here it is, your very own Fairy Godmother Wand 🪄
These days, anyone online can claim to be an expert.
​If someone delivers advice with enough confidence, a professional photo shoot, and a pretty presentation, we believe they’re experts and we want to trust them.
Being a writer means there are a lot of experts willing to take your money and tell you how to write. Writing a book is a multi-billion dollar industry. There are currently over 100,000 results on Amazon for “How to write a book.” And let’s not get into all the courses, workshops, conferences, etc.
There is literally some sort of book writing offer everywhere you turn. And they frequently (not necessarily maliciously) overcomplicate the writing process. Consequently, many writers constantly seek one silver bullet solution after another.
How to write is definitely important, but let’s be honest with each other, how many workshops do you really need? How many books? How many $27 webinars? Week-long seminars?
How many people do you need telling you how to write a book before your head explodes?
​Most of you already know the basics for HOW to write a book. It’s all that THINKING about it that causes the sticky parts.
And this is where I get angry.
There’s this constantly reinforced idea that writing a book has to be excruciating, or that most people simply aren’t born with the talent, or don’t have what it takes to write a book.
All this keeps writers questioning their writing skills and trapped in a cycle of constantly searching for what they think they’re lacking. Instead of just writing the damn book.
So here’s the secret. The magical fairy godmother wand if you will.
There is no right or wrong way to write a book. There’s only YOUR way of writing a book.
The sooner you understand this, the more confident you can become in your skills.
As a book coach, I’m not here to force you into a specific process of writing. I’m definitely not here to get you to adopt the latest and greatest celebrity influencer system for writing a bestseller.
I see writers all the time trying to contort themselves into a specific process of writing.
I’ve talked to writers who believe if they can’t write using The Newest Method taught by the 2022 Supreme Writing Guru Bestselling Celebrity Author then obviously they’re shit writers.
There are many wonderful systems out there created by people who care deeply about helping writers. At the end of the day, many of of these processes usually all boil down to the same foundational principles told in different styles, language, and voices. It's about finding the one that works for you.
You’ll discover that some of those are helpful in your journey. Some won’t be. Chances are though, not a single one of them is going to be the great panacea. It’s more likely you’ll end up with some process mashup.
​What it comes down to is finding what works FOR YOU and perhaps more importantly, what doesn’t destroy your confidence in yourself.
How do you find your process?
Writing. Lots and lots of it. Writing a book is about experimenting, learning, and trying new things.
​Reading. Lots and lots of it. Reading books is going to show you how other writers do what you want to be doing.
​Oh and one more thing, the process you use for the book you’re writing now, likely won’t be the process you use for the next book. Or the one after that. Surprise! ;)
Hello!
My name is Jocelyn.
Story warrior, book lover, day dreamer, gardener, and creative. I help serious writers roll up their sleeves, get their novel ready for publishing, and reach readers. When I’m not elbow-deep in the story trenches, I’m outside world-building in my garden and battling weeds with my three criminal mastermind cats.