52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner

 

 

52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner

by Mariëlle S. Smith

GENRE:   Non-fiction / self-help creativity

‘A brilliant, supportive, challenging workbook, highly recommend.’ Jamie Sands

You, too, can become the writer you’ve always wanted to be!

The 52 Weeks of Writing Author Journal and Planner:

• makes you plan, track, reflect on, and improve your progress and goals for an entire year long;

• invites you to dig deep through thought-provoking prompts and exercises; and

• helps you unravel the truth about why you aren’t where you want to be.

Two years after publishing the first volume of 52 Weeks of Writing, writing coach and writer Mariëlle S. Smith brings you the updated third volume. Similar in style but reflecting the tweaks made to her coaching practice during the pandemic, 52 Weeks of Writing Vol. III is even better equipped to help you get out of your own way and on to the path towards success.  

Ready to start living your writing dream? Order your copy now.

Excerpt:

WRITING PROMPT

Each writing prompt is optional. If, for whatever reason, it does not speak to you, let it be. Who knows? It might make more sense to do the prompt later in the process.

Take a moment to reflect on all the writing goals you've set for this year. Now,

grab a piece of paper and write down the following words:

I give myself permission to create.

Once you're done, stick it in a place where you'll see it daily.

About the Author:

Mariëlle S. Smith is a writer, writing coach, and editor. She lives in Cyprus, where she organises private writer's retreats, is inspired 24/7, and feeds more stray cats than she can count.

 

 

Q&A With the Author

When did you first consider yourself to be a writer?

I always ask each author I interview that very same question, but I never actually stopped to ask myself! Let me think… 

I’ve always wanted to be a writer but I think I was twenty-eight before I allowed anyone to read my work. That person was a fellow writer and her enthusiasm made me think I could be an actual writer one day. 

Gradually, I started admitting to others that I was writing, but it took a few more years before I was comfortable calling myself a writer. It happened somewhere between writing a manuscript all the way to the end and publishing my first work. Around that time, I began to realise that anyone who writes is an actual writer. It’s not about being published or whether you can sustain yourself with it or not. It’s about doing the thing. If you do the thing, you’re a writer. 

These days, it’s my standard answer to ‘What do you do?’ Because it is what I do: I write. 

What advice do you have for a new writer?

When you’re new to something and feel like you have no clue about what you’re doing, it’s easy to lose yourself a little (or a lot) in other people’s opinions about what stories you should and shouldn’t be writing because of what is and isn’t selling right now. 

I’m not saying you have to turn your back on the market entirely, because it is always useful to know which genres are doing what at any given moment. However, my advice to a new writer would be that you need to know what you WANT to write and why before you even think about what you SHOULD be writing. 

What are you here to write? What kinds of stories speak to you? Why is that? What does that say about you as a writer? What does it say about how you perceive the world? What kind of world(s) do you want to share with your readers? 

Once you’re clear on that, it’ll be much easier to disregard those other opinions and stick to your own because you know for yourself what stories you should and shouldn’t be writing. 

What is the easiest part of the writing process for you?

The outlining and editing phase. Writing the actual first draft brings up lots of resistance and is always such a slow and painful process for me. The more elaborate and detailed my outlines are, the easier it will be to write those first drafts, but it’s still a pain. 

Sometimes, I trick myself by sitting down to expand on the outline of this or that scene, by adding some details, like how my POV character would see their current surroundings, or writing out a bit of dialogue. On good days, I’ll find I’ve written down the entire scene before I know what hit me. 

In your writing, what stresses you the most?

Whether it’s all coming together the way I intend it to. Am I connecting all the different layers clearly enough, or am I pushing it? Is it too obvious now, or won’t anyone get how these plot points are related? This is why I rely on beta readers, to help me figure out whether I’m pulling it off. Or not. 

 

 

Contact Links

Website: https://mswordsmith.nl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mswordsmith

Blog: https://mswordsmith.nl/blog/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18455235.Mari_lle_S_Smith

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariellessmith/

Other(s): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnYOpjmj83mvMM2L348F1w

Purchase Links

All purchase links can be found on https://mswordsmith.nl/journal

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Weeks-Writing-Author-Journal-Planner-ebook/dp/B081Y6ZMPY/

GIVEAWAY:

Mariëlle S. Smith will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway