Today I want to talk about the one person your book is really for. When we think about writing a book, it's easy to picture a huge crowd. 🤩 Thousands of readers. 🤩 Reviews. 🤩 A big launch. No wonder it feels like a lot! 😅 Now, there’s something that I believe around this. We don't write for a crowd. We write for one soul sitting across the fire. 🔥 ❤️ Maybe it's someone going through what you went through. ❤️ Maybe it's your kids, years from now. ❤️ Maybe it's a younger version of you who really needed this story. When you know who's sitting across that fire, so many decisions get easier. What to include. What to leave out. How to tell the hard part. So, close your eyes for a second and picture them. 🔥 💭 Who are they? 💭 What are they going through when they pick up your book? 💭 How do you want them to feel when they close it? Tell me in the comments, even if it's just one line! I love meeting the readers behind your stories. ❤️

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Dani for a scheduled one-on-one conversation, and I wanted to share a little about my experience with everyone here. As someone who has completed a manuscript but is still navigating the unfamiliar world of editing and publishing, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. There's something a little intimidating about sitting down with an established author and discussing something you've spent so much time creating. After all, writing a book is one thing. Putting it in front of someone who knows the industry and asking for their thoughts is something entirely different. But within the first few minutes, I discovered that Dani was incredibly approachable, down-to-earth, and genuinely interested in hearing about my writing journey. What I particularly appreciated was that our conversation wasn't limited to a single topic. We explored the differences between traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and self-publishing. We discussed the realities of getting a manuscript into the hands of readers, the importance of understanding your audience, and some of the challenges authors face when trying to get their work published. One of the most valuable parts of our discussion was the feedback she provided on a portion of my manuscript. Rather than simply telling me what she thought needed changing, she explained why certain passages connected with her as a reader and how a different approach might draw someone more deeply into the story. That gave me something to think about. We also talked about finding the right balance between action, description, and reflection. More importantly, she emphasized something I believe every writer should remember: Your story needs to remain your story. It's easy to second-guess yourself when you're new to publishing. You start wondering whether you should change your writing style, soften certain scenes, or adjust your characters to fit what you think a publisher might want. Dani encouraged me to recognize those concerns without allowing them to take away the voice that makes my writing my own.

I have been working a lot behind the scenes and thinking of ways to bring more value to all of you. And I have reached out to Adam Beswick, an indie author that now brings in 6 figures from his books! 📚 He has found some great ways to use social media and Amazon to his own advantage. So, I plan on interviewing him, gaining some insights and if you'd like, come join our meeting LIVE! I'm thinking on having this sometime at the beginning of December. Let me know which dates work best for you below! Check your time zone here

If you've started your book more than once, I'd like to offer you a different way to look at it. "I've started this book four times." I hear this a lot, usually with a sigh. It gets said like four failures. 😞 But what I see is that you CAME BACK FOUR TIMES!! 🙌 Think about that for a second. Life got loud, the book sat on the sidelines, and it still didn't leave you. You still didn't let it go. That's persistence, and it's one of the things I love most about the writers I work with. 😃 So, when life gets in the way again (and it will!), try these: 💥 Count the days you showed up, not the words you wrote. 💥 Skip the page-one restart. Open the document and pick up one scene. 💥 Make a plan ahead of time. "If I miss Tuesday, then I write Thursday morning." And every accomplishment NEEDS to be cherished, including opening the document after six months away. 😁 So, tell me! 🗣️ How many times have you come back to your book? 🤔 Let's celebrate that number in the comments. 🥳 If you'd like some help finding your way back, you don't have to figure out the path alone. Book a connection call with me here .

I'm on a train. I'm pregnant with my son. And there's a little dragon in my head who won't stop talking. 🐉 So I write him down, one train ride at a time. That little dragon became my first book, The Lost Little Dragon. Then the editor's feedback arrived. I sat in front of my computer, reading it, and felt my heart drop. 💔 She was the editor, right? She knew more than I did. So I made many of the changes. 😞 A few I couldn't bring myself to make, and I'm so glad I kept those. But with some of the others, I felt gross. 😬 It didn't feel completely like my story anymore. It took me a while to understand what happened. Being guided and giving away your authority are not the same thing. The question I needed first was a simple one: What do I want this story to do? That's why I created Story First™, and it's why I work with writers the way I do. I can point out what I see, ask questions, and show you what's possible. But you stay behind the wheel. Your story. Your choices. 🗺️ Have you ever had someone's opinion change how you felt about your own writing? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. ❤️ And if you'd like a guide who won't take the pen from you, let's talk about your story and book a call.