Real Talk for Writers

So... Last week I cut my pinky in a way that makes it painful (and slow) to write.

Rather than skipping this issue of Real Talk for Writers, I decided to pull a short but insightful email I wrote last year and give it a permeant place here. I hope you enjoy, and I'll be back (hopefully!) on October...

*Reminder: Real Talk for Writers is on a biweekly schedule for the remainder of 2025. If you want more support for your author career, be sure to check out The Author Burnout Cure Podcast, which will continue to post weekly.* 

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Confidence is one of the key "soft skills" for a successful (enjoya...

Regular celebration is essential to crafting a burnout-free, sustainable fiction career.

Yet celebration is also the most commonly skipped -- or delayed -- parts of the process I teach.

Authors will tell me that it's "too soon" to celebrate when they get a new book deal because it's not "officia...

Many stages in publishing are emotionally fraught, and that is especially true for going on sub with a new project.

This is true whether whether you're trying to sell your debut novel, come back from a gap in your books, making a career pivot, or taking a book out wide after a disappointing experie...

"I have this really great idea for a novel -- you should write it for me!"

"I'd love to write a book. If only I had the time!" 

"You should turn your book into a movie! And then cast me. And all my friends."

"What do you mean I don't get a free copy? I'm your sister's best friend's third cousin t...