And what a time it has been!

Take a little walk with me down memory lane as I share how I got from there to here—and what the future may hold.

The Newspaper Life

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I had been freelancing part-time for newspapers back in the mid-1980s—without, I should add, any experience, training or education but with the ability to write, spell and (usually) get the punctuation correct.

Then, in 1996, I made the shift to doing it full-time but still as a freelancer. I started with a local business newspaper, then changed to writing for what was called the “weeklies”: newspapers that covered several communities in the county I lived in.

The editor learned quickly never to send me out on sports or political stories because my knowledge about either was non-existent. But I was good—really good!—at interviewing people, even those who got tongue-tied at the sight of a tape recorder. I loved hearing their stories, finding out why they did what they did and how they overcame challenges.

And when the articles appeared in the papers, they were happy as well. That mattered to me because I take writing very seriously. It’s important to me that I get to the story behind the story and do justice to it.

However, as much as I loved the assignments, it wasn’t enough to pay the bills, so I moved up a notch to writing for magazines.

The Magazine Circuit

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I started small: writing articles for business magazines that focused on self-employment. Then, little by little, I branched out: articles on eco-friendly living, health topics, interior design.

The small-circulation magazines gave way to the bigger ones: Family Circle, Woman’s Day, Better Homes & Gardens, with a pay increase commensurate with their stature.

Those were the days of a $1 to $2 per word rate, and since most stories were easily over 1,000 words, well, you do the math. The money was great, my editors were wonderful, and no one seemed to care that I didn’t have a college degree. As long as my stories were well-sourced (using primary sources), well written and turned in on time, the editors were happy to keep sending assignments my way.

That was, until the recession of 2008 hit and those same editors lost their jobs and were now freelancing just like me. Or the magazines that sent me a steady stream of work shut their doors.

Here I was, with bills to pay and no way to pay them. Not the best time to be pitching article ideas to magazines. Time for another shift.

The Corporate Market

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Fortunately, I had a small (very small) list of corporate clients for whom I did the odd copywriting job: writing newsletter material, press releases, product copy and the like. With no improvement on the horizon for magazine work, I shifted my attention to building my corporate clientele.

I was determined to make this work, even more so since by that time I had also become an author and had hopes that perhaps this could be a viable income source as well. (Hey, I was new to the publishing world. What did I know?)

Oddly enough, my corporate clients were impressed by my author credentials. And when I started reaching out to ad agencies and marketing firms, they were as well. Once again, my lack of formal schooling didn’t matter, especially since I had a significant body of work from my magazine days and the ability to get the people I had to interview to talk to me.

God knows why. Maybe it was because I did a ridiculous amount of research prior to interviewing them, so I didn’t sound like a total idiot. Or maybe because my Catholic school training came out and I was exceedingly polite and deferential.

This is the time to explain that I was by no means an investigative journalist. What I wrote were stories: stories about the product they were designing or the company they were starting or the disease they were researching or the nonprofit they were forming. I wanted to understand all the whys that led them to do what they were doing and then present it to the reader in such a way that it was clear and interesting.

So, whether I was interviewing Melissa Etheridge or Sally Field or the local pottery-maker who discovered his artistic talent after retirement, I wanted to understand the motivation that drove them. And I wouldn’t quit until I got to the heart of it all.

I loved writing the stories, and my clients loved the finished product. And, as an important side note, the pay rate was far greater than anything I could have earned on staff.

It was all going great—until it wasn’t.

The Covid Collapse

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Remember 2020? Remember isolation, masks, work-from-home arrangements—and the ever-present fear that the runny nose, low-grade fever or irritating cough might be it?

Of course you do, and so do I. And as businesses shut down and sales slowed up, my copywriting assignments became few and far between. I watched my savings account balance grow smaller and smaller, and wondered what I would do when there was nothing left but a big fat zero.

I couldn’t claim unemployment because I was self-employed.

I couldn’t generate sales from book events (by now I had published several books) because bookstores were closed.

I couldn’t continue to teach workshops because the libraries were no longer open for in-person events.

My Current Status

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I’d like to say that my freelance income has recovered in the past six years, but this post is supposed to be nonfiction, not fiction. And even though my book sales have been good—I’m up to 11 as of the latest novel—and I do teach workshops and give talks, I haven’t yet reached the high point of my magazine days or peak corporate work.

And now that I have to compete with AI for writing assignments—in my not so humble opinion, ChatGPT can’t write a press release as well as a human!—it’s become a little more challenging to find enough assignments to keep the wolf at bay.

But there is good news—or at least what I consider good news. And that is that, even after all these years, I still love writing. Fiction, of course, but also the nonfiction assignments that come my way. Each project adds to my body of knowledge, and by now I know a fair bit about a whole lot of stuff. I’ve covered economic development topics, medical studies, architecture and design, and financial services.

I’ve interviewed CEOs, CFOs and the other alphabet titles in the business world, along with actors, writers, artists, as well as ordinary people making a difference in the world in which they live.

It matters to me that I turn in a story that meets my clients’ expectations and even more importantly, that it meets my standards. I take pride in my work, and even though I’ll never get rich or famous from my freelance output, I still want each project to be the best that it can be.

Yes, despite the roller-coaster craziness that is the freelance life, I’m not sorry that I stuck with it for three decades. And since there’s no one around to hand me a gold watch and show me the door, I guess I’ll just keep on freelancing.

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post 30 Years of Freelancing—Where Did the Time Go? appeared first on The Writer's Place.

This is an edited excerpt from my May 2026 newsletter, The Writing Life. You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you enjoyed this excerpt from my writing newsletter, sign up for The Writing Life with Nancy Christie.

As I start getting my little plot of land ready for whatever I want to plant this year, it occurred to me that there is a lot of similarity between growing a garden and growing a book.

We start by selecting the seed we hope will germinate: lettuce, snow peas, radishes, a short story collection, a novel, a nonfiction book.

Then, as it sprouts, we nurture it: loosen the soil around it, remove the weeds (aka, the segues and unnecessary backstory content) that take away needed space, and feed and water it (commit to having a dedicated writing time) on a regular basis.

Then, after much labor, the plant is ready to harvest—the writing piece is done. Now it’s time to move on to the next step: putting it out there for others to enjoy.

That’s when it gets tricky. As wonderful and tasty as the book may be, there’s no guarantee that anyone wants it.

Photo by Hunter Newton on Unsplash

We sit there, behind our little table at a bookstore signing, and hope that people passing by will be so intrigued by the cover and description that they can’t resist a little nibble.

Sometimes it happens. They pick up the book, read the back cover or flip through the pages. And all the while we are trying our best to keep quiet and not interrupt the process.

Sometimes, the book is exactly what they want, and they buy it so they can take it away and consume it at their leisure.

But other times (a lot of other times!), they set it back down, often saying quite literally, “It’s really not to my taste.”

When that happens, we are crushed. Devastated. And the newer we are at this process—perhaps it is our first or second book—the more shattered we are. After all, we have put so much time and energy into growing this book. We labored long and hard, agonized over every little sentence, revised and edited until our fingertips bled. (Hopefully that’s just hyperbole.)

Photo by Niko Samik on Unsplash

How could they possibly refuse to read it?

I’ve been a published author for more than 20 years. And while I have had great book events where people are eager to buy not only my latest offering but ones from my backlist as well, and have received royalty checks (not huge, but nice) on a regular basis, there are plenty of times when nothing is happening and no one wants what I have worked so hard to grow, so to speak.

So what are we supposed to do? Give up and turn our literary garden into a compost heap?

We could, but, speaking for myself, I’m not quite ready to give up. And every time something positive happens—a wonderful review, a surprisingly high royalty amount, a book signing that is almost a sold-out event—I am encouraged enough to keep writing.

Yes, there are times when we will experience the equivalent of a drought, or when what we have written gets lost among all the other books out there.

That’s the reality of being an author.

But I promise you, if you work hard, do your best to grow a book that is well-written, there will be people out there who will want it. And when that happens, you will be encouraged enough to start planting the next seed.

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post Growing a garden and growing a book appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Photo by Hannah Olinger on Unsplash

It’s finally here. The day you’ve dreamed about for so long.

Your book is out in the world, and now you can sign copies for all your thousands of fans.

Or hundreds of fans.

Or your parents, best friend, second cousin by marriage on your uncle’s side, and anyone else who will show up at your bookstore events.

The truth is, we never know how many books we’re going to sell or how many people are going to line up for our signings. Will we be swamped with requests to endorse our books? Or will it be one of those experiences where we are ready, pen at hand, but no one asks for our signature?

Since we have no way of knowing the outcome, the best we can do is all the necessary prep work to increase the odds that our maiden voyage on the Sea of Authorship is smooth sailing instead of a sinking experience (pun intended).

Photo by Tim Gouw on Unsplash

Photo by Martin Wemyss on Unsplash

It’s all about what to do and when to do it. (Need some tips on how to approach bookstores to get your signing scheduled? Read this post.)

As soon as your event is confirmed

Add the following information to your website calendar of events: when and where it’s taking place along with a link to the location. Then create an event on your Facebook page as well.

Ask the event manager what is needed from you in advance: images, bio, social media links? Then provide it ASAP.

Create images promoting your event including the date (with year) time, location, and any other relevant details for use on social media.

Schedule social media posts to go live at least twice a week for each event starting at least two weeks ahead of time. Make your content engaging and inviting and be sure to show your book cover. You can include links to the location as well as to the page on your website where people can find out more about your book.

Order your event materials: bookmarks and signage for sure, a table cover and table runner if you desire. But don’t go overboard. I used to spend a lot of money on 6-ft vinyl banners but then would have to buy a new one every time I released a new book. Now I buy a foam board poster from GotPrint that is more economical and an easy-to-carry stand on which to put it.

Have a few eye-catching items for your table: a small bouquet of flowers or something that relates to the topic of your book. My preference is to bring several balloons that I tie to my floor stand, letting them float high enough so they are visible above the bookshelves.

Then, when I am doing my meet-and-greet floor walk (see this post), I can point to the balloons and say, “That’s where my table is! Stop by and check out my books!”

Buy a wheeled cart to transport your books and display items into the store. I have a collapsible one that holds two lidded bins side by side—ideal if it starts to rain or snow! If you have a foam poster, bring a large trash bag to cover it if the weather turns nasty.

If you only have one book, stack a few of them and then put your book on a display stand on top for better visibility. More than one book? Bring a collapsible rack that can hold them all, as well as individual stands in case the table you are assigned isn’t large enough for your big stand.

As for what to do with your bookmarks, I have found that these holders are the best way to make them easy to take without using up a lot of table space. (Just measure your bookmarks ahead of time to make sure they will fit.)

And of course, you’ll need pens or markers as well as a notebook if you want to keep track of certain information.

1 month before

Email press releases to local media about your upcoming event. Include a brief description of your book, a brief bio, and a link to the page on your website where images can be found and downloaded. Mention that you are available for interviews and that reviewers can reach out to you for a review copy. (Note: Always write your press release in third person.)

If you send out a newsletter, include the upcoming event in the content and ask your subscribers to spread the word.

Confirm the date, time, and stock status (who is supplying your books and if the store is handling it, if the order was placed). If you haven’t already asked, find out if consignment sales are permitted during the event. If not, and if the books don’t arrive as planned (and yes, it can happen!), then you won’t have anything to show or sign.

Ensure you have sufficient stock status to bring to the event even if the store was ordering them. I load my car with at least 10 copies of each of my books—the latest one and my backlist—just in case I need them during the event.

Double-check that the information on the store’s website about your event is correct. Trust me. I’ve had stores post the wrong book cover, the wrong date and the wrong time! Luckily, I caught the errors early enough so they could be fixed.

2 weeks before

Double-check the stock status if the store is supplying books. Did they arrive?

Double-check your stock status. Do you have books, bookmarks, signage?

Double-check the directions. Do you know how to get there, how long it will take (especially if there is road construction) and what time the store opens?

I like to get there an hour in advance. But once the signing time was right when the store opened, which meant I sat in the parking lot and waited. And waited. And waited.

Paperwork

Create a consignment form if the store takes books on consignment. Include the title, ISBN, number of quantities you’re leaving with them, retail price, store percentage for handling sales, the date, name and signature of the person who accepted your books on consignment, the length of time the books will remain on consignment, and the address where the check for sales should be mailed. (Have a duplicate copy so you have one for yourself.)

Create an inventory form for the day of the event if you are bringing stock to sell. Information includes the title, the starting quantity, the ending quantity, the total sold, the retail price, and the store percentage. If the store doesn’t cash you out at the end of the event, include your address so they know where to send the payment. (Keep a copy of the completed form for your records.)

Have a brief intro about you and your book printed out that store personnel can use to make announcements during your event. That way, the book title and your name are correct!

After the event

Take the time to pack your bins in an organized fashion. It will make it so much easier for the next event.

Make a note if you need to order more books or bookmarks.

Post on social media how much you enjoyed being at the store, thank the staff for treating you well and, if the store has copies of your book on hand, mention that as well.

Track how many copies you sold and what you could have done to make the event more successful.

Then get ready to do it all again!

Need more tips?

Check out these posts:

My tips for preparing for book events

A Round-Up of Posts on Writing and Marketing

Authors: How To Make Bookstores Love You

Tuesday’s Tips: Are you doing book signings or workshops? Here are the stats you should track and how to do it!

And for more advice on what to do when you’re writing a book, choosing a publishing path and marketing it once it’s released, get your copy of RUT-BUSTING BOOK FOR AUTHORS!

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post Author Prep List for Upcoming Book Events appeared first on The Writer's Place.

For Nancy Hays, the book was King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry—a gift she received as a child from her Aunt Lee, a librarian at the New York Public Library. And now, years later, she has contributed to that genre with her own book, Riding for America.

In this post, she talks about how the book came to be and why it’s important to encourage children to read books about diverse characters and historical events.

But before we get into the interview, here’s a little about Nancy. She is a singer/songwriter, actress, dancer, entrepreneur and debut author, and has been collaborating with all types of artists for decades on a variety of creative ventures. She has released six albums and made six tours of the UK and worked with celebrities as both a performer and producer. Nancy is also a wife and mother of four young adults who are also professional artists.

For more about Nancy, check out her website and follow her on Facebook.

Now on to the interview!

Give us a brief description of your book, Riding for America.

Riding for America is a story about a mother’s sacrifice and inspiration as she guides her son Isaac to become the highest-paid and most successful sports figure of the 19th century, rising from slavery to fame and fortune.

The book has three sections: a historical fiction novel, followed by a smaller, non-fiction section and a two-page student study guide.

Is this your first book?

Yes, but I have written several published articles in trade and public online magazines.

Why did you decide to write this type of book and for the Young Adult age group?

I decided to write a YA historical fiction book because of my love of that genre and age group, having raised four kids of my own. The tween and teen years are when kids start to figure out who they want to be when they grow up, what they want to study and who their heroes are. They need positive role models like Isaac Murphy.

On your website, you mention that one of the sources of inspiration for Riding for America was King of the Wind, about a young African boy and a Thoroughbred Arabian racehorse— hard cover 1960s edition you received as a gift from your Aunt Lee. As a child, were you encouraged to read books with characters from other backgrounds, religions and ethnicities?

My favorite illustration in this book was on the title page. It was an image of Agba, the African boy, Sham, the Arabian horse and a cat named Grimalkin, looking through a window. I will never forget that image. My Aunt Lee, who was a dedicated librarian, gave me classic books under the tree every year as Christmas gifts. They took me to places far away and introduced me to different cultures, races and more. The books my aunt gifted me as a child are still my present-day treasures.

What are the advantages for children to read beyond their own race or religion?

Advantages are endless. Without spending money on travel, a child or adult can be transported to a place in the world they have never experienced before. They can time-travel through history or explore the future. I recently read a book by Colin Powell, where he took me on a journey at war in Vietnam. It was as though I was witnessing war directly from the front lines. Reading is a powerful way to learn and escape boundaries. It’s also fun.

In Riding for America, Isaac’s mother America taught him to read and introduced him to classic literature, which not only provided a wonderful education, but allowed her son freedom in his mind to escape the bonds of slavery and to imagine a different life for his future.

This was, in a sense, a family project, since you commissioned your son, Eddie Heffernan, a screenwriter, to assist you in creating a screenplay, stage play, and the YA novel. Were there challenges in working with a family member that either or both of you had to overcome?

Yes, there are always challenges in collaboration. But Eddie and I were researching Isaac’s life together while writing and it became a joint treasure hunt of exploration to seek out the truth. We found that so much of Isaac’s record had been distorted or discounted due to racism. We were fortunate to have a book called “Prince of Jockeys” by Pellom McDaniels III, a renowned African American historian as a guide to set us on the right path.

How long did it take you to complete Riding for America? Was it easier or harder than you expected?

The screenplay was completed in a year. We had two versions: 155 pages and 118 pages. It took another year to complete the stage play adaption from the shorter version. It has taken me two more years to adapt those two former works into the current YA novel and then add the other sections to the book.

Writing is a long process, especially when I had to make sure the editing was perfect before publication.

Where did you find your source material or historical background information?

Pellom McDaniels III book, The Prince of Jockeys, as stated above, as well as three other key sources; I Dedicate this Ride by Poet Frank X Walker, and Racehorse Men by Katherine C. Mooney. I also traveled to Louisville and Lexington and did research at the Derby Museum, The Kentucky Horse Park and African Cemetery No. 2. I visited HorseSensing and Old Friends, a retirement home for Thoroughbred horses.

You also have a picture book of Riding for America in process, geared to children 5 to 9. What’s the anticipated release date for that book?

I am very excited about this collaboration with the award-winning Black illustrator, Jan Spivey Gilchrist. We have not set a publication date yet. We are working on getting the interest of an established publisher to take on the project with us. At this stage, I am in the process of assembling the manuscript before Jan begins to work on illustrations.

What is the message of Riding for America? What do you want readers to come away with after they read it?

The message of Riding for America is that there is a great American sports hero who was born into slavery, but who later became one of the most scholarly, successful and wealthy men in our country’s history, while still maintaining his integrity.

I want youth to understand that knowing Isaac Murphy’s history helps them to understand our nation’s history and sports history. The message to youth I hope is to be inspired by Isaac and America to reach their own goals and overcome hardships as they strive to be the best in whatever they decide to do in life.

Given that you are a White woman writing about a Black mother and son, did you get any negative feedback from readers who are under the impression that writers should stick to their own culture or religion or sexual orientation in their work, rather than crossing the lines—the issue with cultural appropriation?

Ironically, I have received lots of encouragement from Black readers. I did receive some early feedback from a Black literary agent who questioned why a White woman and her son were telling this story. She suggested that we might want to consider being ghostwriters.

Our main source material came from a Black historian (P. McDaniels). We are currently collaborating with a Black playwright and Black actors in our community and school programs and through the audiobook narration. I know that if we sell the film rights, we would want the director, cast and producers of the film adaptation to be mostly African American.

But I think it’s important for ALL Americans of various ethnicities to appreciate Isaac Murphy’s story, in much the same way that it is important for them to understand President Obama’s story or Michael Jordan’s story, as well as other impressive Black Americans who have contributed positively to our nation’s history.

Did you use any sensitivity readers in the process of writing the book?

Yes. We had 20 Black readers who provided notes on the original screenplay, from different ages and socio-economic backgrounds. It was incredibly helpful. We made use of their notes and adjusted some of our content to address their concerns and respond to their feedback.

What is the next project you have in the works?

I am hoping to make Riding for America into a fully staged play with 15 characters as well as a feature film. I can dream! I also have the picture book in development I mentioned above.

The post Nancy Hays: Providing children with historical role models through fiction appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Photo by Planet Volumes on Unsplash

This is an edited excerpt from my March 2026 newsletter, The Writing Life. You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoyed this excerpt from my writing newsletter, sign up for The Writing Life with Nancy Christie and receive a free writing-related tip sheet as a bonus!

March can be a challenging month. For one thing, there’s the familiar adage: “In like a lion and out like a lamb,” highlighting the transitional nature of this month that serves as a bridge between winter and spring.

It’s a prediction (if you believe those kinds of things) about the weather. If the month begins stormy, cold, and windy (like a roaring lion), it should end by being mild and calm (like a gentle lamb). Since here in northeast OH, March started out warm and we’re supposed to hit 70 this weekend, I have no idea what to expect when March 31st rolls around!

Then there’s the time change. Those of us who had to set our clocks ahead this past Sunday grumbled because—Darn it!—we want that extra hour! (What we would do with it is another matter.)

I’m trying my best to be positive, reminding myself that things are moving ahead (albeit slowly) with my knee rehab, and that soon the eBook of TRANSFORMING TESSA will be out. And on May 3, the paperback will be available and I’ll start my round of book events at stores here and in western PA.

“Making progress,” my father used to say, but sometimes I feel more like a hamster on a wheel, moving-moving-moving but never getting anywhere.

TRANSFORMING TESSA will be my eleventh book and fourth novel, and by now I had hoped that my Midlife Moxie series would bring in a steady stream of sales. (Yeah, I know. You can tell I write fiction!)

But while the numbers aren’t bad, they aren’t where I want them to be. So I keep trying something new—more signings, more events, more social media posts, more interviews—never entirely sure if what I’m doing is the right thing or if I’m even doing it right!

And the hamster wheel keeps turning…

I suppose I could chuck it all, tell myself that writing books is not worth my time and money, that readers don’t want what I’m writing.

I could—and there have been times when I have come close to that.

But then something happens, and for a moment, the hamster wheel slows down, and I can catch my breath and enjoy it.

The last Saturday in February was one of those times. I was at the Barnes & Noble in Strongsville, OH for a signing, and a woman named Bernadette came up to me. She said she had previously bought both REINVENTING RITA and FINDING FRAN and was almost done with the first one and loved it. No, she raved about it!

And she had come that day specifically to get me to sign her copies and to buy MOVING MAGGIE, too. And said she would come back when TESSA is out, so she could get me to sign that one as well!

I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I have had that kind of experience. And I have to tell you, it was wonderful! And I want to hold on to that feeling to counter all the negative emotions that can overwhelm me when sales are slow or reviews are non-existent or…  Well, those of you who are writers, you know what I mean.

Anyway, I don’t know if March will end like a lamb or if the lion will come back, but one thing I do know is that I need to get off that hamster wheel because staying on it means I can’t tell if I have made progress in my writing life.

And tracking my progress—sale by sale, book by book, interaction by interaction—is the only way I can stay positive about my choice to be an author, even when circumstances might call that into doubt.

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post Getting off the hamster wheel—at least for while… appeared first on The Writer's Place.

But I love reading memoirs by writers about writing and life, so it was an easy choice. And I was not disappointed.

Real Estate is not about an actual physical piece of property, but the house that Levy imagines that someday she will live in.

It opens with Levy’s reflections on Georgia O’Keeffe who found her “real estate”—her final home—in New Mexico. When the author visited Santa Fe to see the house, she saw an oval fireplace in the hotel where she stayed—a fireplace that was “something I had to have.”

Throughout the book, Levy adds and removes items from her imagined home as her own life undergoes reconstruction, and her author life as well. And as she goes through various life events—children leaving the nest, travels to foreign countries, relationships that blossom or, in some cases, die—her vision of what that imaginary house looks like changes as she herself changes.

It’s an evocative read that asks the question: Who are you now and what kind of life do you want to have?

Real Estate is about establishing a metaphorical house in which to exist while allowing “rooms” to be added or dismantled to adapt to the ever-changing realities of life. It’s a must-read for any woman struggling to figure out what her life could be and what kind of “house” she wants to live in.

The post My thoughts on… Real Estate by Deborah Levy appeared first on The Writer's Place.

If you listen to the headlines about artificial intelligence (AI) and how it’s replacing creatives, specifically generative AI… you’d think freelance writers are rubbing two pennies together in 2026.

Here’s the truth: freelance writers aren’t being replaced by robots en masse. Some freelance writers have certainly seen a shift in their business. Others report major shifts and all of their clients dropping them for generative AI.

My freelance writing friends, if you are losing all of your work to ChatGPT: something is wrong. And not with your clients, though replacing freelance writers with AI is certainly questionable.

Something is wrong with how you’re positioning yourself, the quality of your work, the clients you’re targeting, or a mix of all 3. In 2026, freelance writers who aren’t operating like growth partners are behind.

Your job is to write great words, yes, but consistently reminding your clients why they hired you is also part of your job. This starts before you ever close the deal.

If you find yourself being replaced by generative AI or you’re worried about eventually being replaced by AI as a freelance writer, here are some practical steps to protect yourself.

Be transparent about your views on AI… and ask the client for theirs

It’s interesting to watch how different writers are approaching AI with their clients.

Some writers don’t dare discuss it. They are nervous their clients will view them as “less than” for knowing about AI, much less using it to write content if they use it at all.

Some writers don’t mind clients knowing about their AI use, and some clients even encourage writers to use it. Not to replace them, but to help them.

And a very small minority of writers are finding themselves replaced by AI completely.

Honesty is the best policy, and here’s the honest truth: AI can’t replace human writers, but human writers can use generative AI strategically to be more efficient. It’s important you share this with your clients and ask them if they view it the same way.

If they do view it the same way, you’re likely a good match to do business together. If they don’t view it the same way, you may have dodged a bullet.

In 2026, using AI to support your ideas and work isn’t a death sentence. You should be upfront and share why it’s beneficial for the client that AI is in your workflow, whether that’s to increase efficiency, improve your clarity, or expand your research.

Understand how AI works, specifically the benefits and pitfalls

You can’t sell yourself against generative AI if you don’t know how AI works.

Practice using ChatGPT and similar tools like Claude and Gemini in your real workflows. You should even prompt it to write content for you.

That way, you can see what it’s good at and what it isn’t. You’ll notice it “hallucinates”, aka pulls inaccurate information out of thin air. The cadence is easily identifiable and repetitive.

Generative AI tools can help organize your thoughts, identify new ideas, and create outlines. Leverage these benefits to help you work faster and smarter.

When you’re familiar with generative AI’s benefits and shortcomings, you can be the trusted authority for potential and current clients.

Don’t be afraid to sell yourself. Your competition is a robot!

Above all, sell yourself. Don’t be afraid to outsmart the competition and highlight their shortcomings. Your competition is a robot… not another person! It should be easy.

When a client or prospect says, “We’re just going to let AI write this. It’s faster and cheaper.” Challenge them. Ask if they are willing to sacrifice quality and brand trust to save money.

It sounds harsh, but this is the truth. 55% of audiences are uncomfortable with AI, and 48% say they don’t trust brands advertising AI content.

On top of that, generative AI content is boring. Anyone can do it. Remind your clients they want to stand out, not blend in.

The “cheap and easy” way is never easy in the long run, and most clients know that. Generative AI is new and exciting. Sometimes a new perspective is needed to make the correct long-term decision.

Always improve yourself and expand your education

Ultimately, you can sell yourself against AI all you want, but the quality of your work has to match. That’s why it’s crucial to upskill yourself and improve your writing with every single project.

If you want to position yourself as a top 1% writer in an AI era, check out my course here.

Kait is the founder of Your Six Figure Self. Your Six-Figure Self is designed to help people (primarily women) use their naturally excellent communication skills to build a freelance writing business – even without prior experience. Kait started freelance writing in 2019. She had no previous experience, but had a burning desire to get paid from home to do something creative. Kait has worked with startups in various industries and has worked her way up the marketing chain as a fractional leader for some of the most forward-thinking companies. Learn more about what Kait is teaching her students here.

The post Sell Yourself Against AI: A Practical How-To For Freelance Writers in 2026 appeared first on The Writer's Place.

Is there a topic you’d like me to cover? Email me and I’ll add it to my list!

Book Marketing and Promotion

Tuesday’s Tips Creating an Author Media Kit Here’s What to Include!
A press or media kit provides the recipient with basic facts about you and your work. It helps the interviewer gain enough background information to develop questions, plus serves as a reference for details as the article is written. (The last thing you want is for the reporter to botch your name, your book’s title, its release date or other factual info!) Press kits can also be requested by event planners or book clubs when you approach them about giving a presentation, bookstores when you contact them about having a signing or bloggers before deciding to have you as a virtual “guest.”

Tuesday’s Tips: Are you doing book signings or workshops? Here are the stats you should track and how to do it!
In case you have the urge to track your book sales numbers, or if you’re wondering just what you should be tracking, here are the details on what I track and how I do it.

Tuesday’s Tips: 10 Tips for Bookstore Events
You might think your goal at a bookstore is to sell books, but what it’s really about is to create relationships. Here are my 10 tips on how to do it to make your event a success!

Tuesday’s Tips: Generating a Buzz About Your New Book
My method for generating a buzz about my book. But since I wrote this post in 2023, I’ve added some new ideas and strategies!

Tuesday’s Tips: Maximizing Cover Reveals for the Biggest Impact
I share what I learned about maximizing cover reveals, including links to terrific posts that offer even more advice.

Tuesday’s Tips: Using QR Codes for Book Marketing
You’ve seen those little squares everywhere. But did you know you can use them for book marketing and promotion? Here’s how to use QR codes and where to get them!

Tuesday’s Tips: Want to be a podcast guest? Here are 10 tips to follow!
If you want to be a great podcast guest, then follow these 10 tips!

Tuesday’s Tips: Polish Your Bookstore Approach
My 6 tips to help you polish your bookstore approach so the store owners will be more likely to host you and help you sell your book—a win-win for everybody!

Tuesday’s Tips: Did You Win A Literary Award? Here’s What To Do Next.
After you down the bubbly to celebrate, here is what you should do next to help build your brand and promote your work!

The Writing Business

Getting It Together Before You’re Gone: Estate Planning Tips for Authors and Freelancers
Have you thought about what your heirs or executors need to know about your writing business when you’re no longer around, when the fickle finger of Fate hits the delete key and you vanish into the vast unknown? This post provides useful information to make it easier on your heirs.
2024

Tuesday’s Tips: Ideas for Enhancing Your Writing Space
What do you need in your writing room? This post gives useful tips on making it a haven of creativity, even if it’s a small space!

Tuesday’s Tips: Updating Your Online Identity
When was the last time you spent a few hours updating your online identity? If you don’t do it on a regular basis, the information might be woefully out of date! This post can guide you through it.

Tuesday’s Tips: Blogging Tips and Tricks
Everybody, it seems, has a blog—at least, everybody but you. You want to start one. But then the questions come. Why do I need a blog? What should I write about? How do I let people know I’ve published a new post? Don’t fret. This post can get you started!

Trademarking A Novel Series
Wondering if you should trademark your novel series? I was too, so I did some research, which I’ve shared in this post.

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post A Round-Up of Posts on Writing and Marketing appeared first on The Writer's Place.

This is an edited excerpt from my January 2026 newsletter, The Writing Life. (Subscribe here.)

You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

The holidays are over and by now in theory, we should all have 1) packed away the seasonal décor, 2) developed our New Year’s writing resolutions and 3) started thinking ahead to tax time.

I say “in theory” because for most of us, accomplishing any one of the three is a major achievement. And some of us (myself included!) haven’t even gotten that far!

For example, I pretty much discarded the annual resolution of being more consistent with my exercising due to a knee that barely lets me walk at all. Those of you who have been following me or listening to my podcast know that I am due for a knee replacement so the best I can manage is the pre-surgery stretches the doctor has given me.

Putting away holiday stuff hasn’t happened yet either, but that’s because I usually leave it up until mid-month. January in Ohio can be a bit on the dreary side, so those twinkling lights help brighten my mood!

And I refuse to think about tax time until after my surgery. (Why add one more stressor to my life?)

We writers especially feel the pressure of making a New Year’s To-Do list, often driven by what we consider the previous year’s failures. It goes something like this:

• I should have reached out to more bookstores in 2025 so this year, I’ll do better.
• I should have written more in 2025 so this year, I’ll do better.
• I should have done a better job at marketing and submitting my work in 2025 so this year, I’ll do better.

And on and on and on.

There’s nothing wrong with having goals and objectives, with (to borrow from the famous Christmas song) making a list and checking it twice to see what else you need to add or do or achieve.

But in the rush to make those goals for your writing life, are you overdoing it? Is the list so long that even looking at it exhausts you?

If that’s the case, the result will most certainly be an inability to do anything except sit there and stare at it.

And when you combine that feeling of overload with whatever emotions the holiday might have generated—even holidays when everything went right and no one argued or was sick or sadly, was absent can be exhausting!—you will most likely end January no further ahead than when the month started.

So here is my recommendation: set aside a week or so to do nothing. Relax. Catch your breath. Find a peaceful place and go there whenever you want or need to. Let the space that holds your creativity refill itself.

I know January is all about new beginnings and taking charge and setting goals, but one of the goals should be to care for yourself. And if that means the holiday stuff is still up on January 31 or the records from last year are still in the file cabinet or your goal to achieve one of your 2026 writing resolutions hasn’t yet been met, so be it.

There’s always next month.

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post Finding a quiet place to let our creativity well refill itself appeared first on The Writer's Place.

This is an edited excerpt from my December 2025 newsletter, The Writing Life. (Subscribe here.)

You can also listen to it on my Living the Writing Life podcast or wherever you get your podcasts.

I’ve been doing a lot of self-reflecting lately. Pondering. Thinking about how things were, how they are, and how I hope they will be in the future. And not just for me, but for my country and the world.

This introspection has two causes. The first is that, due to my no-cartilage-remaining left knee, my activity level has necessarily been restricted, leaving me not much else to do but sit and think. (They tell me that, post-surgery, I will be so happy I opted for a knee replacement, and I have to hope they are right because I’m not very happy right now.)

The second is because I’ve been re-reading How We Learn to Be Brave: Decisive Moments in Life and Faith by Mariann Edgar Budde, the bishop and spiritual leader of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C., and the Washington National Cathedral. She gained a great deal of attention first in June 2020 during President Trump’s photo shoot in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, when, as she wrote in her book, “I took issue with the president’s misappropriation of sacred symbols…and with the order to forcibly remove hundreds of peaceful protestors in Lafayette Square Park to clear the way for the president’s photo-op.”

Subsequently, on January 21, 2025 at the Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral, she implored him “to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now.”

I bought the book because something in what she said resonated with me, and I keep it on my nightstand for those times in the dark of the night when I need to find encouragement.

The first three chapters are “Deciding to Go,” “Deciding to Stay” and “Deciding to Start.” And each explores the concept with examples from her life, the lives of well-known and some not-so-well-known people, and quotes from religious and secular books.

And those chapters made me think of other moments of decision that we face, personally and professionally. The first is deciding to be vulnerable. At a personal level, we choose to make ourselves vulnerable when we enter into relationships or rekindle connections that in the past brought us heartache, pain and disappointment.

Professionally, as writers, we decide to be vulnerable at each step of the creative process: when we first start writing, when we share our work with those close to us, and when we finally put it out there in the world. At any point in that journey, we run the risk of being insulted, misunderstood, rejected, criticized—you name it and it can happen.

And we also have to cope with the very real danger from within: that insidious voice that whispers, You’re not a good writer. You have nothing of value to offer. You’re just a hack.

It takes a great deal of courage to be vulnerable, to expose our writing, and ultimately ourselves, to the world, not knowing how it and we will be received. I think of writers I know who are afraid to do interviews or in-person events because they don’t think they can handle the negative responses they are certain are coming their way.

And yet, if we don’t become vulnerable, if we don’t take that creative risk, we are robbing ourselves of what might be very encouraging and positive reactions. And we are robbing the world of words that might be just what people need to read at a moment when they most need them.

The second is the courage to stand our ground. In our personal relationships, this may be when we are faced with a friend or family member who demands that we change the way we are, what we believe in, or how we live our lives. The choice is essentially “their way or the highway.” If we choose to stand our ground, we may be cut out of our family or rebuffed by our friends. But if we acquiesce to their demands, we lose ourselves in the process.

As writers, “standing our ground” may mean rejecting an offer from a publisher that comes with requirements to alter our work in such a way that it is no longer true to our creative vision. Or it can mean refusing to write a piece that goes against our journalistic integrity because those who sign our paychecks have been coerced by someone in power or their own lack of ethical standards.

“Standing our ground” can also mean choosing to publish a work that we know may be controversial or not as lucrative because we believe in it so strongly.

I realize that as writers, the decision to stand our ground or choose to be vulnerable isn’t an easy one to make, and both come at a cost: financial, emotional, psychological or some combination of all three. And given how precarious the writing life can be, it is understandable why some may choose to “go along to get along” or because they are afraid of the outcome should they rock the boat.

These are choices each writer must make individually, understanding the risks and rewards that come with them. No one can or should tell us what to do or what to write. That is our decision alone.

But as we’re considering our options, we need to remember that the power of words is significant and the impact of what we write can be far-reaching. If we believe that, then we will have the courage to be brave in our writing life.

Want to know more about me, my books and my writing life?

Want to know more about my writing life? Check out my website, follow me on X, Facebook, Substack, Threads, Bluesky and Instagram or sign up for my newsletters. Or listen to my Living the Writing Life podcast or watch my two YouTube channels: Books by Nancy Christie and Midlife Moxie Novel Series.

Or maybe just read my novels and short stories, which, in the end, are more about me than anything else.

The post Finding the Courage to Be Brave in Our Writing Life appeared first on The Writer's Place.