STARTING WITHOUT CHOKING

I have many only once looked this smooth while running. Sadly, not that day.

HERE’S AN EMBARRASSING STORY

In my early 20s, I did my Masters in San Francisco, and one day toward the end of my degree, the urge to go for a run took over.

Let's be clear: athletic was not an adjective anyone had ever used about me. In gym class, I was always last when we ran the mile, with everyone forced by the teacher to clap until I reached the finish.

If anything could cement the story that running was not for me, it was struggling over that line just as the boys got out of class to witness my red-faced misery.

But, by the time more than a decade had passed, I had forgotten this humiliation and the idea of a run somehow sounded good, so I put on the only sneakers I had and burst out the front door, pounding down the sidewalk toward Mission.

A view much like on my run in Noe Valley.

I was going to make it happen this time. There was no stopping me. I was going to be an incredible powerhouse at last! I was -

Going to collapse.

Less than three blocks from my front door, I had nothing left.

Wheezing and humiliated, I shuffled back to my apartment, hoping to slip by my roommate unnoticed. I didn't run again for years.

Now, if we take out all references to running in this story and replace them with writing, I must ask...Have you ever started a project this way?

On fire, all your tools out and ready, despite not having achieved success before? Feeling like willpower was what you needed to get through to the other side, only to run out of gas and flop?

Years later, I transformed my relationship to running. I went from a frustrated and miserable runner to successfully complete a half marathon.

What made the difference? I switched to the Manageable yet Meaningful approach. I followed a plan made by an experienced runner, and which broke the process into small steps I could manage, even as a beginner.

A novel is much more like a marathon than a sprint.

If you've been hurling yourself into an intimidating word count and believing that the result is proof of whether or not you're a writer, please let that go.

If you're not achieving your writing goals, the structure of the goal needs to change, not you.

You won't finish your novel bursting out the door and running top speed without preparation. It doesn't have to be this painful and exhausting.

Going the Manageable yet Meaningful way means asking yourself, "What can I reasonably accomplish, given the schedule and commitments I have?"

"What can I say no to for the moment in favor of this goal?"

Build the writing plan into those windows.

Start small and greatness will follow.

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FOR THOSE CURIOUS ABOUT PODCASTING

The SLP in action. Want to get your own show going?

GREETINGS, PODCAST-CURIOUS ONE.

I never thought I’d write anything about the podcast process, but after 8 years of the Secret Library, it turns out I actually have a lot to say.

Podcasting, in my opinion, is the best marketing tool going for writers.

I started the Secret Library as a resource for the clients I was coaching about writing books. While the incredible guests I hoped to have on for interviews were a huge asset to potential clients, I never thought about how being the host of a well-regarded podcast would impact my own writing life.

It turns out, it impacted it quite a lot.

From the obvious benefits, from getting to ask questions of experts in my field of interest, to less obvious, more ephemeral benefits like feeling more part of the writing community, I am not the same writer I was when I began.

If you’ve ever thought about podcasting, consider these benefits:

• Podcast episodes endure way longer than social media posts. People listen to the SLP years after we record interviews and they still love the content.

• You can build a community who will later be interested in reading your books from the comfort of your home. (And even record in your bathrobe, if you choose to go camera off.)

• Combine researching your novel with marketing, by interviewing experts about topics you want to write about.

• The podcast recording and editing process has come along leaps and bounds from where it was when I started with my first-ever show in 2007. Starting now means a simpler startup process with a quick learning curve.

If you’re a writer who doesn’t love doing the song and dance on social media to get eyeballs on your books, a podcast could be a long term strategy that changes everything.

Interested in getting all the details about how we built the Secret Library from nothing into an award-winning show hundreds of episodes on? In honor of 8 years of the show, I created a training sharing all the lessons learned and my favorite tools for podcasting today. Learn more and get access here.

MAP YOUR WRITING YEAR 2023

Happy 2023!

After the past few years, we’ve grown quite the following for the Your Writing Year Planner. For 2023, we’ve made a few exciting adjustments.

Features of Your Writing Year:

• Instead of a September start date, as we’ve done in the past, we’re syncing up with the rest of the world with a January start date

• We have the full year calendar in month spreads as before

• Trackers and goal setting is present as from before

• We now include mapping templates to allow you to set your goals on actual physical maps

• In addition, there’s guidance on using actual maps you have at home for writing project maps

We hope you enjoy using the planner once again for 2023. Get your copy here!

YOUR WRITING YEAR 2021-22

YOUR WRITING YEAR IS BACK!

I’m delighted to share this year’s edition of Your Writing Year. We’ve refreshed the design to reflect how many of us feel about the past eighteen months- we’d like to erase them in many ways, but there has also been clarity that has come from this chaos and limitation.

What’s included in Your Writing Year:

• Prompts to help you clarify your writing vision for the next twelve months

• Monthly Academic Calendar, September 2021 to August 2022, perfect for stickers and stamps to mark your progress

• Treat Tracker to keep you motivated along the way

• My favorite writing tarot spread that I do most writing sessions

• Templates to use for a writing process journal

New for 2021-22:

This year, we’ve added a community challenge for the first month of the planner: September Sentences.
All you need to do is write at least two sentences a day during the month of September and then mark that day with a sticker or rubber stamp or whatever you enjoy in the planner. Prompts to keep you inspired will be available on Instagram @carodonahue.

Share your stamps with the hashtag #septembersentences and let’s cheer each other on!
Grab your copy below:

Yes, please!

FICTION

WELCOME!

I’m so glad to learn that you’re writing fiction at the moment. Fiction is close to my heart, as I’ve drafted five novels and am currently revising one to submit for publication.

I’ve gathered these resources to support you in writing fiction:

Recommended episodes of The Secret Library Podcast about Fiction:

• Let’s start with the magical Sarah Selecky, our most frequent guest, who is always able to conjure possibilities when she talks about writing

• If you’re worried that your first draft is a mess, let Chip Cheek assuage your fears with his gloriously wild rough draft experience

• You don’t need to write the way anyone else does. Don’t believe me? Diana Gabaldon has the most unusual writing process I’ve ever heard of, and it hasn’t slowed her down a bit.

• Worried you’re starting to write fiction too late in life? Kit De Waal didn’t start until her 40s, publishing in her 50s and is a bestseller and a brilliant writer now.

• Looking for that perfect balance of character development and plot? Ben Percy has the best voice ever heard on this show and the solution to this issue.

• Writing a topic that feels intimidating? Let Rebecca Makkai share how she tackled the AIDS epidemic in The Great Believers.

• If you need help working on dialogue, this conversation with Wesley Brown is excellent.

• Get inspired to write about the less heard stories from Philippa Gregory, who writes about unseen women in history.

• If you’re writing short fiction, Danielle Lazarin and Paul McVeigh are here for you.

Essential Reading for Fiction Writers:

• You probably know Natalie Goldberg’s classic, Writing Down the Bones. It’s beautiful, but you may not know about Thunder and Lightning, which takes the process one step further. Just gorgeous.

• If you haven’t yet read it, I can’t recommend On Writing by Stephen King enough. If you like audiobooks, he reads the audio version and it adds a whole new depth to the story to listen.

• Sandra Scofield’s The Scene Book is full of prompts and wonderful inspiration. Her book The Last Draft is also brilliant if you’re revising your novel.

• One of my favorite books about being a writer ever is Making a Literary Life by Carolyn See. I first read it over 15 years ago and it still feels every bit as relevant today.

This should have you up and running nicely with fiction, but try these if you still feel stuck.