This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking about a writer who, like many of you, came to me with tens of thousands of words but no direction for them. I want to tell you about how she took those words and used an editorial strategy to make sense of the draft that she’d already written.

This episode is for the writer who has what novelist Ann Lamott has coined the “shitty first draft.” You’ve written thousands and thousands of words, and truth be told, it’s not that great. But what do you actually do with a shitty first draft? That’s what I want to talk about today.

This episode highlights a writer’s experience applying the principles I teach and implement with my writers. I’m talking to the writer who wants to be an author, holding their published book in their hands and connecting with real readers on the other side. I’ll share insights and breakthroughs a past writer of mine had when we worked together when she came to me frustrated that her completed manuscript wasn’t getting any takers, from readers or agents.

This episode is for the writer who is operating under the misconception that every single detail and story has to be included in her manuscript for her memoir to be true. This is a common misunderstanding about memoir, and the truth of this is that if you can create an editorial strategy or filter for your manuscript, it will be clear which stories belong in your memoir and which ones don’t. I’ll explain more in the episode. Let’s get into it!

This episode is for the writer who has received some lackluster feedback. Maybe she’s already invested in an editor, but they didn’t tell her how to fix any of the manuscript’s problems. This episode is all about the importance of developing an author’s perspective and how that will translate into the work you do in revisions. Let’s get into it.

This episode is for the writer who is over-editing and over-writing (you know who you are!). You look at the same paragraphs over and over and think if you just tweak it a little more you’ll find the sweet spot. But what ends up happening is that you actually just spend your time in the same passages not making any real progress at all. This episode is for you.

This episode is for the writer who has too much story. She’s starting the year with a burst of energy and motivation, but when she sits down to open her draft she freezes. She can’t find the focus of her story, and that feeling of being lost is quickly crowding out any motivation she had at the beginning of the month. This episode is for you. Let’s get started.

This episode is for the writing terrified of her revisions. She’s looking down the barrel of what she’s written with no idea how to make sense of it. I know exactly what she’s missing, and this puzzle piece will create a domino effect in the revisions process that makes everything make sense.

This episode is for the writer who wants more from her editor. She wants not just someone who can smooth her prose and correct her commas; she wants an editor who is a partner throughout the writing and revisions process. She wants an editor with whom she can have a relationship, not just someone she sends her manuscript to in one email and receives it back in the next. There are many ways to experience an editor, and today I’m talking about mine.

This episode is for the writer who feels passionately about her story but feels overwhelm creeping in, because she doesn't know what she doesn't know. She knows that something is off in her manuscript but can't pinpoint what she needs to fix. She's new to the editorial process and wants to know more about what she's getting into. She wants to feel supported and empowered throughout the entire editing experience. This episode is for you.

This episode is for the writer ready to write smarter, not harder. She’s Googled all the things, watched all the YouTube videos, and knows that she’s missing something. What she doesn’t realize yet is that she has all the information she needs—she just needs a new way of looking at it. I’m really excited for this episode, so let’s go!

This episode is for the writer who has stalled out. She’s made some progress, is committed to the process, but doesn’t know why writing has felt so hard lately. She needs something different, but she isn’t sure what that needs to be. This episode is for you. Let’s get into it.

This episode is for the writer who feels stuck and overwhelmed. You want to work on—and even finish!—your memoir. But you're feeling blocked and don't know how to move through it. In my years of working with writers, I've noticed a few self-sabotaging patterns that keep you in frustrating writing loop. In today's episode, I'll break that down and also go over how to choose the right editor (because that can be harder than you think!).

This episode is for the memoir writer trying to understand memoir writing and the revisions process a little bit better. This is for the writer who wants to be strategic in how she uses her time and energy in writing her story. Let's get into it!

This episode is for the writer who feels stuck in her memoir and doesn't know how to move forward. In this episode, I'll breakdown three ways this stagnation shows up and three tools you can apply right now to kickstart your momentum.

This episode is for the writer who wants to feel connected, who wants to be led by someone who knows her journey. Before I was an editor, I was a writer (and before that I was a reader!). The path you’re walking is one that I’m familiar with, and I want to extract every ounce of wisdom, perspective, and commiseration from my own experience as a writer to help you. Let’s get into it.

This episode is for the writer who feels a disconnect between what she wants and how she feels. She wants to be a writer, but she has a hard time feeling like one. She tries to do the things she thinks she’s supposed to, but it’s not producing the results she wants. She’s still not writing regularly and not adding to her word count. This episode will help you tap deeper into who you actually are as a writer so that you can create both the manuscript and the writing life you desire.

This is for the writer who believes that memoir writing is hard. She feels overwhelmed, and that weight has started to take the joy out of writing. She’s not sure if she’s any good, which makes it hard to have fun when she does show up. This writer wants to love writing and love what she writes. Today I’m going to dive into what “good writing” really is and highlight elements of good writing that I look for in the manuscripts I read. Let’s get into it.

This episode is for the writer who has a hard time remembering what it feels like to love what she does, who either doesn’t know or can’t remember what it can feel like to be a writer. Today I’m going into what’s going on in your mind and in your heart as you try to write but can’t. The more I’ve resurrected my writing life, the more I’ve realized that this goes so much deeper than the words you put on the page. Let’s get into it.

This episode is for the writer who feels lost. She wants to be a writer, but doesn’t feel like one. In fact, feeling like a writer feels wildly far away. Last week, in episode 39, we talked about what I call inspiration paralysis: a more surface-level block having to do more with writing processes, rhythms, and discipline. But writer’s block is a completely different beast; writer’s block touches how you see yourself and your writing and affects the root of how you show up to your writing. It’s time to talk about it. Let’s go.