This is the thing I’m most excited about this year

It’s morning. I have a few minutes of quiet before the alarm goes off and Jarrett wakes up and the house comes to life. But these few minutes of quiet with a blank sheet of paper and a steaming mug of coffee—they make my whole day.

No matter what else happens in my daythe chaos, the surprises, the worry, the dishes (oh, the dishes!)I always feel better if I start my day by doing something creative and making headway on a big project. From there, the rest of the day feels like downhill skiing.

printable writing tracker

Moments like that are precious, and I know we’re all craving more of them. More time to write. More space in our schedules for creativity. More quiet in our homes so we can think, for pete’s sake. And much more energy for the things we want to bring our best selves to.

But if I’ve learned one thing it’s that having a creative life of your own isn’t a luxury—it’s a need. It invigorates you. It brings you to life. It makes you feel like you again. 

That’s why I’m so proud to share with you something special I’ve been working on. Over the past 5 years of writing this blog, I’ve been listening to your stories of feeling squeezed in your creative lives, feeling uncertain about publishing, feeling doubtful you can do it at all.

At the same time, I’ve spent the past 5 years as a literary agent (and 5 more as an editor) watching the people who are doing it all—the bestselling authors, the career writers, the artists, the cooks, the bloggers who finally got to make that book they’ve always dreamed of.

And here’s a secret: they’re struggling with the exact same fears, doubts, and scheduling snafus as you are. We all are.

But after 10+ years of what I jokingly refer to as Author Adventure Academy, I’ve learned some of the tricks, tips, and most importantly, foundational habits, that have helped the most successful creators power through anything to get That Big Thing done.

Now, I want to teach those habits to you—not as a course, not as a book, not as any online program. (Those are all great, but they have their limits.) Instead, I want to give you the actual items and the actual plan that you can start using every single day to make big progress toward your creative goals.

I really want 2019 to be the year we all stop saying “I want to write that book” “I want to make that thing” “I want to take that risk” and start doing it. Because spoiler alert: the doing is insanely fun once you get past the whole scared-poopless part.

Sound like the kind of 2019 you want to have?

 

Click here to find out more!

 

 


What I’m reading this week

  1. Oh, the drama.
  2. 17 inspiring gifts for writers (I want #16 so desperately).
  3. Click for the adorable graphics; stay for all the amazing book recs (I spy Season, by my author, Nik Sharma)!
  4. Stuck? Here are 252 ways to get going again.
  5. Vacations are really just an excuse to create a travel reading list, aren’t they? Yes, yes they are, I tell myself.

What we’re eating this week

Guys, we are just hanging on. I’ve been working so hard on my Big Thing (see above) that meal planning, cooking, and even grocery shopping are kind of nonexistent around here now.

Current state of the fridge: 4 eggs, 8 florets of boiled broccoli, one prosciutto butt that I don’t know what to do with, almond milk, and…SCENE. (I feel like there’s a Chopped challenge in there, but not even I would watch it.)

printable writing tracker

And apparently, Pepper feels the same.

Monday: Rooted around in the freezer and found drumsticks, ground sausage, and Trader Joe’s frozen root vegetables. Cooked them, ate them, then it was over. I give this show a 1-star review.

Tuesday: Rooted around in pantry and found a bag of Rancho Gordo beans I’ve been saving for a week juuust like this one. Cooked them plain because I just cannot with the chopping this week. Yelp review would read: “Great ingredients and menu items, but the chef sucked.”

Wednesday: Jarrett’s in DC, so yes, I will eat Trader Joe’s frozen ravioli alone on the couch while working. Trader Joe’s gets a 5-star review for literally keeping me alive.

Thursday: OMG I don’t know. We might die.

Friday: Sweet Mary please let us go out to dinner; I PROMISE I’ll cook SO MUCH next week.

Cheers!

Something cozy + cute + free for you!

This cute plaid iPhone wallpaper and cute plaid desktop wallpaper are perfect for the cozy winter months! 


Are you lazy about seasonal decorating? I am.

If I’m lucky, I’ll get a few pumpkins, some mums, a plaid blanket or two, and call us Fall-ified.

This laziness does not run in the family. No, not at all.

cute plaid iphone wallpaper

But one thing that I do almost always do is change my laptop and phone backgrounds to something cozy. Because it costs zero dollars; it’s stupid easy; and it really makes a difference when you spend half your day on a screen.

So today I have something for you that costs zero dollars, is stupid easy, and will hopefully really make a difference in your day.

Cute plaid desktop wallpaper

I designed this cute plaid desktop wallpaper for you guys, and I highly recommend you take its advice and get yourself nested in with a book, a blanket, and a hot mug STAT. And yes, it has a matching plaid iPhone wallpaper!

Consider these my big THANK YOU to you in this season of giving thanks. I am so grateful for all of you who read, write, and talk about books along with me.

You can download this free desktop background and phone wallpaper, as well as dozens of other free literary printables, by signing into The Library.

 

Click here to download these free phone and desktop wallpapers!

 

 


5 quick reads for the week:

  1. I am so honored to have two of my books make Amazon’s Best Books of the Year list! And yes, Once Upon a Chef and Season do make great holiday gifts. 😉 
  2. Wise words from Kirsten of Well-Storied on how to make time to write.
  3. Don’t forget: ideas aren’t pizza, so there’s more than enough to go around.
  4. It’s time to get down to work on our Thanksgiving menus, and I’m always on the lookout for new Thanksgiving recipes.
  5. The National Book Awards happened this week, and The New York Times is keeping us posted, Oscars-style!

What we’re eating this week

(Well, actually, this was the menu for last week. Please tell me I’m not the only one who can’t get it together this time of year.)

It’s a slap-dash, slop-bucket kind of cooking week. We hosted our big Friendsgiving on Saturday (so fun!) and now we have ten trillion pounds of leftover ham to eat ourselves out from under (so fun!). What do you do with ten trillion pounds of ham? I have five answers for you:

Monday: Run away from the ham by grilling out a friends house. Ham: 0, Us: 1.

Tuesday: Ham is like bacon is like pancetta is like what I need to make carbonara? That was my questionable thesis for dinner, and hey, it sort of checked out. Ham: 1, Us: 1.

Wednesday: Hide from the ham and when it’s not looking, go out to dinner. Ham: 1, Us: 2.

Thursday: Jarrett’s traveling for work, so it’s me and Ham alone in the house. We know how that’ll go. Ham: 2, Us: 2.

Friday: We’re eating chicken for dinner! Just kidding. It’s ham again. Ham: 3, Us: 2.

Hoping you enjoy a big ol’ turkey on our behalf this week.

Cheers!

Get one free tip for reading more + living better each week!

Introverted? Here’s how to promote your book

Book promotion for introverts: a literary agent on how to sell your book even if you hate self-promotion!


How was your Halloween? We had the cutest little X-Men characters (Storm and Magneto) and their parents come by for trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood, and I finally got to realize my dream of being called “That Hot Dog Family.”

(Yes, Jarrett, Pepper, and I are all dressed up like hot dogs. Yes, I forgot to get a picture. Yes, that gives us a great excuse to rock the same costumes next year.)

Anyway, one of the questions I get all the time around here is about book promotion for introverts; namely, how can writers who are shy build a following and sell books?  

So this week I’m sharing the 5 real-life tricks of book promotion for introverts: how even the most introverted authors can learn to love promoting their books. 

  book promotion for introvertsRead More

The results are in!

It’s here! The survey is back in, and I had so much fun reading your responses. You guys are such incredible writers, readers, and makers, and I can’t get over how much perseverance and grit you all show every single day.

I know it’s never easy to look hard at the things we want to change in our creative lives, but I also know it takes hard looks to make hard changes. And if it counts for anything, I wish I could make every last day easier on you all.

Speaking of which: the winner of the $20 Barnes & Noble gift card tucked at the back of the survey is Beth! I hope you buy all of the pretty paper goods with it.

So are you curious to hear what others are craving in their creative lives right now?Read More