Finding your writing voice can feel like a struggle, but sometimes it’s about uncovering what’s already inside you. That’s why I’m thrilled to share this guest post from Dani Fankhauser, a writing coach and energy healer who helps writers tap into their authentic voice and creativity.
In this article, Dani introduces five energy healing practices that can calm your mind, clear away doubt, and make it easier to write with confidence and flow. If you’ve gone through my courses on oracle cardsand vision boards for writers, then you’ll know I’m fascinated by out-of-the-box ways to boost your creativity. I think you’ll love Dani’s gentle, practical approach.
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Writers often think that a unique voice is something that needs to be created, but your most compelling and original voice is already inside of you. The work is in releasing the pressure of criticism so you can write freely—as the real you.
Energy healing is a meditative practice. It helps to balance the nervous system, bringing your mind into clarity and calm that’s ideal for writing. Because it soothes the stress response, I find energy healing to be uniquely beneficial for writers seeking to express themselves authentically.
Even if you’re new to energy healing, it is not new to you. If you’ve ever said you’re energized, drained, or need to recharge, you’re sensing your own energy levels. Many daily activities, from exercise to walking in nature, help shift your energy. As a professional energy healer, I lead sessions for individuals and groups to boost their creative output.
For writers getting started with energy healing, the following are simple practices you can do at home to enhance your creativity and authentic voice.
Chakra Clearing for a Stronger Writing Voice
The ancient mystics of India discovered that the main channel of energy moves up and down the spine, from the tailbone through the crown of the head. Along this central channel are seven energy centers called chakras.
If you feel low energy or are having trouble brainstorming the next step in your writing, then clearing the chakras will help you connect all parts of your intellect and bring your intuition fully online.
To clear the chakras, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Then, bring your attention to the physical location of each chakra, take a deep breath in, and on the breath out, imagine you’re dusting off the chakra so it’s gleaming once again. The chakras are: crown (top of head), third eye (center of skull), throat (back of neck), heart (at spine behind heart organ), solar plexus (right under ribs), sacral (low back at sacrum bone), and root (near tailbone). Once you’ve taken a breath at each chakra, take a few more breaths, imagining each breath rising up past all seven chakras on the inhale, and then rinsing out the spine like a pipe on the exhale.
Bubble Visualization to Guard Your Creative Energy
We often accumulate energy from the people around us, which is why being in public places or around people with chaotic emotions can feel tiring. When we’re writing, we can also start to predict how readers will respond to our work, and this projected criticism can slow down the writing process.
To protect your writing energy from the energy of others, you can create energetic boundaries by visualizing a bubble around your body. You can choose any color for the bubble that you want, but I like to use red, because it symbolizes safety. First, on an inhale, imagine the color rising up along your spine to the crown of your head. Then, on the exhale, imagine the color spilling outward like a water fountain, creating a translucent bubble around your body. Once this bubble is established in your mind, imagine other people’s opinions coming at you like rocks, and simply bouncing off the bubble. Then, imagine your ideal readers’ compliments coming to you and the bubble is able to allow them through.
Heart Coherence to Write With Authenticity
While modern culture considers the intellect to reside in the brain, many ancient cultures considered wisdom to be located in the heart. The brain is good at linear and logical tasks, but the heart actually has neurons in it and thinks for itself—albeit more emotionally.
Most writing is nonlinear. To get free of the limitations of the brain and access your full creative power, shift your attention from the brain to the heart. Bringing your focus to your heart brings it into coherence so it can work more effectively.
Close your eyes, and breathe into your heart space to a count of four, then exhale to a count of four. Repeat for about one minute. Then, bring to mind an image that makes you happy. It could be the face of a loved one, or pet, or a favorite place. Keep breathing as you visualize this happy image. Let your heart fill with power.
With greater access to your own emotions, you’ll be able to better capture the depth of your characters.
Intuitive Download Technique for Fresh Writing Ideas
If you feel you’re out of ideas, this energetic practice will help you to welcome some in. Ideas don’t only come by chance; we can choose to be open to inspiration.
Imagine a funnel shape at the top of your head. Then, imagine it spinning and the mouth getting wider and wider. As it opens, visualize light from the stars and sun radiating and rinsing down into this funnel, entering your mind. You can also make specific requests, like an idea for how to deal with a plot hole, or how to end your book.
Humming to Boost Self-Expression
Most writers deal with the written word, but if we trace storytelling back to its origin, it began with oral tradition. The spoken voice and the writing voice are innately connected.
In energetic anatomy, self-expression and the voice are both connected to the throat chakra. If you want to develop your writing voice, clearing the throat chakra will help you write more freely.
Try this humming practice to clear your throat chakra before you write.
Each chakra has a single syllable sound associated with it called a Bija mantra. The Bija mantra for the throat chakra is HAM, pronounced “hum.” To get started, breathe in through your nose. On the exhale, stretch out the sound “hum” for the entire out breath. It will sound very similar to chanting “om” in a yoga class. You can repeat the Bija mantra three times, or even continuously for up to one minute, before beginning your writing practice.
About Dani
Dani Fankhauser is a writing coach and energy healer. Her fiction has appeared in HAD, Sheepshead Review, and NonBinary Review. Join her membership community for intuitive writers, Vocal Oracles.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
For just $49, you’ll receive lifetime access to the replay, slides, course materials, and bonus session, all hosted in the Shortcuts for Writers Thrivecart dashboard.
If you haven’t met Beth, she teaches science fiction and fantasy novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books, and find their readers, as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. She’s an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and runs the podcast, “How To Write The Future.”
To learn more about NLP and the workshop, read my interview with Beth below.
What is NLP and how can it benefit writers? Is it for mindset, motivation, developing your story, or all of the above?
NLP stands for neuro-linguistic programming and it can benefit writers in lots of different ways. I primarily use it for mindset, motivation, overcoming writer’s block, dealing with the intrusive editor’s voice, and also to develop characters, refine character arcs, and support the writing process or workflow and enhance creative flow.
When you Google NLP, the types of techniques sound technical. Could you give us a brief overview in layman’s terms about what type of techniques fall under the umbrella of NLP? Are they techniques that people should just do once, or on a regular basis?
Sure, another way to think about NLP is what it can do for us. NLP can help us get clear on our internal habits, so that we can change them. Our habits lead to outcomes. NLP helps us become aware of our internal thought processes that lead to the outcomes we want. NLP uses a talking modality, a sequence of questions and answers to gain insight into how you’re really processing reality, so that you can shift and change toward your goal. You can use the simple techniques and tools all the time on new issues or concerns. The way I was trained is a transformational heart-centered approach helping people change without shaming who you are or were.
The simple tools I teach writers and I use with my clients are about asking questions—asking questions with curiosity, openness, and with a sense that we humans are very resourceful but we don’t always have access to them. NLP helps us have access to more inner resources and create the gentle habits to lead us to the outcome we’d like.
How did you get interested in NLP and how has it helped you with your writing?
I got interested in NLP at a business training years ago. The trainers used NLP to help people get clear on their goals and understand how often the things we think are in our way are not really what’s in our way. NLP is a way of understanding and tracking how humans are wired and how we grow, learn, and change. These business trainers had embedded NLP inside of the business tools they were teaching us. They told us they both trained at NLP Marin, so I checked it out, and then did their practitioner program—over 600 hours of training and practice.
These tools have not only helped me as a writer, but they also have helped me in every area of my business. Now I understand better how humans code reality so I can shape characters with more precision, I can edit with more awareness and can use these tools to get unstuck when I’m stuck with my story. It’s not the only toolkit I use but it is definitely one of the things I use to help me write compelling fiction.
How has learning NLP helped you with developing characters?
One of the benefits of these NLP tools is that once you use them for creating a change in yourself then it’s hard to remember what it was like before the change. I was going through my NLP practitioner certification training while working on books two and three in my Henrietta The Dragon Slayer series, and it made understanding my characters so much easier than I had experienced in book one. But it’s hard to chalk that up to only NLP. It could also have been connected to just growing and learning as a novelist.
Still, one of the things that I do put a lot of attention to when I’m story planning is a character’s change in their sense of self from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. I really got clear from the NLP training that for a character to face the big crisis and overcome it in the climax of the story, usually there has to have been an internal shift in their sense of self or in some primary belief that they held at the beginning of the story. I know I got this learning and this awareness from the NLP training. And now I teach it in my story planning and character development workshops and also part of our NLP for Fiction Writers Workshop.
What do you hope authors will come away with after this workshop?
My hope Is that authors will come away with a few exercises that they can use whenever they are stuck and a few exercises that they can use to craft compelling characters or to edit better characters for their novels.
Do you have anything else to add?
NLP has gotten a bad rap over the years because people have used it to manipulate others. But what is language really? What are we really doing with our novels? We are actually willingly manipulating the emotions of our readers to give them an outcome they desire. So like any tool NLP can be used for good or ill.
ABOUT BETH
Award-winning novelist and international writing teacher, Beth Barany, writes magical tales of romance, mystery, and adventure that empower women and girls to be the heroes of their own lives. She is the award-winning author of the YA fantasy series, Henrietta The Dragon Slayer, and the sci-fi mystery space station investigator series, starting with the award-winning, Into The Black, and of the acclaimed sweet paranormal romance Touchstone series.
Beth has also written books for writers, including Plan Your Novel Like A Pro, co-written with her husband, thriller writer Ezra Barany. Beth is currently at work on the fifth Janey McCallister science fiction mystery novel. Also, a Master NLP Practitioner, and certified creativity coach for writers, Beth runs a mastermind program for science fiction and fantasy writers to unleash their story’s potential and transform their draft into a publish-ready masterpiece and find their readers. She also facilitates and consults on Creative Entrepreneurship for fiction writers. A specialist in world building, Beth runs the podcast, How To Write The Future, and helps writers create positive, optimistic stories, because when we vision what is possible, we help make it so.
Learn how NLP, or neurolinguistic programming, boosts writing productivity and writing quality for authors. This approach is a gentle tool fostering self-acceptance while achieving desired outcomes effortlessly.
This workshop empowers writers at all levels to enhance their skills and overcome hurdles. You’re invited to engage curiosity and playfulness to refine your craft and improve your creative process.
In this hands-on workshop, we’ll explore:
– NLP’s advantages in learning new skills
– How to harness the senses to enrich your storytelling
– How to connect to the readers’ experiences
– A tool to beat procrastination and focus on writing
Perfect for writers seeking to enhance their skills, in this workshop, you’ll gain practical techniques to clarify your creative goals, expand your writer toolkit, and conquer writing challenges.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
If grammar is your nemesis as a writer, then let me introduce you to Ellen Sue Feld, the creator/instructor of online grammar refresher courses at grammar-lion.com and the author of Comma Sense: Your Guide to Grammar Victory. Below, Ellen offers valuable advice on building a good grammar habit.
Because I teach grammar, people assume I believe good grammar is the key to good writing. But I don’t believe that, not for one second. Here’s what I do believe: Your creative process is the most important part of your writing. Checking for good grammar comes later. Good grammar doesn’t make good writing, but good writing demands good grammar.
So how do we make good grammar a natural part of our writing process? By developing good grammar habits!
Recently, I listened to a podcast about the new science of habit building. (The good news is that we don’t have to harness anything magical or elusive, like willpower.) We can build good grammar habits using the same strategies that work for building any new habit.
Here’s the current thinking:
Desire the habit.
Start small.
Attach the new habit to an existing habit.
Make it fun.
Do it with consistency.
Create accountability and/or support.
Whew! That may sound like a lot. But don’t worry. While developing good grammar habits, you don’t need to employ all the strategies above. Sometimes just a few will do the trick.
I’m going to add a couple of my own that have proved true in my experience as an instructor and writer:
Expand what you know (i.e., remain open to learning).
Listen selectively to what others have to say; be discerning in your research.
Commit to reviewing your work before sharing or submitting it.
Let’s make this real with some common grammar problems you’ll want to consider:
run-on sentences
lack of subject-verb agreement and pronoun-antecedent agreement
homophones
random commas and lack of commas
ambiguous pronouns
wordiness
shifts in person and tense
dangling and misplaced modifiers
punctuation with quotation marks
punctuation with conjunctive adverbs
capitalization
We all come to grammar at our own starting place. Cross off what you don’t need to work on, and add more topics as you think of them.
Building Good Grammar Habits
Now let’s use habit building to turn around these grammar problems in our writing. For our example, we’ll use homophones as our target good grammar habit.
Desire the habit. If the desire isn’t there, you’re unlikely to develop a good new habit. So what might motivate you as a writer? Consider this: Your writing is a reflection of who you are, and you want the best possible reflection. In other words, you don’t want anything to detract from the overall picture of the wonderful writer you are. Good grammar will enhance your writer’s image.
Resolve: I want my writing to be polished and professional. And I want to have confidence in my writing whenever I share it with someone else.
Start small. You don’t have to know everything. Begin with one, two, or three points of grammar to master. You can always challenge yourself later with additional topics.
Resolve: I want to be sure I’m using the right homophone. I’m aware I sometimes mix up their, there, and they’re even though I know the differences. I’ll pay more attention to this.
Attach the new habit to an existing habit. You’re already set because you’ve attached the habit of using good grammar to your existing habit of writing and editing. One of the great things about grammar is that you get to practice your skills every time you write. Practice is naturally built in to the process!
Resolve: When I’ve finished writing, I’ll review my work and look for their/there/they’re to make sure I’ve used them correctly. I’m also going to start a list of homophones I mix up. I’ll check my writing against that list.
Make it fun. Reward yourself. Use what’s positive for you. Here are a few ideas for adding pleasure to your grammar-check process: Eat a jellybean when you catch an error. Play your own special grammar-check music in the background. Compile a list of the errors you catch so that your pride in recognition will grow as your list grows.
Resolve: I love numbers and puzzles as much as I love words, so I’ll enjoy solving a sudoku after I do a grammar check.
Do it with consistency. This may feel hard. We’re often pressed for time. But try your best to factor in time for a grammar check. It’s a vital part of your writing process.
Resolve: I’ll look for homophone errors in all my writing, including emails and texts.
Create accountability. If you thrive on community support, go ahead and tell someone about your new plan to build good grammar habits. Keep them updated on your progress. And if you like to work solo, that’s fine, too. You can be accountable to yourself.
Resolve: This is a pact I’m making with myself.
Be open to ongoing learning. You’re learning every time you look up something online, go to a dictionary, take a course, or ask another writer a question. Every little bit you learn and put to use contributes to big changes in your writing.
Resolve: A writer friend just mentioned whet/wet to me in the expression “whet your appetite.” I always thought it was “wet your appetite”! Though I’m aware of a few other homophones I misuse, I’m going to have some fun perusing lists.
Be discerning. There’s a lot of information out there. You know not all of it is legit. Some well-meaning people can inadvertently spread misinformation. Vet your sources. For example, if a grammar information site is connected to a university, it’s more likely than a random site to be trustworthy.
Resolve: I just found a comprehensive online grammar resource. It’s a writing lab that’s part of a public university, and it’s available to everyone. It’s easy to use, and I can trust what I learn there.
Review your work before submitting. When you’ve finished writing, take a break. Walk away. Distance will help you spot errors when you come back. Then read through your work in an unhurried way. Because we get accustomed to our own words, it’s easy to overlook errors. Reading aloud can help. Another useful technique is reading your work from the bottom up, paragraph by paragraph. If you can, read from a print version instead of on the screen.
Resolve: I’m going to factor in a few minutes of grammar review time for every thousand words. This will allow me be methodical and relaxed.
You may be wondering how long it takes to build a new habit. It depends on how complex the habit is and how often and how much you get to practice. The more consistent you are—as in doing a grammar check and making corrections every time you write—the quicker you’ll develop the habit. But this isn’t a race. Good grammar habits are for the long term, for as long as you are a writer.
Come join us at Grammar Lion of Facebook (@grammarlion). We’re a diverse, international, nonjudgmental group of learners who aim to let no grammar question go unanswered. Everyone is welcome!
Comma Sense: Your Guide to Grammar Victory– Learn the rules of adverbs, punctuation, abbreviations, prepositions, and much more. Ellen covers topics such as em dashes, parentheticals and parallelism, diction and logic, run-on sentences and sentence fragments, and more. Become a master of capitalization and punctuation, subjects and predicates, and contractions and possessives. After every chapter, take a quiz to practice your new grammatical skills in this great grammar workbook. At the end of the book, a comprehensive test allows you to utilize all you have learned. At 512 pages, there is lots of content in this book! Readers who enjoyed The Elements of Style; Actually, the Comma Goes Here; The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation; or The Perfect English Grammar Workbook will love Comma Sense: A Guide to Grammar Victory.
“In her new book, Comma Sense, Ellen Sue Feld demystifies grammar with clarity, conciseness, and empathy.” —Anu Garg, author and founder of Wordsmith.org
“If you really want to go deep into the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of grammar, then Comma Sense is for you. Ellen covers the basics like a pro and delivers practical examples to help you learn. You’ll never mess up ‘lie’ and ‘lay’ again!” —Lisa Lepki, CMO at ProWritingAid
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Katharine Grubb of 10 Minute Novelists has a brand new book out and it delves into questions such as how do you start writing, how do you visualize yourself as a writer, and how do you get your writing done. Below, Katharine tells you a little about her book Think Like A Writer In 10 Minutes A Day and shares an excerpt. If you’re a new writer, or if you’re having trouble fitting writing into a busy schedule, then it’s time for you to meet Katharine!
Are you a writer? Or are you not one? Do you see yourself as a writer?
Have you fallen in love with the written word? Have you ever savored a story, wondered how words came together, longed to see your name on a cover?
Have you ever thought you’d like to create something, anything, with words, but you don’t know how?
The first step? See yourself as one. Then, as you get used to this new “identity”, you can take steps to physically and emotionally set yourself up to be productive. This will mean creating a writing space, organizing your time, seeking inspiration, and writing regularly without fear.
I made this jump from non-writer to writer back in 2006. I had five children, all eight years old and younger, and decided that it was time to restart my lifelong dream to be a writer. Once I saw myself as a writer, grew in organization and discipline, and conquered my fears, I finished projects and published them. Since 2006, I’ve written ten books.
My newest book Think Like A Writer In 10 Minutes A Day is for the hesitant writer who hasn’t made that jump yet from non-writer to beginner. This book is for that critical first step: to think like one.
Here is an excerpt of the book’s introduction.
Introduction
Back in the early days of my writing life I was asked one question more than any other: “Are you a pantser or a plotter?” I don’t remember how I answered because I don’t remember understanding what they were talking about. I found out later, that this ubiquitous, reductionist, and rather uninteresting question was really asking, “How do you think?”
If I answered, “I’m a plotter,” then it would be assumed that I had studied story structure, logically worked out plot points, and analytically planned my story before I began the drafting process. If I answered, “I’m a ‘pantser’,” then that I would imply that I “wrote by the seat of my pants,” pursuing emotional tangents rather than a strict plan, and preferring creative spontaneity instead of structure. If I did have a preference, and it was the opposite choice of the person who asked the question, then I may have received a condescending rebuttal on why my choice was “incorrect.” Sometimes it might even be implied that once I claimed a “side” I had to be loyal to that “side” for the rest of my career.
All of that is hogwash. In reality all writers, whether they want to admit it or not, need both approaches in the way that they think not just of their stories, but also of their writing goals.
What does it mean to think like a writer? There are as many ways to think about and approach writing as there are books on a public library’s shelf. Writers, especially new ones, don’t need a false dichotomy to dictate how they should approach their writing. Both “pantsers” and “plotters” think like writers, and if they are comfortable with their methods, then they are successful at it. How much more interesting it would be if writers were asked instead, “Oh, you’re a writer too? How do you process your ideas?” Or, “What’s going through your mind when you create?”
All successful authors, back in the beginning of their careers, to a mental leap and first saw themselves as writers. They set up their lives, physically and emotionally to achieve their writing goals. They all, for lack of a better term, had a writer mode in their settings, either analytical or emotional (or a combination of both) and tuned into it as they worked on their projects.
If they were in “writer mode” then they organized at their time and resources in such a way that they were able to get their writing done. In “writer mode” they were conscientious of their environment, looking constantly for inspiration, and came up with ideas from a myriad of places. But also, because “writer mode” is solitary, they may have faced self-doubt and fear, and perhaps slipped into despair. (Sadly, thinking like a writer has a sordid history.) All writers, new and experienced, have to set their minds intentionally, and decisively, on what they want to accomplish or they will never see their dreams come true.
I had to make that decision too. Back in 2006, I had five small children, all 8 years old and younger, and I thought it was the perfect time to start my writing career. Even though I didn’t know how to begin, I decided to commit at least ten minutes a day to my writing dream. I had to think differently in order to become something different. I had to change the way that I viewed my time, energy, and environment, to meet this simple goal. I knew I needed to think like a writer in order to be one. But I didn’t know to do that, so I guessed.
I read library books on writing, scoured writing blogs for fresh insight (whose advice was often contradictory), and slapped together my first website. I “pantsed” well over 200,000 words on my first novel before I formulated some sort of plot. I probably could have saved a lot of time had I a plan of action, or a community, or even another writer to tell me what to do next. I wanted to think and act like a writer, but I had no idea what that was, so I just followed every whim. For better or worse, I “pantsed” my way into thinking like a writer.
Had I “plotted” my way into thinking like I writer, I might have created a regular writing schedule, and equip myself better in organization and discipline. I would have educated myself on storytelling basics. I would have read more books that were similar to what I wanted to write. I would have worked more deliberately to expose myself to culture and beauty so I would be inspired. I would have understood that all writers struggle to find their voice and purpose. I would have come to terms with my emotional resistance, who kept telling me “what makes you think you can pull this off?” I probably could have thought like a writer from the beginning, but I couldn’t get out of my own head to do it.
What I needed to learn came 10 years after I started: I finally realized that writerly brilliance was not ever easy.
Seth Godin’s book Linchpin, had the truth I needed. “A brilliant author or businesswoman or senator or software engineer is brilliant only in tiny bursts. The rest of the time, they’re doing work that most any trained person could do. It might take a lot of tinkering or low-level work or domain knowledge for that brilliance to be evoked, but from the outside, it appears that the art is created in the moment, not in tiny increments.” (P. 51.)
I did get the tiny increment part right. It was in 2006, in between childcare, household management, and homeschooling that I began to set my timer for 10 minutes. I put the time in, but how much more efficient that time would have been had I been thinking like a writer in the first place.
This book is for the new writer who is facing the ocean of possibility as a fiction writer and doesn’t know what to do. This is a hand-holding, coaxing book of instruction to new writers who don’t have the skills or courage to put their toes in the water, much less sail. This book is meant to save the struggle of figuring things out for the first time fiction writer. To change metaphors, my previous book, Write A Novel in Ten Minutes A Day, is the Couch25K for fiction writers, but Think Like A Writer in 10 Minutes A Day, is picking out the first pair of sneakers. After each section, this book provides exercises that can be done in a series of 10 minute increments. They are meant to be personal, journal type responses with no real deadline, and certainly no right answers. To do the exercises, you’ll need a notebook, or a new document on your laptop, or some way to keep everything together. You can do these exercises as you see fit, perhaps one a day. Some can be accomplished in 10 minutes, some will require several 10 minute increments. All are completed when you say they are.
This book is divided in three sections. The first section will address the more analytical, logical parts of writing. In this part, I’ll be leading you through exercises to help you clarify your personal definition of success, challenge you to use your time and space better, and review you on the basic understanding of writing skills. These are important concepts, but they’re not that sexy, so we’re addressing them first to get them out of the way. If you are really into Seth Godin or Getting Things Done, you’re going to love this part. Each of the exercises, in this, the logistical thinking section, will help you think more objectively about your writing journey.
Then, the second part will address the more touchy-feely, artsy-fartsy ways in which you can think like a writer. In this section, I will be encouraging you to get in touch with your feelings, identify yourself as a creative person and speak to yourself about your desires to write. Then, we’ll wrap it up on the importance of authenticity in your writing and how to tap into your reality as a creative person. If you are really into Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, or Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, then you are going to love this part of the book. Go ahead, write in the margins. Stain the pages with your tears. That’s what the emotional thinking part of the book is there for.
But there’s a third part too, resistant thinking. This part is arguably the most important, because if you can’t manage it, you certainly can’t succeed in the writing world.Like it or not, there is a part of your brain that is quite happy if you stay on your couch, flip back and forth between Netflix and Hulu, and eat your weight in Hot Pockets. This part of your brain does not want think like a writer. This part of your brain knows that writing is hard, so it will do everything to stop you. It will throw you lies, doubts, fears, and the reminder of what that teacher said to you about that poem you wrote all those years ago. If you have read Austin Kleon, or know what lizard brain means, then you know exactly what I’m talking about. I have a section here to help you combat resistant thinking and hopefully prepare you for the constant battle resistant thinking will fight as long as you decide to pursue this dream.
Brenda Ueland said this in her book If You Want To Write (p. 4) “Everybody is talented because everybody who is human has something to express.” I believe that because you chose to read this book that you have something to express too. Perhaps like me, you need to get yourself out of your own head, think like a writer is supposed to think, and begin your journey.
Exercises
1.1 Find a way to journal; either create a new document on your computer, a note on your phone, or pick up a cheap notebook somewhere, set a timer for ten minutes and write the answer to this question: Based on the Brenda Ueland quote you read above, what would you like to express?
1.2 Would you most likely be a “plotter” or a “pantser”? Why?
1.3 Which of the ways of thinking: logical, emotional, or resistant, do you think is the easiest to understand and practice? Which do you think will be most challenging to learn about?
Katharine Grubb is an almost-done-homeschooling mother, poet, hybrid author, camping enthusiast and confident home cook who thinks that she is the funniest person in her family. She is the founder and CEO of 10 Minute Novelists and lives in Central Massachusetts, USA, with her husband and a ever-varying number of her five mostly-grown children. She is the author of Write A Novel In Ten Minutes A Day (Hodder & Stoughton, 2015.)
Can you relate to any of the above struggles? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
I’m so excited to bring you this interview with an extremely inspiring writer and coach, Emma Dhesi, who helps beginner writers find the time and confidence to write their first novel. I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed for an upcoming episode of Emma’s podcast, Turning Readers Into Writers. She also invited me to talk about self-editing during the 20-day August Accelerator event coming up in her Facebook group. (August 2020)
Emma’s motto for beginner writers is: Get Focused. Get Confident. Get Published. Read the interview below to learn more about Emma and how she is helping beginner writers to approach the monumental task of writing a book.
How did you get interested in helping beginner authors to find the time and confidence to write their books? Do you do coaching?
It took me a long time to finish my first novel, over five years in fact. But when I did, it changed everything for me. I suddenly saw myself in a whole new light and realised that if I just put in the time and regular effort I could finish, not just a first draft, but a published novel.
I was so amazed by new capabilities that I knew I had to help other women achieve this as well. It’s all too easy for women to get caught up in the role of mother or wife or worker, especially those in the second half of life. It’s vital to recognise you still have so much to offer. [bctt tweet=”Writing your novel might not change the world but it will change you. You’ll realise you’re capable of so much more than you ever dreamed.” username=”stacyjuba”] Not just in writing, but in other aspects of your life too. If I’d known five years ago that I’d be doing what I do now, I would have thought you were crazy!
I don’t do one-to-one coaching but do offer group coaching. I strongly believe in having a safe and supportive community and do my best to offer this to all my students. I have an online resource called How To Write Your Novel – A Proven 4 Step Guide For Busy Beginners Who Want To Write Their First Novel. Applications are closed for the moment, but I will be opening it again in the future.
Tell us about your blog. What are some examples of posts you have published?
My blog is aimed specifically at beginner writers. My audience has told me that they struggle most with finding the time to write and building their confidence. Much of my content helps students find ways to find that time and grow their confidence via shared experiences as well as techniques they can try. For example, I’m a big believer in scheduling your writing time. In my experience, if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t get done!
In addition, I help with aspects of craft, introduce people to debut authors and share resources that have helped me in my writing journey.
Tell us about your free cheat sheet on 30+ ways to find time to write? How can people get it?
Because finding time to write is something a lot of my students struggle with, I have a free guide called 30 Top Tips To Find Time To Write. It’s aimed at busy people who need to fit their writing time in around their existing commitments. It’s not always possible to sit down for a whole hour or two in one sitting. Instead, a lot of us need to fit our writing in when we can.
It was Elizabeth Kostava who inspired me when she said she had to write what she could when she could. This guide is full of practical and simple ways that you can slot writing sessions into your week. You can get a copy of it by going to www.emmadhesi.com/30TopTips.
How long have you been doing the Turning Readers Into Writers Podcast? What is your goal with the podcast?
I mentioned earlier that writing a novel changed my life in many ways, not least that it made me see I could do much more than I ever thought. Launching a podcast is one of those things. It’s new on the block as my first episode went live in March this year.
It too is aimed at beginner writers. I cover the same topics as I do in my blog but offer it here in audio form so that it can be listened to on the go. Again, I interview debut authors and experts in their field; for example editors and other writing coaches. If you are a debut author, and would like to chat with me about your writing process and how you balance writing and your day to day life, I’d love to hear from you. I think it’s so valuable for new writers to hear how other people work. It opens up new ideas about how a creative life can be incorporated into a professional life.
You also have a Facebook group for beginner writers. What are some of the things that you discuss in the group?
It’s free to join and we discuss all sorts in there. It’s a safe community for people to ask questions whether that be on mindset or craft. Members gain not only moral support and encouragement but benefit from a weekly Live Q&A session and visiting guest experts. We recently had Marjorie J McDonald come in and talk to us about how to write for children, as well as storytelling expert Blake Morris on how to structure a story.
You have a big event going on in August. What do you have planned?
August Accelerator is a 20-day event throughout August 2020 during which I have invited a number of experts to come into my Facebook group, Turning Readers Into Writers, to talk all things writing! Not only do I have guests speaking about, amongst other things, How To Write Romance, Non-Fiction and a Series, guests will also be discussing how you can use manifestation or tarot cards in your creative life. And of course we will discuss how you can manage imposter syndrome and procrastination as well as how writing can help maintain balanced mental health.
It’s going to be a wonderful month and I’m really looking forward to hearing what all my experts have to say. If you’d like to come in and listen to any of the talks and conversations, you can do so by going to the Facebook group, Turning Readers Into Writers. The videos will be streamed live and replays will be available for a limited time only.
Is there anything else you wanted to get across?
I cannot emphasise enough how Doable it is to write your first manuscript. With consistency and realistic expectation of what you can achieve in a given time period, there’s no reason you can’t finish your first draft. If it’s something you’ve always wanted to do, I urge you to, at the very least, finish your first draft. Then you will know once and for all whether it’s something that lights your heart or isn’t what you expected.
Novel writing should be challenging but it should also be fun and I also encourage your readers to see writing as an opportunity to be curious about the world. It’s hard to do, I know, but try to enjoy the journey as well as the finished product.
More About Emma Dhesi
Emma Dhesi writes women’s fiction. She began writing seriously while a stay-at-home mum with three pre-school children. By changing her mindset, being consistent and developing confidence, Emma has gone from having a collection of handwritten notes to a fully written, edited and published novel. Having experienced first-hand how writing changes lives, Emma now helps beginner writers find the time and confidence to write their first novel.
The Day She Came Home – Nicola left her husband Ross, and son Sam, to begin a new life on a remote Scottish island. She thought she’d left her childhood and her old life behind her, but the desire to reconnect is too strong. She must find a way to get a second chance.
Ross can’t move on with his life until he knows what happened to his wife. When she turns up out of the blue and asks for a second chance, he’s not sure he can forgive her. Stephen and Mary are devastated when their long-lost daughter returns and accuses them of the most horrific crimes. But as Stephen always said, no one would believe her. When family secrets are brought to the surface everyone is forced to face their past. Can they forgive and forget? Would you take her back? The Day She Came Home is the first in a series of contemporary family dramas.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Many new writers are afraid of pursuing their dream of writing a book. Even experienced authors may feel afraid when switching genres or starting a new project. If you’ve ever felt fear regarding your writing career, then you’ll relate to this helpful post from Willow Green on mapping out your success.
By the way, Willow will be doing a live workshop in the Shortcuts for Writers Facebook Group on June 4 at 7:30 p.m. EST, sharing how to set yourself up for success and feel like your book wrote itself. You can find more information here. To participate, request membership in the Shortcuts for Writers Facebook group. The presentation will be archived in the Units section.
Willow’s Insight On Fear
Writing a book was a dream for 20 years before becoming a reality. Once I wrote one, I wrote another. And now I am in the process of book three. I allowed my fear of the process to stop me from accomplishing my goal. Fear; it can be paralyzing and often times is the only thing separating you from what you want the most.
So what is this fear? What are you really afraid of? When I ask that question, the funny thing is most people don’t really know. It’s the fear of the unknown.
How many times have you procrastinated, telling yourself “I don’t know how”, or asking yourself “Will anyone actually want to read my story?”
These are some of the ways fears manifest into our reality. The stories we tell ourselves when we are unsure of the next move. You’re stuck, that’ all. Everyone gets stuck, it’s a natural part of life. The only question is how long are you willing to stay there?
There are so many ways to get unstuck and set yourself up for success. First, ask yourself if you really want to write. If yes, then let’s map the journey for success!
Mapping Out Your Success
It doesn’t matter what you want to write, the process can work for anyone who is committed to the journey.
Writing a book is a journey, not a destination. You will learn so much about yourself along the way. Just like the plot of your story, you will face hardships, adversity, and challenges that make you want to quit. You will also experience extreme highs, breakthroughs, and surprise yourself. You will read your first drafts, shake your head and ask, “did I really write that?” You will vacillate between disbelief and confusion about your words, and other times be impressed at how amazing a writer you truly are. It’s all included! You get to experience everything and it will unlock parts of yourself that you didn’t know existed. So enjoy the journey!
Set yourself up for success. Create a plan before you even start, a map. Your legend will be your reader, your voice, your message, the intention behind the journey. Then map out the steps, planning on unforeseen obstacles and hidden treasures. Have an accountability and support team to cheer you on and motivate you through the challenges, as well as be there to celebrate the wins with you.
Once I created my map, both books flowed through me. I was prepared and able to navigate the emotional storms with ease and grace. I knew exactly what I wanted the reader to experience and was clear with my intention. I followed the map I created. It kept me on course and allowed me to go back, rewrite and edit without getting lost in my own story.
Clarity on the direction and steps will guide you swiftly from dream to reality! What are you waiting for?
More About Willow
Willow Green is an author, facilitator and intuitive coach whoworks with individuals and groups around the world facilitating opportunities to experience true freedom and deeper levels of love. Willow is certified in NLP, has a degree in occupational science andhaslived with and trained with several spiritual guides. She has a very unique and diverse set of gifts that allow clients to see exactly what they need to empower themselves and thrive. She is the author of:
I’m Sober, Now What? Moving through the fear, anxiety and humility of LIFE on Life’s terms
Rewriting Your Reality, You Have a Choice. A Path to Enlightenment
Inside the Mind of an Addict
The Story Behind the Story (Video Series)
A New Perspective on Life (Video)
If you would like help defining your message or creating your map, apply for a discovery call at www.GroovyWillowGreen.com.
Rewriting Your Reality Book
Rewriting Your Reality by Willow Green – Rewrite your new reality starting today. If you can imagine it, you can experience it. What if you could let go of everything you thought you knew and in the process gain more than you ever imagined? Who would you be? What would that look like? What do you desire? More money? A better job? Love? A new home? Travel? Anything is possible if you believe. Every thought, every choice, every action creates your reality. You have the power to rewrite it as many times as you wish, refining your choices each time. Offers poignant reflective exercises and questions to usher in new ways of being.
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
I know that many writers are having trouble tapping into their creativity during the pandemic. Thankfully, Allie Pleiter has a book that can help with this problem, and I asked her to share some tips about writing under stress. Read on for some helpful advice from Allie. You’ll also learn more about her valuable book, How to WRITE When Everything Goes WRONG—A Practical Guide to Writing Through Tough Times.
Allie’s Tips For Writing Under Stress
As the author of How to WRITE When Everything Goes WRONG—A Practical Guide to Writing Through Tough Times, I’ve been getting a lot of cries for help from writers these days. The crisis we find ourselves in right now can squelch any writer’s creative energy. New words can feel impossible, the focus to revise eludes us, and we’re just plain stressed.
How to write…right now? Believe it or not, there are several things you can do to help yourself. Here are a few of my favorite tips:
#1: Try Small Batches In New Formats.
The trick is to pick a word count that feels doable–even if it must be tiny. One hundred words, for example, can fit on an index card. I suspect even the most traumatized of writers could manage six imperfect sentences that can be edited later. That work, once accomplished, can become the foothold for more. Can you tuck three or four cards into your pocket and set yourself the challenge to fill them? Your smartphone, a small notebook, or even email can help a small task feel small. All you need at first–maybe all you need at all–are baby steps.
#2: Change Locations.
Give yourself time in a different location in order to compartmentalize your brain space. You may not be able to go far—maybe only to the next room—but even that shift can make a difference. Ritualize it if it helps, saying: “At two p.m. I go out on the balcony with a cup of coffee and do my writing,” or “After lunch I make myself a cup of tea and write.” Remind yourself this is your time to work, and you can be fully present to whatever problems are facing you when you are done with your writing.
#3: When You Feel You Can’t Escape Your Situation, Start By Describing It.
Many books—fiction and nonfiction—have been born of personal difficulties. Writing about where you are right now can “prime the pump,” proving to your creative self that writing is possible. As a bonus, you may also discover the seeds of a new project in the process.
[bctt tweet=”Creativity is possible. You are just going to have to go about it in different ways for a while. @alliepleiter #writingtips #writingcommunity” username=”stacyjuba”]
#4: Embrace The Lousy First Draft.
Brilliance is likely beyond your reach—even if you discover you work great under pressure. Tell yourself: “It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just has to be written.” You can revise and polish your draft at another time once you get through the difficult stage of putting the words down on paper no matter how inelegant they feel. As best-selling author Nora Roberts famously said, “You can’t fix a blank page.”
#5: Set A Timer.
Pick whatever span of time feels possible—even fifteen minutes. Most of us can stand fifteen minutes of almost anything. Once or twice a day, set the timer and have at it. During those minutes, give yourself permission to “be a writer” rather than someone ill, caring, or coping. Starting is often the hardest part, and you may discover you can work longer than you think.
#6: Try Dictation.
Chances are you won’t need any special equipment for dictation because most computers and nearly every smartphone comes preloaded with some form of basic dictation software. If typing feels beyond you—or if you have a physical limitation such as carpal tunnel syndrome, eyesight issues, a bad back, or a broken wrist—close your eyes and dictate a scene, a setting, or even a character description to get you started. Carry on dictating as long as you can. An added benefit of dictation: You can’t edit or see mistakes, so there’s nothing to impede your progress.
Creativity is possible. You are just going to have to go about it in different ways for a while. The gift of writing God has given you hasn’t gone away…it may just be in hiding. I hope these tips will give you help to go find it. The world needs your stories!
As the author of The Chunky Method Handbook, I’m passionate about creative people be more productive. If you’d like to join my Chunky Method mailing list and get many more writing productivity tips, simply text the word CHUNKY to 22828.
Buy The Book
How to Write When Everything is Going Wrong: A Practical Guide to Writing Through Tough Times by Allie Pleiter – Is your muse yelling “SOS”? How do you keep the words pouring onto the page when your real life feels like it’s under attack? Every writer knows how stress and personal crises can strangle your creativity. Help is on the way in this brilliantly practical guide. Inside, you’ll find advice that: – Gets you through the thick of your crisis – Gives you tactics that will energize you to keep writing – Teaches you to use your stress to inspire your writing – And much more! As the author of over 30 books and the creator of The Chunky Method of time management for writers, Pleiter has met deadlines in the midst of some imposing traumas. With candor, insight, and the wisdom of experience, she shares practical and inventive strategies for how to stay afloat and creative amid life’s stormiest seas.
More About Allie
Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four books at a time. She is the bestselling author of over fifty titles with a twenty-year career of over 1.5 million books sold. Allie also coaches on productivity and speaks on the creative process. Visit www.alliepleiter.com.
Get a free download of her 15 tips for writing under stress!
Hi there! I’m Stacy Juba, an author, freelance editor, and the founder of Shortcuts for Writers. I’d love to connect. If you’re a writer, here are a few ways we can work together:
Tell us about your blog. What are some examples of posts you have published?
Many new writers are afraid of pursuing their dream of writing a book. Even experienced authors may feel afraid when switching genres or starting a new project. If you’ve ever felt fear regarding your writing career, then you’ll relate to this helpful post from Willow Green on mapping out your success. 
