Oohs and Aahs for 9.6.24

Throwing open the doors!

Oh it’s good to be back!

I hope you had a juicy summer, and you’re feeling ready for fall. I am SO ready. I’m excited to have a slightly more work-friendly schedule. (Hello, six-hour days!) I’m also looking forward to taking walks without sweating. Summer was hard here in lots of ways, but I’m hopeful about this new season, and I’m ready to write and dream with you again.

This summer, I found myself giving the same advice to nearly every writer I talked to. The Start Small writers. My coaching clients. Award-winning authors. Myself! For goodness sakes, we all need to remember this, whether we’re new writers or experienced writers. Here’s what I kept wanting to tell you…

You don’t need to figure out your whole book in one draft.

It sounds obvious! But how often do you put pressure on yourself to have your book figured out immediately? Next time you’re feeling angsty about your book, ask yourself if you are secretly trying to write your book in one draft.🙉

I really do understand the pressure to know what your book is about, how it’s going to feel, who all the characters are and what they’re going to do before you start writing, but there’s no way anyone has that ALL figured out! Whether you’re writing a picture book, a literary novella, or a wild sci-fi romp, there are going to be surprises along the way. That’s what drafts are for! It’s also what editors are for. There’s nothing you can send me that’s too messy or too weird to turn into a book. And with that in mind…

I’m so very happy to tell you manuscript critiques and coaching sessions are open once again!

I love fairy tales, can-do characters, and stories that celebrate our inner wild things. I have oodles of experience with picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction for kids. I like weird crossover projects too!

I would love to see what you’ve been working on this summer.

Not sure whether a critique or coaching is right for you? Hit reply and tell me where you are in the writing process and what you’re struggling with. We can figure it out together.

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This Summer I…

• Played matchmaker and contributed to the Frank and Bean musical in a tiny way!🌭

• Tore through these cozy British mysteries ⚰️

• Prepped materials for Finding Your Star (More on this new PB class soon!) ⭐️

• Settled on a new mascara 🤩

• Recommended this realistic take on mindset and productivity to clients⏳

• Got fired up with these brilliant mash-ups 🥥

• Shared the story behind one of my tattoos on Cup of Jo 🌱

• Worked with a long-term client on a series of picture books inspired by Japanese folktales 📝

• Helped

  Chanel Riggle
  prepare for The Mental Health and Motherhood Conference—Go buy your tickets!👏 (The surgeon general’s new initiative is so needed.)

• Edited a couple projects for Storey Publishing (I’m loving their list lately!)🫶

• Went to a million doctors appointments👩‍⚕️

• Wrote my own messy first drafts of a new picture book and a silly chapter book and took notes on a nonfiction project…Now to revise! 📓

What have you been up to this summer? Tell me in the comments!

PS
I’m hoping you won’t wait until you are 50 to write exactly what you want to write.

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PS—The fastest way to grow as a writer is to book a manuscript critique or a creative coaching session with an expert.

My clients get agents, sell books, and win awards. They also learn how to find ease and joy in the creative process, so they can keep going when life gets hard.