Story Magic

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about leaning into messy humanity. What you’ll learn from this episode: What to do when you ask "is this too much?"  Not shying away from important messages Leaning into the pieces of story that are complex and messy Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs fr...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the All is Lost vs Dark Night of the Soul story structure beats.  What you’ll learn from this episode: What role these two beats play in story structure The difference between these two beats (and why they exist)  How to execute them on the page SHAPE OF ARCS class recording: https://goldenmayediting.com/arcs-recording-062024/ Ready to make readers so in love w...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how writing is not always fun. What you’ll learn from this episode: The different phases of writing How we naturally gravitate to different parts of the process How to take care of yourself in the different phases Developing self-trust and self-belief Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab...

Today, Rachel talks about spicy and erotic romance with guest Jordyn Kross. What you’ll learn from this episode: What erotic romance actually is How to ensure your spicy/intimate scenes always have a purpose Tips and tricks for writing intimate scenes Jordyn's website: https://jordynkross.com/ Naughty Words for Nice Writers by Cara Bristol: https://www.amazon.com/Naughty-Words-Nice-Writers-Th...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about making writing choices with guest Kat Caldwell. What you’ll learn from this episode: A little bit about what coaching is like Why making intentional writing choices is so important The mindset of writing book after book Kat's website: https://katcaldwell.com Follow Kat on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/author_katcaldwell/ Follow Kat on Facebook: http...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about antagonists! What you’ll learn from this episode: What an antagonist actually is How to write believable antagonists How antagonists are successful in their story purpose Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about shedding the shame of talking about your book with guest CC Tyler. What you’ll learn from this episode:  why you feel so anxious/nervous/weird about talking about your book how to recognize the shame holding you back how to accept your identity as a writer how to take small actions to build confidence and let go of the shame CONNECT WITH CIARA: Instagram: https...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about querying and rejection with guest Kayla Stansbury. What you’ll learn from this episode: what the querying process is really like how to manage rejection  how to strengthen mindset Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayedi...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about indie publishing and the author journey with Emilia Emerson. What you’ll learn from this episode: what it's like to be an indie author the chaos writing process writing characters with mental health issues EMILIA's WEBSITE: https://www.emiliaemerson.com/ Pre-order His Tesoro now: https://a.co/d/inaF4wj Ready to make readers so in love with your charac...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about answering a listener question about perfectionism and the idea of doing it wrong. What you’ll learn from this episode: developing confidence for finishing an entire book how to learn with all the overwhelming resources out here managing the stress of perfectionism Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in antici...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about returning from an unplanned hiatus. Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: http://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about choosing scene POV. What you’ll learn from this episode: 4 questions to determine the most impactful POV sometimes you just need to choose! weaving character into scene structure   Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www. goldenmayediting.c...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about procrastination! What you’ll learn from this episode: Procrastination and perfectionism are two sides of the same coin The fear at the heart of procrastination Examining and bringing awareness to the block The role of rest   FOR THE PROCRASTINATOR by Amie McNee:  https://www.amiemcnee.com/non-fiction/p/stzcg9ak09l5jtdrgj892rnlxsy64c   Ready to make readers so i...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the versatility of the writing process. What you’ll learn from this episode: Is it useful to define ourselves by plotter versus pantser The theory of craft versus the application of craft “Thinking things up” versus “Getting things down” How process changes season to season, book to book   THE ARTIST'S WAY by Julia Cameron:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/01431...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk with author Brit KS. What you’ll learn from this episode:  Brit KS's process of developing her world and characters How book 2 is different than book 1 All the support that makes the writing journey possible     Buy RAISE HELL by Brit KS:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKTYK2V5?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_R2VA0B9XDX024RG1VYTT Brit KS website:  https://britks.com   Ready...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how fear is at the heart of perfectionism with guest Jocelyn Lindsay. What you’ll learn from this episode: what might  really be causing your writers block how perfectionism comes back to fear mindset shifts to navigate around perfectionism learning how to be brave when it feels unsafe     Jocelyn's website:  https://www.jocelynlindsay.com/ Jocelyn's...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about a little rant about the self-publishing vs traditional publishing debate. What you’ll learn from this episode: how deciding what publishing path is a business decision busting some common myths about self-publishing it's okay to own your dream Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab Th...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about character thoughts, and whether they're show or tell. What you’ll learn from this episode: What internal processing (or interiority) actually is How to use internal processing on the page The balance between showing thoughts and telling them Tips to incorporate in your pages    SHOW, DON'T TELL DEMYSTIFIED WORKSHOP:  https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/s...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about using character movement to "show" on the page. What you’ll learn from this episode: Showing character movement without going overboard Incorporating meaning into movement Questions to dive deeper into movement + meaning Tips to incorporate in your pages    SHOW, DON'T TELL DEMYSTIFIED WORKSHOP:  https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/show-tell-worksho...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the three layers of "show!"  What you’ll learn from this episode:  Showing the action in a scene Showing what things mean to characters Showing emotions without stating them How to dive into each of the three layers and incorporate them in your prose SHOW, DON'T TELL DEMYSTIFIED WORKSHOP:  https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/show-tell-workshop With...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about updates from our personal lives and the Golden May business! Subscribe to our email list:  https://goldenmayediting.com/subscribe Check out our 1:1 coaching program:  https://goldenmayediting.com/storymagic/ Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email cour...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how we hate the word "should!" What you’ll learn from this episode: How to reframe the 'shoulds'  Bringing awareness to your thoughts Changing the obligation/guilt/shame mindset  Podcast mentioned: Good Inside with Dr. Becky episode How to Keep House while Drowning with KC Davis Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about setting goals without shame. What you’ll learn from this episode: How to determine whether your goals are from self-love or self-shame Shift your mindset away from "not enough-ness"  Develop goals from self-love Pair your mindset with your goal-setting Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipa...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about LGBTQ+ representation with guest host Sam Cameron. What you’ll learn from this episode: The balance between "getting it right" and perfectionism Actionable steps you can take to include more diverse characters Whether or not to stay in your lane Determining whether your manuscript is LGBTQ+ inclusive Resources mentioned:   Writing With Color -  https:...

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the art of self-editing with guest host Tiffany Grimes. What you’ll learn from this episode: What is self-editing? Common missteps authors make during this process Strategies and techniques to make editing less overwhelming How to ensure the heart of your story remains strong throughout editing Check out Tiffany's comprehensive self-editing course,  Revisi...