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Episode 113: Reviews in Review

If you’ve missed the podcast lately, you may have missed the big news – Tina Cattane has published her book, “Lost in the Land of the Midnight Sun!” That’s right; she has launched to rave reviews and has thrown a Launch Party to celebrate this momentous occasion. 

This party had it all, folks, giveaways, surprises, snacks and more! If you can make it in person, check out the details on her facebook page.

Meanwhile, we’re getting together once again LIVE and IN PERSON to bring you a podcast episode chock full of advice for when your time comes to have a book launch party! Get out your notebook and get ready to learn what perils and pitfalls you should avoid when planning your perfect launch party!

See you there,

Jamie

Episode 112: Purch the Merch: Merchandising and the Author

Greetings, Christian Indies,

An author’s life is so great; we get to go on all sorts of adventures alongside characters we love, all without taking a single step out of doors. A writer could even exact revenge on her ex-boyfriend, all safely on paper, where she (mostly) won’t get  herself into trouble. 

Sadly, an author’s life isn’t only about getting the words down on paper. Sometimes, we have to step away from the writing and handle the “icky” part of being an Indie Writer – “The Business end of things.”
Merchandising is a part of that business – every writer gets to a place in her career where decisions about merchandise have to be made.

But don’t worry, just as we walk with you along every step of this publication journey, we are here to hold your hand through the murky world of merchandise.

So, whether you’ve already been fantasising about creating merchandise of your own, or whether you don’t even know what “merchandise” is, you’ll be sure to pick up a tip or two in this can’t miss episode.

See you there,

Jamie

Episode 111: Launch Party

Here’s your weekly dose of inspiration for Chirstian Writers. Enjoy!

Dear Christian Indies,

It’s been a pretty subdued few months around the podcast, but now it’s time to put on your party hats and dancing shoes! Let’s celebrate!

The Christian Indie Writers’ hosts have accomplished an enormous feat – they’ve written and published a book together!

Jen, Tina, Rhonda, and Jamie are serious about helping writers advance on their own personal journey to publication, and that means YOU! Yes, Christian Indie, we wrote this book for you and others like you, who long to be more efficient in the precious moments carved out for writing.  That’s why we wrote, “Thirty Days of Writing Sprint Prompts – An Instructional Workbook to Help You Establish a Daily Writing Habit.”

We know we’ve already talked about the importance of sprints to your writing ad nauseam, but that’s because of how strongly we believe in the power of writing sprints to propel you across the finish line! If you missed our chat in episode #108 about building your writing “muscle memory,” you’ll want to go back and check it out, now, then tune in this week as we delve into the four essays and dozens of sprint prompts we’ve packed into this book! You won’t want to miss it!

See you there,


Jamie

Episode 110: NaNoWriMo “Eve Eve”

Here’s your weekly dose of inspiration for Chirstian Writers. Enjoy!

Dear Chirstian Indies,

Q: Can you start NaNoWriMo Early?

A: No, but, you can PARTY until midnight the night before!

Even though National Novel Writing Month doesn’t officially begin until November 1, we wanted to come together this week with our podcast audience to strategize some goal setting and CRUSHING  for National Novel Writing Month in November.  So, we decided to treat today’s episode as if it were actually the day before NaNoWriMo – kind of like the “substitute” Thanksgiving you host on Wednesday when no one is available on the fourth Thursday of November.

If you’ve listened to us for any amount of time, you know that all of us are long-term NaNoWriMo participants. You may even remember staying up late with us on October 31, sharing tasty snacks and chatting and laughing, getting ready for the countdown to midnight and write, write WRITING when the timekeeper says, “go”!

Guess what?! The fun is back! That’s right – we’re once again having a NaNo Kickoff livestream! That’s right, tune in tomorrow (10/31/2020) for our LIVE NaNoWriMo kickoff! The girls and I are planning to come alongside you this year, whether you are taking on NaNo for the first time or are a more ‘seasoned’ participant, to stay motivated to write like the rest of us. 

Be there or be square – Saturday, October 31st at 11pm ET. We will be live on YouTube and Facebook, so come join the fun and get your NaNo count rolling!

See you there,

Jamie

Episode 109: Writing Sprints #4: Beyond Sprinting

Here is your weekly dose of inspiration for Christian writers! Enjoy!

Hey there, Christian Indies,

The title of this episode is a lie. Well, not really, only sort of. Let me explain.

When we were planning the upcoming book, “30 Days to a Writing Sprint Habit,” I undertook the task of writing about that glorious time in a young author’s life when the birds are chirping, the sky is blue, and everything’s coming up roses. You’ve mastered word sprints and are writing like a maniac!  You’re writing daily now, and instead of seeing the timer as a task-master, you are now seeing it as your friend, companion, and a sort of inanimate accountability partner.

But what happens when you find yourself outgrowing your writing sprint groups? Or maybe you’ve crafted an entire story in the twenty minutes you just spent writing, or realize that your regular sprinting has netted you enough words to create a short novel? 

If this is where you find yourself, it may be time for you to move ‘beyond’ sprinting in the traditional sense and begin thinking about the ways you can be more intentional during your sprinting time. We’re not saying to unleash the inner editor, and undo all the hard work you did getting that nasty booger all tied up in the first place, but we are suggesting you take a moment, and consider with us the writing possibilities that await you beyond the word sprint.

See you there,

Jamie

Episode 108: Writing Sprints #3: Where to Sprint

Dear Wonderful Reader,

Until now, it’s been the elephant in the room.

We haven’t talked about it.
We’ve made a point NOT to talk about it…

But now, it seems the season has come – it is time for us to discuss the state of today’s world on the podcast.

We’ve already covered the basics of sprinting – we’ve told you WHY you should sprint (episode #106) and HOW you should sprint (episode #107), and next on the calendar is to discuss “WHERE” you should sprint.


I have to admit – this sort of thing would have been a lot easier to write back when the upcoming book we are promoting was being conceptualized. In a time we took for granted we gathered together, face to face, to share a coffee and a smile, and maybe even a hug, and to do this thing we call writing in a way that was just a little more bearable, because we had a warm drink and the warmth of fraternal love to keep us company.

I’m nostalgic for those times – yes, even me, the introvert of all introverts. 

So perhaps this week will be a walk down memory lane for all of us – or maybe we can strategize for new and improved ways to get together with one another in this time of social distance. Who knows what we shenanigizing gals will come up with! We just hope that you’ll tune in this week as we support one another through this very peculiar portion of our journey.

See you there,


Jamie

Episode 107: How should You Sprint?

Here’s your weekly inspiration for Christian Writers. Enjoy!

Hey Christian Indies,

I wonder what the open rate on this newsletter will be. 

Like, when writers see the word, “sprint,” will they think, “wait a minute, when did I sign up for yet another health and fitness newsletter?” 

Will they actually believe we, the hosts of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast, are planning to  instruct other humans on the form and manner of running  – very quickly – for short distances?

The short distance part sounds right….but…Hmm. 

Obviously,  I’m banking on the fact that you know us better than that, Christian Indie! And if you’re reading this far, that is definitely the case; you know that we know “sprinting” in the writers’ world has nothing to do with track shoes, and everything to do with finally getting your novel published! That’s right – sprinting is the key to unlocking the power to finish your novel’s first draft more quickly than you’d ever imagined. 

Sprinting is also a great motivator. There is nothing like hearing the timer go off and realizing that you just wrote a hundred words or more without really “trying.” You’ll start to crave the exquisite feeling of writerly abandon you get when you embrace the white font challenge and write, write write!” 

“But, I have so many questions!” I imagine you responding,  “For example, what is the white font challenge? And, also, what is the most effective way to sprint?”

Well, Indie, we suspected you’d be asking, so we’re fixing to tell ya. Join us in the chat this week as Jamie, Jen, and Tina discuss our favorite sprinting technique in detail. You’ll leave equipped with everything you need to know in order to harness the power of word sprints and finish that first draft!

See you there,

Jamie 

But where to find writing prompts!? We’ve got the answer – we’ve written a book! More details coming in future installments of our newsletter, so stay tuned!

We’re gearing up for NaNoWriMo! Like our facebook page to know when we go LIVE for Preptober!

Episode 106: Writing Sprints #1 – Why Every Writer Should Sprint

Here’s your weekly inspiration for Christian Writers. Enjoy!

Hey there, Christian Indies,

Have you ever sat down with the intention of crafting a wonderful read, only to find yourself staring at a blinking cursor and a blank page for hours, wondering how or even where to begin? 

Yeah, me too. 

Honestly, I believe we’ve all been that writer at some point or another.

We try everything to break (or avoid!) the seemingly judgemental stare of that flashing cursor – walks in the park, trips to the store (I am particularly guilty of this, and my bank balance shows it!), even housework!

Maybe this is you right now, or maybe you fear this will be you at the beginning of the upcoming National Novel Writing Month. If so, never fear! We on the podcast have a potential answer for you!

 What if I told you the secret to banishing the blank page had nothing to do with plotting, or planning, or forming a plan of attack, but had absolutely everything to do with charging ahead – literally, just writing anything that comes to mind?

“But wait!” You say, “I can’t just write down whatever comes to mind! No one will want to read that!” Well, Indie, no one is going to read your unedited sprint (unless you’re crazy like us and insist on sharing them!), but as my co-host Jen always says, “you can’t edit a blank page.” Plus, it turns out, there’s actually some really cool scientific stuff going on when you are a prolific sprinter! 

It’s going to be a great show, filled with lots of good reasons  why you should add writing sprints to your writing routine.

See you there,

Jamie

WATCH OUR PODCAST NEXT WEEK FOR A SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

In case you missed it, here is a link to last week’s episode!

Episode 105: Preptober: How to Plan for National Novel Writing Month

Hey Christian Indies,

This episode reminds me of Christmas.

I know, I know, I’m rushing things; the leaves have barely started showing off in northern Michigan: but allow me to explain. 

 In our family, Christmas is a time to gather with family and share love and gifts. Unfortunately, there is so much to see and do (many families to visit) and we enjoy Christmas so much, our celebrations have spilled over into the day before. Now, we also have an enormous gathering on Christmas eve!

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or, “NaNo” for short,) is a bit like this. However, it is more than the excitement of writing a novel in just thirty days that causes people to start thinking about this event an entire month in advance! No, dear Indie, the truth of the matter is far more consequential: you NEED a plan for NaNo! That is, of course, unless you are the hardiest of the die-hard pantsers and  like to open your cursor at midnight on November first and look at a blank screen and a flashing cursor! Zoikes!

Find more of our planning chats in Episode 85, 86 and 87.

Tune in this week and learn how to make the best of your October planning session for NaNoWriMo!

See you there,

Jamie

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