Finish Writing Your Book: Tips to Avoid Writer’s Block

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (00:02.127) Okay, perfect. And then let me share my screen. Hi Joanna.

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (00:10.296) Good morning. All right. We were just getting started, so you are right on time.

OK, so let me present. Are you guys good with seeing my screen? Yep. Yes.

Perfect. Awesome. OK, so give me one second. I need to let my cat out.

sec. Sorry. A little bit. No.

Yes. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (00:43.63) Okay. Never mind; he's being indecisive - indecisive cat.

All right. So today's topic, thank you both for joining today, we're going to talk about staying ahead of writer's block: a writer's toolkit. So these are just some ideas you can use to stay ahead of writer's block and/or if you get stuck on your content. Like many writers do - I mean, I've gotten stuck on my own content and I write for a living - so let me talk about some ideas.

that you can use to help get around when you get stuck when you're writing. So I'm a 6X nonfiction book. I will be in another month, a Sixth Sense published author. I just updated my thing to say six because then it's just consistent across everything.

I'm writing and publishing two books this year. One is I'm doing a second edition to my guide to traveling gluten-free. And then the other book is I'm collaborating with two other professionals who are also in the podcasting industry. And we are writing a book called Right to Win.

And it's a book about how to write to win grants to fund your creative project. So today you'll learn how to distinguish between what's creative rest and then what's actually destructive procrastination. And destructive procrastination sounds really bad, but basically what it means is like you just get in like that rabbit hole of making excuses to not work. Creative break ideas, some book and story development practices and ideas, techniques for avoiding writer's block, accountability systems and a positive mindset practice.

I also want to ask you a question because I thought of another feature to add into the school group. So at the end of this, that has to do with accountability. I want to ask you both what you think of that. So I want to get your opinion on it.

Okay. So this workshop will give you practical processes and mindset shifts that are designed for authors who want to be more efficient when they're writing. Okay. So be more efficient with your time when you're writing and not Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (02:50.

617) you know, sit there and stare at a blank page or stare at your page you've written on, but you're not sure where to go next. All right. So let's talk about the first piece, which is, you experiencing burnout or avoidance? So let's look at these two and see.

So one procrastination involves avoidance and guilt. Okay. So creative breaks involve intention and restoration. So an example of that would be like, For instance, when I procrastinate, I'll do everything else on my to-do list except for that one thing I need to do.

And yesterday it was writing my emails and I'm like, what else do I have to do besides writing my emails that I can do? Right. And we've all been there, but creative breaks are like, I'm really tired. I'm going to get up and get another cup of coffee, pet my cat for a few minutes, go outside, get some fresh air and then come back to work.

Procrastination has no end point, right? That's the rabbit hole. But creative, breaks have defined boundaries, just like sparkles. If you're familiar with sparkles, they're time bound, which means they have an end and then you get back to work.

So one of the things I always recommend to people is if you do get stuck on your book and you want to walk away from it, that's perfectly fine. Just have a date to come back, whether that's a week, two weeks or a month, right? So you need to have a date to come back to your book so you don't get stuck in that procrastination rabbit hole. Okay, procrastination keeps you from writing your story, but creative breaks reconnect you to it, right?

So just like any other creative form, like podcasting or painting, right? Taking a break from one project gives you space from it. Soon when you come back, you will have fresh eyes. Oops, hold on one second.

That was not the one I was supposed to do. I was supposed to go to slide three and I accidentally hit the wrong button. Okay. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (04:42.

51) Here we go. writing your rough draft, okay? So here's signs you're procrastinating if you're writing your rough draft. One is that you just keep researching and keep researching and keep researching, but none of that research actually translates into writing.

Okay? So you just constantly research and tell yourself, I'm not finished. Constantly rewriting a chapter, okay? Whatever that chapter is instead of moving forward.

So I'm currently working with somebody. She's literally had me rewrite her chapter 10, 10, no. chapter one 10 times. So I told her that we need to stop like this.

There's a stopping point because we need to publish our book. Checking social media just for five minutes that turns into an hour because we all know it's really easy to get stuck in that scroll and I've done it before actually did it the other day when I went on Facebook specifically to look for somebody just to friend them because we're doing an event together here in McMinnville. She's having a big yard sale. So I friended her so I can repost her yard sale stuff on my thing.

I got into like, this is cool and that's cool. And then before I knew it, 10 minutes had passed, of course, because of social media. So then I was aware of like, wait a minute, I need to get off of this, close it out. right, waiting for the perfect mood or inspiration to strike before opening your document.

That's never a good idea because like, and I know there's a lot of romantic things. It's like, the inspiration struck me and I sat down and read three pages. What, excuse me. In reality, you're better off scheduling your time to write.

Like, I'm going to sit down and write Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5 to 6 PM or whenever it is. Obsessively editing early chapters while avoiding material or obsessively editing any chapters and not writing new content. So I always recommend to people, get your rough draft down first. because you can't edit something that's not written.

Okay, and once you get your rough draft down, edit your early chapters, have your beta readers look over it, get some outside opinion, you know, do some self editing and then hire a professional editor. Finding every possible household tour that's suddenly urgent during your writing time. I know household tours are a really easy way to procrastinate because A, it cleans your house and B, they're really easy to do and they're brainless, so. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (07:01.

439) That's really, that's a big one for me too, is like doing household stuff instead of other things. Reading romance novels and calling it studying the craft without jotting down ideas or thinking about how to use the idea in your own book, right? Or whatever you're writing, right? So if it's not a romance novel and you're writing sci-fi, okay?

So reading sci-fi is good if you're writing sci-fi, but again, write down things that you find that are interesting, then it becomes research and not just, you know, reading for pleasure. All right, some signs you need a creative break. So if you are experiencing any of these, you may need a creative break because it is very easy to burn out when you're being really creative because that uses a ton of brain power. So if your writing feels forced and mechanical rather than flowing, you're not sitting down and you're not excited about writing and you can't, it's hard and you're just like, I just gotta get this done and you're just typing out whatever.

making the same plot mistakes repeatedly despite recognizing them. Okay, so you just keep doing the same thing over and over again because you're so tired, you're not even aware that you're making that mistake. Staring at the screen and you have mental fatigue like nothing is coming out of your head. You've been pushing hard for days or weeks without rest.

You're feeling really disconnected from your characters or your story arc or whatever it is in your nonfiction or fiction book that you're writing. You find yourself using the word should. a lot, like I should be writing my book, I should be editing chapter six, physical tension, headaches, exhaustion, right, are all physical signs that you are burning out in, if it's not creativity, it might be something else. So if you're seeing any of these, and of course this is not an exhaustive list of, you know, signs that you need a creative break, then definitely, you know, obviously you want to take a break.

So I'm going to pause here just for a second and Cheryl and Joanna, can you... Like, you, would you mind sharing like a sign you need a creative break? I know for me, it's like, I just get super exhausted and my head just blanks out. And at that point, I know I have to stop being creative and like to walk away from my computer and go out and garden or do something fun.

So what is it for either of you ladies that like, you know, when you have that feeling, you need a creative break? Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (09:23.471) For me, when I need to step away, first my problem is when I'm writing, you know, you're supposed to step away pretty often, hours will go by and then I'll start feeling really tired and exhausted. And again, my brain will just, like you were saying, it'll just shut down.

And then go down a rabbit hole a couple of times and not even realize it, you know, when you're writing. my mind will be like, okay, I'm over here dealing with these bills or dealing with this in my mind while I'm trying to write my story. That's what I know. I better step away, just get away from the screen and take a minute because I'm supposed to be focusing on my writing and my stories, but I'm over here thinking about other stuff.

So then I lose the whole concept of putting creative writing into my writing. So that for me is one of the big signs. Clearly Cheryl and I have been there because we're both shaking our heads yes. I was gonna say the same thing as Joanna is when I'm like reading something, if I'm reviewing something, editing something and I realized that I'm not even reading when I'm supposed to be reading and I'm thinking about other things it's like well we just need to stop and we need to take a break and go do something else get those other things out of my out of your out of my brain and yeah.

Yep, exactly. Yeah, same. All right. So here's some creative break ideas on how to get your writing mojo back on track.

One is taking a walk or running with a clear head. I know for me, just like literally getting outside of walking for five or 10 minutes or going outside and playing with my dog really helps reset my head. Gardening is a big one for me in the spring and summer. Like that's a really good mental reset for me.

Watching a movie to study pacing and development. So if there's a movie that's related to your genre, You can do that. Reading or listening to a novel in a different subgenre than you're writing. So it gives you a little bit of a different perspective.

So like if you're writing a business book in real estate, maybe you're reading or listening to a novel that's in real estate, but in a little bit of a different niche than yours to get some new ideas or just to take a creative break. Getting together with a group of friends to discuss your storyline. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (11:45.775) creating visual mood boards or playlists for upcoming scenes.

So that's always really fun. Like I actually have not for scenes, but I have like several different music playlists that I have like once one I've been listening to recently is Star Wars, lo fi, cause we're to go watch the Mandalorian is coming out this weekend. So we already have tickets for that. So I love and, and when I listen to music, it has to be music that doesn't, that does not have any lyrics in it.

Cause once it has lyrics, If it's lyrics, I can understand. if it's like French or Portuguese or something, I can understand. It doesn't affect me. But if it's English, my brain's trying to listen to that while I'm writing.

So I have to make sure that my playlists are lyric free. Journaling about why you're avoiding your book without judgment or simply journaling without expectation, that helps really unclog your mental highway. And you have to physically write it. Like typing it out on the computer doesn't do the same thing.

But like actually having a physical journal and say, is my journal. And I still have a reminder to write affirmations every day, even though I've been doing it for a month, because I still forget. Because I get down and I haven't gotten into the habit of breaking this out first, which is why the pink sticky note is on it. But journaling, like just writing.

And there's a journal called the 10 minute morning. I just call it the 10 minute journal, because you can do it in the morning, you can do it at night. And you just freely write whatever comes to your mind for 10 minutes. And it's amazing because every person I've talked to that has done this process is the same thing.

Like you get to page two and you start coming out with these like fabulous, amazing ideas. I have no idea where they come from, like the deep part of your head. But I think just the fact that you're writing and writing and writing, you're getting out all of the like highway jams in the front of your head. That way your head can be more creative.

Discussing where you're stuck with a writing partner or accountability friend or coached with the intention to problem solve. and spend an hour doing an activity your reader would do, right? Like maybe visiting the favorite location, listening to their music, or doing something that you, like a character would do. Or if you're in a nonfiction book, doing something your reader would do.

All right, so here's some story arc strategies, because you have a story arc even in a nonfiction book. So for my book, The Guide to Traveling Loot Free, my story arc is like, Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (14:07.201) Okay, you have celiac disease or you can't eat gluten mostly for medical reasons. This book really isn't designed for people who are just trying out gluten free.

It's designed for people who have to live gluten free because of health reasons. But my story arc is yes, you have this disability, but you don't have to have your disability lead your life. Like you can still do the things you love. Even with your disability, you can still travel.

So that's my story arc for my nonfiction book. So. For the story, to find your story arc, you want to start with the transformation. Ask yourself what your reader looks like before your book and who they become after it, right?

So how do they make that point from A to B? This is your before and after spine of your arc. Then you want to identify the inciting moment. What happened in your life or career that made you the right person to write this book?

That pivotal moment is where your arc begins. And I forgot to put a period in here clearly. So for me, with my book, The Guide to Traveling Gluten Free, my pivotal moment was I had just been diagnosed. I knew I was gluten free and I was doing it for three weeks, this is when I was a teacher.

So I had the summer off and literally two days after my last class, I jumped on the road and it was planned out. I went on a three week Pacific Coast Highway road trip, which was really fun. I did all California, Oregon and Washington. And so I remember sitting at a gas station in California and thinking, oh my God, I get so sick if I eat gluten.

Like what, what am I going to do? I'm by myself if I get that sick. And I'm like, you know, and I'm camping. And so anyway, I was like, well, I'll go look up stuff when I get back.

I'm sure someone's got something on it. And no one had anything on how to travel gluten free. Like people had stuff on like, oh, here's 50 restaurants in New York. It's like, okay.

But 99 % of the time I'm not taking a vacation to New York. So that doesn't help me at all. So that's when I decided to write my book. And so that's important.

So know the moment that it happened and you might not have a specific moment and that's okay, but just know like what was the turning point for you to that major art begin. Map the turning points, think through your elements, your moments that shaped your expertise. And again, I forgot another period. Arrange them in order and look for the through line that connects them.

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (16:26.553) Okay, find the tension. What did you get wrong before you got it right? What problem does your reader keep running into that no one has fully solved?

Tension keeps readers engaged. So one of the things, one of the tension pieces I put into my book is never assume anything is gluten free, even if it's steak, because they put marinades in it and other things that could have gluten in it, right? Toothpaste, body products. Like I just picked up two products yesterday on the supermarket shelf, because I'm like, these look neat.

and they both had wheat germ oil in it. And if you're celiac, you can't even put wheat on your skin. Like you can't touch it. You can't do anything with it.

So clearly those are two things I can't use. And I can't assume that every body product is free of wheat germ oil. So I have to read, you have to be a really good label, label reader. Look at your reader's journey.

Where's your reader starting from? What success, what does success look like for them mapping their journey can clarify the structure of your book. So many of the people who listen to my podcast, travel gluten-free that goes along with my book, have just found out they're gluten-free. So I know all these people are starting out where I started out as, what can I eat and like, what is safe and how do I even go to the food shop, let alone travel.

So that's where my book starts is identifying things that are gluten-free, where gluten hides and how to shop for gluten-free food and that you need to be a label reader. All right, so some sources of inspiration, new ideas. So, Client and audience questions. Okay, what do people keep asking you over and over again?

So my book I published last month, which I have a sticky note here, Cheryl, send you one and Joanne, I'll offer you the same too. If there is a book, it's called From Idea to Outline. I published this as a playbook because there were so many people I talked to that said, I have a book in me, but I don't know where to start. So that's why I created that book.

Conversations and interviews, like talking to peers, mentors or clients. can surface angles or ideas you may not have found on your own. Conferences are really good for this, but I love it. I'm not a fan of online conferences.

I'm a fan of in-person conferences, because that's where you get to have really great conversations. Journals and notes. So old journals may have voice memos or notebooks that you have ideas in that you may have forgotten about, right? Because we always forget the little details.

Role play with, that wasn't, actually that was supposed to be, Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (18:47.001) changed from my romance thing. that doesn't, that's only for romance. So if you're writing a romance book, role playing with your SO to get inspired on your spicy scenes works really well.

But if you're writing an industry book, that's probably not a good idea. Industry trends and gaps, what is shifting in your field right now? Positioning your book around a timely or an underserved topic that gives your story both relevance and urgency. Your contrarian perspective.

So I'm actually working with a couple different writers right now. They're like, I know this is not the normal perspective. I'm like, no, that's good because you don't want to write about something a whole bunch of other people have written about, right? You want your perspective on the subject.

That's why people buy your book, even though there's other book topics on that similar subject, because it's your perspective and your idea and your framework. OK, so you may have a better way to do it, a better process or a more efficient way. that challenges conventional wisdom. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (19:47.

727) All right, accountability. So this is really important to have accountability so that you have somebody to hold you accountable to your writing efforts. So joining writing sprints in online communities for accountability and camaraderie. I'm part of a writing group that's out here in the Pacific Northwest called Willamette Valley Writers.

And they actually do a lot of stuff online now since 2020. And so we do writing sprints online. accountability online and all that stuff. So that's really helpful for me because then that helps to keep me online and accountable.

Find a writing partner for word count exchanges or progress updates. And you want to meet on a regular basis. Now that doesn't have to be every week. It could be every other week, whatever it is or every month.

Just make sure you meet at the same time every month. Hire a book coach or writing mentor who tracks your progress and holds regular sessions. And I've done that service for people before and that's been really helpful. to help them move along because not only is it like the accountability piece, like they have their homework to do for the next session, but when they have a question and they get stuck, they can just ask me so they can just keep moving along at a guided pace.

Announce your goals publicly on social media or your newsletter to raise the stakes. Track your progress using a word count tracker, a mark calendar, and a progress chart. You can even just use a spreadsheet, right? And that way you can see it.

You can see your progress. Excuse me. You can watch your momentum build that makes it harder to break the streak if you know you're making progress. Okay.

Build a writing ritual. When writing happens at the same time, it stops feeling like a choice and starts feeling like a part of your routine, right? Because you've made it a habit. So making writing a habit is a good part of your accountability piece.

All right, so more accountability ideas. Creating a visual progress chart. So you can, if you want to actually write one out, set up a reward system for meeting weekly or monthly word count goals, right? And that's your own reward system.

And that can be anything from like, you know, spending extra time or like watching an extra TV show during the week to like, you know, buying your favorite dessert or whatever it is. It doesn't have to be something big and it doesn't have to be something that costs money. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (22:08.545) It can be anything that you enjoy doing or that you like and that you reward yourself when you hit a weekly or monthly goal.

Schedule writing appointments in your calendar and treat them as unmissable meetings, right? It's really hard to protect time. For me, I know it is really, really hard. That's the hardest thing.

But one of the ways I have figured out to fix that is when I have to schedule something on a regular basis, I start two weeks out, because my calendar is usually two weeks out. That way I don't have to reschedule things, because one thing I notice is that if I have to do something on a regular basis, trying to reschedule things puts more stress on me and makes it harder to do it. And then I'm less likely to do whatever it is. So just scheduling it out two weeks in advance, then making it a regular activity.

is really helpful for me. Use apps like Forrester Freedom to block distracting websites during your writing time. Create a visual progress chart and then use project management tools like Trello or Asana to break your books into manageable tasks. So Joanna and Cheryl, I'm going to call on you ladies again.

What pieces of accountability have you added, either ones that were listed here or something that wasn't listed here that have really helped you with your writing goals? Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (23:29.499) I am part of a mastermind and so we set quarterly goals and so and we and it's not only an accountability group but it also encourages us to be very specific in our goals so that it is easier to hold each other accountable. So yeah I basically set out my goals for the quarter and they're broken down into.

They may not be specific weekly, there is something every week that makes it clear if I'm still working towards those goals or not. Awesome. And moving forward is the most important piece. Even if you're moving forward a little bit, it's better than not moving forward.

Joanna, what about you? What accountability piece have you built into your writing practice that helps you? So I'm just learning how to do that, to hold myself accountable. And so I'm actually trying to come up with a plan.

That's why I'm learning as we go. So I joined the Willamette Writers Group. But unfortunately, I had to miss the last couple, you know, meetings at eight o'clock in the morning. I got some medical stuff that is kind of preceding everything.

But my goals right now are to clear my schedule for summer. So I yeah, because I just could stay so busy and then keep putting this on the back burner and I've been doing that for a long time now. And so I just got rid of a lot of stuff I didn't sign in for summer courses for my college. You know, I'm only working very part time anyway.

So what I'm going to do is I'm learning how to get those goals now by by listening to you, you know, picking up things on how now Now that I have this time coming on June 16th is the last day for this term to end. I need to find a balance and get those goals, whether it's every day in the morning, whether it's, I don't know yet. That's why I'm really looking for some advice on what's the best way to do it. So number one, I get this done because I don't want to poke around at it anymore.

I do have a lot of writing. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (25:50.831) bits and pieces and this, that, and the other that are all, you know, or all over the place. But now I need to finish the other, the rest of the stories and then put it all together.

So I'm looking right now for advice on how to make that happen and realistically how to make that happen. So I'm listening to you guys and I'm picking up these little things and writing them down. I'm not, I'm definitely writing as your guys are talking so I can get these ideas. Cause I'm I really want to get this done and with goals, short term and long term, I think it is gonna help.

And now that my schedule is clear up until September, I've got a green light, so to speak. That's awesome. Well, I think setting weekly goals is good. Cause I feel like for me anyway, if I set anything shorter than a weekly goal, it's too hard to like to hit the goal just because like, if you have something right that happens in your week, because life happens.

Right, then if you set a daily goal, you're less likely to hit it. Like, because if something happens and then you can't do whatever you're writing it is that day or whatever, then you're like, man, I missed the goal. And then the more you miss, the harder it is to stay on track. So I would say start out with weekly goals because you can always adjust it too.

Like once you have a plan, you can tweak it to fit what you feel like works for you. So I would say start out with something weekly. And then try one of these that appeals to you. Like if there is one thing that appeals to you more than something else, and then you can like incorporate your weekly goals into our, like into the Willamette Valley Writers thing, or like say like, hey, if you have a weekly goal of a thousand words, then writing 250 words four days a week, right?

Or if you miss a day, then you write 500 words another day. So you can make it, keep some flexibility in it. But also like if a week doesn't work, if two weeks works better for you as a goal date deadline, then tweak it to two weeks. But try a week first and then pick one of these things that helps, that most appeals to you.

And then go from there. But what I would definitely recommend against is don't do something because somebody says, you should do this for your thing because everybody's so different, right? Because if it feels forced, you're not gonna do it. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (28:13.

463) And if it doesn't feel right, you're not gonna do it. So do something that feels like it works for you and it's challenging, but it's not so challenging, it's like impossible to do. That makes a lot of sense. Thank you.

I'm doing that. And so here's a word count chart that you can use to hold on a second. I just made this my, hold on. Did I, is my screen still sharing with you too?

Okay. Okay. Then I need to, I think it's this one. Okay.

Perfect. All right. Give me one second. full screen.

No, wait a minute. Sorry, I still have not gotten the hang of this isn't sharing my screen. Let me see why I can't see the actual screen. Okay, hold on one sec.

Let me get this. There we go. Sorry about that. I lost my screen for a second.

Okay, back on track. So here's a word count average, right? So if you want to hit a deadline. If you're looking to, if your book, this is your total book word count on the top here.

So if you're shooting for around 40,000 words, which is the average book for a business nonfiction book, then it's 40,000 words or self help. If you're going into memoir, things like that, they're typically more like the 60, 80,000 word range. So if you want to do 18, finish your book in 18 months, this is what you need to hit on an average day to get your book done in, your rough draft done in 18 months. So if you want to, if you have a 20,000 word book and you want to get your Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (30:02.

182) book done in six months, you need to write 155 words a day. If you have a 40,000 word book and you want to get your book done and your rough draft done, I should be more specific, in six months, you need to write 310 words a day. So this gives you a good chart average on if you're shooting for a specific word count or you think your book is going to be a specific word count, how many words you have to write in a week to hit your rough draft goal. Now, this is not editing.

This is not like, you know, doing anything else with your book. This is just writing your rough draft, going from your idea, starting writing to getting to your finished piece. And so if you're already halfway through your book and your book is 40,000 words and you can use the 20,000 word chart and then use the timing on that to figure out a word goal, count for yourself if that's what you're going to look for. All right.

So positive mindset practice, positive mindset, no matter what you're doing in life is super, super important as we know. Celebrate your small wins. So definitely Cheryl, I've seen you post your win in our group. So Joanna, when you have a small win, even if it's a tiny win, it doesn't matter, post it in the group so we can cheer you on.

Review your why regularly, right? Like why this book matters, who it's gonna help, and what it means to you. Shift your focus from is this good enough to am I making progress? Because...

Because your book, when you're writing your rough draft, it's not going to be good enough. It needs to go through all the editing process. So don't worry about it. Is it good enough at that point?

You want to worry about whether it is good enough after you have written your edits from your developmental edit and your line edit. Identify your sabotage patterns, right? Like what are you doing to sabotage yourself? then create plans to counter them.

Understand that finished books can be improved, but unfinished books can't be edited. always making progress. Practice self-compassion when you miss a goal, then recommit. That's been a really big one for me the past few years, because I've had a lot of health challenges, including two surgeries and a hospital stay.

And so there were a lot of goals I could not make. And I had to just say, I can't make it right now because I'm having all these health challenges. And it stinks. It's like, especially for people like us who are really motivated and goal setters.

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (32:24.017) And we want to get these things done and to have to stop because life can be really, really frustrating. But give yourself grace because being frustrated and stressing out over it definitely doesn't help you move forward. actually stops you from moving forward.

So we want to keep moving forward with our positive mindset. All right. So you guys are already a part of my author's group. So for people listening to this on the podcast, make sure You jump in our group, Publishing for Leaders in School.

It's a really fun group which really supports authors in their publishing journey. And if you don't subscribe to the podcast, definitely subscribe to Self Publishing for Professionals. You find it on your favorite podcast player and on YouTube. And if you are looking to connect with me, here is my information.

You can find me at writeforyou.me or Lynn at writeforyou.me by hitting up my contact form. So Cheryl and Joanna, what questions do you have on writer's block or any of the topics we covered today?

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (33:30.936) I think this was really, really good. I do reinforce the setting aside time to do it. and Joanna, this is a supportive comment, so please take it in that way.

you mentioned that you joined Atlanta, the Atlanta authors group, but had been having trouble attending meetings. I think that Lynn's comment about scheduling yourself. feedback to that. And I recognize when you first join a group, sometimes it takes a couple months to get your schedule rearranged so that you can make those appointments.

But I think that's an example of an appointment that should be really important to you and that you schedule your other things around it so that you can attend because I am a really big fan of masterminds or groups like that or like Lynn's group that we're in. Because I really think that the like-mindedness, the sharing of goals can really help move you forward also. Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis (34:39.347) And so Joanna, do you have any questions like writer's block or setting goals or anything like that that we haven't answered during the workshop today?

You know, at this time, first Cheryl, thank you for that advice. I welcome all advice at this point being so new and I take in every bit of information I can get. So thank you. And no, it was very informational today.

You shared a lot of stuff that I actually needed to hear. And so I really appreciate it. And I definitely got a lot out of this. And I appreciate you, Lynn, very much.

I know you've helped me and we've had book coaching and I am just excited to continue working with you. Awesome. I'm excited to continue working with you too, Joanne. We had a really great coaching session.

I'm glad that really helped you out. Okay, so I'm going to wrap up here, but hang on because I have a question to ask both of you at the end. But for those of you who are listening on the podcast, definitely make sure that you subscribe and rate Publishing for Professionals on your favorite podcast player.