have a writing community around us. 

This can make it even more difficult for us to work on our writing, even if we feel that we have a book inside us that’s ready to be written. 

Kimberly J. Ward’s book writing journey started after she went on a real journey, spending two years at sea with her husband and daughter. 

But it was the writing community she found at her local library that helped her to write the basis of her book, and the help of others with book...

If you’ve been following me at Resilient Writers for any length of time, then you’ve heard me say how important it is for us as writers to achieve a state of flow. 

Flow helps us have the kind of writing sessions that so many writers long for, where we lose all sense of time and anything that isn’t our characters or our narrative. 

But the flow state can seem unattainable if we don’t know how to reach it reliably, each and every time we sit down to write.

Luckily, there’s a dedicated field of scientific study called Positive Psychology that can teach us the concrete conditions that need to be met to reach a state of flow.

How to Get Into Flow

Listen to learn:

• How you can achieve a state of flow in your writing life 
• The power of psychology in our writing lives 
• Why it’s important to choose the right time for you to write 
• The benefits of living as a writer that’s always learning and growing

Here’s a...

When we write, whatever story we’re telling—whether it’s a literal, fictional story, or the driving force behind another genre of work—has to come from somewhere. 

Author Gary Barwin found his stories by looking into history, his memories, and his experiences. But it was learning more about a history he is connected with that made Gary decide to look inward, and write directly about himself.  

But this doesn’t mean Gary writes in a narrow scope for others who are just like himself. Rather, he thinks about how his writing can instead speak to the human experience of being in this world. 

This allows him to fulfil the role of a writer: bringing people back to their fundamental humanity, which to Gary means understanding how we are all connected. 

Hey there writer, you’ve reached the end of The Resilient Writers Radio Show Season 2! 

Today I have a special closing episode for you, where I’ll discuss what you can expect to hear in the next Season, and I’ll also tell you a bit more about our upcoming Book Finishers Bootcamp!

Keep Coming Back! Thoughts on Persistence

Listen to learn:

• What’s coming in The Resilient Writers Radio Show Season 3
• All about the next Book Finishers Bootcamp 
• How to tell me if there’s something specific you’d like to hear in Season 3
• Why persistence is key for us as resilient writers

Thank you for sticking with us to the end of two whole Seasons!

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode… 

[2:14] To me, that's what it means to be a resilient writer, that despite all the ups and the downs and the emotional rollercoaster of this writing life, we're still doing it.

[5:21] And I think sometimes when we are watching other writers,...

Are you wondering if you’re really ready to finish your book? 

Sometimes, it can be hard to tell – especially if we’re getting bogged down by our self-doubt. But that self-doubt can be a sign that you are ready to finish.

Listen to learn: 

• How to tell if you’re really ready to finish 
• Why we don’t always have to be working towards finishing a book
• How some of the best books come about
• Why writing our books takes time 

And while we at Resilient Writers want you to finish your book, it’s also important to remember that we don’t always have to be in a state of finishing to be a “Real Writer.” 

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode… 

[02:09]  I really strongly believe that there has to be time in a writer's life where we're just playing around. 

[04:12] I think a writer is someone who writes, but there's no question that it kind of gives you that extra...

How does one end up writing a biography? 

In the case of Merilyn Simonds, she was asked to write one by her friend Louise de Kiriline Lawrence. And though Merilyn didn’t like or read biographies at the time, she agreed. 

It left her with two tasks: searching through years and years of records, and figuring out how she was going to structure this biography. A conventional biography just wouldn’t do—Merilyn needed to be intrigued by the path she chose to follow in the telling of Louise’s story. 

The Path Through Biography, with Merilyn Simonds

Listen to learn: 

• Merilyn’s unique approach to writing a biography 
• How to organise records and research for your writing
• About the use of language at the sentence and paragraph level
• About moving from shorter to bigger writing projects

Here’s a sneak peek… 

[05:20] What bothers me about biographies is that sort of know-it-all stance. “I know...

Writing is a process, one that requires us as writers to continue learning. Or to start learning, as was the case for author Jane Baird Warren. 

Jane took to writing when she was searching for something that could be just for her, at a time in her life when she was a stay-at-home mom with two young kids. Jane fell into unexpected success after placing second in a short story contest, and for a while, felt like she was on top of the world. 

But Jane soon found that she didn’t have enough knowledge about writing to improve her work the way she wanted, and made the decision to return to school and get her MFA. 

But What About Second Book? With Jane Baird Warren

Listen to learn: 

• The importance of continuing to learn about writing 
• The value of having a writing community in your genre 
• About getting published when you’re completely new to the publishing process 
• About breaking the rules in your genre and the obstacles you might...

Being able to sit down and write for a long period of time is many a writer’s dream—but it can be hard to do. 

Life tends to get in the way, and as a result, we may end up putting our writing off. But staying consistent with our writing is important, and easier than you might think!

There are short periods of time in our lives that we can take full advantage of, if we know how to find them. Not every writing session needs to be long in order for us to produce good writing, or for us to see progress. 

How to Find More Time to Write, with Rhonda Douglas

Listen to learn:

• Why writing consistently is important 
• About how writing in Short Time sessions can help 
• How to fit more writing into your schedule 
• The importance of staying connected to your writing 

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode: 

[03:34]  I think it’s really important for us to have those times in our writing life, but sometimes...