The Purposeful Pen - Clarity for Christian Writers

Do you struggle to set aside time to write? If so, you’re not alone! It doesn’t mean you’re a failure or aren’t supposed to be a writer. It just means you’re human and writing is hard. This week, I talk about my own struggles to set aside writing time and give you five tips to help you move forward past those struggles. To learn more about working with me as a writing coach, look here . Or, schedu...

Have you considered Substack as a writing platform? Do you want to get your writing out into the world but the thought of setting up your own website is daunting? Listen in to see if Substack might be a good platform for you. Learn about the pros and cons of Substack and the different features that are available to you - for free!! I also mention SEO in this episode. To learn more about simple way...

This is our last week talking about writing without being on social media. Today I talk with Jana Carlson about SEO - Search Engine Optimization. Jana teaches some basic methods of making our websites and blog posts easier for our readers to find using Google or other search engines. Jana taught more in depth on this topic in the Writers’ Bloc online community. If you’d like to become a member, yo...

This episode is week 2 of talking about ways to be a writer and either not be on social media at all, or limit your use of it. I continue the conversation with Jana Carlson and Rachel Baker about ways to use in person events and teaching as ways to grow our audience. We talk about… * The myth that we need to be extroverts in order to be effective teachers or speakers * Ways to use teaching and spe...

Do you feel as a writer that you MUST be active on social media, but you’d really rather not be? Are you hoping that there is another way to get your message out into the world? The truth (thankfully!) is that you do NOT have to be active on social media in order to be a writer. You don’t even have to be on there at all. This is the first of a three part series on some different ways to build your...

This week, I talk again with Cara Ray, writer and marketer, about author websites. * Do we need one? * If so, what goes on it? * What’s the difference between a website and a blog? * Which mistakes do writers make on their websites? * Are there alternatives to an author website? Cara is a Christian writer, entrepreneur, and community builder. She writes to encourage men and women to enjoy God thro...

“I’m a human, not a company. Why would I need a brand?” That’s the question I answer in this episode as I talk with Cara Ray who is a writer, copywriter, and marketer. We talk about: * What an author brand is * Why a brand is more than logos, fonts, and colors * How an author brand can help you serve your reader more effectively * How to get started creating your own author brand * The questions y...

Welcome to 2024! In this episode, we take a look back at our writing over the past year and look at making goals for the coming year. What can you celebrate? What worked and what didn’t? The free planning pages I mentioned in the episode are here . Start the year off strong! Schedule a free 30 minute discovery call to see if coaching with me is right for you. Single sessions and multi-session pack...

Welcome to 2024! In this episode, we take a look back at our writing over the past year and look at making goals for the coming year. What can you celebrate? What worked and what didn’t? The free planning pages I mentioned in the episode are here : Get 2024 off to a good start! Schedule a free 30 minute discovery call to see if coaching with me is right for you. Single sessions and multi-session p...

Have you considered self-publishing but don’t know where to start? This week, I talk with Abigail Wallace about the process of self-publishing her book, Meek, Not Weak . Abigail is a Scripture-soaked speaker, writer and joy stalker who stands by grace. She delights to help her friends strengthen their hands in God by looking through the hard to his loving hand. Abigail lives with her husband and t...

Do you want to publish a book, but self-publishing feels too overwhelming and traditional publishing feels out of reach? Hybrid publishing might be a great option for you. In this episode, I interview Carlee Ragains who just released her children’s book with a hybrid publisher. Listen in to hear what that looked like for her and why hybrid publishing might be the right fit for you. More about Carl...

If you’re feeling depleted and drained this Christmas season, both spiritually and creatively, then this episode is for you. Journaling is a great way to refresh our souls. Playing with different types of artistic pursuits can rejuvenate our creativity. In this episode, I offer a way to do both while participating in the celebration of Advent. To download the journaling prompts and creative ideas,...

Don’t forget to register for the free live webinar this Thursday, November 16 to learn a 3 step framework to launch your writing platform. Www.mywritersbloc.com/launch-lab Have you considered traditional publishing but are overwhelmed by all the questions you have about it? Do you wonder how it’s different from the other types of publishing? This week, I talked with Ariel Curry to answer some of y...

Are you overwhelmed trying to sift through all the information about - how to launch a writing platform? - how to create a God-honoring writing life? In this episode, I talk with Cara Ray and Jana Carlson about the important role that mentors play in the life of a writer. We also share more about a unique new 6 month mentorship program for Christian writers that will begin in January. We are hosti...

What will your writing look like for November and December? In this episode, I look at some simple considerations for how to manage our writing lives during the busy holiday season. I offer some questions to consider and ideas to try, depending on what you and your readers need. Listen in and share your ideas below in the comments! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with o...

How is your relationship with social media going? In this episode, I talk about ways to evaluate how effective social media is for you as a writer, but also how it affects you as a consumer. Here’s an article on the same topic, including comments from the author’s readers about why they are silent on Instagram: A great podcast on how to create a writing life that doesn’t include social media: Writ...

Do you look at the multitude of writing related things that you could be doing and have no idea where to start? Then this episode is for you. You’ll also learn: * Two questions to ask yourself to help you decide where to focus your limited time and energy. * How to decide if social media is working for you. * What two things you can focus on to reduce the overwhelm. Are you looking for a Christian...

What do you call your writing? Is it a career? A hobby? A ministry? A business? In this episode, we look at the preconceived ideas we might have about those terms and what they might reveal about our attitudes toward our writing. Other episodes referenced in this one: If you’re struggling with whether it’s “OK” as a Christian to charge money for your writing, listen to episode 9. If some of those...

I hope you like the new music! Lol! If you’re a Substack subscriber, take a look at the chat section of my page. You’ll find discussion questions and downloadable journaling prompts posted each Thursday to help you go deeper into each episode. If you’re not a subscriber, go to https://amylynnsimon.substack.com This week, I talk about which comes first: the reader or the message. Some other takeawa...

We know that we’re supposed to write for a specific reader, right? But is there a point where it goes beyond serving your reader to succumbing to people pleasing? Maybe you want to land a traditional publishing contract, but you’ve been told that your platform isn’t big enough. How do you raise those numbers without becoming a slave to them? In this episode, I talk about * the perspective shift th...

The Purposeful Pen is now on Substack! Subscribe to be notified when a new episode comes out. In this episode, I talk with Kristin Vanderlip about her journey to clarity. Some highlights… * Our message frequently comes from what we’ve lived through. * At what does point does “writing for your audience” or trying to get an agent cause us to lean toward people-pleasing? * It’s easy to become a slave...

Do you dream of spending hours in a cabin writing but realize that's not realistic in the slightest right now? In this episode, we'll talk about creating a writing life that actually works for the real life you're living right now. I talk about... * looking honestly at what time you have available * evaluating what exactly you're trying to accomplish and how to get there * dividing tasks into thos...

How do you know who you're writing for? In this episode, I talk with Anna Rachel Bolch about how she went from writing about anything and everything on a blog that 12 people read, to knowing clearly who she is writing for and what specific message she offers them. Some topics we touched on: Liturgy and its role in our faith The questions she asked herself when determining her message For a whi...

We all want to be better, more effective writers, right? Caring for our souls is an integral part of having an effective, God honoring writing life. What does that look like? In caring for our souls, we also need to care for our minds and our bodies because we are multifaceted, whole humans. We can’t separate those aspects of ourselves apart and think that one doesn’t affect the others. In this ep...

Did you know that even fiction writers benefit from having a clear reader in mind? This week, I talked with fiction writer Althea Damgaard about how she discovered the specific person she writes for. About Althea: Althea has always loved writing stories and reading since she was a kid. Now disabled with Multiple Sclerosis, she spends most of her time writing, reading and improving her craft. Her g...