https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/en-USTelligent Community 10https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8476/jaysea-lynn-s-writing-essentialsMon, 30 Mar 2026 16:47:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:df980706-ce2a-4924-b0f6-2b19d5df8780Jaysea LynnJaysea Lynn, bestselling author of For Whom the Belle Tolls , shares her writing process and writing must-haves to keep her motivated. For more on this author visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Jaysea-Lynn/238493208 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8472/give-the-first-project-a-chanceMon, 16 Mar 2026 16:37:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:2718bef1-5019-4f18-8f82-55a874353140Cameron CroweIf your first project isn't working, don't give up on it! Cameron Crowe, journalist, director, and author of the memoir, The Uncool , explains why giving the first project a chance will allow for you to get where you want to go. For more on this award-winning director, journalist, and author visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Cameron-Crowe/81024354 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/7955/author-allie-pleiter-on-the-chunky-method-of-writingThu, 26 Feb 2026 17:27:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:375e5c69-a4b5-4843-b7dc-9915bb47fed1Allie PleiterBestselling author Allie Pleiter has published over 70 books, both fiction and nonfiction, and has sold over 1.9 million books worldwide. As an extremely productive and successful writer, Allie wanted to help other writers that were struggling to reach their goals, so she created The Chunky Method of writing productivity. The Chunky Method, per Allie, is a way to give your muse marching orders. Your "chunk" is the amount of writing that you can get done before you run out of creative juice. Writers can build a plan based on their individual process and word count goals. The "plug-n-play" schedule can even be used to challenge you and improve your productivity. With this method, Allie has helped thousands of writers and entrepreneurs discover their unique path to completion. For more on The Chunky Method, watch Allie's recorded webinar . www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../TheChunkyMethodofWriting.mp4fictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/writing-exercises/7987/how-to-get-your-creative-juices-flowingTue, 24 Feb 2026 20:12:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:698984f7-8b08-4001-99b1-88c99b7ef736Cathy FyockFeeling stuck? Need to look at your topic from a different perspective? This webinar session will get those creative juices flowing with some new writing exercises and prompts. Cathy Fyock, The Business Book Strategist, will also share some tips to help you move your writing project forward! Here is the handout referenced in the session: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../Creative-Juices_5F00_Fyock_5F00_ALC-Handout.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoGetYourCreativeJuicesFlowingintheNewYear26.mp4 About the Presenter: Cathy Fyock is The Business Book Strategist, and works with professionals and thought leaders who want to write nonfiction books as a business growth strategy. She is the author of 12 books, including “On Your Mark”, “Blog2Book”, “Authority”, “My New Book: The Upcoming Message that will Change the World”, and her newest book, “Writer Crisis Hotline”, co-authored with Allie Pleiter. Cathy's book, “The Speaker Author: Sell More Books and Book More Speeches”, became a #1 international bestseller in public speaking and speech writing, authorship, business consulting, publishing books and more. Since Cathy started her business in 2014, she has helped over 275 professionals become published authors. She believes that authors change the world, one word at a time.fictionNonfictionSubscriberRecorded Webinarhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8014/6-steps-for-achieving-success-and-finding-fulfillment-in-the-new-yearWed, 04 Feb 2026 21:59:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:99d48586-7473-42a6-be53-d48640a572c8Sheri FinkBeing a successful author these days requires more than just writing & selling books. In this session, best-selling children’s author Sheri Fink shares the top six steps for achieving goals and finding success as an author. Learn strategies to increase your courage, creativity, and passion while building a mindset for innovation, hard work, and persistence that will enable your author dreams to come true. These practices will help you be successful not only in the book world, but also in life. Here is the handout referenced in the session: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../4760.ALC-Handout-_2D00_-6-Steps-for-Success_5F00_Fink.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../6StepsforAchievingSuccessandFindingFulfillmentintheNewYear26.mp4 About the Presenter: Sheri is an inspirational speaker, #1 best-selling author, and president of Whimsical World, an empowering brand created by Sheri and Derek Taylor Kent with a mission is to inspire, delight, and educate children of all ages while planting seeds of self-esteem and high achievement. She loves to write – nineteen books so far spanning 3 genres, including her beloved “The Little Series” children's books and “InstaGrateful: Finding Your Bliss in a Social Media World”. Sheri's newest book, “Beyond Words,” is an uplifting children's picture book that teaches kids ways to express empathy and was written in collaboration with Aflac. Sheri travels the world inspiring audiences of all ages to believe in themselves, dream bigger dreams, and take action to live their best lives. CBS Los Angeles selected her as one of the top 3 authors in her local area, a distinction she shares with Dean Koontz, and her books have been honored with over 40 awards, including 13 gold medals in international book awards. Sheri is also a recipient of the prestigious Gold Mom’s Choice Award, honoring the best in family-friendly entertainment.fictionNonfictionSubscriberRecorded Webinarhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/writer-s-block/8077/strategies-for-overcoming-writer-s-blockThu, 29 Jan 2026 21:21:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:8f5f9b30-49eb-473a-ba90-35d11286b368Derek Taylor KentYour Writing is Terrific, Now Become Prolific! Best-selling author Derek Taylor Kent is the author of 19 published and soon-to-be published books, including seven novels, dozens of screenplays, plays, and musicals, and more. But would you believe he's struggled with writer's block almost his entire life? With over 20 years of professional writing experience, Derek has developed strategies that turn writer's block into a writer's blast of output. In this session, he reveals his favorite tips and tricks that will get you in the flow and writing like a professional. Whether you're a beginner or advanced, these tools are ones that anyone will find enlightening and invaluable. Here is the handout referenced in the session: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../4442.Writer_2700_s-Block-Strategies_5F00_Kent_5F00_ALC-Handout.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../StrategiesforOvercomingWritersBlock26.mp4 About the Presenter: Derek Taylor Kent is the author of 19 books encompassing a wide variety of audiences and genres. He has also produced 15 audiobooks to date and has written 6 screenplays. Along with being an instructor for the ALC, he teaches at the Writing Pad in Los Angeles and is a freelance story editor. Derek received a 3-book deal from HarperCollins for his middle-grade book series "Scary School", and his Mystery/Thriller book "Kubrick’s Game" was #1 on Amazon three times and was optioned by Bobby Cohen Films. His middle-grade novel "My Homework Ate My Dog!" was awarded Best Middle-Grade Fiction Book of 2020 by Kops-Featherling Book Awards, and there was a bidding war for his picture book "El Perro con Sombrero", which was published by Holt/Macmillan. In addition, Derek Founded Whimsical World children’s publishing brand with wife, children’s author and ALC speaker Sheri Fink, with a mission to inspire, delight, and educate children of all ages while planting seeds of self-esteem and high achievement. Discover more at www.DerekTaylorKent.com and www.WhimsicalWorldBooks.com .fictionNonfictionSubscriberRecorded Webinarhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/7220/how-to-write-a-book-in-2026-a-10-step-guideWed, 31 Dec 2025 15:25:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:3b6e1d49-3e6c-4b18-85c5-b96de992dacbAuthor Learning CenterGetting Started as a Writer If you’re reading this, you probably have an idea for a book you’ve been dying to write. That’s great! At the core of every successful book is a unique idea that inspired an author to take the initiative and write it into existence. However, learning how to write a book is no easy feat for a first-time author. It takes a lot more than just a good idea to bring a story to life. You need to have dedication, support from others, the power to push through the inevitable writing blocks, and of course, plenty of time to write. A lot of time. Writing a book can be incredibly overwhelming, but it’s mostly a rewarding experience. Every famous author you can name was once doing this for the first time, just like you. By breaking down the whole process into smaller steps, learning how to write a book becomes way more manageable and quite possible. Follow these 10 steps and you’ll be well on your way to becoming the author you want to be. BEFORE YOU START WRITING… Step 1: Set SMART Goals Before you start writing your book, you need to set a solid foundation of goals to abide by. The goals you set will give you something to strive for and help you form constructive working habits to keep you on track to finish your book. Obviously, your main goal is to finish writing your book, and that’s awesome. But it’s also super overwhelming. How would you feel if you worked day after day for something and never got any reward? If you never felt any sense of accomplishment? You’d probably give up, right? This is where smaller, SMART goals come into play. SMART goals will help you break down the monstrous goal of “writing a book” into smaller objectives that are easier to accomplish. They’ll also fuel the fire that keeps you working toward that larger end goal of finally finishing a book. So how do you start setting SMART goals? Let’s break it down. “SMART” is an acronym for five things that EVERY goal you make for your book should be: Specific- “Finishing your book” is not specific. "Writing 300 words per day for 12 months in order to write a 70,000-word novel" is specific. Measurable- While you won’t be able to measure the quality of your writing, there are a number of factors you can keep track of to make sure you’re making progress, such as word count, pages or chapters written, time spent per day writing, etc. Achievable- Is your current knowledge of the subject and type of book you want to write (biography, thriller, sci-fi novel, etc.) deep enough to be useful? If not, you might want to do a little research on your topic and style of writing you’re trying to focus on. For example, if you’re going to write a suspenseful sci-fi book, make sure your goals include all of the research you’ll need to do to make it scientifically accurate and suspenseful. Realistic- Make sure you take into account potential obstacles such as jobs, family matters, health, and other priorities. For example, your goal to write 10,000 words per month may be hard to hit if you struggle to type more than 200 words per day. Time-based- Don't make a goal like “write a bestselling novel” without giving yourself a deadline to work toward. Instead, give yourself a goal of writing five pages per day or 5,000 words in a week. Step 2: Warm Up Your Writing Muscle Learning how to write a book is not a quick, one-and-done lesson. It’s a skill that requires constant practice and tedious discipline to develop. Think of it like lifting weights; you wouldn’t lift 200 pounds on your first rep without warming up first. That’s just asking for trouble. Likewise, focusing solely on writing your book can actually stifle progress and creativity. Instead of spending hours upon hours researching details for your story, try spending a few minutes writing something completely off-topic using a writing prompt . The idea is to stimulate creativity by allowing your ideas to flow without overthinking it. If you spend all your focus on learning how to write a book, you’ll never let yourself get creative and actually write the book. “You don't have to be a professional writer to take advantage of the extremely effective writing tool known as the writing prompt. Understanding how to use this tool can spur creativity while helping you work past blocks.” Step 3: Outline Your Book As you’re learning how to write a book, you’re also going to have to learn what kind of writer you are. Are you the kind of writer who plans all the details in advance? Or are you the type of writer who flies by the seat of your pants and writes in the moment? Why is this important to know? Consistency and structure . Again, this is all about learning how to write and finish a book. Great story ideas can still turn into not-so-great books. A weak structure can make finishing your book more difficult, putting you in a precarious position where you’re trying to patch up plot holes with uncreative solutions. Then, you start to become disheartened in your own abilities. An outline diminishes the chances of this happening by giving you a clean, streamlined version of your story to follow and makes it much easier to get to “The End”. Step 4: Do Your Research This step is fairly self-explanatory, mainly because you’re doing it already by reading this article. To put it simply, a huge part of writing a book is knowing how to write a book. You can learn a lot just by researching and reading works by similar authors or books in the same genre you hope to write in. As you read, pay attention to how the author writes. How did he or she portray the main character? What themes are most prominent? Study what these authors did well (and what they didn’t) and learn how to apply it to your story. This does not mean you copy their original ideas. Instead, emulate their approach while retaining your own unique style. Learn how they wrote their book rather than what they wrote. Another method of research you should consider (depending on your book’s topic) is factual research. If you’re writing a crime thriller, for example, you’ll need to know the basic facts of the criminal justice system, how detectives work, and how psychopaths think. Factual research will also be incredibly important if you’re writing nonfiction. As an author, you need to be a reliable expert. Don’t rely exclusively on your own knowledge—make sure you’re getting the facts straight. You will also need to spend time thinking about who your readers will be. In other words, who is your target audience ? Knowing who your book is for can help you better communicate in your writing. AS YOU’RE WRITING… Step 5: Track Your Progress and Stay Organized One important component of learning how to write a book is learning how to finish it. A great way to do this is by keeping track of the progress you make, whether it be the number of words or pages you write or the number of smaller SMART goals you complete. Log your stats in a personal journal or document that you can revisit often. Keep it close by so you can always see how far you’ve come and visualize where you need to go. Because keeping track of your progress is so important to writing a book, we created a tool to help authors do exactly that. The Book Launch Tool helps you set SMART goals, track your progress , stay organized, and offers relevant resources to help you complete tasks as you work on your book. Want to try it out? Start your free trial of the Author Learning Center right now . “When you write a story, make sure you know what is going on. It’s up to you, the author, to get the readers where they need to be, and to make sure that they know what’s happening as they are getting there.” Step 6: Get “Techy” with Your Approach You can never go wrong with the basic pen and paper approach. But when writing an entire book, you might want to consider using a few extra tools to help you out. Thanks to technology, there are several tools you can use to boost your productivity and quality of writing. For example, Scrivener is software that takes on the dual role of word processor and a project management tool. This software comes with a long list of tools to help you transform your fledgling ideas into full-bodied final drafts. Grammarly is another useful writing tool to help keep your grammar and spelling in check. There are many different types of tools and software, so make sure you do your research and find the ones that make the most sense for you before you make the investment. Step 7: Experiment with Your Style Once you have a firm grasp on how to write a book, you can start experimenting. This is where the true fun of writing begins. Like an artist testing different color palettes, you should test various forms and styles of writing to find the best method for you. Try taking a scene from your book and rewriting it from a different perspective, with a different tone, or with different descriptions. Take the time to focus on elements that you didn’t pay so much attention to before. When you’re done, compare this scene with your original and sort through the pros and cons of both. You might discover something new to add to your story, a more unique tone for a character’s voice, or a better way of describing a scene that you didn’t think of the first time around. “Writing style develops with time as a writer evolves, experiments, and takes on new projects. Great writers become aware of their natural style and use it often, but they also intentionally practice writing in other styles to become more versatile.” Step 8: Train Your Brain to Overcome Writing Anxieties The number one complaint we hear from authors struggling to figure out how to write their books is a lack of time. Time constraints such as full-time jobs, families, various daily priorities, and unexpected life events can require most of a person’s available time and energy, and leave very little left to focus on writing. Because of our busy lives, writing can become a hassle. The activity itself becomes stressful. Eventually, we start to equate these unpleasant feelings with writing, thus creating a negative, subconscious behavior where we avoid writing altogether. But there’s good news. Just as your brain has learned to equate writing a book with stressful emotions, you can teach it to do the opposite. The secret lies within the Pavlovian theory . Essentially, you can teach yourself to anticipate a positive feeling when you write. To do this, set up a system to reward yourself when you accomplish a task. When you accomplish your goal to write for 10 minutes on a busy day, reward yourself with an enjoyable snack or a walk outside. When you finish a large task, like completing an entire chapter, maybe treat yourself to something more extravagant. This reward system will act as your encouragement during stressful times. Slowly but surely, you’ll be re-training your subconscious to remember how to write a book and enjoy it. Step 9: Push Through Writer’s Block As you’re doing research and learning all the tips and tricks for how to write a book, you’ve probably stumbled on the phrase “writer’s block” once or twice. Writers use this term to describe the experience of a creative drought where they’re struggling to figure out where to take the story next. The important thing to remember with writer’s block is that it’s inevitable. Every writer will experience it at one point or another. The only thing you can do is to keep moving forward. Remember: when you’re still figuring out how to write a book in the first place, it’s not about writing the perfect story. It’s about telling yourself the story for the first time and working through the process. You can always fix it later. Step 10: Connect with Other Writers The last step to learning how to write a book is to connect and consult with other writers who have been through this process before. You be might wondering: “Isn’t writing a solitary endeavor? Why do I need others?” In some ways, writing requires you to work alone. However, the whole book-creation process involves more than locking yourself in a room until you can emerge with a finished copy. Writers need other writers for inspiration, knowledge of the craft, and most importantly, to grow in their writing abilities. Many authors form or join writing groups of various sizes, both in-person and online, that meet on a regular basis to talk about their stories with one another. They bounce ideas around and read each other’s writing to provide helpful feedback and constructive criticism. At the ALC, we believe community is an essential element of completing a book. So much so that we give members a space right on the site to build them, called Author Circles . Take Your Writing to the Next Level! Figuring out how to write a book can be overwhelming. However, many now-published authors have done it, so it’s not impossible. From webinars and interviews with published authors to a vast, online writing community, the Author Learning Center (ALC) equips writers with the tools, knowledge, and skills necessary for them learn how to write, edit, publish, and market their books. There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing our members succeed at finishing their books and becoming published authors. See how the ALC works, and how we can help you write your book in 2026 .articlefictionhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/time-management/8464/writing-is-a-job-you-need-to-clock-in-and-out-ofWed, 31 Dec 2025 15:22:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:e8433e01-dab9-4d00-97a9-ea07627d6830Sadeqa JohnsonSadeqa Johnson, author of Yellow Wife, House of Eve , and the forthcoming Keeper of Lost Children , shares that in order to stay on task and hit her daily goals, she needs to clock in and out of writing. For more on this New York Times bestselling author, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Sadeqa-Johnson/170250924 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8457/the-most-vigorous-sport-is-writingMon, 10 Nov 2025 14:03:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:22fbc1b9-e746-4c7c-923c-3dd6bb5d6701Lawrence BurneyLawrence Burney, author of No Sense in Wishing , makes the case that writing is a more physical activity than a mental one. For more on this critically acclaimed writer, critic, and founder of True Laurels , an independent magazine covering Baltimore’s music and culture scene, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Lawrence-Burney/214086389 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/education-and-craft/8055/contests-grants-fellowships-and-residencies-for-authorsWed, 08 Oct 2025 20:33:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:8589b507-c14e-4e7d-b6a0-d311a3490612Jeanne Lyet GassmanThere are many paths to success for authors beyond submitting your writing to publishers. Contests open the door to both publication and financial awards. Grants and fellowships provide financial support for your work, and residencies offer time to concentrate on your projects without distractions or interruptions. In this recorded webinar, award-winning writer Jeanne Lyet Gassman discusses the process of entering contests, including how to recognize legitimate contests from scams. She also reviews how to apply for grants and fellowships or to artist residencies and discusses what they can do for your career. Here are the 3 handouts referenced in the session: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../2570.ALC-Handout_5F00_Contests-and-More-_2D00_-Resources.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../ALC-Handout_5F00_Grants-_2D00_-Artists-Statement.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../0081.ALC-Handout_5F00_Residencies-_2D00_-The-Letter-of-Intent.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../ContestsGrantsFellowshipsandResidenciesforAuthors2025.mp4 About the Presenter: Jeanne Lyet Gassman lives in the mountains of New Mexico where she writes & teaches. Her debut novel, "Blood of a Stone" (Tuscany Press), received a Bronze 2015 Independent Publisher Book Award. Her short work has been nominated for Best Small Fictions and the Pushcart Prize. Other awards include fellowships from Ragdale and the Arizona Commission on the Arts. Her short fiction, creative nonfiction, & poetry have been published in numerous literary magazines and anthologies, including "45 Poems of Protest: The Pandemic", "Bosque7", "Dear America: Reflections on Race", "Debris & Detritus: The Lesser Greek Gods Running Amok", "The Manifest-Station", "Queen Mob's Tea House", & "Hippocampus Magazine", among many others. Jeanne recently received a New Mexico Writers Grant for her novel-in-progress, a story about a family of downwinders who were affected by the radioactive fallout from the atomic bomb tests in Nevada. You can learn more about Jeanne at her website: www.jeannelyetgassman.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JeanneLyetGassman .fictionNonfictionSubscriberRecorded Webinarhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/education-and-craft/8454/yes-your-notes-app-poetry-counts-as-writingMon, 06 Oct 2025 21:06:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:78edddd9-3132-4755-9038-78a9febeec50Chad SandersWhat counts as writing? According to Chad Sanders, author of How to Sell Out , just about anything! For more on this critically acclaimed author visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Chad-Sanders/146298445 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8452/wait-so-burnout-isn-t-good-for-writingMon, 22 Sep 2025 12:48:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:9f75ea21-966d-49e7-8ea4-afc3933563feChloe GongChloe Gong delivers a new brand of hot take: the hard truth. Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in the New York Times, People, Cosmopolitan, and more. She was named one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 for 2024. For more on this author visit: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Chloe-Gong/163826598 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/education-and-craft/8450/people-watching-is-necessary-for-writingMon, 08 Sep 2025 15:08:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:68b9ca20-32bb-4f81-a4e0-64e6bd600938Rob FranklinRob Franklin, in conversation with Emily Ratajkowski, shares why writing in public was necessary for the creation of his debut novel, Great Black Hope . For more information on this critically acclaimed writer and teacher, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Rob-Franklin/224078581 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8443/how-to-utilize-tenacity-in-writingTue, 29 Jul 2025 21:25:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:ace41414-933e-4d6b-8ca1-8627da00ecc1Maggie SmithMaggie Smith, poet and author of Dear Writer , shares why tenacity is an essential element in writing, and how you can turn down the voice of your inner critic in order to successfully write. In her new book, Dear Writer , Smith distills creativity and the craft of writing with a practical guide perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird . Drawing from her twenty years of teaching experience and her bestselling Substack newsletter, For Dear Life, Maggie Smith breaks down creativity into ten essential elements: attention, wonder, vision, play, surprise, vulnerability, restlessness, tenacity, connection, and hope. For more on this bestselling, award-winning author visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Maggie-Smith/162798222 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideohttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8441/quiet-workplaces-vs-noisy-workplacesMon, 14 Jul 2025 14:42:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:c37092e8-5aa3-4307-8f6e-32c032508890Freeman NgFreeman Ng's Favorite Writing Location Bridge Across the Sky is a raw and honest historical novel in verse about a Chinese teen who immigrates to the United States with his family and endures mistreatment at the Angel Island Immigration Station while trying to navigate his own course in a new world. In this video, young adult and children's author Freeman Ng shares his favorite writing space, and how it enhances his writing process. For more on this former software engineer and author, visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Freeman-Ng/206497847 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionTeen & Young AdultvideoHistorical FictionChildren's Bookshttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/time-management/8197/a-day-in-the-life-of-writing-the-cloistersTue, 27 May 2025 18:23:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:fe355cb3-74b8-4787-adc5-6b409a9fc7c0Katy HaysAuthor Katy Hays discusses her average day while writing her novel, The Cloisters . For more on this author visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Katy-Hays/192423278 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionThriller & Suspensevideomysteryhttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/8433/this-is-one-of-the-most-essential-elements-of-writingTue, 13 May 2025 19:25:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:84dbb11a-f6f7-47f6-aa3a-9b0dfbee3b63Maggie SmithMaggie Smith, poet and author of Dear Writer , shares how attention is a form of love and a necessary element to sparking creativity. In her new book, Dear Writer , Smith distills creativity and the craft of writing with a practical guide perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic and Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird . Drawing from her twenty years of teaching experience and her bestselling Substack newsletter, For Dear Life , Maggie Smith breaks down creativity into ten essential elements: attention, wonder, vision, play, surprise, vulnerability, restlessness, tenacity, connection, and hope. For more on this bestselling, award-winning author visit https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Maggie-Smith/162798222 . www.youtube.com/watchfictionNonfictionvideoEducation & Teachinghttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/education-and-craft/8044/how-to-write-memoir-that-reads-like-fictionTue, 29 Apr 2025 20:21:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:cb2dba2e-1978-4a5b-a4f4-48ff2cce0c54Julie Ryan McGueFor memoir to fully engage readers, it must give readers the sense that they are “right there,” experiencing life’s pivotal moments alongside the narrator. In this webinar, award-winning memoirist Julie Ryan McGue will offer techniques and share concrete examples that will assist writers in crafting memoir that is sure to keep readers turning the pages. McGue will show participants how to borrow elements from fiction by looking at character, plot, scene, dialogue, and voice from the angle of writing compelling memoir that sells. Here are the 2 handouts referenced in the session: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-Summary-Handout.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../McGue_2D00_ALC_2D00_Memoir-Recommended-Reading-Handout.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoWriteMemoirThatReadsLikeFiction25.mp4 About the Presenter: Julie Ryan McGue is an American writer, a domestic adoptee, and an identical twin. Her first memoir, Twice a Daughter: A Search for Identity, Family, and Belonging (She Writes Press) , released in May 2021, won multiple awards. Her work has appeared in Writers Digest, Story Circle Network Journal, Brevity Nonfiction Blog, Imprint News, Adoption.com, Adopting.com, Lifetime Adoption Adoptive Families Blog, Adoption & Beyond, and Severance Magazine. Her personal essays have appeared in several anthologies, including Real Women Write: Seeing Through Her Eyes (Story Circle Network), Real Women Write: The Power of Friendship (Story Circle Network) and Art in the Time of Unbearable Crisis (She Writes Press). Her collection of essays, Belonging Matters: Conversations on Adoption, Family, and Kinship (Muse Literary) released in November 2023. She writes a bi-weekly blog and monthly column ( The Beacher Newspapers ), in which she explores the topics of finding out who you are, where you belong and making sense of it. Her third book, Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood (She Writes Press) released February 4, 2025. Julie splits her time between northwest Indiana and Sarasota, Florida.Self-HelpNonfictionSubscriberReligion & SpiritualityRecorded Webinarbiographies & memoirshttps://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/writer-s-block/2445/writing-with-adhd-hope-and-the-writer---video?CommentId=791377c7-7feb-4d9f-b054-27430d23f52dThu, 10 Apr 2025 01:46:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:791377c7-7feb-4d9f-b054-27430d23f52djimmyI am an ADHD patient. I am often distracted when writing, but I find that writing helps to exercise your thinking ability. At the same time, after a long period of writing practice, I find that my thinking is sharper and my concentration time is getting longer and longer. I also created a game website and a concentration website for ADHD patients.https://www.authorlearningcenter.com/writing/managing-your-writing-life/w/goal-setting-and-process/7470/how-to-write-when-it-all-goes-wrongThu, 27 Mar 2025 19:15:00 GMT809ccca5-04d2-44bf-8f5c-ff0a6d33c80b:1e09cc3c-b81e-467e-961c-79cb824ea86bAllie PleiterIs your muse shouting "S.O.S!"? How do you keep the words pouring onto the page when your real life feels like it’s under attack? Every writer knows how stress and personal crises can strangle your creativity. Help is on the way in this honest and innovative class. Author Allie Pleiter offers advice that: - Gets you through the thick of your crisis - Gives you tactics that will energize you to keep writing - Shows you how to communicate wisely with family, friends, vendors, and colleagues - Teaches you to use your stress to inspire your writing This webinar session is a follow-up to her presentation, Finish that Book - Even When Life Gets in the Way . As the author of over 70 books and the creator of The Chunky Method of time management for writers, Pleiter has met deadlines in the midst of some imposing traumas. With candor, insight, and the wisdom of experience, she shares practical and inventive strategies for how to stay afloat and creative amid life’s stormiest seas. Here is the handout referenced in the session: www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../5383.How-to-Write-When-it-All-Goes-Wrong_5F00_Handout.pdf www.authorlearningcenter.com/.../HowtoWRITEWhenEverythingGoesWrong25.mp4 About the Presenter: Award-winning bestselling author Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction working on as many as four books at a time. She teaches writers how to achieve the consistent, dependable productivity today’s market requires. The author of over 70 published titles, Allie has spent a decade in the publishing profession with over 1.8 million books sold worldwide. In addition to her own writing career, Allie maintains an active writing productivity coaching practice and speaks regularly on faith, the creative process, women’s issues, and her very favorite topic—The Chunky Method of time management.fictionNonfictionSubscriberRecorded Webinar