Write Now With Sarah Werner | For Writers, On Writing

Episode 002: Mad Like Alyce Welcome to another episode of Coffee Break! This week, I'm talking to lifestyle blogger Mad Like Alyce, who offers a special focus on living a healthier life with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and chronic pain. This is a great podcast episode for any writer who has a blog or is thinking about starting a blog! In our conversation, Alyce & I talk about the importance of selecting a niche for your blog without letting it confine or label you, how to draw inspiration from other bloggers while maintaining your own voice, how much time to spend writing a post vs. how much value it provides to your readers, and so much more. Alyce is not only a writer but a tech geek like myself, and so you'll also get some tips on starting your blog on a shoestring budget, using Google Analytics to understand and grow your blog traffic, and finding the right blogging platform. I hope you enjoy it. Visit Alyce's blog. You'll find Alyce online at madlikealyce.com, where she blogs about living a

Help support this podcast! >> DID YOU KNOW THAT I LOVE BOOKS? This is a good thing, because episode 024 of the Write Now podcast is all about books. Hooray! This week's episode is sponsored by my good friend Dave Booda at the Darken the Page podcast. Dave is passionate about exploring the creative process, and his interview-style podcast lends some great perspective. Check it out! What are your favorite books? As writers, we tend to love books. Many books, various books, perhaps even all books. But we still have our favorites -- those books that we've had since childhood, books that comforted us when we were afraid, that kept us company when we were lonely. Those books that contain characters we count closer than our friends and remind us of all the possibilities life can bring. Here are 5 of my 10 favorite books, along with the reasons why. My favorite books! Today's podcast is about 5 of my 10 favorite books, and it gives you some background on why they're so important to me: Pattern Recognition by William

A truly delightful conversation with the author of the Thornleigh Saga about crafting a real page-turner. Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/sarahrheawerner 

Help support this podcast! >> Oh man. Episode 023 of the Write Now podcast is about SUCCESS. Get ready  for some kind of MONTAGE or MOTIVATIONAL POSTER, probably! ...Or, you know, a nice earnest discussion on what it means to find success as a writer. What does success look like for you as a writer? It's something that we all daydream about but rarely give any serious thought: What would it look like if we were successful? I think that a lot of writers interpret success as a "luck of the draw" type fate, and to a certain degree, that's true. But I think those writers also tend to underestimate the power of strategic planning and goal-setting. It all starts with understanding and defining what success means for and looks like to you as a writer. For you, is success: Changing the way your society operates? Shaking up the status quo? Spreading an idea? Selling a lot of books? Making a ton of money from selling a ton of books? Hitting the New York Times or Amazon bestseller list? Or is it something else ent

Help support this podcast! >> Hey friends. Have you ever questioned your writer-ly destiny? Then Episode 022 of the Write Now podcast is for you. What if I simply wasn't meant to be a writer? I received a letter from a very bright, very talented young writer named Amanda who was wondering whether she was actually meant to be a writer. Her letter affected me so much that I decided to dedicate this episode to exploring the topic. Amanda writes, I'm not sure if I'm meant to be writing... I like coming up with characters and thinking about the situations they would get into. I like developing the characters. I love dialogue particularly. ...But I spend maybe 5% of my writing time actually writing. The rest of the time, I am in misery. I agonize over my faults until I can barely move, let alone be creative... I'm just wondering if I should even be writing at all. Can someone maybe have a passion for writing but then shouldn't do it anyway? Wow. It took me a while, but I was finally able to provide Amanda with an a

Help support this podcast! >> My friends. Episode 021 of the Write Now podcast is about writer's block and how to defeat it. GET READY. Have you ever struggled with writers' block? Writers' block can seize any writer at any point during the writing process. But that doesn't mean you can't fight back! In today's podcast episode, I talk about what to do when: You can't come up with an idea You have too many ideas and you can't commit to just one You don't know what to write next You've strayed from your outline and you don't know how to get back on track You're bored with what you've written You don't feel like writing You're paralyzed by fear You're stuck in revision purgatory The many cures for writers' block. From writing exercises to the steps to getting unstuck (WN 013), getting yourself in a writing mood (WN 008), or regaining your confidence (WN 005), you'll want to make sure that you choose the cure that fits your situation. I'll help you do that in today's episode. Going through a period of wri

Help support this podcast! >> I never intended to go into marketing. In fact, I just kind of fell into it -- and realized I was fairly decent at it. In marketing, I've learned a lot about truth (and how people respond to truth) that I'll share with you today in Episode 020 of the Write Now podcast. Truth! Beauty! Right? There's an adage that says, "Writers are professional liars." I can understand the cynicism and humor that lie beneath that statement, but I don't agree with it. Not a bit. When you're writing to connect with people, whether it's an account of factual events or a story about unicorns piloting spaceships through a multiverse of rainbows, you have a responsibility to tell the truth. The fiction writer is the penultimate truth-teller. The resonant and enduring beauty of fiction doesn't lie in a mere faithful retelling of events. And simply writing what you know (yet another writing adage) is not enough. We write and read fiction to connect with others -- to find truths in one another. As Ernest H

Help support this podcast! >> Do you have a writing mentor? Find out why it's super-important to have one in Episode 019 of the Write Now podcast! Every writer needs a mentor. What are the benefits of having a writing mentor? How do you go about finding one? Is it possible you have one already? And how can you tell a good mentor from a bad one? SO MANY QUESTIONS! Good thing I have so many answers. You are not alone. I think that, in general, writing as seen as a fundamentally solitary, isolated, and alone process. We imagine writers sitting up late at night at a well-shadowed desk, sipping cognac by the fire, shut into an office or study, out for a lonely walk. Maybe it's a man, maybe it's a woman. Heck, maybe it's this guy: (Sorry, I couldn't resist. That pipe-chomping, suspender-wearing image of a writer really cracks me up.) Point is, I don't think it's healthy for a writer to be perfectly 100% alone in their craft. Good vs. bad mentors! I share the story of how I met my current mentor, Melissa, and what a

Help support this podcast! >> Hey there, friends. In episode 018 of the Write Now podcast, I'm going to give you some advice that I'll bet you don't hear all that often: Fail a lot. As writers, why are we such perfectionists? Why do we expect perfection from ourselves? Shouldn't we understand better than anyone else that the human creature is inherently and beautifully flawed? I know, I know. I'm guilty of this, too. But let's do something we writers tend to be not-super-great at and dive headfirst into REALITY and admit: We are human. We are not perfect. And that is okay. Go ahead and repeat that a couple times, whether out loud or simply to yourself. Because it's true, and it's true of everyone. Especially if you're the type of person who protects yourself from failure -- and by doing so also prevents yourself from trying. And protects yourself from success. Failure fun facts: Failure is not rejection -- rejection is subjective feedback. Failure is not the opposite of success -- failure is a step towar

Help support this podcast! >> Welcome to Episode 017 of the Write Now podcast, my lovelies. I am so glad you're here. Today we're going to talk about your work/life/writing balance. Where are you putting your energy? If you go out to iTunes and check out the Write Now podcast "about" info, you'll see it says: "A weekly podcast for aspiring writers looking to find a healthy work/life/writing balance." Sometimes, I feel like three separate selves trying to work together, instead of one self trying to find balance: my work self, my life self, and my creative writing self. And they don't always get along: Work self: This is your professional side -- the one that is paid to meet & greet clients, counsel people over the phone, make sandwiches, pour concrete, teach math, serve lasagna, balance the company budget, and lead a team. Life self: This is the "home" you -- the part of you that takes care of and hangs out with your family & friends, washes the dishes, binges on Star Trek: TNG reruns, volunteers at

Help support this podcast! >> This is the sweet 16th episode of the Write Now podcast with yours truly. Sometimes we lose that spark. Remember when writing used to be fun? Or better yet, satisfying? You can find that feeling again. It might just be a matter of letting go of some other stuff that matters less. It's about understanding what it is you love about writing. Here are some simple questions you can ask yourself that will guide your mind back into a happy writing place. Ask yourself... What was it that made you fall in love with writing in the first place? Reveling in the sheer number of possibilities? Getting lost in a unique story that was all your own? Playing out an imagined fantasy? Sharing a message you were passionate about? Next, ask: What changed? Did someone kill your confidence and tell you your writing wasn't great? Did you, for some reason, begin to feel ashamed of what you had written? Did you lose yourself in trying too hard to be like another, more famous, writer? Finally! What w

Help support this podcast! >> Welcome to Episode 015 of the Write Now podcast. We're going to be talking about something I've wanted to talk about for a while. SO I HOPE YOU HAVE BEEN WANTING TO HEAR IT! (Hint: the topic is BOOKS, you guys!) Why do writers need to read? "Reading is essential if you're going to be a writer." You've heard it from teachers and fellow writers and books on writing. Heck, you've even heard it from me. (And from Stephen King.) But why? Why is it so essential for writers to read? 8 benefits of reading for writers: Reading lets you understand what a reader wants -- and what you need to give your own readers. Reading gives strong fundamentals in story structure and plot development. Reading gives you a feel for and can expand your own ideas of stylistic items such as graceful narration, metaphor, transition, voice, and more. Reading gives you both inspiration and drive to move forward in your own work. Reading is a great way to get ideas! Reading shows you what's already been don

Help support this podcast! >> YOU GUYS it has been a while. But I am back, and the foam on my delicious cappuccino is as fluffy and delightful as the suds in an angel's bathtub. (Is that weird? Maybe that's weird. But it's TRUE.) Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Where do you write? It surprises me sometimes -- where I am able and where I am unable to write. Can you write anywhere? Or do you have certain objects, snacks, or environmental enhancements (whatever that means) that you need to be able to write? The conditions can never really be perfect, I've found. BUT. If they could be perfect... Sarah's perfect writing environment: Large flat wooden desk for handwriting, brainstorming, and doodling. Plenty of paper, pens, and pencils to alleviate scarcity anxiety. Plants. Plants everywhere. Comfortable upright chair (too comfortable or slouchy and I will fall asleep). A window. Perfect silence -- or, if that's not realistic, lyric-less music to drown out sound. A soft rain or snow. Coffee-accessible. My own

Help support this podcast! >> Oooh. Lucky episode 013. Or unlucky, if you suffer from triskaidekaphobia. And I hope you don't, because I think you'll enjoy this episode. Help! I've written myself into a corner! We've all been there. That point where you realize a scene's just not working. Or where you realize that your character's motivations don't match the action you need him or her to take. Or where you realize your outline sucks, or that you've been writing an extended idea and not a story. You've written yourself into a corner and you have no idea how to fix it. Well, I don't want you to be in the corner. The corner sucks. Here are seven ways to get out of that corner. Go back and your novel and search for the last place you didn't feel lost. This will help you find the "wrong turn" you took, or the mistake you made -- wherever things went wrong. Delete everything after that point (or, less drastically, copy-paste that chunk of text into a new file called "Leftovers"). Stephen King calls this "killing y

Help support this podcast! >> In this week's episode of the "Write Now" podcast, I talk about caffeine addiction, my obsession with Bic 0.7mm #2 mechanical pencils, an intense personal dislike of sports, the ubiquitous egg timer, and (bonus!) Jane Austen's homemade ink recipe. Buckle up, because this is going to be ONE WILD RIDE. What are the tools of the writer's craft? Sculptors use a hammer and chisel. Knitters use needles. Writers use... what? A word processing program on a laptop? A composition notebook and pencil? A vintage Lillian Rose typewriter from 1945? My point here is that YOU COULD LITERALLY USE ANYTHING to write. Soggy Alpha-Bits floating in milk. Chalk. Blood and bones. But every writer has his or her preference -- and not only regarding what they use to create their art, but what they use to get inspired, stay focused, and get published. John Steinbeck used only one specific type of pencil. Jennifer Crusie uses a program called Scrivener. You'll hear more about all of that in today's episode.

Help support this podcast! >> Hey friends. Welcome to Episode 011 of the "Write Now" podcast. I'm glad you're here. How do I develop my writer's voice? You can probably name a lot of great writers who have their own particular voice. You might have heard something referred to as "Kafka-esque" or "Lovecraftian", or you might recognize echoes of similarity between one particular writer and his or her mentor. So what is this elusive element we call a voice? And how do we go about developing our own? Fortunately, you've already taken care of the first step. Unfortunately, you might have taken a ton of additional steps that you didn't need to take, or that you need to un-take. As the wise Yoda said, sometimes we must un-learn what we have learned. It's about finding yourself all over again. This week's episode of "Write Now" will help you get to the root of where your own personal writer's voice lives, and develop it from there. It's not a quick or easy process, but I think you'll find it's well worth the journey.

Help support this podcast! >> This is Episode 010 of the "Write Now" podcast. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT. It's about passion. > I'm on the socials media. That's correct grammar, right? (Kidding, kidding.) Twitter | Facebook | Ello | Google+ | Pinterest | Tumblr The post Writing Is Our Passion – WN 010 appeared first on The Write Now Podcast with Sarah Werner.

Help support this podcast! >> As Joaquin Phoenix once said, "I'M STILL HERE." Mockumentary and hip-hop career to follow shortly. (Seriously, though, I've realized I turn out new episodes about every 10 days instead of strictly weekly. I hope that is okay with you.) Either way, welcome to Episode 009 of the "Write Now" podcast. Small note: If my voice sounds weird in this episode, it is because I have both a new microphone and a head cold. Life is fun like that. In order to say "yes" to writing, you have to say "no" to other stuff. When we were little, our teachers told us, "You can be anything!" But my ambitious little brain interpreted that to mean, "You can be everything!" Which is simply not true. Because despite our best efforts, there are only 24 hours in a day. And we can only fill those 24 hours with 24 hours worth of activity, from sleeping to going to work, cooking, driving the kids to clarinet lessons, reading, grocery shopping, tuning up your bicycle, rewatching all 144 episodes of Buffy the Vampi

Help support this podcast! >> If you're looking for episode eight of the "Write Now" podcast, you've come to the right place. OR SHOULD I SAY THE WRITE PLACE BAH HA HA HA HAAA haaaaaaaaa I'm such a dork. I probably should be writing, but I just don't feel like it. There are days when it's hard to even think about writing. I know -- I've been there. (In fact, I may or may not be there right now.) It's so easy to feel disheartened or stupid or restless or any of those other thousand things that can keep you from writing. But I've come up with a decision tree you can follow that will help you start writing and keep going on even the worst days (or to know when it's time to get the rest you need). 1. Enter your writing space. Shut the door and sit down. 2. Honestly assess how you feel. If you are actually exhausted, go to sleep. But if you are simply feeling lazy (i.e., if you feel a tinge of guilt or regret when you think about ditching your writing session), then you need to write. 3. Create a "journal" file on

Help support this podcast! >> Welcome to episode seven of the "Write Now" podcast. This episode is kind of a two-for-one special, in which I talk not only about finding and writing to your audience, but how to deal with that irritating little perfectionist who lives in your brain and doesn't want you to finish anything. Ever. Should I be writing for myself? My audience? Help! You want people to read and like (and buy!) your novel/book/etc. A great way to do that is to write stuff that people want to read. But who are those people, and how do you engage them? Should you focus on engaging everyone on the planet, a mid-sized audience, or one single person? Or should you simply write for yourself and hope that others share your interests? So many questions. But I have answers! You'll find them by listening to this week's "Write Now" podcast. Spoiler alert: My advice is to write for yourself, and edit for an audience of one person you respect and who encourages you. For me, that person is Walt Wangerin, Jr., one o