You Aren’t a Genius
You aren’t a genius. You weren’t born more talented or more intelligent than other writers out there. Words don’t flow from your pen magically. You aren’t a once-in-a-generation wunderkind. That’s okay. You know what the geniuses do? They kill themselves. Seriously. Like all the time. You and I weren’t born with the gifts of the…
How to Get the Reader Feedback You Really Want
When seeking feedback on your manuscript, it’s extremely important to be honest with yourself regarding exactly what type of feedback you want. Whether you’re providing the piece of writing to a spouse, a critique group, or beta readers, you’ll need to let the reader know specifically what you require from them in return. The worst possible…
Do you want it BAD enough?
I know so many aspiring authors who are paralyzed by fear they aren’t good enough. They spend their time worrying their prose style just doesn’t hack it, their story-telling chops are weak, they’ve chosen the wrong point of view, they should have gone with the other story idea, etc. etc. They’re so worried they aren’t…
M School Influences – The Writing Coach 028
Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors that help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work. Later this month, my new action thriller M School will be released. In this special episode of The Writing Coach, I discuss the books,…
Who Said it Would Be Easy?
Aspiring authors will say things to me like, “My writing isn’t coming along as easily as it should be.” They’ll say, “Something’s wrong: I’m just not having fun working on this book anymore.” Sometimes they’ll even take the lack of productivity or the absence of fun to mean they should stop writing. Stop writing? Woah,…
What’s Your “Voice of Fire”?
I’m lucky to live in Ottawa, Ontario, home of Canada’s National Art Gallery. In 1989 the newly opened Art Gallery purchased a work by abstract painter Barnett Newman titled, “Voice of Fire”. Originally created as a commission for Expo 67, a celebration of Canada’s centennial, the painting is 18 feet long and consists of three…
Why Your Writing Never Works Out the Way You Plan
The dichotomy between plan and execution can be a difficult and frustrating concept to come to terms with. In fact, I’m certain it’s why many people give up on artistic endeavors like writing a novel. Part of the process of turning pro, as an author or writer, involves coming to terms with the fact that…
Don’t Make Your Book More Important than It Is
There’s a major roadblock that stops many aspiring authors from finding success. I see it time and time again with my coaching clients. They take their book too seriously. These aspiring authors believe that, once completed and published, their novel will define who they are; nay, it will define their very value as a human being. They…
Sinus Infection Blues, or How NOT to be a Productive Writer
I’ve done virtually no work for the last four days. I’ve had to postpone calls with clients, none of the manuscripts I’m working on have moved forward, and I haven’t yet started to create the webinar I am supposed to host three days from now. Most of the last four days were spent in bed…
Amber Andrian on Turning Emotion into Art – The Writing Coach 021
Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors that help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work. In episode 21 of The Writing Coach, I speak with author and mentor Amber Adrian. Amber believes we’re all bigger and brighter than we…
