Our own lives are great sources of inspiration. There may even be experiences from our past that aren’t just enough to inspire a scene, but an entire novel! Take The Ghost Keeper, written by Natalie Morrill, which came from a memory she wasn’t even sure she remembered right.  But that memory, some research, and a submission […]

Feedback. This word might make you jump for joy, or it might make you stash your manuscript in the back of the closet, away from prying eyes.  Regardless of how getting feedback makes you feel, it’s important for writers to know that there is such a thing as a “wrong” time to get feedback.  In […]

Self-publishing gives authors a lot of freedom, but it can also leave us with a lot of questions. There is so much to this process, especially when it comes to the marketing aspect.  We have to know how to advertise ourselves and our books to attract the right readers and get some books sold—which, for […]

There are lots of writing tips out there, but knowing what type of writer you are can help guide your entire writing process.  This is the philosophy of Brooke Adams Law, a book coach and publisher, and our guest on today’s episode!  She created a quiz with the sole purpose of identifying the kind of […]

As writers, we can get swept up in the plot and subplot(s) of our stories and books. So much so that we might forget to check and make sure that all our plots and subplots actually have beginnings and endings that make sense.  And of course, the last thing we want is to leave things […]

While writing, you may have had questions like this race through your head: What if nobody likes it? What if I can’t get published? How can I write something I’ve never written before?  If you have, you’re not alone. All creatives experience creative anxiety. And that’s exactly what causes these thoughts! Creative anxiety is a […]

Writing as play is something we need as authors. It’s fun, it’s freeing, and most of all, it can be the kind of thing that helps us reach new heights in our writing and publishing journeys.   Our guest on this week’s episode is best-selling author Gail Anderson-Dargatz. Gail’s written several novels, and her thriller The Almost […]

  Who knows? One day, your writing might end up on the moon.  In fact, some authors are having their work sent up soon, including Michael Blouin, our guest for this week’s podcast episode! You may be wondering, “Gee, Michael, why is your writing being sent to the moon?”  While Michael himself might say “I […]

Getting published by a big-name publishing house is an idea with allure. One that most authors dream of, and see as necessary to reach success.  But is getting published by a big house the right choice for you?  Independent presses have their advantages, and depending on what you want—not what you think your goals should […]

Every writer has their own “toolbox.”  There are literal tools in it—our favourite pens, notebooks, our laptop (maybe a typewriter, if that’s more your style). But our toolboxes are also filled with strategies, things that motivate us, things that make writing incredible and pleasurable for us.  But there’s one tool many writers forget, or don’t […]

As writers, we often see independent publishing as one of two things: incredibly liberating, or a terrifying unknown.  Both of these things are true—but can’t that be said of anything that’s new to us? To truly appreciate independent publishing, we need to know about the process, including the things that free us and the things […]

Hey, focus! Focus on your writing! … Easier said than done, right? Trust me, I know very, very well, how much so. As writers, we all want focus. We crave it, because it is instrumental in our craft. We need focus to finish, and finishing is the basis for being able to complete our work […]