Writer's Fun Zone

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

c 2026 BETH BARANY

The Ghost You Left Behind

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

The post Building Your Inner Circle of Support: How to Find Beta Readers | How To Write the Future podcast, Ep 218 appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

What Happens to My Copyrights After I Die? by Kelley Way

Guest Contributor — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:45 +0000

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Kelley Way as she shares with us “What Happens to My Copyrights After I Die?” Enjoy!

***

Planning for Your Copyright Legacy

I spoke to a literary agent at a conference recently, and he mentioned how many of his author clients are flummoxed when he asks what will happen to their copyrights after their death.

It’s a topic that many authors just don’t think about.

All right, let’s be honest: the fate of your property after your death is a topic many people don’t want to think about, because it’s just depressing.

But death and taxes are the only certainties in life, so let’s answer the question right now: What happens to my copyrights after I die?

If you do nothing to change the fate of your copyrights, they will be part of your general estate.

They will pass to your legal heirs or, if you have a will or trust, to your named beneficiaries.

In most cases, these recipients lack the interest and/or expertise to manage the copyrights, so they will probably languish until the copyrights eventually expire.

And for some people, that’s perfectly fine.

Not every book is a bestseller, and many books cost more money to make than authors get back in royalties.

In these instances, it might make sense to just let nature take its course.

But that’s certainly not true in every case.

Not every author is willing to let their books go quietly into the night, and for those willing to make the effort, there are options to keep your books alive and in circulation.

The question is, what is your ultimate goal?

Do you want your books to be read by as many people as possible, or do you want them to generate a good income for your heirs and beneficiaries?

Options for Managing Your Copyrights

Depending on your answer, you could:

Make your books freely available.

You can instruct your executor to make your books available to all.

This could be as simple as not enforcing the copyright (easy for the executor, but not very effective for wide circulation), or it could mean setting the price on Amazon to zero and/or uploading it to a site where people can download it with a Creative Commons license.

A podcast host suggested this option recently, and it is a viable option if you care more about wide circulation than income.

Just be aware that people may use your book for things you don’t agree with, like copying passages for their writing or uploading it to an AI training database.

Designate a manager/literary executor for your copyrights.

If your goal is to keep generating revenue for as long as possible, then you’ll want to think about who is the best person to make that happen.

This person should either already have some expertise in managing copyrights, or they should have enough interest to learn from you what needs to be done.

Once you’ve identified your ideal torchbearer, you can plan how to incorporate them into your estate plan, and how to make the transition as easy as possible.

I’ll talk more about this in a later article.

Final Thoughts

Thinking about the question “What Happens to My Copyrights After I Die?” is not a fun topic, but it will be a great relief once you’ve made a decision.

If you need help deciding what’s best for your copyrights and incorporating that into your estate plan, please feel free to reach out to me at kaway@kawaylaw.com.

***

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***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelley Way was born and raised in Walnut Creek, California. She graduated from UC Davis with a B.A. in English, followed by a Juris Doctorate. Kelley is a member of the California Bar, and an aspiring writer of young adult fantasy novels. More information at kawaylaw.com.

The post What Happens to My Copyrights After I Die? by Kelley Way appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Creative Myths Debunked: What the Creative Process Actually Looks Like by Nicole Plumridge

Guest Contributor — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:13 +0000

Let’s welcome back Nicole Plumridge as she shares with us “Creative Myths Debunked: What the Creative Process Actually Looks Like.” Enjoy!

***

As a collective, we tend to maintain a dreamy image of the creative as someone who wakes with the sunrise, follows a breadcrumb trail of inspiration throughout the day, and produces a masterpiece by nightfall, leaving everyone gobsmacked and in awe.

She is born wildly gifted — carried along the skirts of curiosity and whimsy to her immense fame, fortune, and success.

If only this were true.

As any creative would have experienced, the majority of the work is the silent, nose-to-the-grindstone work of showing up, even when no one is watching.

It takes consistent commitment, grit, and perseverance to breathe life into a creative project.

The False Image of the Creative

This idolized image of the creative hurts more than it helps.

It depicts a mirage, an illusion of success, as unattainable as it is unrealistic.

If you struggle to follow the above routine — balancing work and children and household duties — you are a failure as a creative.

If your first creative endeavor does not catapult you into astronomical success, you should give up.

If no one is applauding your creative attempts, it is unworthy and should be tucked quietly away.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Like with any skill, job, or initiative, you need to put in the behind-the-scenes work.

We do not expect a doctor to become an overnight success.

We do not assume that the moment she enrolls in medical school, she is already an expert.

We give her the grace to spend three or four years earning her degree, followed by several more years of specialization, supervised clinical practice and experience before she is considered an expert in her field.

Why then, when it comes to the creative, do we have this bizarre notion of becoming an overnight success, maintaining perfection with little practice, cultivating genius with scarce guidance?

The Real Narrative

As with any profession or skill, one needs to put in the work to become good.

Creativity is no exception.

There is typically a natural inclination towards a certain mode of creative expression — such as writing — however, once that is established, the practice hours involve showing up to the page and actually writing.

The truth behind creative genius rarely involves overnight success or immense innate talent.

It is carefully honed skills, regular practice, failing over and over again, facing rejections, and continuing on despite this.

Finding that stubborn grit within — that unique creative spark — is what will see you through the potential silence.

After all, there is no separation between you and your creativity.

It involves writing because there is a story in your heart.

Painting because your fingers itch for the rough texture of the canvas.

Gardening because the feel of earth and sunlight is intoxicating for your soul.

You do it for you over and over again — until one day, it does find its way into the world.

Perhaps it meets fame.

Maybe there is fortune.

But more often than not, what you find starts with simple connection.

Community: Your Accountability Partners

One of the greatest things about finding your creative community is the shared genuine passion you have for creative expression.

However, on a more practical level, a like-minded community provides you with accountability.

While much of the time, creative endeavors tend to be a solitary pursuit, having a person to reflect with, share progress with, and cheerlead on can make all the difference between having a dusty half-finished draft sitting on your desktop for years and a finished manuscript within a few months.

Accountability — not more inspiration and whimsy — is what may bridge the gap between dreaming and actually getting the job done.

Doing What it Takes

As creatives, we have ideas — we may even have shiny idea syndrome, constantly hopping from one great idea to the next best thing.

Where there tends to be struggle is in the execution of the million and one ideas hoarded in the mind.

Accountability leads to action, and action bridges the gap between dreams and finished projects.

There is no vaulting over this step.

Not only are we required to take action on our projects, but that action must also be consistent.

We must keep showing up and putting in the hours if we want to reach the finish line.

Taking action when it feels scary, unfamiliar, unseen, unappreciated, or exhausting is what we need to do if we are to take our creativity seriously.

The Unseen Grind

Your creative library may store hundreds of poems, paintings, or pieces of pottery.

Of those hundreds, perhaps only a handful are actually seen by the world.

Does that make the rest worthless — wasted time and effort?

In a world of ‘picture or it didn’t happen,’ where everything needs external proof and validation for its very existence, it is hard to do something long-term, silently, for the sake of the craft before anything else.

However, putting in the practice hours is an inescapable part of the creative journey.

Creative output is akin to the flower bud sprouting above the earth.

Just beneath this beautiful, fragile gift of nature is an underground, unseen system of roots intertwining and tangling, ensuring that the surface flower stays alive.

Each root is vital.

Every speck of soil a necessity.

The unseen entanglements are just as important as what finally bursts through into the visible world.

The Paradox of Structure

So, how does one prioritize their creativity when there is little initial validation?

The best way to take action amidst the busy lives we all lead is to schedule it.

It is too easy to allow our creative projects to fall to the wayside of life until we wake up one day and realize we had an idea three years ago and still have not actioned it.

Deliberately carving out time for our creativity — knowing that it may not have any monetary or social value — is something we must prioritize to avoid the above from happening.

We tend to think structure is the antithesis to working with inspiration.

Containment is entrapment of the creative soul.

Simply put, it is a loss of freedom — and freedom is essential to creative expression.

However, scheduling tends to have the opposite effect.

Instead of waiting to be the recipient of inspiration, we empower ourselves and realize that we can create it.

We do not need to wait for the ephemeral whimsy to descend upon us, quickening the fingers across the keyboard.

Instead, we can cultivate our muse.

We can shape it.

We can treat it like clay in our hands, ready to be molded whenever we decide.

We create the environment within which our creativity can thrive.

Practical Parameters to Consider

Scheduling in our creative practice will look different for everyone based on the current architecture of their lives.

It may be 15 minutes in the morning when everyone is sleeping.

It could be a two-hour chunk on the weekends.

It could be every other day once work is finished.

Whatever it is, the key to consistency lies not on willpower alone, but on setting up your environment to ensure you are successful in maintaining your creative practice.

Have a reminder on your phone that it is time for your practice. If you paint, ensure all your tools are ready and waiting — reducing any unnecessary friction involved in the setup.

Protect your time by telling family and friends that during a specified window you are busy and cannot respond.

Set up an ecosystem that makes creating inevitable.

It is also important to note that consistency does not need to equate to perfection.

It is okay if a week was particularly hectic and the creative practice slipped between the cracks.

The important thing is simply returning to the practice with fresh energy and commitment.

The Creative Practice: Concluding Thoughts

Creativity is not a bestowed skill which flows with ease and grace, instantly meeting acceptance and celebration.

It is hard work and effort sustained over long periods of time.

It is the silent work carried out after hours while the world sleeps.

It is the quiet chipping away at projects, showing up day after day, with nothing to show the world by the end of it.

Creativity is not all magic and muse, but structure, containment and grit.

For the artist to move from ideation to creation, having a system in place is a prerequisite.

As much as we like to think there is a veil of mystery around the creative process, there actually isn’t.

The formula is simple.

Show up.

Create.

And do it all over again tomorrow.

That’s all it takes.

***

About The Author

Nicole Plumridge is the author of three books, including an Amazon bestselling debut novel.

Her work has appeared in The Poetryhood and Half-Light Magazine.

She is also a creativity and book coach who supports creatives in building creative practices and reconnecting with their inner magic.

Connect with Nicole and book a discovery call if your creativity is calling you.

Website: https://nicoleplumridgecoaching.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authornicoleplumridge

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-plumridge-39512368

Novels by Nicole:

Healing House

Erosabel

The post Creative Myths Debunked: What the Creative Process Actually Looks Like by Nicole Plumridge appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

How A Character’s Breathing Reveals Their Emotion in Your Novel | How To Write the Future, Ep 217

Kerry-Ann McDade — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:39:19 +0000

How A Character’s Breathing Reveals Their Emotion in Your Novel – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 217

***

“It all starts with awareness of yourself and noticing how you’re feeling at different moments and how you’re breathing and your emotional state, how we tie them together in our own awareness.” – Beth Barany

Did you know the five senses play an important part in making a connection between your character and readers?

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, titled “How A Character’s Breathing Reveals Their Emotion in Your Novel” host Beth Barany shares how you can create a deep emotional bond between your characters and readers, when to use breath and emotion cues, and provides writing examples in prose using breath as a technique to hook your readers.

Beth also shares the inspiration behind the episode and shares about her Edit lab, a monthly membership with exclusive perks.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES

You finished your novel? Now what? Get the 30,000-foot view with our Edit Your Novel Checklist: http://edityournovelchecklist.com/

Get the workbook: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Join the Edit Lab! https://bethbarany.com/editlab

Support the podcast! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?
How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?
How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers too if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for episode 217 – How A Character’s Breathing Reveals Their Emotion in Your Novel

Why Body Senses Matter

BETH BARANY: In this episode, I am going to help you translate some body senses and body sensations into your prose. One of the biggest mistakes I see as a writing teacher, a coach, and editor of science fiction and fantasy writers is that the human component is missing. And one of the biggest ways to help the reader experience your story is to put into your story body senses.

So today, I’m gonna talk about a few of those body senses, and actually, I have an entire class on this. And I go into greater depth in my edit lab, my monthly membership, which I’ll tell you about toward the end. All right. Let’s get started.

[00:48] Meet Beth Barany

Hi, everyone. I’m Beth Barany. I am a writing teacher and coach, award-winning science fiction and fantasy writer, and creative entrepreneur.

I have this podcast ’cause I really believe that with know how and understanding and practice, you too can be a science fiction and fantasy writer. And I deeply believe that our stories have deep impact on our readers for entertainment, of course, but also for transformation. So let’s use our power of storytelling for good and help transform the world.

All right. Let’s get started.

So in today’s episode, we are going to talk about breathing. And in future episodes, I am going to talk about some other senses that I see really powerful in our stories. Smell, proprioception, which is our body’s ability to sense itself and where it is in space, and sound. So stay tuned for those.

[01:49] Episode Roadmap

Okay, first off, readers will stay hooked into your stories for longer, wanna keep reading, and wanna read your next book if you can create a strong emotional bond between the reader and the characters. One of the ways you do that is by layering in sensory detail.

As I said, to we’re gonna talk about breathing.

[02:11] Breathing Awareness Basics

We’re always breathing all the time. That is the hallmark of being alive. So there are multiple components to being able to bring sensory details into your fiction. The first one is to start noticing these elements in yourself, and your only job is to bring up to conscious awareness these senses. In future episodes we’ll cover some more, and in our edit lab we go into greater depth as well, especially through actual line edits.

So breathing. Notice your own breathing. Most of the time, we don’t notice our breathing. Most of the time it’s below conscious awareness, which is great. We need that. Our body is great at doing most things below conscious awareness. So you’re not gonna affect your breathing, you just wanna notice your breathing, and notice how your breathing is when you’re calm.

There’s nothing to write home about.

[03:04] Breath and Emotion Cues

Now notice what happens when you’re surprised. Often people take an intake of breath. Or notice what happens when you’re frustrated. People sigh, and they, like, push their breath out. Notice what happens if people are panicked. I’m not gonna replicate that. I don’t wanna…If I try and breathe quickly, I’m going to make myself feel panicked.

Notice how we use our breath when we’re angry, when we shout with ‌force. Notice how our breath feels when we’re laughing, and how the muscles feel in our stomach also, but what’s going on with our breath? It kinda comes out in short bursts, it feels like, with our laugh.

Your job is just to start to notice your own breathing. Again, do not change it. Now, notice what emotions are associated with different breathing. So say you needed to describe a character who was surprised. There are a ton of ways to do that. And lots of resources out there to help you describe this, like The Emotion Thesaurus, which is mentioned in the resource section, written by some authors who, who have a series of these. It’s a great resource.

But also, it’s one thing to grab a phrase from a book. That’s a great placeholder, but really where the power of truth will come through is when you experience it yourself, and you work at putting words to that. All right.

[04:33] Writing Examples in Prose

So notice your own breathing, notice the emotions associated with it, and I wanted to give you an example.

So you could say, “Janet was surprised.” That’s kind of boring, though, and it doesn’t help us feel what she feels. What is she feeling? You could just say something like, “Janet sucked in a breath with surprise,” or, “Janet sucked in a breath. She had no idea he was coming to the party.” So now, what did I do?

I gave you a physical reaction, and I gave an inner thought, interiority, which is great for fiction. Now, say you wanted to express frustration. You could say, “Janet was frustrated.” Again, boring. Or you could say, “Janet puffed out a breath. When will this stupid line move?” Again, I’m using body language and interiority.

There are other thing, things you can do, but that’s what’s coming to me right now. So play with that.

[05:32] Observe and Collect Techniques

Pay attention to your own breathing and what emotions you’re associating with the different kinds of breathing you do, and then start noticing it in other people and see if you can watch how their breathing changes with their emotional state or what you interpret might be their emotional state.

Next, observe breathing inside of stories that you’re reading. How are other writers writing about this and using it, and do you like it? And start collecting phrases that you like. Also notice where they have a missed opportunity or where they use it in a clumsy way.

[06:07] Using Breathing Strategically

So what do you notice, what do you notice with breathing and what it might mean for your character? Also, your main character, maybe they’re really a calm person and they do not seem to vary their breathing. I wouldn’t find that realistic. I would actually, uh, want your character to vary their breathing because we all do.

So you want to use breathing in minimal places. You don’t have to put it throughout your story everywhere, but it’s great for shock, surprise, anger. Of course, there’s laughter, and even a meditative space.

[06:47] What Inspired This Episode

So I just wanna let you know that this episode came out of a conversation with one of my writers. Where the writer realized that her character needs to be more visual in terms of how they react physically, not just verbally, not just through dialogue, but physically through her body’s awareness.

So this writer realized that she wasn’t really making it clear in her prose what was going on when her main, when her character was breathing heavily or hyperventilating. How do you differentiate between that in your writing, and how do you make it relevant and powerful for the reader? So, as I shared with in examples of today’s episode, it all starts with awareness of yourself and noticing how you’re feeling at different moments and how you’re breathing and your emotional state, how we tie them together in our own awareness.

[07:48] Wrap Up and Edit Lab

All right, let me know if you have any questions about how to write the body senses into your fiction. I have lots of material on this that I can share with you. I am going to go forward with a few topics that I mentioned, but I have a lot more to cover.

Oh, yes, I wanna let you know about my Edit Lab.

This is a monthly membership that you can join, where you can come to monthly calls and get live edits at 200 words at a time. And you can ask questions directly to me live, and you can also have an opportunity to interact with other science fiction and fantasy writers. Who is this group great for?

If you are finishing your first draft, or you’ve finished your first draft and you’re starting your edits, that’s what this membership is great for. If you’re not sure that this is right for you, go ahead and check out my Edit Your Novel checklist, which will give you a 30,000-foot view of your book and help you start editing.

And I introduce you there also in the welcome sequence to the Edit Lab. All right. That’s it for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

c 2026 BETH BARANY

https://writersfunzone.com/blog/10-ways-to-generate-ideas/

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

The post How A Character’s Breathing Reveals Their Emotion in Your Novel | How To Write the Future, Ep 217 appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

When Hell is Other People by Catharine Bramkamp

Guest Contributor — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:01 +0000

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Catharine Bramkamp as she shares with us “When Hell is Other People.” Enjoy!

***

“Hell is other people.” — Jean-Paul Sartre, Author of No Exit.

The Endless Pull of Other People’s Needs

We love our people.

But our people have needs; their needs wax, wane, and change over time, or over an hour.

Their needs carry multitudes, and apparently no one in the house can find the ketchup in the refrigerator faster than you.

No one in the family has faith there is still ketchup in the house.

You abandoned your novel work in progress and march to the kitchen, pull out a broad collection of ketchup bottles, and return to your work.

I am on call to help with home improvement projects, which theoretically makes sense since I live in the home:

windows need cleaning;
closet doors need planing
blinds need dusting.

There is an acre of yard that needs, in no particular order:

Mowing
Thatching
weed killer
moss be-gone
stick removal
stump destruction
Meticulous edging.

If I am not in that yard helping, working side by side with my husband, I risk overwhelming guilt.

Every time I squint through the dirty window, I feel compelled to drop my work and shuffle outside to leaf blow the patio, then clean the window, then all the windows. . .

Until one chilly November day it dawned on me that home improvements, gardens, committees, family drama, children’s needs are as unending as an Escher stairway.

We don’t finish gardening, meetings, holiday prep, projects, meetings, or events.

We only press pause.

We can abandon them for a week or two.

We can vacation.

But they will always circle around and around, reappearing yearly, monthly, hourly.

When Creative Time Is Sacrificed

One morning I sacrificed (and I used that word specifically) my writing time in favor of mowing the lawn.

Not a big deal, I thought.

But it was a big deal.

Morning is my creative time.

But THIS morning was mission-critical to my husband’s fertilizing project.

My job was mowing; his job was following me with the lawn fertilizer hours before the predicted rainfall and the onslaught of hot summer days.

Totally fine, happy to help.

But the rest of the day just crumbled away.

The lawn was happy.

The husband was happy (as he scrutinized the yard for more things that needed attention).

I was decidedly unhappy.

The Invisible Nature of Creative Work

One of the challenges of protecting our art time is that when we are in the throes of creating, it doesn’t look like much.

Writers stare out the window, musicians repeat a chord progression, painters scrutinize a paint color.

If you are composing a symphony, you are likely sitting still, which in most families is a trigger event.

You are just sitting there;

come help hang this picture
install this bookcase
wrestle this enormous desk through that narrow doorway.

The ask is not malicious; it’s a compliment that they want your help and, often more importantly, your company.

And you are just as inclined to help because the activity is mutually beneficial.

But that music needs you too, and once interrupted, that moment of creativity is lost.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, creeping into your time with little cat feet, and before you know it:

Your sister calls to tell you she is leaving for a retreat
Can you pick up the dogs at 10:00 AM?
Be sure to lock the back gate
Remember Fido is on a special diet of hand-shredded chicken and imported liver pate.

How did this happen?

Does it help to know that you are not unique?

Historically, female artists have pushed, resisted, and despaired about creeping and often overwhelming time encroachment (and now we share the problem with everyone! You’re welcome.)

The process of making art just doesn’t LOOK important (except for found art sculpture, which has the advantage of size, noise and fire: far more impressive than composing poems), and worse, we often work directly in the line of sight (which is why those rooms of our own are important — out of sight, out of the way, unavailable for picture hanging).

It implies we are both ready and able to help with anything or everything.

Protecting Your Creative Time

But we are not.

We are working on art, and yes, it is important.

Assure your family you love them, but they are probably quite capable of hanging that picture themselves.

They may also possess superior lawn mower blade sharpening skills, and just in case, all four bottles of ketchup are arranged like a firing squad on the first shelf of the fridge.

Two things will happen.

You will control your time.

Fed up with waiting, they may just do it themselves.

Remember to praise their good work.

Learn More

Look for my new book — Take Up Space — Art is Your Second Act.

***

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***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Catharine Bramkamp is a successful writing coach, Chief Storytelling Officer, former co-producer of Newbie Writers Podcast, and author of a dozen books including the Real Estate Diva Mysteries series, and The Future Girls series. She holds two degrees in English and is an adjunct university professor. After fracturing her wrist, she has figured out there is very little she is able to do with one hand tied behind her back. She delights in inspiring her readers.

The post When Hell is Other People by Catharine Bramkamp appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

How to Restart Your Writing after a Break | How To Write the Future, Ep 216

Kerry-Ann McDade — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 15:42:59 +0000

How to Restart Your Writing after a Break – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 216

“Do not make yourself wrong. Life is busy. We have multiple commitments that we’re juggling, all of us.” – Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode titled “How to Restart Your Writing after a Break,” host Beth Barany shares the emotional turbulence of coming back to writing after a break and why feeling anger can be a powerful tool to use in your writing. She also offers tips to use timed writing and helpful prompts, which are available to download free here.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for episode 216 How to Restart Your Writing after a Break

Welcome And Topic

BETH BARANY: Hi everyone. Beth Barany here with How to Write the Future podcast. Today, I’m gonna talk to you about how do you restart your writing after a break. For some of you listening as I release this, it is summertime, and maybe you’ve had to step away from your writing, or maybe you’re trying to restart after a busy first six months of the year, or maybe it’s another time of year, and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I’ve stepped away from my writing. How do I get restarted?”

I have to say, I have been in this position many, many, many, many times. I feel like I’m an expert in restarting. It is something that, gosh, I have done so many times.

[00:42] Emotional Turbulence

So first of all, you might encounter some emotional turbulence as you realize you’ve stepped away from your writing, and now you’re, like, waking up after a dream or a very busy life, and you’re like, “Oh my gosh, I wanna make time for my writing.”

But maybe you feel upset, which is something I used to feel. I’d feel so upset. “Oh my God, how could I forget my writing?”

That’s how I used to feel. I feel less so now. Now it’s more like, “Oh wow, I’m really cranky. I need to make time for my writing.”

Yeah. If I don’t write, I am… I feel very cranky, and I also feel like, uh, I’m not living my purpose, and that actually makes me really angry at myself, but more angry, just like explosive energy of anger.

Anger is such a great indicator of how some boundary has been crossed. And basically, the boundary that I cross when I forget about my writing, or I don’t make time for my writing, is a commitment, a promise to myself. I have crossed that line. I have broken that promise to myself. So once I feel all that, feel your feelings.

I make space for my emotional turbulence, and I recommend that you do the same. Do not make yourself wrong. Life is busy. We have multiple commitments that we’re juggling, all of us. So once you take some time, feel your feelings, make some room for that, and then that could take a few days. That could take an hour.

Come to neutral. Find yourself in a neutral place and start.

[02:17] Start Small Again

Now, how do you start writing?

When I have taken a break, I start small. I give myself permission not to be overly ambitious, but just to rev the engine. It is like a car has been sitting overnight in very cold temperature, and what do you do?

You don’t expect your car to just go. You rev your engine. You clean the windshield, do-do-do, and you warm up the car. You need to warm up. Just like you’re not gonna expect yourself to go and do a really long run if you’ve taken a break from running. I don’t run anymore; I used to, or any kind of working out.

You don’t wanna jump in full force; you wanna jump in gently. So what does that look like for you? That could look all kinds of ways. Maybe you just work for 5 minutes, maybe 10, maybe 20.

[03:06] Timed Writing Boundaries

I love timed writing. I have talked about that multiple times on the podcast. This is what I do to help myself stay focused. Is I do timed writing.

When I am starting out again with my writing after a break, I will contain the space. I will put a boundary around the space. I will set the timer even for 5 minutes or 10.

I ask myself, “What feels doable right now?” And I set that timer for that. I don’t make it overly ambitious. I don’t try and, “Oh, my God, today I’ve gotta write five pages.”

I don’t set ambitious deadlines or goals, or word counts. Nothing. I just keep it really small, and if all I do on the day one of coming back after a break is 5 minutes of writing, that’s successful. And so that’s the mindset shift I wanna invite you into. And then promise yourself, tomorrow, I’m gonna write for 6 minutes or 10 minutes.

I’m gonna increase it a little bit because you are a bit rusty mentally, emotionally, even maybe physically, just sitting down to write and focus.

[04:09] Warm Up The Muse

So those are my two main tips, is leave space for your emotional turbulence, really have compassion for yourself there, and start slowly warming up your own creative engine as you get back into your writing.

The other thing, uh, that you may wanna do is reread your work so you can acquaint yourself with it, reread your story notes, and do other things that invite the creative muse to join you, whether it’s opening up your Scrivener program, or putting in your favorite music, or having your favorite writing drink, or, making sure that you do something physical before you write.

I like to walk and then write. So there’s a lot of different habits that you can put together; people call that habit stacking, so that you are welcoming the muse, and the muse will come with you. And you’ve set up your writing environment the way you like it so you can get back to your writing. Writing is a practice in the most fundamental sense, meaning the more we do it, the better we get at it.

So if we’ve taken a break, we’re gonna feel rusty. We’re gonna feel like, “Wait, how do I do this thing?” And that’s okay. We need to warm up. And there might even be writing prompt exercises that you like to do to get your juices flowing. I used to not really have any affinity for writing prompts, and now I love using writing prompts.

[05:34] Prompts And Free Gift

So if you would like some writing prompts today, this episode, I’m gonna offer you a special gift. It’s my 10 writing prompts little e-book. Be sure to look for that giveaway in the show notes so that you can grab your own writing prompts book and have lots of ideas for what to write about if you are just getting started or if you’re stuck.

[05:58] Closing Sign Off

All right, everyone, that’s it for this week. Write long and prosper.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

2026 BETH BARANY

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

The post How to Restart Your Writing after a Break | How To Write the Future, Ep 216 appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

How to Write an Unlikable Character That Readers Still Root For by Nick Bailey

Guest Contributor — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:00:59 +0000

Today we welcome a new guest writer to Writer’s Fun Zone, Nick Bailey who is stopping by to chat with us about “How to Write an Unlikable Character That Readers Still Root For.” Enjoy!

***

If you’ve spent any amount of time in online fan communities over the past few years, you may have heard the term “problematic fave,” which refers to a character we know we ought to condemn, and root for anyway.

They’re easy to love and difficult to write.

Make your character too hard to stomach, and readers will never make it past chapter three.

Lean too hard in the other direction, and you risk sanding off their irksome edges, which sort of defeats the point.

Fortunately, likability isn’t a fixed trait your character either has or hasn’t, like intelligence or bravery. It’s manufactured based on what you show the reader.

In this post, I’ll run through a few ways to manufacture it, so you can pen an off-putting (but compelling) protagonist of your own.

Give them one redeeming act early

One of the simplest ways to make an unlikable character endearing is to give them a brief moment of altruism in your story’s opening chapters.

If it’s made clear that your reprobate can be kind, readers will hold out hope for a redemption arc throughout the rest of the story.

In the pilot episode of The Sopranos, we meet Tony, the cold-hearted head of a New Jersey crime family.

Extortion, adultery, murder — nothing is off the table for Don Antonio.

But no matter how depraved Tony acts, viewers cling to the possibility that he can change, thanks in large part to a singular redeeming scene in the opening.

In between all the backstabbing and bloodshed, Tony finds time to feed a family of ducks that have taken up residence in his backyard.

Watching the little ones fly for the first time is enough to knock him out cold at a family barbecue.

In a later scene, Tony is brought to tears when recalling the incident to his psychiatrist.

None of this makes Tony a good person.

And indeed, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Sopranos fan who would describe Tony as likable.

But that brief moment of vulnerability is enough to convince viewers that there’s a man beneath the mobster worth rooting for, and his therapy sessions in subsequent episodes help keep that hope alive.

Explain their actions (without excusing them)

Where an early redeeming act lets readers know that a character is capable of compassion, this next technique goes one step further, planting a relatable motivation at the heart of everything they do.

You’d be surprised how much readers are willing to let slide, provided they understand why a character is behaving badly.

Perhaps the most iconic example of this in action is Walter White, the chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine manufacturer from Breaking Bad.

The impetus for his late-stage career change is undeniably sympathetic: following a terminal cancer diagnosis, Walt wants to make sure his family is financially secure long after his passing.

Much like Tony Soprano before him, Walt isn’t damned by his criminality alone.

It’s the way he manipulates and belittles his supposedly precious family that really makes him hard to stomach.

Still, the altruistic motive allegedly lurking behind his every move keeps viewers in his corner regardless.

While the spoiler-free Breaking Bad viewer meets Mr. White with no idea what he’ll become, readers of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes have no such luxury.

They are already well acquainted with Coriolanus Snow, President of Panem and butcher of children.

But the Snow they meet in The Hunger Games prequel is a far cry from the monster of the original trilogy.

Here, he’s hungry, destitute, and desperate — by the time Coriolanus does anything inhumane, readers have already spent a hundred pages willing him out of poverty.

Even though they know Snow will grow into a detestable tyrant, they can’t help but hope he succeeds.

Play up their talents, play down their crimes

The first two techniques I’ve covered both ask something of your character. One requires a flicker of compassion, the other a reason we can empathize with.

But a character doesn’t necessarily need to be good for a reader to root for them.

They just need a writer who knows what to dwell on.

Take Tom Ripley, the covetous con artist at the center of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Tom is unquestionably immoral: he swindles struggling artists out of their savings, and kills his friends the moment they become inconvenient.

But unlike our previous examples, Tom has no noble justification for his transgressions, nor does he stop to feed the ducks every now and then to keep readers on his side.

Instead, Highsmith pays great attention to Tom’s many talents: he’s a gifted mimic, a fluent forger, and a superb improviser under pressure.

His crimes, meanwhile, are understated — the focus remains squarely on how Tom’s actions affect him.

When he murders someone, all we are told is that the victim’s cry is loud, and that it frightens Tom.

The subsequent body disposal reads more like a chore than a crime-scene cleanup.

The result is a reader who finds themselves admiring a murderer, and hoping he gets away with it.

The Conclusion

These three techniques all rest on the same idea: your readers can only judge a character by what you choose to put in front of them.

So don’t be afraid to let your protagonist be truly awful — just make sure you’ve given readers a reason to stay.

***

About the Author

Nick Bailey writes about anything and everything in the realm of writing and self-publishing for Reedsy, an online marketplace that connects authors with editors, designers, and marketers to help them publish a book.

Aside from reading, Nick enjoys hiking, electronic music, and filling up his personal cookbook with new recipes.

The post How to Write an Unlikable Character That Readers Still Root For by Nick Bailey appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Brand Protection 101: The Legal Checklist Self-Published Authors Need by Kelley Way

Guest Contributor — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:25 +0000

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Kelley Way as she shares with us “Brand Protection 101: The Legal Checklist Self-Published Authors Need.” Enjoy!

***

Understanding Brand Protection

This is the next installment in my series on legal considerations for self-published authors.

Now that we’ve covered copyrights, let’s talk about branding, or more specifically, brand protection for self-published authors.

In business, branding is how you identify yourself in the marketplace, so consumers know who they’re buying from.

A business’s brand includes things like their company name, logo, tagline, product packaging, and the general design and tone of their marketing materials.

As an author, when we discuss protecting your brand, this includes your pen/author name, series and/or book titles, visual identity, voice and genre reputation, and website/social handles.

In both industries (because an author’s works are a business), if you want to sell anything, you need people to know who you are and be easily identifiable to your audience, which also helps you build a reputation that encourages customers to buy your product.

Below is a basic checklist of tasks related to brand protection for self-published authors:

1. Define your brand and choose your brand identifiers.

To protect your brand, you have to clearly state what it is.

On a broad level, your brand is the promise or expectation you are offering to potential buyers, i.e., it’s what you want to be known for.

Your website and marketing materials will be built around this promise or expectation.

Your brand identifiers are features or elements consumers will come to associate with this promise or expectation.

Examples of brand identifiers include your name as it appears on your books (celebrities have a head start here, but unknown authors can still build a reputation around their name), the name of your series or story universe, or taglines you use to identify yourself and your books.

2. Research your brand.

Again, your brand is what sets you apart from everyone else.

In order for that to happen, you can’t use the same brand identifiers as someone else.

Take the time to check and make sure someone isn’t already using your chosen brand identifiers.

It will be much easier to change things now than it will be after you publish.

3. Use your brand consistently.

If you are not consistent with your brand or your brand identifiers, it will be harder to protect them.

Use the same branding and brand identifiers in all your marketing, so there’s no question about what your brand is. (And to be clear, you can change your brand and brand identifiers, or have several; just make sure you have clear rules for which brand appears where and stick to those rules.)

4. Protect your brand.

Your brand is only as strong as the protection you give it.

Once you gain a certain amount of market recognition, people will try to ride on your coattails.

You need to keep an eye out for people using your brand or brand identifiers, and you need to put a stop to it before it hurts your sales.

This is also where trademark protection comes in — many brand identifiers can qualify as trademarks, so it’s worth a conversation to see if trademark protection is appropriate for your brand.

5. Maintain your brand.

You can keep things simple when you are starting out, but as your market grows, your brand may need to grow with it.

This could mean updating your brand, adding additional branding, or creating more protection for your existing brand.

When you do these things, save any official records, keep your branding consistent, and consider how these changes will impact new or existing contracts.

Final Thoughts

If you are a self-published or aspiring author and would like to dive deeper into brand protection for self-published authors, please email me at kaway@kawaylaw.com.

***

Want to read more articles like this one Writer’s Fun Zone? Subscribe here.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The post Brand Protection 101: The Legal Checklist Self-Published Authors Need by Kelley Way appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Make Your Environment Writer-Friendly | How To Write the Future, Ep 215

Kerry-Ann McDade — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:40:57 +0000

Make Your Environment Writer-Friendly | How To Write the Future podcast, episode 215

“I really like to have physical objects in my environment to inspire my creativity so that when I look at them, the story comes to mind very easily.”

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, “Make Your Environment Writer-Friendly” host, Beth Barany shares how you can create unique surroundings that will inspire and motivate you in your writing. From crafting a collage and displaying physical items to using a corkboard, Beth shares ideas that are great to help get listeners be more creative in their writing space.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES

Episode 127 – Writing practice. “I can do this.” (Step 2): https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2024/11/18/writing-practice-i-can-do-this-step-2/

Episode 184 – Writing Consistently: Facts and Myths: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2025/12/22/writing-consistently-facts-and-myths/

Episode 78 – How To Plan Your Writing Life: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2024/01/01/how-to-plan-your-writing-life/

Episode 55 – Get Writing: Seven Ways to Get Out of Your Own Way: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2023/07/24/get-writing-seven-ways-to-get-out-of-your-own-way/

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for “Make Your Environment Writer-Friendly” | How To Write the Future, Ep 215

Why Environment Matters

BETH BARANY: In past episodes, I have talked about setting up a writing practice, and I’ve talked about it from the inner perspective, beliefs and rituals. Activities that you can do, how you can organize your writing life, and some mindset shifts that you can make. But I haven’t really talked about the environment that you can have around you to help you with your inspiration and to getting to your writing.

So that’s what I’m gonna talk about today. Hi everyone. I’m Beth Barany of How to Write the Future podcast. I’m an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author, and I specialize in working with science fiction and fantasy authors through my courses, edit labs, masterminds, and one-on-one coaching and consulting.

I really believe that our creativity is our superpower. So let’s get to it.

[00:54] Client Challenge No Wall Space

Sometimes we need to brainstorm to figure out how our environment can work for us, and one of my clients asked me how she could set up her environment to have her be more inspired and get to her writing more, because her biggest challenge was just sitting down and working, but her physical environment wasn’t very conducive, and she has the added problem that she can’t put anything on her walls.

No tacks, no sticky paper, no thumbnails, nails, nothing. She has to leave the walls pristine. So we’re brainstorming some options for her. So I’m gonna talk about some options if you can’t put anything up on your walls, but I’m gonna first talk about what you can do to inspire you if you wanna put things up on your walls, or you wanna use a poster board, or, I was brainstorming…

What else is there besides a poster board? Or maybe you want to use corkboard, or maybe you want to make a collage and put that up on the wall. Okay, so let’s talk about it.

[01:53] Clutter or Cozy Setup

What is inspiring to you in your physical environment? Do you want it completely clear of clutter?

Then you kn- you need to clear your desk, or maybe you want to work at a cafe. But this episode is really for people who want to make their work environment congenial. Maybe you only have a corner of a dining table or of a common room, or maybe you are, you have your desk in your bedroom, which is the case for this client.

So some people need it clear, in which case I really encourage you to just move all the clutter off, and I even do that in my work desk is I just move as much clutter off as I can.

[02:31] Tactile Story Triggers

Now, secondly, something about writers is we think it’s all in our head. You know, our imaginations are working. Maybe we have pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, but a lot of writers are tactile like this client of mine, and I am as well.

I really like to have physical objects in my environment to inspire my creativity so that when I look at them, the story comes to mind very easily. So what might that look like for you? Maybe it’s figurines or stones or pretty postcards that represent the setting, or maybe it’s cutouts from magazines that you put up on a clothesline.

I did that one year, while I was working on one of my stories. That was really fun.

[03:13] No Wall Inspiration Hacks

So what do you do if you can’t put anything up on your walls? Well, we brainstormed together some options, and one of the ideas we had was to take a notebook and stand it up and put her affirmations or her images on this notebook and have it be there on her desk.

So here’s a blank book, and imagine I could set this on my desk, maybe in a little bookstand, and I could put images on the book or stickers, and I could change the pages and change the inspiration. ‘ Cause that’s another thing that I noticed with her, with this client, and also I have this too, is I need to change up the environment.

So rotate things, clean things, put down other objects.

[03:59] Collages and Rotation

So for example, I have on my desk, dragons, crystals, a wizard. Yes, I write fantasy. I also have a collage that I made to represent the film project I’m working on, which has things like Paris, and a woman climbing up a wall, and cats, and things that make me feel inspired, but also warm and fuzzy.

So when you make a collage, you don’t wanna think about it too much. You wanna just see what your subconscious has to say, and go ahead and find images that inspire you right now about what you’re working on right now. And print that out if you can, and put it on the wall, or a corkboard, or a little notebook to stand it up.

Another thing you can do if you can’t put anything on your walls is to use a kind of book stand that you can get to prop up a book or prop up a pretty postcard or an image so that you can look at it and then also rotate it out.

[04:59] Beyond Visual Sound Smell

So what is important to you? Is it the tactile objects in your space?

Is it visually clean and clear and having nothing around you? What else? Some people need it quiet, so sometimes that’s easy to come by. Other times you need to put in a headset or set up a white noise track, so that’s all you hear. What else? We’ve got tactile. We’ve got sound. What about smell and touch?

This is where having something to drink or nibble on while you’re working is important to some people. I usually just want coffee or water. And what else?

[05:39] Brainstorm and Rearrange

I encourage you to take the time to brainstorm what would make your physical environment inspiring to you. Give yourself thirty minutes or an hour to rearrange your space so that it’s more conducive for writing. And honestly, I encouraged my client to do some research and what else can she do to put art around her that inspires her for her story?

All right.

[06:02] Share Your Setup Outro

So what can you do to make your writing environment inspiring, encouraging, and really trigger that, “Ooh, I wanna work on my story,” feeling when you walk into that space? I’d love to hear. Go ahead and share that with me on on my contact page, or in the comments, or wherever you listen to this podcast, or in the blog post that accompanies this podcast.

I’d love to hear. If you have any questions about your writing practice, about writing craft, about mindset, or anything at all related to writing science fiction and fantasy, let me know. I can make a future episode about it. And lastly, be sure to check out my edit your novel checklist if you’re ready to edit your novel.

That’s it for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

c. 2026 BETH BARANY

https://writersfunzone.com/blog/2007/02/01/the-writers-gmc-know-what-you-want/

_________

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

The post Make Your Environment Writer-Friendly | How To Write the Future, Ep 215 appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Rituals and Writing: How Magic Can Support Your Creative Practice by Bailey Lang

Guest Contributor — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:04 +0000

Let’s welcome back Bailey Lang as she shares with us “Rituals and Writing: How Magic Can Support Your Creative Practice.” Enjoy!

***

I consider myself a Literary Witch — that’s my title, and writing and witchcraft are major parts of my life.

Magic and writing both involve craft, after all, and in my experience, combining the two activities amplifies their benefits.

I also believe that writing is a uniquely human form of magic, and one we all have access to.

When I sit down for my writing practice, ritual is always involved.

Depending on how much time I have, that ritual might be more or less complex.

Sometimes it’s as simple as pulling an oracle card and reflecting on it.

For example, the card I pulled as I started working on this post was all about endings, and specifically patterns of death and rebirth.

As a book coach, I regularly talk to writers about how cycles of creation and composting are essential for creative work — we need periods of productivity and times when we rest.

Getting that card during my own creative ritual was a good reminder that self-care is part of writing, and that fallow periods are normal and beneficial.

So, for the rest of this post, let’s talk about the relationship between rituals and writing.

First of all, what is a ritual?

And, most importantly, why should you incorporate one into your writing practice?

What is a Ritual?

Rituals are everywhere, although we don’t always notice them.

When we think of ritual, we often assume we’re dealing with something mystical or religious — dancing around a bonfire under the full moon, or following along with a church service.

Those are obvious forms of rituals, but they’re far from the only ones!

A ritual is any type of repeated, symbolic actions that distinguish a space, event, or interaction and set it apart from normal, everyday activities.

More simply, a ritual is something you do to mark something as important and shift your energy to focus on it.

Some other common examples of rituals include:

Shaking hands with someone when you meet them for the first time
Singing happy birthday before the candles get blown out
Attending a commencement or graduation ceremony

When it comes to your creative practice, a ritual could be anything that helps you create the right internal and external conditions for your writing.

Creative rituals can be highly personalized to your tastes and interests.

Although I enjoy a witchy flair in my practice, that doesn’t mean you have to rush out and buy a tarot deck!

Remember that a ritual is, at its core, a repeated action that helps shift your energy — in this case, we’re trying to shift our energy to our writing.

Elements of a creative ritual might include:

An environmental element (lighting a candle, starting a specific playlist)
A clear set of actions (pulling an oracle card, freewriting for 10 minutes, choosing a writing prompt or exercise)
A mind-body shift (a brief meditation, some breathwork, a yoga sequence)

You could have different rituals for different aspects of writing, too — your ritual for a new writing session might be different from an editing day.

Your writing rituals get to be unique to you, so don’t be afraid to experiment until you figure out what feels right!

Why Should You Incorporate Ritual Into Your Writing Practice?

By now, you might be wondering why you should add a ritual to your writing practice at all — isn’t it just one more thing to check off the to-do list?

It sounds fun, but isn’t it just a bit…silly?

To that I would say, silly things that add some fun to our lives are worth doing for their own sake.

We all need a bit of whimsy now and then!

But starting your writing practice with a ritual is way more than just silly fun, and it’s definitely not just another task to complete.

Rituals are powerful.

Every human society across time has used rituals because they are powerful.

When we perform rituals with intention (even fun, silly ones), we get to access that power and harness it for our own creative ends.

A ritual activity at the start of your writing practice signals to your brain that you have started an important activity.

Rituals are performed to separate an activity from the mundane and signal that it’s valuable, or even sacred.

Treating your writing as meaningful by connecting it to a ritual is one way to ensure you show up for your practice.

Performing a ritual across time can also help you get into a flow state more quickly.

Going through the ritual actions — lighting the candle, pulling the oracle card — tells your subconscious that it’s time to get into the creative zone.

Aligning your actions and expectations creates better conditions for reaching a flow state and getting more writing done.

Treat Your Writing Like It Matters

Creating your own personal writing ritual is a way to treat your writing practice like it matters.

It allows you to bring a bit of magic and a bit of joy into the routine, and to harness the power of ritual.

We live in an era that is geared toward optimization and constant productivity, and most of us are more miserable and burned out than ever before.

Pairing our creative practices with ritual offers us an alternative approach — one that is more attuned to our true creative cycles and our individual needs.

You might feel a bit self-conscious the first few times you try your ritual, and that’s okay.

New things always feel a bit strange at first.

Stick with it, let it be fun, and watch how ritual deepens your writing practice.

Reading Recommendations

Magic Maker, Pam Grossman (affiliate link)

Word Witch, Kate Belew (affiliate link)

***

About the Author

Dr. Bailey Lang is the Literary Witch, a book coach who helps visionary authors reclaim their creative magic and finish their books.

Bailey has a PhD in rhetoric and writing studies and they love geeking out about writing, language, and magic.

You can sign up for Bailey’s free newsletter, Ink + Alchemy, for monthly missives that will help you build a writing practice you love.

Website

Newsletter

The post Rituals and Writing: How Magic Can Support Your Creative Practice by Bailey Lang appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

How to Self-Coach Toward Your Writing North Star

Kerry-Ann McDade — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:41:41 +0000

How to Self-Coach Toward Your Writing North Star – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 214

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“What you want is to be able to look at your goal, what you’ve written down, and have a really clear picture for what that looks like.” – Beth Barany

If you self coached, could you be more efficient with your writing time?

That’s exactly what How To Write the Future podcast host, Beth Barany is sharing today in the episode titled “How to Self-Coach Toward Your Writing North Star.” Beth shares what the writing GMC stands for and breaks down each area explaining how you can create your best in your storytelling,

From defining your big goal, how to find your motivation, to even handling conflicts, Beth also shares an example of a quick-timed exercise at the end of the episode, which is great for when you’re feeling stuck in your writing.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES

The Writer’s GMC: Know What You Want

This episode is adapted from The Writer’s Adventure Guide by Beth Barany

https://books2read.com/writersadventureguide

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for How to Self-Coach Toward Your Writing North Star

What Is Writers GMC

BETH BARANY: Hey everyone, Beth Barany here. I am the host of How to Write the Future podcast, and I’m sharing with you an episode from my premium channel because I think it is so relevant to everyone. So let’s dive in. Enjoy.

Today I’m gonna talk about the writer’s GMC. What does GMC stand for? That stands for goal, motivation, conflict. And I pulled that right from a book called GMC: Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Deb Dixon.

Why is this important? As a writer, you are designing characters. You need to know your character’s goal, your character’s motivation, and your character’s conflict or conflicts for storytelling.

Now years ago, I took that idea and I was like ah hah! This is great if we apply it to ourselves, to the creative process. So I wrote a book actually using that tool and many other tools, specifically the hero’s journey, and I wrote The Writer’s Adventure Guide: 12 Stages to Writing Your Book. This is a self-coaching guide for the creative process.

So this book is still available. You can check it out. It’s got a lot of great exercises in there. I today wanna explain to you what is the writer’s GMC and how you can apply it to your writing as well as any creative project that you’re doing.

So let’s go through it step at a time, and I even have an article that is a companion to this if you wanna check that out, in the show notes.

I’m gonna go a little bit more in depth than what this article does because, hey, I wrote this article, gosh, nearly 20 years ago, and I’ve updated it.

Okay, so in your writer’s GMC, you can use this as a rubric, a template, a checklist for any creative project.

[02:02] Define Your Big Goal

We’re gonna focus here today on your creative writing, but if you have a creative business, I work with also with creative entrepreneurs, you could use it for that, and you could use it for small projects, big projects, medium-sized projects .

So the first thing: goal. And when I speak of goal, I mean the hard goal, the goal that is a little bit of like, ah, difficult. Not the one that’s easy. Write the big goal that you’re working on that feels meaty, that feels challenging, that feels, like you’re up against a big, tall mountain, and you’re like, “Ah, I’m not really sure going straight up, that seems awfully hard, but I need to do it,” that kind of goal.

So be specific. What are you working on right now? What is the shape of it? But also, what is the end goal? There you are, you’re at the end of this project, where would you like to be? Or if you wanna cut it down to size, it doesn’t have to be the whole project.

Like a book, you don’t have to put, “I wanna be publishing my book.”

That’s great, but let’s bring it down to: what is it that you’re trying to accomplish today, tomorrow, this week, next week, next month? The next big chunk. Okay?

So write that down. What is your goal? And what you want is to be able to look at your goal, what you’ve written down, and have a really clear picture for what that looks like.

Like, uh, I might say I wanna finish my copy edits by, gosh, at this rate, I think I could, I could finish my copy edits in two weeks.

So if I’m diligent at it, to give myself some room, I’m gonna say my goal is to get it done by the end of the month. Or I could say, if I’m writing on a first draft, which I am, also, I’ll say, “Okay, my, my goal is to have a first draft ready to show my critique partners by the end of the year,” for example.

That project personally, I don’t have a deadline on, but I do know what I’m working on.

[03:58] Find Your Motivation

All right, next, next, motivation.

M for motivation. You want to understand what is driving you. Just like we wanna know why our characters do what they do, and we need to hint at that in our stories so that our readers can relate to our characters, you need to know what is fueling you, what is driving you to work on and accomplish this goal.

And then what are your secondary motivations? And maybe there’s even a deeper reason and another deeper reason below that. When we want to accomplish something, it’s not just for the externals of it. There’s a deeper reason.

I’ve talked to a lot of writers, and they talk about satisfaction, a sense of accomplishment, leaving a legacy.

All of these are, are deeper goals. So, see if y- when you explore your motivation for your goal, how deep can you go? Go as deep as you can. For some, it might be about communicating a dream, a message to the world. For others, uh, they want to teach, they want to serve. For others, they want recognition, and they want to have a place in their community. So there’s no right answer to this part about motivation. It’s really what is the truest thing for you. So we talked about goal. What is your goal? Be as specific as possible. We talked about motivation. Be as truthful as possible, and see if you can go deep, deep into your soul and really answer the question: Why is this important to you?

Why is this goal, this very specific goal, important to you?

[05:40] Motivation Example – Refreshing A Book

Let me give you just one example. I am working on copy edits for a book that’s already published. Why would I even do that? And it’s not easy. Copy edits aren’t easy for me, but they’re necessary. So I have learned a ton since I first published that book, and I wanna be really proud of this book today.

The version of me who published it years ago, that was the best I could make it.

So now I want to make it the best that I can today, this week, this month. And so I can stand proud beside it because it’s also a foundational piece of a larger storytelling universe that I’m involved in, and I really wanna feel like I put my best foot forward today.

So I’m giving it a refresh, and I feel like I’m reconnecting and recommitting to this story world, and to the characters, and all the bigger things that are, I plan to have coming from this book, like a TV show, maybe a film, who knows? It’s a big, ambitious project. So why not? I’m an independent author.

I get to do this, and I’m gonna do it, and I am doing it. So it, there’s a sense of bonding deeper, a recommitment ceremony, if you will, with this whole vast project and what I wanna do with it. It’s my Henrietta the Dragon Slayer series.

All right. So we talked about goal. We talked about motivation.

[07:03] Name The Conflicts

Let’s talk about conflict.

Our characters encounter challenges on the way to their goal. That’s what makes their goal hard. Same with us. We are going after our goal, and it’s not easy. That’s why we’re doing this exercise. What is in the way? What are the challenges? What are the conflicts?

There’s gonna be two main categories.

There’s gonna be the internal conflicts, and there’s gonna be the external conflicts.

Time, for example, is often feels like an external conflict, a limitation, if you will; another way of putting it: conflict, challenge, limitation.

So also, self-talk. Self-talk is often a challenge. We often put ourselves down.

I notice I’m constantly berating myself. Not very helpful. And I also have complainy voice inside. “Oh, this is so hard.” Yes, it is hard.

Okay. I’m gonna list that down as one of my conflicts. Judgment from any quarter, judgment from within, judgment from without. Those are all conflicts. We’re not trying to, we’re not trying to fix anything right now, we’re just noticing, acknowledging, writing it down. Being overly busy, having a lot of commitments that maybe you’re like, “Hey, I really wanna work on my book, but I have these other commitments,” and it’s like, and it’s clashing. That’s a real, a real conflict.

Our work obligations, our family obligations. Also hobbies. Maybe we have a lot of hobbies and writing is just, takes up some of that time, but other things take up that time. Those are real things. I’m not gonna judge you for that. What we’re doing here is we’re just taking an inventory of conflicts. We’re not solving any problems right now. Because once we know what our internal and external challenges, limitations, conflicts are, then we can take action. We can make choices. So this is a moment for taking inventory. So now we’ve done the goal, the motivation, the conflicts.

[09:07] Add Strengths To The Mix

Now what? I am not leaving you hanging.

I invented a fourth component, S for strengths. Because our characters, they need to confront their challenges to get to their goal, and we hopefully create characters that transform and grow, so by the time they are facing their biggest challenge toward the end of your story, they have also grown and transformed and gained strengths and allies and the ability to do something they couldn’t do at the beginning.

Well, same with us. Except we’re gonna harness your strengths right now. So let’s take an inventory of your strengths.

And strengths again are in two main categories. You’re gonna have the internal strengths, the gifts that you were born with, the things that you have learned, your mindset, your know-how, your life experience.

And we’re also gonna look at the external strengths: the people in your life, the environment that you’re in. The fact that you have tools, computer, phone, typewriter, pen, paper, desk, chair. These are all, I consider them strengths. They’re gifts. They’re parts of our life that allow us to do what we can do as writers, as creative people.

Other strengths can be humor, curiosity, intelligence, drive. Also, another outer strength that, that you might have is the ability to schedule time to write and the ability to go and write. Another one of my strengths is I have a long playlist that helps me write and that I put together.

So I would call that an external strength.

So there you have it. I just went through the writer’s GMC, goal, motivation, conflict, and the bonus one, strengths.

[10:59] How To Use GMC When Stuck

I recommend that you do a short brainstorm on these elements. Give yourself 5, 10 minutes, or set the timer for 20 minutes, which is one of my favorite things to do for timed writing, and just brainstorm on this.

Now, any time you are stuck, confused, overwhelmed, forget, wait, where am I? Maybe you’ve taken a break from your writing, and you’re like, “What? Wait, what am I doing?” Use the writer’s GMC to refocus yourself, reorient yourself, find your North Star, and take your next step.

[11:29] Wrap Up And Next Steps

All right, everyone, that’s it for this week.

Write long and prosper.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

c 2026 BETH BARANY

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

The post How to Self-Coach Toward Your Writing North Star appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Self-Publishing Copyright Checklist: What to Do After You Publish by Kelley Way

Guest Contributor — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:00:32 +0000

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Kelley Way as she shares with us “Self-Publishing Copyright Checklist: What to Do After You Publish.” Enjoy!

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Protecting Your Copyright After Publication

Last month, we covered what to do before publishing to protect your work, at least in terms of copyright protection.

Here is the self-publishing copyright checklist of things to do after publication:

1. Register your copyright with the Copyright Office.

Registration is not required, but it is very helpful in the event of a lawsuit.

The ideal time to register is within three months of publication, but you can register before publication or after the three-month window if you wish.

2. Keep an eye out for infringers.

Sadly, there is no one whose mission in life is to find all infringers, whoever and wherever they may be.

The only way you’re going to find someone selling illegal copies of your work is to look for them, or hire someone to look for you.

On the plus side, if you find your content on a website, getting the content removed is relatively easy.

On the negative side, stopping the infringer from reposting elsewhere is very difficult.

3. Periodically review your contracts.

You did the hard work when you created the contracts, but it’s good to take a look at them every so often to remind yourself what everyone agreed to.

In addition, you may want or need to renegotiate those contracts down the road as your circumstances change.

4. Keep a portfolio.

Few authors want to be a one-hit wonder; most authors expect to publish multiple books over the course of their career.

It’s highly recommended that you keep a portfolio or spreadsheet that lists your copyrighted works, their publication status, relevant contracts, who to reach out to for questions, etc.

It creates an easy reference point for you, and it makes life much easier for whoever may be managing your copyrights after you.

Final Thoughts

Don’t leave your book vulnerable.

Whether you need help registering your copyright, reviewing contracts, or tracking down infringers, the Law Office of Kelley Way is here to help.

Reach out at kaway@kawaylaw.com and take the next step in protecting your work.

***

Want to read more articles like this one Writer’s Fun Zone? Subscribe here.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The post Self-Publishing Copyright Checklist: What to Do After You Publish by Kelley Way appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Protecting the Creative Life: The Work Writers Don’t Give Themselves Credit For by Iman Llompart

Guest Contributor — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 08:00:59 +0000

Let’s welcome back Iman Llompart as she shares with us “Protecting the Creative Life: The Work Writers Don’t Give Themselves Credit For.” Enjoy!

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The Scoreboard Is Broken

How do most writers measure success?

Better yet, how do other people measure your success as a writer?

When someone asks what you do, do you hesitate before saying you’re a writer?

Because you know what’s probably coming next.

“Have I read anything you’ve written?”

“What have you published?”

They’re perfectly reasonable questions.

But over time, they can quietly shape the way we measure ourselves as writers.

Most of us only count the visible achievements.

How many words have I written?

How many chapters have I finished?

Have I completed a manuscript?

Have I published a book?

Everything else seems to disappear.

We become so focused on what society tells us a successful writer should achieve that we overlook everything happening beneath the surface.

And that’s where the unseen work begins.

Everything That Happens Before the Writing

When you’re a creative running your own business, the invisible work is everything happening behind the scenes.

If you’re a one-person business, someone still has to send invoices, answer emails, manage contracts, schedule meetings, and, my personal favorite, the bookkeeping.

I love numbers (notice the sarcasm?).

That’s why I’m a writer.

None of these tasks are particularly glamorous, but they’re necessary if you want your creative work to exist within a sustainable business.

Then comes visibility.

How do you grow your audience?

As more writers build businesses around their books and creative work, marketing has become part of the job.

That means:

newsletters
social media
website updates
guest blogging
podcast interviews
networking
and showing up consistently, even on the days you’d rather stay hidden behind your manuscript.

I’m in the middle of all of this myself.

If I’m being honest, I’d much rather organize my inbox than post on social media.

Visibility has never come naturally to me.

But stepping outside our comfort zones is often what creates opportunities we couldn’t have planned for.

Where Stories Are Really Made

Then there’s the work most of us actually want to be doing.

Creating.

This isn’t always the easiest part, but it’s the place we long to return to.

It’s where we nurture that fragile creative space I wrote about in my previous article.

For some writers, that journey begins with research.

Others dive headfirst into a blank page just to see what happens.

I envy that.

From there comes:

brainstorming
character development (my favorite part)
developmental editing
reading
studying the craft
and slowly shaping an idea into something worth sharing

And if your goal is publication, another layer of work appears.

Querying agents.

Working with publishers.

Attending conferences.

Finding beta readers.

Planning a launch.

Little by little, it becomes clear that writing a book requires far more than simply writing.

The Work No One Sees

But the invisible work isn’t just the tasks we complete.

It’s the work no one sees.

Before I record a single podcast interview, there are:

guest emails
scheduling
reminders
collecting bios
preparing interview questions
recording the conversation
writing show notes
formatting an accompanying article
creating social media posts
and following up with my guest afterward

None of those tasks are the interview itself, yet every one of them is essential to making the interview possible.

Writing is basically the same.

You’re thinking about scenes while driving to work or cooking dinner.

You’re wondering whether Chapter Twelve still fits the story you want to tell.

You’re remembering deadlines, mentally drafting emails, weighing two possible endings, or trying to connect plot threads that refuse to come together.

Some of the most demanding work writers do never appear on a to-do list.

It lives in our heads.

I’ve taken enough writing courses to know that thinking is also writing.

I’m currently taking a class designed to keep us accountable.

Each week we set a word-count goal and discuss how things went.

Sometimes we meet those goals.

Sometimes we don’t.

But outlining, solving story problems, letting ideas percolate, and giving yourself time to think are all part of the writing process.

You’re still moving your story forward, even if you aren’t putting words on the page that day.

That’s work.

And it’s work that deserves to be celebrated.

Measuring the Wrong Things

I feel like I’m falling behind all the time.

I’ve been working on the final three chapters of my novel for about four months.

It’s easy to look at that and think I should be further along by now.

What I don’t always remember to count is everything else.

I’m building a business.

I have a full-time job.

I host a podcast.

I support clients.

I’m networking.

I’m learning.

I’m writing articles like this one.

None of those things add to my manuscript’s word count.

But they’re still moving me toward the life I’m trying to build.

I am doing things.

I’m just measuring the wrong things.

As creatives trying to grow sustainable careers, the urgent tasks naturally demand our attention.

Clients need support.

Bills need to be paid.

Emails need replies.

Marketing needs consistency.

Family deserves our presence.

Meanwhile, our creative work patiently waits.

The irony is that the work we care about most often receives whatever time and energy remains.

What If We Measured Differently?

So what if we measured our creative lives differently?

What if success wasn’t defined only by chapters finished or books published?

What if we acknowledged the full range of work that supports our writing, the visible and the invisible?

Maybe we’d realize we’re not as lazy as we thought.

Maybe we’d stop feeling guilty for not writing enough.

Maybe we’d make different decisions about where our time and energy go.

Protecting your creative life doesn’t begin with becoming more productive.

It begins with recognizing everything you’re already carrying.

Because before we can protect our creative capacity, we must be aware.

We have to acknowledge all the work that makes creativity possible.

***

About The Author

Take her Creative Capacity Check-In Assessment to identify where your business may be quietly draining your creative energy.

Instagram @imanllompart • Instagram photos and videos

The post Protecting the Creative Life: The Work Writers Don’t Give Themselves Credit For by Iman Llompart appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Editing Your Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel: Genre, Tropes, and Character Arc

Kerry-Ann McDade — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 11:16:26 +0000

Editing Your Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel: Genre, Tropes, and Character Arc – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 213

***

“Identify in your own book what are the tropes that you’re using that are identifiable by any reader. And notice if they’re all working for you.“ – Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, “Editing Your Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel: Genre, Tropes, and Character Arc” host Beth Barany explains why the “Edit Your Novel Checklist” is a great resource for writers who have finished their rough draft, encourages you to think about your reader and genre expectations, and provides an example and walk-through of a story showing you how to problem solve issues with your character arc.

This episode also includes discussion of book tropes; how to hone in on the biggest problem in your story; the next stages of your story writing; and whether that stage includes beta readers or an editor.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES

Support the podcast! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

Get the workbook: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

Join the Edit Lab! https://bethbarany.com/editlab

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for episode 213 – Editing Your Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel: Genre, Tropes, and Character Arc

Editing Checklist Next Steps

BETH BARANY: Recently, one of my students in the Edit Lab asked for more clarification about how to edit their manuscript. Now, they already had the Edit Your Novel checklist, which I encourage you to go get, which is a high level review of your book. It encourages you to read your book, and make notes, and score yourself based on all the different parts of editing your novel, from the high level down to story, plot, structure, character development, and even punctuation.

Once you have that score, now what? This is what I think she was asking, now what? How do you dig deeper into editing your novel?

[00:45] Genre And Reader Expectations

I always go back to the starting point, which is what kind of story are you writing? Meaning, what is your genre?

Now, I’m talking to science fiction and fantasy writers. I assume you have a rough understanding of your genre, whether you’re writing science fiction, whether you’re writing fantasy or some kind of, some people call it science magic, or a fantasy, like fantasy romance, fantasy adventure, fantasy mystery.

Same with science fiction. Maybe you’re writing science fiction mysteries, like I do, or science fiction thrillers, which are very popular, or science fiction adventure, or fantasy adventure, which is also very popular, what we might also call epic fantasy. Maybe you’re writing a saga. Maybe you’re writing a cozy science fiction or a cozy fantasy.

So as you can see, I’m talking about genre and subgenre, and what do all these terms mean? They are basically reader expectations. And it goes with trends, we have put names to the kinds of stories we’re talking about

Now, these things are trendy. They change with the times. Some things stand the test of time, and that’s all relative, right? Like, what span of time are we talking about?

[01:57] Tropes And Comp Titles

So for today, for this month, this year, the last few years, look at your genre and sub-genre and sub-sub-genre and see if you can identify what are the tropes.

What are tropes? Tropes are things that reoccur again and again. If I were to tell you that I was writing a story about an orphan going on an adventure to reclaim their throne.

Okay, right away you start to piece all that together and you have a kind of story. I’ve just told you some main elements of that story.

What I haven’t yet told you is the kind of world we’re in, whether it’s a fantasy or a science fiction or a contemporary or historical. So those things can come in some more. Maybe I said there’s a magic sword and a secret pertaining to this orphan’s power, and there were magical pirates and wizards.

Right away, all those things I just said place that story inside of a fantastical world, a fantasy. So when it comes time to think about, well, now, now that I’ve done a high level analysis of my book, how do I figure out what to do next?

And I’m gonna say it again, here’s where you wanna really understand your genre and maybe study and look at the other books in your genre, which are called comps or complementary titles.

Identify in your own book what are the tropes that you’re using that are identifiable by any reader. And notice if they’re all working for you.

[03:40] Fixing The Character Arc

If you have a main character who’s an orphan, which is a very common trope, what is the change arc this orphan is gonna go through?

We all read for character transformation, I believe, in, in the genres, and literary can be a whole other conversation, and that’s not my specialty. So if you have a character who’s an orphan, by the end of the book, we want some kind of resolution to have happen, especially if being an orphan is what drives that character in some way.

So now we’re talking about internal character arc, and this is usually the first place I go when I start editing my story, and also my clients’ stories, is I’m like, is it clear what is the character changing starting at, and then a new place, they’re ending up at? So that’s one thing to look at. Is that change clear? And if it’s not clear, now what? Let’s make it clear at the beginning. I always come back to the beginning of the story. What is their starting point, their starting question? And now we start to get into questions of character development, and really being clear about what this character wants and needs, how they think of themself, how they think of the world, and what, from over here as the author position, the, the God position, do we know they’re missing?

They don’t know necessarily what’s missing. They might feel off or off-kilter in some way, but they don’t know what’s missing. But we as the author do.

[05:11] Wounds Lies And Identity

And some people call that the wound. Some people call that the lie. I don’t like to call it those two things because, well, actually, the wound is good, ’cause we’re often driven by our wounds, and I self-identify with them.

Like I am my wound. And I say we ’cause human beings, right? We base our characters on real people, are walking around with a wound that we identify as who we are. But somewhere deep down, we crave a change, and we crave to identify ourselves in a different way. So for example I am an orphan is an identity.

But what if, and I’m working on a story like this, what if my main character realizes halfway through that they weren’t orphaned by, by, from the beginning, that they actually have parents, and the memories of their parents start to come back to them?

So what if the change arc for my character is at the beginning she thinks, “Oh, I’m just an orphan, and I was in an orphanage, and then I left the orphanage,” and then by the end of the story, what if she’s realizes, well, actually, this big thing, this big tragedy happened, and I was orphaned. I was with my parents and they died because of this big conflict, and actually, I have a heritage that I come from, a lineage, and I can claim the lineage.

Before she doesn’t know her lineage, she just thinks she was p- plucked off the street, and put into the orphanage, but then she finds out later on that she actually has a lineage, and she is not an orphan anymore really. And by the end of the story, she could be thinking about actually, I belong to this long lineage, and who I really am is someone different, and then I, whatever that difference is, I would have her, I’m gonna have her declare that and say, “Oh, I am blah, blah, blah now.

I am a daughter of this lineage,” and I would make it be very specific.

[06:58] Hone In On Biggest Problem

So what I’ve done right now is I’ve honed in on one specific problem to fix in the story. And what I’m often doing in revisions is after I do my analysis and I, ch- check it out, see if this works for you, take the Edit Your Novel Checklist, do your read-through, analyze your story, score yourself, s- your story, and then hone in on the biggest problem.

For me, it’s always a character issue. For some writers, it’s plot. It really depends. You’re gonna have to try if you’re not sure.

[07:33] Beta Readers And Editors

Once you’ve fixed your character arc, and by fixed, I mean you’ve done your brainstorms, you’ve made your notes, you’ve made your changes in your story, now what? At this point, it depends.

Either you’ve taken the story as far as you can go and you’re pretty happy with the plot, you like your new character changes, you’ve cleaned up the manuscript as best you can with char- you know, with, with commas and punctuation and spelling. Now what? The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to start to bring it out to critique partners and beta readers, and maybe hire an editor.

I myself don’t edit manuscripts just by themselves. I actually teach people how to become better editors of their own work, and I do that through my group mastermind for science fiction and fantasy writers. And that is a very small group, and you have to apply to that, and it’s really a place where you learn how to improve as a writer.

So I’m not the kind of person who will take your manuscript, edit it, and hand it back. There’s lots of great other editors out there who can help you with that, and if you need recommendations, just reach out to me. I know a lot of people.

[08:41] Wrap Up And Farewell

So that’s all I’m gonna talk about this week. If this,provoked, evoked any questions for you, let me know so that I can make a new episode on it.

I really believe that editing a novel is a very fruitful and wonderful endeavor, and it really pays for you to understand how to edit your own novel. Even if an editor does it for you, you still have to go in and make decisions. So making those decisions is our work as writers, and I know you can do that.

All right, that’s it for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper. And I hope you enjoyed that little clip with Rocket the Cat. Ciao for now.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

c 2026 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/apprenticeship/

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

The post Editing Your Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel: Genre, Tropes, and Character Arc appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Wasting Time by Catharine Bramkamp

Guest Contributor — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 08:00:24 +0000

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Catharine Bramkamp as she shares with us “Wasting Time.” Enjoy!

***

The Fear of Wasting Time

How many years have we spent not, under any circumstances, wasting time?

I spent two decades panicked about wasting time.

There were too many things to do: the work, the relationships, the dinners, the laundry, the homework, the forced family fun.

In the throes of our thirties and forties, there was never enough time.

And if we did take time to create, to relax, to even rest, we called it stealing time as if napping was a felony.

Call us criminals.

When the Body Forces Us to Slow Down

Sometimes our push to be efficient and get it all done triggers a health issue that forces us to rest.

We are familiar with that phenomena, where our bodies express what our conscious minds deny.

Too much stress?

We have an accident, we catch cold, our bodies somehow manage to slow us down.

Do you always get sick in January — called flu season?

It’s the only response to the holidays our bodies can express.

The Myth of Self-Care

I also love the directive to “Carve out time for you.”

Or “Take time for self- care.”

If people weren’t overworked and underpaid in the first place, maybe the bubble bath wouldn’t be necessary.

Plus the idea that we can solve the systemic problems in our culture with bath salts is insulting.

Art Looks Like Wasted Time

Enter your art practice.

Art absolutely looks like a waste of time.

To make art, we must slow down to a human pace.

For two centuries we’ve worked at an increasingly faster rate but our ancient nervous systems haven’t kept up.

With the Industrial Revolution, with computers, with wonderfully fast cars, we’ve picked up speed believing that moving fast and breaking things is the way forward.

But breaking things may still be a bad idea and the only thing I really need to move fast is an ambulance.

So let’s re-think the need for speed at the grocery store.

Or in our garden.

Or with our art.

Slowing Down Is Part of the Creative Process

Don’t keep pulling up the tomato plants to examine the root system.

Allow that starting at a blank page or just figuring out how to hold a new instrument is part of the thinking.

Art is not fast, despite stop action films on Instagram.

No one does anything in under 15 seconds.

We don’t even do much in 15 minutes.

Give yourself 15 hours, then measure your progress.

One of the many benefits of making art is it demands we slow.

That’s how we get into our flow.

We must take time.

Even that phrase Take Your Time, resonates.

Take it.

Okay, steal it.

Take Your Time — Or Steal It

Think of time as the pile of fries on your partner’s plate.

You ordered the salad, but you wanted the fries.

And each fry you steal from their plate tastes better because they are an undeserved gift.

Time is the same.

Time tastes better when it was meant for something else.

The Gift of Unexpected Time

Remember how delicious a snow day was?

A sudden break in the schedule, all our appointments and obligations suddenly rendered impossible.

A whole day of — nothing.

Or the pretend disappointment over a cancelled meeting?

A free hour!

But you wasted it didn’t you?

Instead of walking in the park, you caught up on email.

Instead, what if that gift of time was spent on your art?

What If You Chose Art Instead?

Once you get into the swing of stolen time, a surprising (or dangerous) idea emerges.

What if you didn’t have to steal the time from a cancelled meeting?

What if you quit the group that holds meetings and do your art instead?

What if you replaced that committee time with art studio time?

Oh man, that is crazy talk.

Still . . .

Learn More

Look for my new book — Take Up Space — Art is Your Second Act.

***

Want to read more articles like this one Writer’s Fun Zone? Subscribe here.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The post Wasting Time by Catharine Bramkamp appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

How To Use Notion AI for Developmental Editing

Kerry-Ann McDade — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:27:39 +0000

How To Use Notion AI for Developmental Editing – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 212

***

“ My end goal is to be able to say to the writer, “Here’s where you’re weak, here’s where you’re strong.” – Beth Barany

In this forward thinking How To Write the Future episode, titled “How To Use Notion AI for Developmental Editing” host Beth Barany shares how authors can use AI ethically to help them in their writing, explains how she uses Notion AI for her clients, and includes a detailed work-through and the step-by-step analysis of how it works.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES

JOIN: For fiction writers! You’ve finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what?

Join the Future-Ready Writer membership and get premium weekly lessons and a monthly Q&A on Zoom. Subscribe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061/subscribe

FREE: Sign up here to get your World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers

Overwhelmed by world-building for your sci-fi/fantasy novel? Use these prompts to brainstorm your story’s world: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

SHOP**: Sci‑Fi & Fantasy 24 Writing Prompts:** https://ko-fi.com/s/4ac9160a74

Want to be interviewed on the podcast? => Email us!

FOR CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSIONALS – BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SERVING WRITERS

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

GET SUPPORT FOR YOUR FICTION WRITING BY A NOVELIST AND WRITING TEACHER AND COACH

Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for Privacy‑First AI for Developmental Editing (Without Uploading Your Draft)

Why This AI Episode

BETH BARANY: So I was recently talking with an author of mine who really liked this process I made for her using AI tools. And then also, another client of mine asked me, ” How is AI impacting your life?” I’m like, ” Oh my God, that’s such a big question.”

So I thought I would devote today’s episode to talking about the way I’m using AI specifically to help writers.

I understand there are writers out there who are categorically opposed to using any of these AI tools. This episode is not for you. This episode is for people who are curious about how to use AI tools and do it in an ethical way, and actually have it be helpful.

[00:50] Meet Beth Barany

So hi, everyone, I’m Beth Barany. I run How to Write the Future podcast. I’m your host and guide. I am a creativity coach and writer, writing teacher. I write science fiction and fantasy. I’m here to share tips, share my wisdom, share my point of view, and help you walk away with something useful.

Also, I really believe that our stories can help us reshape who we are as human beings. And so with that light, let’s dive into today’s episode about how AI can actually benefit you as a writer.

[01:25] The Editing Project

So I work with novelists, and I have one use case to share with you today. And that is I spent, gosh, a year, maybe more, working with this author, going through her chapters and offering up comments and edits. And then she would send it back to me with questions and changes, and then I would answer back with more comments, and I would also say, “Hey, good job here,” and answering her questions.

So about half her book, we did two rounds of edits, and then the second half of her book, I think we just did so far one round of edits. And when I speak about edits, in this case, we are staying in the realm of developmental edits. There was very few line edits in this this round. It was a first pass on her novel, and it was developmental edits. About character, about story, about plot, about world-building.

Okay, so there we are. We’re done. Whew. It’s took us some time to get through all of this, and because we were doing it over time in small chunks. She is a client of mine in the group mastermind program where she gets a monthly call with me, and I edit her book monthly.

And we did it, actually, we broke it into smaller pieces, and so in any given month, maybe I was looking at a piece of her novel every week. Sometimes twice a week. We just cut it into really small chunks so that it was easier to deal with. So every chapter has six parts, which was fine with me. I’m flexible.

[02:55] The Real Problem

So I had all of this material and tons of comments, 36 chapters. I touched her manuscript, nine times in every chapter. And that is what I needed to get analyzed.

My end goal was: how can I analyze and compile all of my comments?

Let’s look at the trends. What are the trends? What are her weak areas, and what are her strong areas?

Now, I knew intuitively that this was a great use case for using AI tools because this is what they’re good at. They’re good at compiling a whole lot of information and summarizing it.

[03:26] Privacy First Approach

But I wanted to do it in a way that I did not feed her book into ChatGPT or Claude or whatever.

I didn’t want her book to go into one of these engines at all. It… So I’m like, “But I still wanna use the tools, and I know they can shortcut this for me.” So here’s what I did.

[03:46] Notion AI Solution

I worked with Notion AI, Notion’s AI, and I pay for that. That’s the only place I pay f- to have access to the souped-up version, uh, the AI tools.

Not the free tools, but the paid tools. And AI, Notion, I believe, uses a combination of a few different…I think they use Anthropic, Claude’s Anthropic, and I think they use ChatGPT, OpenAI’s ChatGPT. I could be wrong. If I am, it’s gonna be in the show notes, so don’t worry.

What’s important here is I told Notion what are my restrictions. I said, “I don’t wanna feed this book into an, into an LLM,” a large language model, which are used to build these tools. “What I want is to have you compil- or have a tool like you compile all my comments in a way that’s organized so we could see what’s going on in the prologue, chapter one, chapter two, etcetera, all the way to chapter 36.”

So I said, “What are my options?” I actually asked it to tell me all the options, and it gave me a bunch of options. A lot of them I eliminated because they were either feeding it into the LLM or too complicated or had too many steps. And honestly, I can’t remember what they are, but I can tell you what the solution is. What we came up with, which suited what I was already used to.

Notion is a land of databases, and I have already been working with different databases, so I knew their value.

[05:11] Building The Macro

What I ended up doing is having Notion write a macro for me that I loaded into Microsoft Word. Now, I have the lightest understanding of macros. They’re essentially code that are like shortcuts that can do multiple steps in a push of a button.

I understood the concept. So I worked with Notion’s AI to build a macro, and I, because I don’t read code, it wrote the code for me, but, and because I could read it but not understand it, I asked it to tell me what it does. And I went through that very carefully, what it doesn’t do, and it asked me questions, and I answered them, and it, I had it build this macro.

Then I tested it. I followed the instructions how to load the macro into Microsoft Word so I could use it anytime I wanted to. So I tested it, seemed to work fine.

[06:03] Workflow In Action

Here’s what I do now. Is I organize the chapter, I compile all the parts of the chapter. For example, I was looking at chapter three.

There’s 24 parts, and some of those are her things that she sent to me, and I can easily see what they are, and then some of it, half of it is my notes to her.

So I calculated. There’s 12 Word documents in chapter three that I want analyzed. So I open up each one, hit the macro button. It outputs for me a CSV file, a spreadsheet file. When I have all of those, I upload them into Notion. It creates a database. I don’t really, I don’t read the database. I ask Notion AI to read the database, and I’ve already told it what I want. I want it to compile a summary.

That’s my end goal. My end goal is to be able to say to the writer, “Here’s where you’re weak, here’s where you’re strong,” and, for chapter three.

And then eventually, I will have her strengths and weaknesses compiled for every chapter, and then I will do a macro analysis.

For every step of this analysis, I’m basically having Notions AI summarize my comments and put them into a readable format. Short paragraphs with bullet points, with subheaders. That’s it.

[07:20] Why It Works

I think this is a good use of AI. This is very detailed left-brained work that I’m not excellent at. I’m excellent at the emotional intuitive work, but also I understand story structure and I understand how to build a good story. So my comments to her are structural and also character-oriented.

And I’m thinking of how is the reader gonna relate to this? Is this interesting? Is it captivating? Does it grab me? And again, only on the story level and on the character level, not yet on the sentence level. Take a deep breath. This is what AI is good for. It’s compiling a whole bunch of information and organizing it.

[08:03] Ethical Tips And Wrap

So I encourage you to to play with this. You could develop your own macro. I would definitely support your desire not to feed your book into any of the AI tools because then they get to… it’s, they’re gonna take it, and it’s, if it’s connected to the master, databases, it could be used. You know, if you don’t check the right button, they could be training off of your data.

So if you don’t want them to do that, then go ahead and find a workaround. So this was my workaround. The writer is so grateful. She gets to see a summary with bullet points. It is so useful. So let me know, in the comments or write me what you think of this use case. If you’ve come up with any other use cases that both protect the privacy of the writer and of your own writing and help you, like a writer’s assistant, and help you in ways that maybe you’re weak and you’re strong over here and it’s helping you over there.

All right. So that’s it for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper.

Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061

Need instructions on how to leave a review? Go here.

***

Support our work for creatives: leave a tip: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

***

ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
MUSIC CREDITS : Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/soundroll/fuzz-buzz License code: UMMKDRL02DFGKJ0L. “Fuzz buzz” by Soundroll. Commercial license: https://musicvine.com/track/soundroll/fuzz-buzz.
DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465 (Refer-a-Friend link)
SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth Barany
SHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade
EDITORIAL by Iman Llompart

c 2026 BETH BARANY

https://bethbarany.com/apprenticeship/

For more “How To Write the Future” episodes, go here.

If you’d like to invite Beth onto your podcast, drop her a note here.

Like the work we do? Tip us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

The post How To Use Notion AI for Developmental Editing appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Memoir Writing as Therapeutic Practice by Nicole Plumridge

Guest Contributor — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 08:00:12 +0000

Let’s welcome back Nicole Plumridge as she shares with us “Memoir Writing as Therapeutic Practice.” Enjoy!

***

Taking a trip down memory lane may not be the nostalgic journey many imagine it to be.

Memory lane may be a distorted, fractured place, laden with quiet skeletons ready to be resurrected at the slightest invitation.

However, anyone on the healing journey knows that this is precisely the soul arena that needs to be excavated — revealed to be healed as many within the wellness community advocate.

While there are many modalities to go about this — therapy, meditation, reiki, nature walks — what more resonant way for the writer than to write into the experience?

Memoir as Healing Modality

Memoir writing is not simply the act of reconstructing the past and logging memories in chronological order.

Memoir is a form of creative nonfiction where the page offers a safe space to unpick the narrative threads weaving life events together.

It is the act of remembering and re-interpreting the past as well as one’s relationship to it.

Through noticing triggers, patterns and experiences one is able to separate the events from the emotions involved, gaining a sense of detachment which makes processing the past easier.

Many writers find that moving from the experiencer to the witness allows them to see their past from a different perspective.

The role of the observer offers the possibility of witnessing the carousel of life without the emotional charge certain memories may carry with them.

Expressive Writing: An Emotional Container

James Pennebaker, an American social psychologist, developed a technique called Expressive Writing.

This protocol involves having individuals choose an emotionally laden memory and subsequently write about it for 15-20 minutes every day.

Research suggested that participants who engaged in the exercise regularly reported reduced stress and anxiety as well as improvements in markers associated with physical wellbeing.

While past events remained unchanged, one of the key contributing factors to the transformation was that the individuals were able to organize their experiences into a coherent framework.

Instead of fragmented thoughts, emotions and experiences floating chaotically within, the act of writing solidified the memories into a container, making it more manageable to process.

Historically, humanity has leaned on storytelling as a means to make sense of the world.

The container of a story offers both a sense of clarity over the past and a roadmap for the future.

While this is true on a collective level, it is also true on an individual level.

Through exploring our personal memories, inherited stories and belief systems we not only record the past but have the potential to rewrite the future.

When the Witness is Witnessed

Publishing your personal memoir can bring an additional layer of healing to the experience.

You are no longer operating in typical writerly isolation but being seen in your vulnerability.

Sharing can be among a close-knit few or it can be a more expansive endeavour, depending on what the story is ready for.

While the journey you have walked is uniquely yours, it can provide a framework for someone navigating similar experiences, searching for a guiding light.

Your story can be that lighthouse, offering hope to someone searching for a way forward amidst the choppy waters of life.

Keeping It Between You and the Page

While memoir writing can be shared, connecting you to others who have been through similar experiences and allowing you to create a sense of shared meaning, it can also remain a solitary healing process.

One of the beautiful things about writing memoir to heal the self is that there are no fancy bells and whistles necessary — no expensive computer programs or even past writing experience are required to engage with this healing modality.

Memoir writing is accessible to anyone with the ability and willingness to remember, notice and peel back the mythic layers of personal memory — discovering the lessons, insights and epiphanies nestled within.

Authoring Our Story: An Act of Empowerment

While we cannot rewrite the past, we do have agency over our future.

Sifting through memories, confronting the challenges while recognizing the wins remind us of our resilience and strength.

The page reveals the chapters of our lives which we have successfully navigated as well as the bookmarked ones, patiently waiting for us to return with fresh eyes and a heavy dose of compassion.

Careful reflection and reframing provide us with the tools to write the future, gently leaving behind the narratives which no longer serve, adding footnotes for further examination and ending chapters only to begin new ones.

Authoring our story not only helps us understand who we are, but how we came to be.

It gives us the potential to switch plotlines when we need to, introduce new characters and narrate new experiences so that we can decorate our narrative with the epic illustrations they deserve.

An Evolving Story

Memoir shows us that memories are not moments trapped in capsules of time relegated to a distant past.

Instead, through writing, it reveals that the past is a living entity, capable of puppeteering the narrative strings if we allow it.

Past, present and future converge on the page until a narrative which can only be yours finally emerges.

When this happens, each page flipped in the narrative of your story is no longer turned into trepidation and fear.

Instead, a longing fills that space — an excitement fuels the words as they tumble across the page, writing themselves in a scribbled, enthusiastic mess.

Instead of slamming your book of life shut at the end of the day, desperate for the escape sleep offers, you may find the quiet urge to explore just one more chapter before lights out.

***

About The Author

Nicole Plumridge is a three-time published author whose debut novel became an Amazon bestseller.

Her work has appeared in The Poetryhood and Half-Light Magazine.

She is also a creativity and book coach who supports creatives in building creative practices and reconnecting with their inner magic.

Connect with Nicole and book a discovery call if your creativity is calling you.

Website: https://nicoleplumridgecoaching.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authornicoleplumridge

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-plumridge-39512368

The post Memoir Writing as Therapeutic Practice by Nicole Plumridge appeared first on Writer's Fun Zone.

Write the Future: Our Five Themes

Kerry-Ann McDade — Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:11:57 +0000

Write the Future: Our Five Themes – How To Write the Future podcast, episode 211

***

“Writing craft is about meaning and the reader experience. I really don’t teach rigid rules because language is evolving constantly, and it’s all about choices.” – Beth Barany

In this How To Write the Future podcast episode, titled “Write the Future: Our Five Themes,” host Beth Barany shares the five themes often discussed on the podcast, which include writing craft tips, helpful advice, walkthroughs, and interviews.

Beth also explains why she believes our personal creativity can be used to reshape humanity and shares the one thing that she believes beats “the hustle” every time.

The five topic themes:

World building
Creative Process & Mindset
Publishing
Marketing
AI Ethics

Do you have a question on one of the topics above? Then Beth invites you to get in touch, and your question could be shared in an upcoming podcast episode.

Platforms the podcast is available on: Apple Podcasts | Buzzsprout | Spotify| YouTube

RESOURCES

JOIN: For fiction writers! You’ve finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what?

Join the Future-Ready Writer membership and get premium weekly lessons and a monthly Q&A on Zoom. Subscribe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061/subscribe

FREE: Sign up here to get your World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers

Overwhelmed by world-building for your sci-fi/fantasy novel? Use these prompts to brainstorm your story’s world: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/

SHOP**: Sci‑Fi & Fantasy 24 Writing Prompts:** https://ko-fi.com/s/4ac9160a74

Want to be interviewed on the podcast? => Email us!

FOR CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSIONALS – BUILD YOUR BUSINESS SERVING WRITERS

Support our work for creatives!

Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/bethbarany

GET SUPPORT FOR YOUR FICTION WRITING BY A NOVELIST AND WRITING TEACHER AND COACH

Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/

About the How To Write the Future podcast

This podcast is for you if you have questions like:

– How do I create a believable world for my science fiction story?

– How do I figure out what’s not working if my story feels flat?

– How do I make my story more interesting and alive?

This podcast is for readers, too, if you’re at all curious about the future of humanity.

Transcript for Write the Future: Our Five Themes

Introduction

BETH BARANY: Hi, everyone. Beth Barany here with How to Write the Future podcast. Today, I’m sick, so no camera.

All right, on to this week’s episode.

I wanna let you know some of the topics that we’ve been covering on How to Write the Future, for the last four years. I’m coming up on the fourth anniversary, so exciting, and there are five main topics that I have talked about, and of course can continue to talk about.

So if you have questions on these five topics, let me know. And of course, I accept questions on other topics as well.

[00:35] Podcast Focus and Optimism

My podcast is really for fiction writers. It is for fiction writers who write science fiction, fantasy, anything that falls under the speculative fiction umbrella.

I especially like genre mashups.

Also, my stance is one of obstinate… Can I say that again? Obstinate optimism.

Meaning I really believe that fiction and our creativity, can be tools for good and can be tools that can reshape humanity. and there’s some other core beliefs that I have.

Writing craft is about meaning and the reader experience. I really don’t teach rigid rules because language is evolving constantly, and it’s all about choices. Choices about your villains, the story structure or conflict or character motivation. It’s all in the service of aliveness, emotional resonance, clarity, and forward momentum.

What I care about and what I want you to care about is helping the reader be pulled through the story.

[01:44] Worldbuilding Through Character

The other stance that I have is that world-building is filtered through character.

We only wanna reveal what is important through your character’s perception in a way that it supports immersion and avoids info dumps. I have done a lot of episodes on world-building. And really culture and context belong in the foundation of your story, it’s not just decoration. I don’t care about adding more lore. What I care about is what your characters know and use and come from. That’s culture.

[02:17] Creative Process and Mindset

Thirdly, creative process.

I love talking about creative process. I believe that sustainable creativity comes from trust, compassion, and small doable steps.

Really my signature is around self-trust, being gentle with yourself around your messy first drafts, and practices that reduce shame or pressure on yourself. I treat mindset like a practical craft tool. How you write does affect what you can write, and in my mind, the sky’s the limit. You can write in a lot of different ways if your heart desires.

[02:54] Publishing and Marketing Values

Which brings me to publishing and marketing.

I have a heart-centered approach.

A heart-centered approach that’s values aligned, and that’s what I encourage you to have your focus on for your marketing. I think that beats hustle every single time, at least for me and people like me. Marketing and the business side of being an author is part of the creative path, not something outside of it, but part of it.

So the big question is, how can writers sell their books without selling their soul? And they can, because I think you can choose strategies that fit your strengths, build real relationships, and aim for long-term sustainability, not desperation.

It’s a whole other way of thinking about being in business, and I talk a lot about this in my creative entrepreneur incubator programs, and I bring it all here too as well.

[03:50] AI Ethics for Writers

And lastly, about AI and other technology.

I think we can be curious and ethical. I think we can use these tools without surrendering authorship.

In fact, I don’t think we want to surrender authorship. That’s what makes us unique. That’s what makes us human. We are not machines.

I really don’t take an all or nothing stance around AI. I really emphasize critical thinking, being aware of consent, being aware of rights, and really bringing your own human creativity and taking leadership.

Don’t cede your higher thinking skills to these machines.

I really encourage writers to understand the landscape of the AI and other tools coming and to respond intentionally. Not fearfully and not blindly. To really think about it for discernment.

[04:35] Wrap Up and Invitation

I thought I would tell you, the big buckets that I talk about, so you can ask me more questions about these.

The best way to ask me a question is to email me from howtowritethefuture.com and I will see your question. Also, you can @ bethbarany me on the socials. I’m on most of the socials. But really the best way is email. I could pull out some highlighted episodes that point to the things I listed here today, but there’s over 200, so I invite you to explore the backlog.

You can also see them all listed at howtowritethefuture.com, or if you’re looking for something specific, write me and ask me and I’ll help you find it.

So that’s it for this week, everyone. Write long and prosper.

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ABOUT BETH BARANY

Learn more about Beth Barany at these sites:

Author site / Coaching site / School of Fiction / Writer’s Fun Zone blog

CONNECT

Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580

Email: beth@bethbarany.com

CREDITS

EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://www.descript.com?lmref=_w1WCA (Refer-a-Friend link)
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c 2026 BETH BARANY