WRITE NOW! Workshop Podcast: Write a Book, Change the World with Kitty Bucholtz

Lots of writers use a music playlist to either get them in the mood for the piece they're working on, or to actually have playing in the background as they pound out the words. I can't listen to music with lyrics when I'm writing. I either stop writing and sing along, or I get distracted by the other "story" I'm hearing in the lyrics. Today I share how I created my first writing playlist, what son...

Recently, a friend said to me that she understands how much work it is to move often because she had a period in her life when she moved a lot. Her empathy - understanding because you've been there - almost undid me. Sympathy - compassion for others despite not having been in their situation - is a great gift to give and receive. But when someone really knows what you're going through, it feels li...

Kristy Phillips first started writing in Amazon's Kindle Worlds only a few months ago after a conversation with Debra Holland, author and creator of the Montana Sky series. When Debra heard Kristy writes gold rush stories, she asked her to consider writing in her Kindle World. Now Kristy has the first book out in her Copper Creek mini-series. Kristy talks about the differences in publishing her ow...

If you're writing a series, it won't take long to find you've forgotten some of the details from your earlier books. What car did she drive again? Did he rent an apartment or buy a condo? Did she have a political science degree or an economics degree? Starting a story bible from the beginning - or at least starting it now - will help you remember what happened when, to whom, and whose cousin got i...

I love Stephen King's book, On Writing , and today I share a quote from it. I completely believe that our gifts and talents as writers are meant to be used to make the world a better place. We are entertainers, teachers, encouragers, pioneers, and so much more! Your words need to be heard. People need you to encourage them - to hang in there, to keep going, to share a helping hand, to stand up, to...

Linda Carroll-Bradd writes heartwarming contemporary and historical romances with a touch of humor. She is the author of the Entertainers of the West mini-series within Debra Holland's Montana Sky Kindle World . Linda talks with us about what it's like to write in someone else's world, and how she created her mini-series within the Montana Sky series as well as how she got involved in other kinds...

After a bad day, I took a long walk and had a great idea! Today I share with you how to take the crappy things that happen in life and make our books and characters so much better. If you can get through the rough and terrible things that happen in life, why should your characters get off any easier? After all, whether we want to learn and grow through the difficulties we face, the fact is we almo...

One of the easiest ways to encourage you is to share what's going on in my life, including the hard things, and tell you how I've learned to deal with them or ideas I'm trying to make life easier. On the day I recorded this episode, I was so overwhelmed with the amount of work that had to be done to get us ready to move to another country, and the roadblocks I kept running into, I was literally ly...

Debra Holland is the creator and original author of the Montana Sky series of books, which became a Kindle World on Amazon. That means other authors can choose to write in the fictional world she created. Debra explains how Kindle Worlds work, and how they are different from each other in terms of how the creators work with the other authors. She also discusses how the contracts and royalties work...

Networking. A word that has the power to strike fear into the hearts of introverts everywhere! But it doesn't have to be that way. Perhaps the easiest way to get started in overcoming your fears is to begin by finding someone else in the room who looks as uncomfortable as you, ask them some questions about themselves, and listen . It takes all the pressure off you, and other people like it. :-) I...

Seth Godin wrote a book called Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us nearly ten years ago. Since then, "tribe" has become a common part of our lexicon, especially among writers, entrepreneurs, and online business people. It is so exciting the first time you meet up with people who get you, your people, your tribe! You finally feel like you're not odd or on the outside. No one thinks you're weird! When yo...

Award-winning and bestselling author Lauraine Snelling has over 80 books published. She writes inspirational adult novels about real issues centered on themes like forgiveness, loss, domestic violence, and cancer in both contemporary and historical genres. Today, she's talking to us about creating amazing characters, one of her favorite topics. Two of her favorite books as she got started writing...

As I was emailing my accountant this week, it occurred to me that it is a good time to talk about taxes for writers. Today I offer a few tips to help you get started or to remind you of things to remember. Always get a receipt, keep them together so you don't lose them, make sure you've clearly marked the business receipts as "business," and when meeting for a drink or a meal, write the name(s) of...

Today I share the big news that's been building for months! :-) I even picked up a Krispy Kreme hat to wear while I share my thoughts on why life is sweet! (You can see my ridiculous self on my YouTube channel .) If you're going through tough times, hang in there - better times are surely on their way. If you're going through good times - celebrate! Focus on all the things you're gratefu...

A retired California police officer, Janice Cantore writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and leave them inspired. When writing, she draws from her 22 years of experience to make her books feel realistic. There's not a lot of difference, Janice says, when writing about police officers in one state versus another. (Some of her books are set in California, some are set in Oregon....

Two of the things writers seem to need most are accountability and encouragement. That's probably true of almost anyone who is working on something really important to them. Sometimes when we're at the start of a new project, we get caught up in thinking we want this book to be our best yet, or to win a big award, but those thoughts can make the blinking cursor on the page feel daunting. If we can...

Hope is such a big part of our lives - and a lack of hope makes a huge difference. For instance, at the time this episode airs, I will be visiting Europe for the first time - exciting! I have so many hopes for how this trip will turn out! Yet only a couple years ago, my husband and I hit a real low and felt almost entirely hopeless. What does this mean to us as writers? I think that part of our jo...

Comedian Robert G Lee is well-known as Hollywood's top warm-up comic on such shows as The New Adventures of Old Christine , Just Shoot Me , Becker , and The Drew Carey Show . He just released his latest comedy project, Wisenheimer , and recently finished Can I Get a Witness Protection? , a faith-based screwball comedy feature film he wrote and directed. Bob shares his journey from stand-up comic t...

In this second of two parts, I talk about ways to show your readers some love - because it's near Valentine's Day! :-D You can: Ask their opinion, create a survey Offer a free autographed book to a random winner of those who answered the survey Ask if readers want to be on your beta readers team and/or your ARC team Create a private Facebook group or a separate email list for those teams Crea...

Unfortunately, we're all too familiar with waiting. Whether we're waiting in the longest grocery line ever, or waiting to hear from an agent, or waiting to see what the reviews will be like on our newest release, waiting is rarely easy. But when we choose active waiting over passive waiting, we can change how we feel during the waiting - and maybe even help someone else! Can we "wait on" something...

Our guest today is Jacqueline Diamond, author of over 100 novels as well as  How to Write a Novel in One (Not-So-Easy) Lesson , a book of lessons and helpful tips to help writers create better stories. A former Associated Press reporter and TV columnist, Jacqueline Diamond has won a Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times magazine, has finaled twice for RWA’s prestigious Rita Award, and...

Since it's nearly Valentine's Day, I thought it would be fun to talk about how to show the love to your readers over the next two weeks. I always suggest creating and consistently sending out a newsletter, but many people struggle with what to say. Here are a few ideas: Offer a free ebook or short story to everyone on your newsletter list. You can easily send it using BookFunnel. Offer a free eboo...

Some days you just aren't feeling like interacting with other people, but depending on your job, you may have to. You might have to be "on" whether you feel like it or not. And sometimes those days will make it easier for our insecurities to surface. We don't feel like we look good enough, act nice enough, or are as funny as someone else. What can we do to get out of the funk? One thing I do is fi...

Paranormal mystery author Mary Castillo wanted to get her books into audio, but the cost of hiring a narrator was prohibitive. So she did some research and decided to try it herself. She recorded one chapter a week of Lost in the Light and posted each chapter as a podcast episode. To her surprise and delight, listeners loved it! Today, Mary shares with us the tools she uses and gives us tips for r...

One thing we really need to know when planning any kind of production schedule is - how long will it take us to write the next book? If you've written and finished one or more books, you can probably figure out a good estimate on how long the next one will take. If you haven't finished a book yet or you're like me and trying something new (I'm going to try to dictate - technically, transcribe - my...