• Overcoming Writer Perfectionism, Anxiety, and Imposter Syndrome

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    Writers often face varying levels of perfectionism, writing anxiety, and even imposter syndrome when working on their books. What many don’t realize is that these traits can create a lot of trouble for writers. Perfectionism can stir up feelings of not deserving earned successes (imposter syndrome), and, if not addressed in time, these thoughts can turn into anxious feelings about writing. The Perfectionist Writer Perfectionism is rooted in the fear of failure, which can keep writers from finishing their book. Perfectionists are inclined to view life as one endless tally of accomplishments and failures. They often will avoid situations they…

  • Writing a great author bio is incredibly important, but that doesn't mean it's easy to do. Read along as we navigate ways to write an author bio!

    Writing a Great Author Bio

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    Your manuscript is done. It has been through the rewrite and revision, beta reading, and editing processes. You can see the finish line, and you are so ready to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with crossing over that invisible line. Then, your dreams come to screeching halt! Your publisher asks you to submit your author bio. For a moment, you consider tossing the whole idea of becoming an author out the window because of one paragraph. I get it—the idea of having to write about yourself and your accomplishments seems hard. Instead, let’s look at author bios as…

  • How to Marie Kondo Your Writing

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    Maybe you read her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing or you watched her series on Netflix. Either way, you’ve likely heard of the esteemed, Marie Kondo. She’s pretty popular these days for her ability to help families de-clutter and organize their homes. Her intention is to help families keep only the items that spark joy. While watching the series on Netflix, I wondered if Kondo’s methods for tidying living spaces also applies to writing. Episode after episode, I studied the underlying structures that facilitate change and the emotional responses of the…

  • Your target audience matters! Follow along as we go into the reasons why.

    Why Your Target Audience Matters

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    You’ve done it! You’ve written your book and have committed to publishing it. You’re probably excited to share the final product with the whole world. Well, maybe not the entire world, but your target audience is definitely all Christian readers, right? Think again. Believe it or not, many authors enter the publishing process with their target audience focused on Christian readers of all ages. In other words, people ranging from elementary school to the nursing home. This wide range of potential readers doesn’t help when crafting the book’s content and marketing efforts to the right readers. Limitation is actually a good thing. One important step is defining the target…