Write Now with Sarah Werner

Do you ever struggle to focus on your writing — even on a project you actually enjoy? Whether due to internal or external factors, distraction comes to us in many different forms, for many different reasons. This week, we’re talking about tools, strategies, and habits we writers can use to find our focus again. Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/focus-amp-distraction-wn-161 To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon at  https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner, or send me a tip on Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/sarahwerner. Happy writing! — Sarah

Have you ever noticed a disconnect in what you say you want to do, and what you actually end up doing? Because I have! This week, I'm talking about some of the reasons we might experience a gulf between our desires and our actions — and what to do about it.  Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/saying-vs-doing-wn-160/ To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon at https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner, or send me a tip on Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/sarahwerner. Happy writing! — Sarah

This week, we're talking about expectations and how they tint our reality and shape our experiences... and what we can REALLY expect if we want to write full-time. Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/expectation-vs-reality-wn-159/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon at  https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner, or send me a tip on Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/sarahwerner. Happy writing! — Sarah

No matter how much coffee I drink, I’m never able to write as quickly as I want to. This week, we’re taking a look at what it means to be a "slow writer" — and all of the baggage that comes along with it. Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon at  https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner, or send me a tip on Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/sarahwerner. Happy writing! — Sarah

Creating consistently strengthens your command of the craft and builds trust with your audience. But if you're anything like me, creating on a consistent basis feels impossible. Why are we like this? What do we do when we fail to live up to our own — and others' — standards? Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/consistency-for-writers-wn-157/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner  Happy writing! — Sarah

What happens when your childhood dream feels like it's no longer achievable? What does it mean if (and when) your five-year plan goes off the rails? Today we're talking about what happens when our writing dreams change — and what it means for us as creators. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/when-your-writing-dreams-change-wn-156/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

What is writing to you — a hobby, a second job, a meditative practice? Something else? All of the above? This week, we’re talking about the role of writing in our lives and how we can feel more satisfied and fulfilled in doing what we love. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/its-good-to-have-a-hobby-wn-155/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner  Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

How should we navigate selling our creative work? I speak with Asa Merritt about pitching a project, which hill(s) to die on, and the pros and cons of telling a personal story on a commercial platform. TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast episode contains mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please talk to someone you trust, contact your local crisis center, or (if you're in the United States) call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.  For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/ To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

Sometimes it feels like everyone wants to tells us who we are — our friends, our enemies, and even random strangers on the internet. But what do we do when the identity we've chosen for ourself, such as "writer" or "creator", is challenged? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/no-one-gets-to-tell-you-who-you-are-wn-153/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

Why are endings so darn hard to write? Is it just because it's difficult to wrap up all of the loose ends... or is there something more going on? What makes for a truly satisfying ending, and how do we create one? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/ To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

Why did I ditch my laptop and start writing everything by hand? (It's not even clickbait — I actually did this!) What are the benefits to writing by hand, and what have I learned from it about the craft of writing?  For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/ To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

If you've ever been curious about how live-action roleplaying game podcasts are planned, created, recorded, and produced, or if you have any interest in RPGs like D&D, Pathfinder, or improv in general, give this episode a listen. Cat is an expert in plucking meaningful narrative from a scattered story and provides tons of great advice on how to clarify your own creative work. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/ To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah

No matter who you are, Kate Wallinga's story of wielding creativity to take back agency in her life will inspire and astound you. And if you're neurodivergent or have experienced life with disability in some regard, her story may hit home in a profound way. Kate is the host of Ignorance Was Bliss, an interview podcast about how we become who we are. It's a show rooted in transformation - created as a an outlet as Kate, a psychologist and crisis clinician, survived a series of life-altering, disabling events. Her lived experience and her perception of self changed, and as she developed tools to live in this new paradigm, the work of creation helped her see herself and carry on. In this interview, Kate graciously shares her story with me as we explore creative power - both what the act of creation do for ourselves and for others. For a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

Regrets can consume creatives and they can sometimes take the place of the creative output we'd like to have. In my case, it keeps me dwelling on the past, instead of focusing on the future or even the present. In this episode I'm asking why might creatives we hold onto regrets? What are we punishing ourselves for? Why do we spend so much time and energy focusing on our regrets and what purpose might they serve? For a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

What is your ideal balance or imbalance? What would it take to actually get there? What can you drop in your life that does not feed your purpose? What are you balancing that doesn't necessarily need to be on that scale? Are you allowing yourself to be honest about it? For me, it was really hard to be honest with myself about balance, because I felt like letting myself do creative stuff was selfish, greedy, or indulgent. But it was also my purpose. And I could not get away from that. For a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

It has been a while since I last talked about my favorite writing tools — and by “a while”, I mean more than seven years. Whew! Suffice to say a lot has changed since then, including the tools and processes I use to write. In this episode, I break down my writing process, tool-by-tool. It's my own process, and everyone has their own comforts and methods to write, but maybe some aspect of how I do things might inspire you to pick up some new habits like I have over the years.  For a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

I’m thrilled to share a discussion with my longtime colleagues in sci-fi audio drama; two of the co-creators of the award-winning series, Marsfall: Writer-Director, Eric Saras and Writer-Director and actor Dan Lovley (ANDI). They discuss their process for writing their series collaboratively and how that process has evolved as the project has grown from a home-spun operation to a much larger show. Eric and Dan also share how their identities as authors intermingle and the struggle kill egos and darlings throughout the editorial process. Marsfall homepage: https://marsfallpodcast.com/ Marsfall Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/marsfallpodcast Marsfall Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsfallpod/ Marsfall Twitter: https://twitter.com/marsfallpod For a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

Times get tough and sometimes I am not okay. I haven't been okay for a while. Maybe you can say the same. Lately, I've woken up every morning to a pounding heart, racing breath, and a very intense feeling of panic and anxiety. I feel like my heart is a runaway stage coach driven by a horse that got spooked and is now dragging my body through the crowded town square of life. I can't say for certain, whether it's anxiety, fear, overwhelm, burnout, depression, ADHD, or just the world that we live in today. It's hard to overcome this feeling. It's hard to write when it's present. I've been puzzling out a path through it. Maybe we can get through it together. For a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/ To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

Hello friends, this is Sarah and I've got good news! Write Now is coming back. New episodes start July 6th will release every Wednesday morning hereafter - New words and warmth and new author interviews. I wanted to touch base with you, share this announcement and to give you something substantial to enjoy in the meantime, swap an episode with a podcast I love. After you hear from me, you'll hear a full episode of #AmWriting, a podcast series that offers entertaining, actionable advice on craft, productivity, and creativity for writers of all genres. This is an interview episode of theirs that I really like called "Writer De-Snobbification" where they talk to author Katherine Center. The subject matter of this discussion is really near and dear to my heart. Center started out as a literary writer and didn't discover genre work until later in life. She found that she really loved working in genre, but struggled with her formal training as a literary author versus the often stigmatized romance genre. You'll hear Center and the #AmWriting hosts dig deep into the process of figuring out what you love in a book and how to find it in your own work: analyzing other books and the importance of the reading journal. They also get into the craft of writing books that satisfy your own readerly urges, embracing unifying tropes, finding a compelling hook, and how to ground a story that's to big to be true by creating real characters with relatable problems in familiar settings. You can find #AmWriting at https://amwriting.substack.com and on your favorite podcast app. To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.

I've been thinking a lot about our circumstances lately, and how we interpret what we are going through, and how that interpretation informs a huge part of our self-identity and self-worth as writers and creators. What would we do, and who would we become, if we interpreted our situation(s) a little bit differently? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: https://www.sarahwerner.com/interpreting-your-circumstances-wn-143/  To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! https://patreon.com/sarahrheawerner As always, thank you for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah