THE RYW Blog
WRITING, SELLING, AND BALANCING YOUR LIFE
Timey-wimey, wibbly-wobbly… stuff.
The funny thing about time. I've found that most writers I work with have a funny relationship with time. Given any "container" of time, they assume they can do approximately two to four times as much as they're actually capable of. Similarly, they assume that...
Specificity
Being specific. I read a well-loved book (and I enjoyed it, too, don’t get me wrong) but I discovered that the reason there were jarring elements was that she’d intended for the story to take place, believably, “anywhere.” It’s set in the U.S., or at least...
How to write when things are hard.
How do you keep writing? So... how are you doing? In the past week, especially if you live in the U.S., things have been... chaotic, to say the least. For some of us, there is an active despair. Demoralization, depression, rage, grief, all there in a shaken...
How to prevent writer’s burnout, part 3
We acknowledged that we were in burnout. We stopped the immediate downward spiral, finishing the stress cycles. We worked on identifying what was keeping us in quickstand. From there, we triaged as much as we could out of our schedules, slashing away at commitments...
How to prevent writer’s burnout, part 2
The problem with burnout is you’ve taken all available personal resources, to the point where you have nothing left. Unfortunately, the demand for resources is still chugging along, and odds are good you are either trying to meet demand (or even increasing...
How to prevent writer’s burnout, part 1
BURNOUT: The struggle is real. I’ve had what has been called “writer’s block” many times over my career. What I only recently realized is: what we call writer’s block is, quite often, burnout. Which is probably why some people experience it, and others don’t (and...
What happens when you ignore self-care?
I had big plans... I had very, very big plans for August 2024. I was speaking in New Zealand and Australia, giving workshops on writing to two different organizations. I’d never been to either place, so needless to say, I was thrilled. New Zealand went off...
How to improve your reader’s experience.
Learning from UX. In my coaching and editing practice, I work with nonfiction authors as well as fiction ones. I have worked with a good number of people from the tech world, specifically UX design. If you’re not familiar with that field, UX means “User...
Why systems are better than habits.
Cluttered desk syndrome I have ADHD. Even with meds, keeping my environment tidy is a challenge at best. Ironically, I feel intense relief when I have a “clean" desk. I'm just not built to automatically maintain one. Here's what happens: I’ll get ready for the...