Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

Latest Episodes:

What's a Writing Coach (and what kind do I need)? Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what a writing coach is?

As you can imagine, I get asked this a lot. I mean, it is baked into my branding, and I love sharing insights I’ve gained over my years of coaching.

Let’s start with the simplest, broadest definition of what a writing coach is and does:

A writing coach provides you with input and support designed to close the gap between where you are as a writer and where you want to be.

I coauthored the book On Being a Writer with Charity Singleton Craig (2014). Our editor used similar language on the back cover copy of the book and in marketing materials:

Let this book act as your personal coach, to explore the writing life you already have and the writing life you wish for, and close the gap between the two.1

That phrasing captures the foundational purpose and core intent of this coaching role in a writer’s life, so I adapted it here.

And as a writing coach myself for over a decade, I can confirm that this is indeed a high-level description of writing coaching.

Differences in Writing Coaches

Every coach approaches the work differently based on their experience, background, training, and philosophy. As a result, not every coach will feel like the right fit for you.

In fact, you may need one kind of coach at one stage in your writing journey and another kind of coach later, and you want to find the right fit for your current goals and challenges.

Writing Coaches Are Not…

To begin to understand what a writing coach is and does, let’s look at what a writing coach isn’t.

➤ Writing coaches are not editors

A coach may have been and may still be an editor. They may offer both services and, thus, be both a coach and an editor. They may also offer editorial input within their coaching style. But these are two different services, so writing coaches are not editors while they are coaching.

➤ Writing coaches are not agents

A coach may have been and may still be an agent. But these two services must be distinct and separate, since authors never pay for representation. If you find an agent who offers coaching, be sure the service you’re paying for is coaching.

➤ Writing coaches are not ghostwriters

A coach may have been a ghostwriter and may still offer ghostwriting as a separate service, but a coach’s role is not to collaborate or do any of the writing for you. You’re the writer!

➤ Writing coaches are not social media managers or designers

A coach may have personal experience and success in social media, and find themselves recommending social media managers and designers—they might suggest how to approach social media to increase engagement with readers. But writers don’t hire coaches to set up marketing campaigns or design Instagram images.

➤ Writing coaches are not marketing and promotion specialists, publicists or launch team organizers

A coach may offer marketing, publicity, or launch team services in addition to coaching. If they’re an author themselves, they may have personal experience with their own marketing and publicity to share and connect their client to someone on their team. While they may offer some of those services separately or toss out ideas, when the coach is coaching a client, they are not marketing or publicizing their client’s work or organizing a launch team.

➤ Writing coaches are not mentors

My writing mentors—I’ve had at least five—invested time in me, guiding and steering me through phases in my career, and from those relationships, I know that a coach’s advice might feel like the advice you’ve gotten from a mentor. A coach might even have a mentor. You yourself might have both a mentor and a coach. Despite the similarities, however, a writing coach is not the same as a mentor.

➤ Writing coaches are not teachers

A coach may have been—or still be—an English teacher or a professor, and a coach may also, separately, teach through courses, conferences, and workshops. I suppose a coach may informally teach through a one-on-one session. But coaches are different from teachers.

Writing Coaches Complement Other Roles

A writing coach is not replacing or competing with any of those roles.

In fact, you may need or want an editor, agent, or teacher at another stage of your writing life—sometimes you’ll need both at the same time: a coach and any number of these roles.

I plan to explore the differences between these roles in more detail in the future, but for now, let’s look at various categories of coaches in more detail, so you can grasp the variety and land on the type of coach to best support your writing needs and challenges.

Not All Coaches Are the Same

As you research writing coaches, you’re going to see people calling themselves writing coaches. When you inquire about working with them, it’ll turn out they don’t offer what you need. That’s probably because their core strength may not be what you’re looking for.

Not all coaches are the same.

I see the term “writing coach” as the broadest label—an umbrella term, if you will. Under that are specialties.

You’re trying to align your needs and challenges and goals with their experience, training, philosophy, personality, and expertise.

Not all writing coaches are book coaches. In your search for a writing coach, you’ll discover some who focus on novelists, nonfiction authors, and memoirists. They may call themselves writing coaches or book coaches, or both. But their focus is on coaching authors—people working on book length projects. A book coach is a type of writing coach, but you may come across a writing coach who is not a book coach.

You’ll also find people who coach bloggers, copywriters essays and poets. And you may see coaches who offer guidance to freelance writers, grant writers, PhD candidates who are working on dissertations, professionals in the workplace who are seeking to improve their communication skills.

Another way coaches differ is through training, education, and experience, and that’s going to influence their specialties, style, and services even more.

Working with a writing coach who has training or background as a life coach may feel much different from someone who coaches out of experience as an editor or an academic, or as a marketer, or as an author in their own right. They may offer few resources or recommendations and rely instead on their skill in asking curious questions to free the writer to discover solutions to their own challenges.

A coach with an editorial background, on the other hand, may provide input on writing samples to point out areas of strength and weakness for a writer to improve craft. They may even assign homework to complete before each session.

Coaches who have been successful freelance writers might provide a plan for clients to launch their own business or supply some resources and reading materials.

And book coaches may rely on a framework or process they’ve developed that adds structure and deadlines, input and milestones for their clients—all so that the client completes a draft of their manuscript.

Coaches with experience building platform may work with the client to develop a plan of action or a set of strategies to try.

Add in their personality and their interpersonal communication style, and the types of coaches you could work with starts to seem endless, especially as this role is exploding right now, with coaches popping up everywhere with different kinds of certification as well.

Types of Writing Coaches

Here are some of the types of coaches you’ll find.

1. Coaches for academics

In your search, you’ll discover coaches who serve PhD candidates completing their dissertations or undergrads leveling up their essays and response papers.

2. Freelance writing coaches

These coaches equip writers ready to launch their own freelance writing career, and they prepare them to present their services, whether that’s freelance for businesses or pitching and submitting to publishers.

3. Coaches focused on mindset

Almost all coaches have experience working with writers who deal with writers of block, perfectionism, imposter syndrome, fear, and other mindset hurdles. But some coaches and often these are people with life coach background and training. They might not supply strategies, provide publishing advice, or send resources, but they are skilled at asking questions that unlock and unwind your creative blocks.

4. Literary writing coaches

These coaches may serve poets, essayists, or writers of short stories. Some may have their MFA and prep people ready to submit to literary magazines and journals. They might specialize serving poets only, for example, or they might have experience in all kinds of literary writing and be able to help you no matter what you are pursuing. These coaches help you understand the process and organize yourself to begin submissions.

5. Corporate Communication Coaches

Some coaches serve professionals in the workplace who are leveling up their writing skills for professional development. This kind of coach helps clients become more confident with written communications in the corporate world.

6. Coaches focused on grant writing

This is really specific, but there are people with experience in writing successful grants who then offer that as a coaching service to support writers ready to craft their own grant.

7. Coaches for bloggers and digital writers

Some coaches serve bloggers and digital writers—people getting started online or seeking to improve their style and try new approaches.

These writers may be transitioning from print and need input to feel comfortable and confident beginning to write in a way that follows principles and best practices for digital writing. A coach who specialize...

Find Your Book Midwife, Say “Yes” Before You’re Ready, Pitch to Build Platform, and Authentically Engage with Readers (interview with author Clarissa Moll) Dec 16, 2021

Show notes

For author Clarissa Moll, hiring a writing coach was like finding her book midwife, and she urges writers to seek that kind of intimate, knowledgeable support and input for their own writing and publishing journey.

In this interview, Clarissa shares her approach to writing, platform, and publishing, like:

make a list of 10 things whenever you’re stuck or developing an idea
say “Yes” before you’re ready
pitch publications as a core platform-building activity
authentically engage with readers—she’s committed to building connections and offering support

Listen to episode 242 and check out excerpts below. You’ll be inspired by her clear, sensible, inspiring personality and advice.

Clarissa Moll is an author and podcaster and the young widow of author Rob Moll. Clarissa’s writing has appeared in Christianity Today, The Gospel Coalition, RELEVANT, Modern Loss, Grief Digest, and more. Her debut book, Beyond the Darkness: A Gentle Guide for Living with Grief and Thriving After Loss is forthcoming from Tyndale (2022).

Clarissa co-hosts Christianity Today’s “Surprised by Grief” podcast and hosts the weekly hope*writers podcast, The Writerly Life. She lives a joyful life with her four children and rescue pup and proudly calls both New England the Pacific Northwest home.

Interview Highlights

Enjoy these highlights from Clarissa’s interview.

Find Your Book Midwife

As folks in my life kept saying to me, “You should write a book!” I thought, I don’t even know where to start.

I mean, I can write a five-paragraph essay. I can write a thesis. But to write 55,000 words? It seemed like an elephant that was too big to swallow.

I knew that to do it well, in a way that was sustainable in my own life, I needed to make sure that I was having a meaningful life outside of my writing.

And I knew if I wanted to do this again—if I didn’t want to end at the finish line so exhausted that I said, “No more. This is it.”—I knew I needed some guidance.

And so I reached out to you.

I gave birth to my four babies with a midwife, and when you’re in that delivery room, that baby feels like the only one that’s ever been born. And isn’t it wonderful to have a midwife stand beside you, who’s seen hundreds of delivered, to say, “This is normal. You’re doing great!” To be able to offer that encouragement and guidance along the way.

And so I found in you my book midwife. You’re the person who helped me to make that journey from just a nebulous kind of idea to something that’s really concrete.

Make a List of 10 Things

One of the exercises that I have gone back to time and time again is one that we did together.

You encouraged me to write a list of 10 things. And if I struggled with making my list of 10, I had to write another 10.

When you’re out of ideas, just force yourself to put pen to paper. That’s where clarity is born.

It’s not born in the writer’s retreat over a long weekend or at a cabin by the lake. It’s born out of those very ordinary, disciplined kind of practices that you taught me.

Say “Yes” Before You’re Ready

Back in my acting days, I had an audition and the acting professor said, “Could you do an Irish accent for this audition?”

I said, “Oh, I don’t know how to do that. I’m sorry.” And nothing ever came of it.

A couple of weeks later, he came to me and said, “You know, I wanted to give you that role, but you said you couldn’t do it. Next time, say ‘I’ll learn how.'”

That kind of perspective has been really helpful for me, as I have said yes to things that are beyond whatever I have done before.

Had I podcasted before? No.

But when someone invited me to do the Christianity Today podcast, I said, “I’ll learn how. I’ll get the equipment. I’ll learn how to do the technology. I will do it.”

Check Your Heart

I’ve been trying to think about what other things I could do that relate to my writing.

Should I build in speaking more?

Should I be expanding podcasting?

Should I try to do some sort of retreat where I can be writing new materials that are actually more interactive?

Maybe group resources?

I’m trying to think beyond just book writing, and that’s exciting for me because honestly, I hadn’t thought about those things before.

I had just been thinking about this book baby and getting it born. And now as I entered this new stage—trying to think about how writing can be sustainable for me in the long haul—I’m thinking about diversifying in more ways than I ever did before.

I also hesitate, because I know that there’s some pressure to, once you publish a book, sort of build your writing empire. “Oh, it’s time to start a course!” Or it’s time to start this or that or the other thing.

And I think that’s where I always check with my heart and ask myself:

Is that where your heart is?

Do you need to write a new lead magnet because you know that this is what drives traffic and you feel the pressure to perform or to keep doing something? Or is it that you feel like you have something valuable to share?

And so in that space, checking my heart is a really good practice. To say, “Am I trying to build an empire here, or am I still doing the thing that I love—and am I reaching people with words that matter?”

When I do that, I find that I can take a break to rest without feeling any guilt.

Pitch to Build Platform

[Question from Ann: What is the backbone of your platform? What is your core platform activity?]

I pitch and write.

And I love to do it.

I have a list on my phone where I keep article ideas. I usually get like an idea down and then start to get bullet points underneath it.

In fact, a lot of times when I’m driving, I’ll have my daughter help. “Hey, can you pull out my phone? I’ve got some ideas!”

And once I start to see stuff kind of globbing together around an idea, I think, “Oh, okay. It’s time to pitch that.” And I pitch it before I’ve written it, because that makes me have to write it if they say yes.

I like that external commitment. I like that there’s a little bit of pressure there.

And as soon as I have committed to writing it, I start trying to get the idea for the next one. Because I want to keep the momentum going.

Engage with Readers

I told my publisher that I was committed to being engaged with my audience. That said, I was married to a man who published books before social media was the gauge for what a platform should look like. And so I have kind of an old school attitude toward platform-building.

Use Vintage Methods to Engage with Readers

I’m going to call it vintage, though, because I liked that better than old school. But when Rob published both of his books, he engaged with readers.

That’s what he did. And it wasn’t through social media.

It was to speak.

It was through radio and other kinds of interviews.

He emailed people.

It had an intimacy that I think a lot of social media lacks today.

And so even though I am building my social media platform as best I can…I’ve determined that an engaged audience is always better than a big audience.

And so for me, the commitment has been not so much about numbers, but about engagement.

Respond to Every Reader Who Emails

For example, when I sent out my monthly email, I write back to every single person who replies to me. I’ve committed to that.

I write to every single person who sends me a direct message on Instagram.

I’ve committed to that because I think it’s important for people—particularly in the space in which I write—to know that they’re not alone…to know that someone has read what they’ve written and cared about their words and wants to respond to them.

Who’s to say that if I had a gigantic following, I wouldn’t be able to do that anymore. But I’m grateful for the small enough following that I have to be able to relate intimately to my readers and listeners, because I think that’s where the beauty happens.

The Magic and Beauty of Live Interaction

I worked in theater before I ever was a writer, and the live experience was exciting. There was the clapping, the laughter—there was an energy in that room.

And when you’re writing, it’s kind of a solitary practice. You’re all alone in your office, writing, hoping as you send your words out into the world, that it makes a difference to anybody.

And I think by committing to that kind of regular engagement with people you get some of that energy that I used to feel onstage. And that’s where the real magic and beauty happens in writing.

All that we don’t like about social media and all of its shortcomings—there is that—it’s closer to an immediate feedback that I really appreciate.

Clarissa’s Writing Advice

Keeping going when life feels hard is really hard. It’s hard to do. It’s hard to keep writing—to keep thinking that writing is something essential in your life.

Writing Doesn’t Have to Be Expendable

When life gets hard—and life getting hard could be anything from pandemic stressors to job difficulties, and for me, it was losing a loved one, but—it doesn’t have to be that kind of loss for life to feel hard and for writing to feel expendable.

And so I think if I were to say anything to a writer, I would say: keep writing.

Even if it’s just a little bit.

Keep Writing (Even a Little Bit)

A couple of sentences in an Instagram post?

That counts as writing.

Jotting notes while you’re waiting for your kids to be picked up in the school pickup line?

That counts as writing.

There are so many things that can count as writing! A really beautiful letter written to a loved one? That counts ...

10 Ways to Start the Writing Process When You’re Staring at a Blank Page Sep 28, 2021

Show notes

Louis L’Amour is attributed as saying, “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”1

Sounds easy enough, but a lot of times we can’t even find the faucet. Or we find the faucet but fail to turn it on.

Either way, we want to write, but no words flow.

Is that you?

Are you ready to begin writing but you don’t know where to start—you don’t know how to get the words to flow?

I’ve got 10 options for you—ten faucets, if you will. I’ll bet one stands out more than the rest.

Pick one. Try it.

See if it gets those words flowing.

1. Start with a memory

Think back to an event that seems small yet feels packed with emotion. You don’t have to fully understand it. Just remember it. Something changed due to that event. The change may have been subtle or seismic, but you emerged from it a different person.

The simple prompt “I remember” can get you started. Use it as a journal entry and see where it takes you, or go ahead and start writing something more substantial.

When you remember and recreate these scenes from your past, you’ll learn from them. I experienced this when I wrote a short scene in this style, called One Lone Duck Egg.

2. Start with a photo

Photos can whisk us back to another place and time, whether as recently as last week or as long ago as childhood.

Pull a photo from your collection of family photos, physical or digital.

Write in response to the scene. Recreate it. Let the memories unfold.

You could be in the photo, or not.

You could write the story behind the moment, or elaborate on a particular person in the scene.

What do you think was happening?
Why were you—or weren’t you—there?
What does this say to you today?

Another approach is to combine words with images to create a photo essay.

Back in 2011, I walked around the farm where I grew up and snapped photos. Each time, a fragment of thought came to mind, a flash of a memory.

When I got home, I pieced it together to come up with Dancing in the Loft.

3. Start with art

Art ignites imagination. Whether you invent a story behind the piece of art you choose, or you document your response to it, you’ll end up with an interesting project.

One of my creative writing professors in college gave us a similar assignment to write poetry from art. It’s possible she was trying to introduce us to ekphrastic poetry,2 which, according to the Lantern Review Blog,3 is “written in conversation with a work(s) of visual art.”

But she took a less formal approach, asking us to find some art, study it carefully, and write a poem.

I used a small, framed print of an Andrew Wyeth painting as inspiration.

I studied the boy sitting in the grass and imagined a possible scenario leading up to the moment Wyeth captured. As I was finishing the poem and typing it up, I realized I needed to include information about Wyeth’s work. I turned the frame around and fortunately I found the date and name of the painting. Wyeth named it “Faraway,”4 and I coincidentally called my poem “Runaway.”5

Spend time with the art and see where it leads.

4. Start with an object

I once wrote about an old, worn knob that topped the post at the bottom of our stairs.

I loved the worn knob for being worn. All the stain was rubbed off one side of it from the years before we owned the house. Like the previous owners, we swooshed around that newel post, running our palms around the knob every single time we ran up or down the stairs.

When we decided to replace the railing, I begged our carpenter—who is also a friend of ours—to save the knob.

He did.

And I wrote about it.

Another time I wrote about a precious soapstone vase I played with as a child. The consequences of that day of play lasted a long, long time.

My friend and coauthor Charity Singleton Craig uses objects (and places) to launch a “chain of remembrance.” She explains in her newsletter “The Wonder Report“:

I start with something specific: a year, a place, an object. Then I try to remember just one specific thing about it. After that, I try to remember another thing and another after that, allowing each memory to flow from the one before. Eventually, I have a whole chain of memories, often growing stronger and more specific as I go.6

One story can stand alone or link multiple stories for a more complex chain of connections.

5. Start with a question (inquiry)

“I begin an essay with a willingness to be changed by what I write,” Scott Russell Sanders says. “I do not set out to deliver something I already know, but to inquire into the unknown, to dive into confusion in search of greater clarity.”7

To inquire into the unknown is to start with curiosity—to start with a question.

Your questions could be personal questions, cultural questions, specific questions, or big questions about the meaning of life.

To get you thinking, here are some of Scott’s questions, which he shares in his book The Way of Imagination:

Why did my father drink, and how did his drinking affect me?
How have the landscape and culture of the Midwest shaped the people who live here?
Why is racism so persistent?
What is beauty?
What is wildness?
What is so mesmerizing about rivers?8

Scott writes with the same sense of inquiry as Dani Shapiro, who says, “I write in order to discover what I don’t yet know.”9

What questions rise up in you?

Use those to launch your next writing project.

6. Start with another piece of writing

Have you read something recently that resonated with you—something you wanted to discuss with someone?

Maybe you ran across an article you connected with, that put words to your thoughts.
Maybe you read a book that you disagreed with?
Maybe a blog post held information you’d never heard before?

In any of these scenarios, you can start with the writing that stirred something up in you.

Refer to it.

Respond to it.

Riff on it.

The world of online writing has expanded the sphere of discussion and debate so that anyone with a digital device can find a way to publish their point of view.

This could be you.

Start by re-reading an existing piece of writing and type your thoughts as a response.

Weave a select quote from the original with your thoughts. Add other perspectives. This is how we enter the conversation and add our angle and deepen a discussion.

7. Start with news

I first heard about newsjacking from Teej Mercer, founder—or as she calls herself, “Chief Noisemaker”—of Media Mavericks.10 I’ve since learned it’s a known publicity and marketing technique.

The idea is to monitor breaking news and find a connection with your personal brand.

If you write about health and wellness, you could respond to any study released with your take on it.
Your personal story may relate to a high-profile person’s announcement.
If you’re passionate about the environment, you could write in response to any number of breaking news, from wildfires to another animal added to the endangered species list.

Monitor the news, find your connection to the event or announcement. Learn what’s being said about the event, and bring your slant, story, perspective, and opinion.

8. Start with culture

You could argue that a cultural event falls under the broader category of news, but I like separating these. Starting with culture might stimulate creative connections to a talked-about episode of a show or a scene from a film.

On a group coaching call in Your Platform Matters (YPM), my membership program, we discussed this concept. After describing Newsjacking, I coined this: “Culture Lassoing.”

That’s because of Ted Lasso.

That show has so many different threads you could engage with. I’ve seen several Twitter threads about mental illness because of some plot twists in this season.

You could use a pop culture phenomenon like that and lasso it. Fans notice the show they love and enter the comments to weigh in.

When The Good Doctor first came out, authors who write about autism analyzed the accuracy of the portrayal of a surgeon who is on the spectrum.

Look at music and movies, social media shifts and gaming trends. Identify what you’ve discovered, decide what to say about it—and share it with the world.

Because you’ve lassoed something with name recognition, you may interact with a whole new set of people you never would have met otherwise.

9. Start with conflict

When you see two product options or two wildly different opinions on something, take a side. Make a claim. Explore it and support it.

Write a this versus that piece, like Trello versus Notion, front-loading versus top-loading washers, or Yellowstone versus Yosemite National Park
Provide a balanced view to something that has been presented as either/or

Embrace These 4 Key Roles for a Flourishing Writing Life Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

I was an English major with a creative writing emphasis. When I looked to my future, I saw myself writing.

Over the years I managed to build a writing career, but as an English major, I wasn’t prepared for the business aspects of writing.

Invoices, receipts, taxes? That was all foreign to me. Sharing my writing through speaking and social media? That’s not what I imagined when I launched my writing life.

I thought I’d be…writing.

But I had to understand and embrace the four key roles that lead to a flourishing writing career.

https://youtu.be/A2_iAAQm1Kk

This is how I think of them:

✅ Decider

✅ Delegator

✅ Doer

✅ Declarer

These four roles in a corporate setting might be something like:

➤ CEO

The Decider is like the CEO, the Chief Executive Officer. That’s the top dog, the visionary, the decision-maker.

➤ COO

The Delegator could be the COO, the Chief Operations Officer, the person who figures out how to run the business at a practical level.

➤ CWO

The Doer could be the CWO, the Chief Writing Officer. This role, the CWO, doesn’t exist in the business world, but we’re inventing and elevating it for this discussion because it’s the reason our business exists. Like me, you launched this whole thing so you could write.

➤ CMO

The Declarer is like the CMO, the Chief Marketing Officer: the person who ensures the message gets out.

At any given moment, a flourishing writer may be completing a task that falls under any one of these areas. Some of the tasks and roles don’t seem like the work of a writer, but they all support that core function.

When all four areas are addressed, a writer will start to build a profession, a career, and a sustainable writing life.

And it starts with the Decider.

THE DECIDER, THE CEO

The DECIDER—the boss, the CEO—is the person making high-level decisions about your writing career.

You fill this role.

You decide your author brand, your audience, your career path.

As the Decider, you determine a trajectory that aligns with your goals and values.

You decide if you’re in learning mode and need to gain more skills or more knowledge of the profession.
You decide if you’ll focus the next quarter on submitting to literary magazines or developing a book proposal.
You decide if you’ll pursue fiction or nonfiction, short-form or long-form.
You decide if you’re ready to increase visibility online.

When those decisions are grappled with and made, you get to step into a second, practical role—that Delegator, the COO.

THE DELEGATOR, THE COO

The DELEGATOR-you, this COO, is the administrator, the project manager—the person who figures out who will be responsible for a task or activity.

When you’re the Delegator, you take those decisions and figure out the best way to pull them off.

If you decide, as the CEO, you need to learn, then the COO or this Delegator-you will research books, courses, and conferences and figure out which ones are best.

The Delegator looks into social media solutions and determines whether to hire someone to map out a marketing campaign or a designer to create images. Or the Delegator might delegate all this work to herself and take a DIY approach. In this instance, you might set up Canva to create images for all your social media feeds and Stories.

As Delegator, you set up calendars with deadlines. You determine practical matters, like apps to use, editors to hire, and ideal systems to set up, so the work gets done effectively and efficiently.

You’re in this role when you’re researching laptops and asking other writers if they use Scrivener. If you set up a project management system in Trello, ClickUp, or Notion, you’re in this operational mode.

And as Delegator, you tackle every English major’s nightmare: how to create invoices, save receipts, and report taxes.

This operations role that pulls off the decisions, usually delegating activities, is a practical, supportive aspect of our writing life and career. It’s devoted to setting the writer—the Doer—up for success.

THE DOER, THE CWO

The DOER is the CWO. As I said, the Chief Writing Officer doesn’t really exist in a business, but for the sake of this discussion, we’re coining this term. After all, it’s why all the other roles exist: so the writing gets done.

The Doer-you? This is what you thought you signed up for all those years ago. It’s why I majored in English. I wanted to write.

It’s why you’re reading this article by a writing coach, I’ll bet. You’ve got ideas to share and stories to tell.

The Doer commits to the creative work that you love most.

The Doer is the Writer.

When you’re the Doer, you research topics, outline projects, develop the message, and craft the story.

In fact, not to complicate this further, but the CWO, as chief writing officer, has tasks that you could almost break down into additional areas of responsibility, additional roles.

Because at any given moment, the Doer, the writer, the CWO, will:

Generate ideas
Research
Organize and outline
Draft
Revise and edit
Finalize the project
Title it
Prep it to publish

The creative Doer wrangles words onto the page or the screen and completes the project.

You’ll probably feel deep satisfaction when you’re operating in this role because that’s the core work. That’s why this business you’re in, exists.

Once a project is complete, the work feels finished. The Doer thinks they’re done.

But how will people read what you’ve written unless you declare that it’s ready to be read?

How can they find it unless you point to where it lives online or in print?

THE DECLARER, THE CMO

That’s where the DECLARER comes in, the CMO, the Chief Marketing Officer. After you complete a writing project, you share it and get the word out about it.

As the Declarer, you use marketing and promotion tools to creatively get your message in front of the people who need it most.

Most creatives I work with detest this role. They feel weird, sleazy, awkward, or ineffective and want no part in tooting their own horn or praising their own work. They hate the idea of this role of a CMO.

I kept hearing this from clients.

They wanted to write, not show up on social media or get people on an email list.

They wanted to write, not pitch themselves as a podcast guest or submit their work to an online publication.

Find Other CMO-Minded Writers

I wanted to be able to recommend something to these frustrated writers, but I couldn’t find a great solution focused on the needs of the writer-CMO, so I formed a membership called Your Platform Matters. It’s dedicated to helping writers build a platform and become visible and findable by the readers they want to reach.

We teach the D.E.E.P. platform method that avoids sleazy or unethical tactics and instead, maps out practical approaches for connecting with people in meaningful ways. They’re thinking now like CMOs, reaching and serving readers by taking time to Declare that the work is available.

I hope it helps you reframe this role of the Declarer, the CMO, when you realize you’re serving the words you’ve written, the project, when you share it with others.

You know what else? You serve the reader when you share it, too.

Get Your Message in Front of Readers

If you believe in your message enough to write it down, why wouldn’t you also share it to get it in front of the people you were thinking of when you wrote it?

A publisher shared this with me years ago. We talked about my becoming a speaker—something I’d never considered or imagined at the time. I didn’t want to get in front of others.

He said, “Could you see speaking as another avenue to share that same message? Your words—your message—spoken?” I got it. I had to agree. Even though I didn’t think of myself as a speaker, I did want to share that message.

I started speaking and I’ve continued to speak for all these years…declaring, in essence, the messages I feel compelled to share.

As a Declarer myself—as CMO of my own modest writing business—I’m looking for ways to reach readers in meaningful ways with the message that the Doer-me has worked so hard to craft and complete.

And part of how I do that is by helping others reach their readers.

WRITERS AREN’T ALWAYS WRITING

The point in reminding you of these four areas and roles and tasks is that writers aren’t always writing.

At times, you may take on another role and follow through with another task. And that task may keep you from technically writing.

It feels strange and counterintuitive, but all of these roles—and all the related tasks and responsibilities—they all exist to serve the writer, the writing, and ultimately, the reader.

If you’re an English major, trust me:

You can make decisions about your writing career that set you up for success.
You can research how to pull those decisions off and what support you need in terms of equipment, tech, apps, and a team.
You can figure out invoices, receipts, and taxes.
You can share your words with others with integrity and empathy so your writing doesn’t sit unread on your hard drive or even on a dusty corner of the Internet.

Embrace these four key roles. At any moment, your work may require the Decider-you, Delegator-you, Doer-you, or Declarer-you to step up and do something. For your business to succeed, you may need you to step into the CEO, COO, CWO, or CMO position.

Find freedom in recognizing that you may not have your fingers on the keyb...

How Simple Systems Can Unlock Your Writing Productivity, with Kari Roberts Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

If you're like me, you struggle to carve out time to write...you wish you could uncomplicate life and get more done. Good news! I have business coach and online business manager Kari Roberts on the show to help us think through simple systems that can unlock our writing productivity and creativity. "It's like you're on a treadmill," she says. "You're running in place, but you're not going anywhere. So you're not really getting anything done." Sound familiar? Kari knows our struggles and offers solutions. She says, "You might need to strategize or systematize other things so that you can make the space that you need to do the writing." Kari Roberts is a business coach and online business manager for creative small business owners. She helps them figure out time management and systems that allow them to grow their business while still having enough time and energy for work, business, and home life. Her business advice has been featured on VoyageATL Magazine, The Rising Tide Society, The Speak to Scale Podcast, Creative at Heart Conference and more. Kari is the host of Finding Freedom with Simple Systems Podcast and the creator and host of Overwhelmed to Organized the Summit. When she isn’t being a “serial helper” through one of her businesses she enjoys watching sports with her husband, walking in the park with her 2 dogs, listening to podcasts, sampling tasty bourbons, and catching up on reality TV. Her approach to creating systems? "I like to go in and try to find: What's the simplest way. If we're trying to get X done, what's the simplest way to get to X. It may not be what the fancy thing. It may not be with the shiny object. But if we can condense it and make it simple, then that can free up your time and free up your mental space so that you can get other things done." Listen to the interview and you'll learn principles that may transform your approach to writing...and life. Resources: Kari Roberts' websiteKari on InstagramFinding Freedom with Simple Systems PodcastGet your very own copy of Kari's Time-Blocking Schedule: HERESimple Systems Setup course ANN KROEKER, WRITING COACH Episode 239 Transcript How Simple Systems Can Unlock Your Writing Productivity: Interview with Kari Roberts Ann Kroeker (00:03): It's so hard to find time for writing, isn't it? It's hard to do all the things a writer needs to do these days. If only if only we had a simple system that we could set up to make the rest of our creative life flourish…I have business coach and online business manager Kari Roberts here today to help us think through simple systems we can set up to increase our writing productivity. I'm Ann Kroeker, writing coach. If you're new here, welcome. If you're a regular, welcome back. I'm sharing my best tips and training–skills and strategies—to help you improve your craft, pursue publishing, and achieve your writing goals. Be sure to subscribe for more content. Ann Kroeker (00:44): From time to time I invite guests on. So you can learn from their wisdom, like today's guest, Kari Roberts. Kari is a business coach and an online business manager for creative, small business owners. She helps them figure out time management and systems so that they're freed up to have enough time for work business and home life. Kari is the host of her own podcast, Finding Freedom with Simple Systems. And today she's going to talk about that as it applies to writing productivity. Kari, thank you for being with us today.

Decoding Greatness: Discover the Fast Track to Writing Success Jun 08, 2021

Show notes

What if the stories we've been told about success are wrong? What if you could unlock secrets that shave years off your writing journey? In this interview, Ron Friedman demystifies the writing process and introduces a surprising path—a fast track, if you will. He says "it is the path by which so many writers and artists and inventors and entrepreneurs have succeeded." What's the path? Reverse engineering. To reverse engineer, we start with extraordinary projects and work backward to figure out how those writers pulled it off. "By comparing the ordinary against the extraordinary," Ron says, "we can't help but identify the elements that make extraordinary work succeed, and thereby improve our skills." With this book Decoding Greatness (June 2021), Ron hopes to offer "tools to not just execute at a higher level, but to embrace some of those dreams they've abandoned from, from their youth." Listen to our conversation for practical insights you can apply right away. When you hear and implement his ideas, your approach to writing will never be the same. You will, after all, learn the secret—the fast track—to writing success! Resources Decoding Greatness website Ron Friedman, PhD's websiteDecoding Greatness on Amazon (affiliate link)Decoding Greatness on BookShop (affiliate link)Learn from the Best: Copywork for GrownupsLearn from the Best: Imitate but Don't PlagiarizeGrow as a Writer: Surround Yourself with ExcellenceWhen You're Not the Writer Your Want to Be ______________________________ Ready to write a book, but you can’t quite articulate your idea? Join the FREE 3-day challenge: Craft Your Book’s Big Idea, and you’ll finally put words to the idea you long to write. In just three days, you’ll nail your book’s big idea (and generate a working title)! Sign up and finally move forward with the message that’s in you…just waiting to come out! Sign up today!

Do you view your writing life as a profession? May 25, 2021

Show notes

I watched the professor of my advanced poetry class open the lid of a metal box crammed with 3x5 cards. He wiggled out one of the worn cards covered with notes and held it up. On this card was the title of one of his poems along with the date of the latest version. Below that he had written names of literary magazines where he’d submitted that poem, followed by their response. “One poem per card,” he said. He showed us how he tucked the card behind the month when he was supposed to hear back—a simple system to track and follow up with every submission. He passed one of the cards around the room. I held it in my hand and studied the notes he’d scrawled on the front and back. The Box There was no magic to his system. It was not fancy or expensive. Yet, he was a respected, prolific poet on campus for a semester, showing us how it’s done. When the last student finished looking at the sample card and handed it back to him, he slid it back in its spot. I stared at that box. I was in an advanced poetry class because I’d already had The Moment; that is, I’d already begun to think of myself as a writer. I viewed myself as a poet. The day of the box was different. After class, I walked straight to the bookstore, bought a pack of 3x5 cards and a maroon plastic box with a hinged lid, then headed to my room where I started logging each of my poems on those cards: one card per poem. The Shift While I’d had The Moment, this was different. I walked into that bookstore because I'd experienced "The Shift." What's "The Shift"? It's when I shifted from viewing the work as an assignment or hobby to something deeper, more serious. It's when I committed. Like that poet with his metal box packed with poems, I too was committing to the craft and to a lifetime of word-work. It would still be several years before I made any money as a writer, but I saw myself differently. I was a working poet. And because of this shift and the resulting commitment, I organized myself—however simply and humbly—with the intention of writing and submitting my work to publications. Looking back, that plastic box seems like so much more than a storage container. It held my intentions, my resolution. I don’t know what it’s like for other writers, but for me, the day I bought that little box was the day my life tilted in a new direction. The Practice The professor gave us vision. We got a glimpse of who or what we could become. He nudged us to take a step forward. And it worked. I was ready to send my work. I was ready to ship. One card per poem. One piece at a time. I had to write the poem, record it, track it, and ship it. Seth Godin recently released The Practice: Shipping Creative Work. On the first pages, he explains why he chose those three words in the subtitle. The first word, “shipping,” he says, is “because it doesn’t count if you don’t share it.”1 He included “creative”: “because you're not a cog in the system...you’re a creator.”2 And he added work “because it’s not a hobby. You might not get paid for it, not today, but you approach it as a professional...and the work is why you are here.”3

It's fun to write with others! May 09, 2021

Show notes

About seven years ago, I partnered with Charity Singleton Craig to co-author On Being a Writer. While working on the draft, we often pulled up one of our shared Google Docs to review our drafts and notes in real time. In this way, we wove together our stories and experiences with relative ease. If we had a grade school report card at the end of the project, the teacher would have checked off “Plays nice with others.” Writing is most often a solitary act. But sometimes we get an opportunity to write with others. These occasions may involve brief connections or extended collaboration. Quite often, they're just plain fun. The Energy of the Inklings Have you heard of the Inklings? They met weekly for beer and conversation, according to Diane Glyer in an article at the official C. S. Lewis website. While they didn't officially collaborate, like Charity and I did on our book, their discussions affected the shape and direction of countless projects. Glyer writes in "C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkein, and the Inklings" that the men would gather, make tea, and begin pulling out drafts of their work. As one person read, "the others would settle down to listen, to encourage, to critique, to correct, to interrupt and argue and advise. They’d continue this way, reading aloud, energetically critiquing, until two or three in the morning.1 Years ago I craved that kind of creative community. I even considered moving to a college town, thinking I'd be more likely to find a gathering like the Inklings there. Find Your Creative Community The good news is that it's easier than ever to find like-minded writers without moving to live near a university. These days, I know writers who meet at cafes (or they did before 2020, and they'll start up again soon, I’m sure) to discuss technique or simply to write on separate projects in the same space. Some chai, a chat, then back to the works in progress. Writers who contribute to anthologies feel part of a project-driven community. Writing retreats are a fun way to power through personal goals with a posse of fellow writers. Churn out a few thousand words, then relax with others who appreciate your creative challenges. Then there are in-person and online communities that write together, like: silent or guided writing sessions via Zoom (in guided sessions, a moderator might offer writing prompts)silent or guided writing rooms on Clubhouse (these exist!)social media writing challenges that use a shared prompt or hashtag Look for existing writing groups where you can jump into a writing challenge and meet new people, broadening your network as you make new friends. Form Your Own Community But don't forget you can create your own little gathering. Do you know another writer? Someone with similar goals? Ask if they'd be a writing buddy. The two of you can text each other each day when you complete your daily word count goal. Treat it like a short-term experiment at first, to test the waters. You never know? Perhaps you'll find another word nerd who sends you grammar memes and Hemingway quotes. Generate Our Own Creative Energy Diane Glyer said the Inklings "generated enormous creative energy."2 I love the sound of that, don't you? We may not find a group as vibrant, educated, or British as the Inklings, but we can form our own gathering. We can generate our own creative energy.

Develop a Daily Writing Practice to Find Your Voice: Interview with Allison Fallon Mar 29, 2021

Show notes

I listened to Allison Fallon’s The Power of Writing It Down while jogging through my neighborhood. Those weren’t my best runs, because I kept pulling out my phone to thumb-type a great quote before picking up the pace again.

And yet they were fantastic runs, because Allison’s words inspired me to re-establish a daily journaling practice.

On that first outing—with her voice in my ears—I listened through the first chapters and returned refreshed and motivated. Allison’s invitation to “unlock your brain and reimagine your life” spurred me to set a timer and launch the first 20-minute personal writing session I’d attempted in a long time.

I continued the practice the following days and discovered I was indeed “getting limbic,” as Allison calls it—I was slipping past the nagging to-do list items and scheduled tasks to explore feelings, memories, and struggles. Nothing dramatic transpired (yet), but I’ve found myself diving deeper and opening up on the page, in private, before the day presses in.

I’m not new to this practice, but I’d fallen out of the habit. I’m so grateful for Allison’s convincing call to return to it and reap the benefits.

In this interview, Allison mentions Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages, which reminded me of Writing Down the Bones and Natalie Goldberg’s explanation of freewriting as a way to get to our “first thoughts.” Allison makes a strong case for why and how a private writing practice like that feeds directly into our professional writing, whether through ideas or memories we unearth that can be woven into our work in progress, or through shifts in perspective that add depth and insight to our piece.

Will you join me in revisiting this simple but fruitful activity that can enliven and inform your writing pursuits and projects? I predict you’ll begin to see how a daily writing practice will truly unlock your creativity.

And please enjoy my discussion with Allison Fallon. Allison is an award-winning author, sought-after public speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach. She has worked with thousands of people to realize their writing potential and become published authors. She’s host of the podcast Find Your Voice, an excellent resource for writers, and author of The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life.

https://youtu.be/A_qGKJDhUAk Interview Excerpts

On Allison’s writing practice:

My daily writing practice happens for 30 minutes every morning, and it’s me just sitting down and dumping out my first thoughts of the day. The great thing about this is it’s a beautiful practice for absolutely anyone whether or not you want to be a published author. It can bring so much value and goodness into your life, regardless of what other kind of writing you do.

On mimicry as a way to learn writing:

There’s something about being able to copy an author that we really admire, appreciate, and adore that helps us get into the groove of finding our own way to say it.

On the right to tell your own truth in your own voice:

Don’t I have the right to share my own unique experience of what it was like to live in that household? Don’t I have that right as much as he has that right? That’s what it means to find your voice. It’s to be able to stand on both feet, to say, “This is how it was for me.” And even if it was different for you, that doesn’t change the fact that this is what was true for me.

On how our brain’s “catalog” stories and we reinforce those stories through repetition:

If you have a detail in your life that seems to repeat itself, it’s a hint for you that there’s a story there that you’ve told yourself and it’s been cataloged. And that limbic part of your brain is driving the ship in ways. It’s not that it’s your fault. It’s just you’re helping co-create that reality over and over again.

On falling in love with writing instead of pursuing platform:

If I could only give one piece of advice, don’t grow your Instagram platform. Go fall in love with the act of writing. Don’t go chase down some big magazine that will publish your work. Go fall in love with the idea of writing stories and I dare you to do that for very long without finding an audience that’s really into what you’re doing.

Resources

The Power of Writing It Down, by Allison Fallon (link takes you to her website where you can download a free chapter); purchase a copy at your local bookstore or use Bookshop, which supports local bookstores (Bookshop affiliate link for hardback)
Find Your Voice: Allison’s coaching business
Find Your Voice, the podcast (we refer specifically to the episode titled “Why is writing so hard for me: The Power of Writing It Down, Part 1” with Science Mike, who says our brains are “narrative machines”)
Allison on Instagram @allyfallon
The Book Idea Primer: Allison is offering my audience a copy of The Book Idea Primer ($199 value, and more info about it HERE), a 5-part workbook that can help a writer hone in on their book idea, choose their best book idea if they have several, and clarify what they’re going to write about before trying to launch into the book-writing process. Reach out to Ashley (ashley AT findyourvoice DOT com) and she will send you a copy when you mention you heard about it from the podcast.
Rewrite Your Life by Jennifer Lourey, which Allison mentioned: Bookshop affiliate link, Amazon paperback affiliate link, or Kindle affiliate link
Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” explained HERE.
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way (Bookshop affiliate link for paperback edition)
Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones (Bookshop affiliate link for paperback edition)
Erik Fisher’s interview with Allison on Beyond the To-Do List, “Allison Fallon on the Power of Writing for Clarity, Confidence and Purpose“

ANN KROEKER, WRITING COACH

EPISODE 235

Develop a Daily Writing Habit to Find Your Voice: Interview with Allison Fallon

Ann Kroeker (00:03):

You’re listening to the Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach podcast, where I’m sharing my best tips and training, skills, and strategies, to coach writers to improve their craft, pursue publishing, and achieve their writing goals. If you are a writer struggling with writer’s block, or you’re trying to find your voice, today’s interview is for you. Today we’re going to hear more about what’s going on inside your brain—and how to unlock it. Today’s guest is Allison Fallon. Allison is an award-winner author, sought-after public speaker, and nationally recognized writing coach. She’s worked with thousands of people to realize their writing potential and become published authors. Allison is the author of The Power of Writing It Down: A Simple Habit to Unlock Your Brain and Reimagine Your Life. Welcome, Allison.

Allison Fallon (00:52):

Thanks for having me.

Ann Kroeker (00:54):

Well, I cannot wait to get into your book to get into your deep understanding of the science of how the brain works and how it all connects to the writing life. But before we get too far, I do want to ask you this: I just read your well-crafted bio, and it’s amazing all the ways that you serve writers, but I would love to hear in your own voice—with your own words—a little bit more about how you view who you are and what you do.

Allison Fallon (01:19):

What a great question. Well, I always say I fell into this work accidentally because I didn’t mean to be working with other writers. I thought I just wanted to be a writer myself and I struggled to own the identity of writer. I remember as young as elementary school and middle school when people would say, what do you want to be when you grow up? I would say, I want to be an author. And I would get the feedback that I think a lot of us get when we talk about wanting to do art as an adult where other adults, well-meaning adults would say you need a backup plan. You know, you need a degree that you can get where you can actually go make some money. Are you going to teach on the side or? You know, just well-meaning adults trying to coax you to think through the challenges of being an adult.

Allison Fallon (02:01):

I started to really question that instinct to be a writer and think maybe people don’t make money as a writer so maybe I should just think through a different career. So I got on the track of becoming a teacher. I grew up in Oregon and in Oregon, you need a master’s degree to teach at the high s...

Shawn Smucker & Maile Silva on creative legacy, rejections, and being faithful to the work Feb 13, 2021

Show notes

[Ep 234]

On this episode of the podcast, I hosted two novelists: Shawn Smucker and his wife, Maile Silva, for a literary discussion. Imagine you’re at a writing conference and we’re on stage to discuss the challenges they face as two writers at different points in the writing journey, living and working and raising a family together.

How do they offer support and input? How do they find time to write? What are they proudest of?

Shawn and Maile touch on topics like creative legacy, writing rejections, self-publishing versus traditional publishing, and being faithful to the work.

Maile Silva and Shawn Smucker (used with permission)

Shawn is an award-winning novelist by night and a collaborator and co-writer by day. He has an honors degree in English, and has been making a living as a writer for eleven years.

Maile has an honors degree in English, has written three novels, and is currently in the querying process, so if that’s where you’re at, she knows your pain. She has raised six children in the last 17 years and is beginning to have more time to dedicate to her first love…no, not Shawn. Writing. She has taught writing in different settings, including as a table leader for the Black Barn Online.

You might know them from their podcast, The Stories Between Us.

At the end of our chat, they’ll be filling you in on their program The Nine Month Novel. It’s currently closed to enrollment. In the meantime, learn from all the wonderful things they shared. Here’s a sample:

Interview Excerpts Shawn, on the writing journey:

One thing that I’m always trying to get across to other writers is that it doesn’t matter where you’re at in the process, there’s always something else that you want. If you don’t have an agent, you want an agent, and then when you have an agent, you want to get a book deal.

Or if you’re self publishing, you want to sell more books than you’re currently selling. And then once you have books published, you wish you could sell more copies, or what’s the next series going to be about, or what’s the next book.

I think it’s good to have goals and it’s good to have things that you’re shooting for, definitely, but I think one of the most important parts of the writing life is to somehow also enjoy where you’re at and to enjoy the writing that you’re doing—and for that to be the thing that gets you by. Because if the thing that gets you by is getting to the next level, there are going to be certain levels that you don’t hit or certain levels that are really challenging to get to or take a really long time. And those can burn you out if that’s your only motivation.

So even though Maile and I are at different places in the journey, we’re always encouraging each other: Stay focused on the writing. Enjoy the writing. The writing is never going to let you down.

There are so many parts of the writing journey that will be disappointing, but the writing is always there for you. It’s always there for you to work on. It’s always there for you to dig into.

Maile, on what she’s proudest of:

I think what I would be most proud of is the creative legacy that we’re leaving for our kids. And by prioritizing creativity in my own life, I see our kids starting to do that. And that just fills me with so much joy to know that they see the value of doing these things not because they’re making money, not because they’re getting notoriety from it, but because it’s a good thing to do—because it’s part of who we are.

I love that a creative inheritance is being passed down and they’re chasing after their creative dreams…And I love that more beauty and art is entering into the world just through our little clan of kids. And I think it’s because they see us pursuing it.

Maile, on criticism:

Because I don’t have any published work yet, I don’t necessarily get the one stars on Amazon that I have to work through, but you get your fair amount with the responses from agents and the rejection in it, and the criticism that comes in a rejection, even if it’s a form letter.

That’s been hard for me, if I’m honest. It has been a road, and I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress in that area with what Sean was saying, for me to acknowledge that you know what? This piece of work that I’ve created, it’s the best that I can do at that point. But I’m still writing and I’m still getting better.

And so I’m only growing as a writer, and if people want to point out what I’m not doing well, well, there’s something to be gained from that. Like, maybe there’s something that I need to attend to that they’ve pointed to, but also, that’s their opinion and everybody’s going to have their own opinion.

And it just goes back to the writing: Am I being faithful to the writing? Am I showing up each day and doing my part? If I’m doing that, that’s the best I can do. And I can’t ask more than my best from myself and people can have their opinion about that.

It’s still hard, though. It’s still hard.

Shawn, on finishing

There’s a problem that I recognize in a lot of writers, especially novelists, but I think all writers experience this, where early in your writing journey it’s really easy to start, and it’s really difficult to get through that middle…and to finish.

When I committed to finishing things, my entire writing career totally blew up in a good way. It totally changed. The first novel that I ever completely finished was The Day the Angels Fell. And I self-published that initially, and then it was picked up by a publishing house and that led to book contracts for my first five novels, which I don’t think I would’ve ever gotten if I hadn’t actually finished that novel.

So that’s what I always tell people: write every day, and finish what you start.

Maile, on finding a rhythm

I would piggyback on “Write every day.” I think you have to find a rhythm. You have to find something that works for you. And going back to the expectations, goals, and dreams: you have to create an expectation for yourself and then work at it every single day.

For me, in the midst of we’ve talked about with kids, it’s hard to find the time to write. And I remember I was in the midst of my second novel and just really struggling to find that time and I’d finished one of Kate DiCamillo’s books. In the back flap, where it has her biography, it said at the end of her biography that she lives in Minnesota, “where she faithfully writes 200 words a day.”

And it hit me almost like a smack in the face, like, “Two hundred words a day? I can do 200 words a day!” And suddenly I had an achievable expectation for myself. Okay! Every single day I’m going to write 200 words.

And often I write way beyond that, but it gets me to the page every single day. And then the magic happens after that, you know? Then we see what comes from that.

But we have to create. If we’re going to be writers, we have to write—you have to be writing on a regular basis. If you want to see growth in your writing—if you want to finish things, like Shawn was talking about—you have to find a rhythm.

Resources

Shawn Smucker’s website
Shawn’s newest book (release date July 2021): The Weight of Memory
Shawn’s other books
Building Your Writing Support Triangle, by Jessica Conoley writing for Jane Friedman
The Stories Between Us, Shawn & Maile’s podcast
The Day the Angels Fell, Shawn’s book mentioned in the podcast as the first book he finished that opened up his writing life opportunities (affiliate link with Bookshop.org)
Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott, mentioned in the conversation (affiliate link with Bookshop)
On Writing, by Stephen King, mentioned in the conversation (affiliate link with Bookshop)

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