Write Now With Sarah Werner | For Writers, On Writing

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

Help support this podcast! >> Dumpster diving. Mall walking. A 19th-century transcendentalist. These are only a FEW of the things that you have to look forward to in the sixth episode of the "Write Now" podcast. Walk it off. It was my dad's advice to me as a child, and it's my advice to you now as a writer. There's an interesting relationship between writing and moving -- between kinetic and creative energy. I hope you've had a chance to discover this for yourself. But if not, there's no time like the present to try it out. Going for walks helps me deal with writers' block and find new (or rediscover old) inspiration. It is a great way to refresh your perspective, get the blood/oxygen pumping into your brain, and simply reconnect with the world around you. And if walking isn't your thing, or if you face physical challenges or medical difficulties, that is completely fine! I've noticed that I get very similar benefits from riding in a car and gazing out the window, or otherwise having my physical body transpor

Help support this podcast! >> It's the fifth episode of "Write Now"! Hooray! I hope that this podcast is helping you to find the time, energy, and courage you need to pursue your passion and write every day. Regain your lost confidence in 5 steps. Say it's been a long time since you've written. Say you've been rejected, you've been told (or told yourself) you're not good enough, you've lost a job, or you've simply been intimidated by the sheer number of books at the bookstore. Fear not! Seriously. I'm here to tell you that you're awesome, and that you can regain the confidence you need to start writing again. Here's how: 1. Free yourself of the pressure. 2. Remember that you are a writer, and nothing can change that. 3. Be proactive -- don't let despair win. 4. Form a habit of writing every day -- for while practice won't make you perfect, it will make you better. 5. Find a writing coach, mentor, or someone you trust to read your work. I mention a couple of previous podcasts in this episode, which you can fin

Help support this podcast! >> Welcome to the fourth episode of "Write Now", the podcast that helps aspiring writers to find the time, energy, and courage you need to pursue your passion and write every day. I'm so glad you're here. Go on -- surprise yourself. My own ability to surprise myself is my all-time favorite thing about writing. I've never been able to fully articulate how it works, or where the magic comes from. But I take a stab at it in today's podcast episode. I also talk about what it means to be "in the zone" when you're writing. Get very excited. AND SO! Today you'll get the answers to questions such as: 1. What is the value of surprise for both the writer and the reader? 2. How do I get to that place where I'm surprising myself in my own writing? 3. How do I get into the "writing zone"? 4. Is writing an inherently selfish or narcissistic act? 5. Am I insane? Since I'm not a particularly humble person, I'd like to tell you that I think this is my favorite episode I've recorded yet. But I'll let

Help support this podcast! >> You guys, I am super stoked about this week's podcast topic. BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT: Writing as self care. The idea of using writing as a way to attain and maintain both physical and mental health isn't new. From amateur journaling to more official psychoanalysis efforts, writing is often used for external processing, personal introspection, and the sheer (and necessary) act of creation. Today's podcast explores: 1. Writing as healing. 2. Writing as maintenance. 3. Writing as social healing. My question to you is: how do we make the act of writing -- and its inherent benefits -- part of our daily routine? Book of the week! This week's book is the sparse and starkly beautiful The Cold Dish, the first of the Walt Longmire mystery series by Craig Johnson. Ever wonder what would happen if Cormac McCarthy were to write a mystery novel set in rural Wyoming? Wonder no more. Keep up-to-date with all of my reading exploits on Goodreads! Submit a question. I'll do my best to answer it. Ju

Help support this podcast! >> Woo! I've officially made it to the second episode of "Write Now", the podcast that helps aspiring writers to find the time, energy, and courage you need to pursue your passion and write every day. I've also been told by several listeners that my voice is "soothing" and "mellow", which I'm counting as a win. 5 Steps for making your writing goals a reality. You probably already know that goals are extremely important to writers of all kinds. But how do we set goals -- and stick to them? This episode explores five steps for setting realistic goals and following through on them: 1. Begin to set your goal by defining something tangible you want to accomplish. 2. Establish your own realistic expectations. 3. Translate those realistic expectations into realistic goals. 4. Stick to those goals. 5. Move beyond your goals by internalizing them. I also take a look at some of the goals and habits of famous American writers, including Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O'Connor, and others. You can