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It’s time for another edition of the See Jane Write Gift Guide! Here you will find gift ideas for the writers on your holiday shopping list — and if you’re the only writer on your list, take this as permission to treat yo’self! Or you can send this post to friends, family, or your Santa Baby so they’ll know exactly what to get you this year. (This post contains affiliate links.)
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After months (years?) of deliberation, I have finally decided on the topic for my next book and I’ve written thousands of words already. Yay! But I know I must find a way to keep the momentum going. Of course, I’m turning to a planner for help because, yes, I have a goal of finishing and self-publishing this book next year, but you know how the saying goes— A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Recently, I was gifted the Word x Word Accountability Planner for Writers by Hello Story, and this couldn’t have come at a better time!
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New feature alert! I’m excited to introduce Keeping Up with the Janes. With this feature, we will revisit past See Jane Write Collective Members of the Month to see what they’re up to now.
To kick things off, we have Audrey Atkins. The last time we had a chat with Audrey, she had just released her book, They Call Me Orange Juice. She was also busy blogging. Later, Audrey would also start teaching non-fiction writing workshops and she eventually became a full-time freelance writer. Now Audrey has a new career working with the Alabama State Council on the Arts, she’s moved her blog musings to Substack and she’s launched People Reading Prose in Bars — which is exactly what it sounds like. On the second Sunday of each month, Audrey gathers Birmingham-area writers in a local bar to read short stories and essays. On average, her events draw more than 50 people, and the Alabama Writers Forum recently signed on as a sponsor.
Let’s learn more about what Audrey is up to these days!
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Editor’s Note: See Jane Write publishes guest articles by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.
Your creative fire deserves tending, not taming.
Some days, sitting down to write feels like crouching over a campfire that won’t catch with more smoke than flame. There have been days when I’d be staring at the blank page with that restless itch to write, front and center, met with the weight of every undone task, the relentless buzz of notifications, and that nagging voice that wonders if any of it matters.
When creativity starts to feel like a chore, it’s a sign your inner fire needs tending, not kindling. Creativity isn’t a wild blaze you light and hope to roar; it’s a campfire you coax, protect, and rest beside. Sometimes it’s bright and crackling; other times, it’s just warm embers.
So today, let’s walk through this journey together and explore how to honor those flames without getting burned.
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If you’ve been rocking with me for a while, you know I nerd out about book marketing. I know, I know — most writers would rather revise a chapter fifty-leven times than talk about promo. But to me marketing feels like a creative challenge. It’s a game of seeing how many fun, authentic ways I can say, “Hey friend, buy my book!”
So today I want to share the 90-day book launch plan I’ll be using for my next title — and the exact plan you can use for your next book, too.
Now, confession time: I haven’t actually finished writing my book yet. In fact, I just settled on the idea a week ago. But I’ve already written thousands of words, and that momentum has me thinking ahead. Let’s pretend this book will be ready to release in 90 days. (It won’t, so please don’t hold me to that!)
Still, here’s what I would do three months before publication. And more importantly, here’s what you can do to prepare for your next book launch, whether you write memoir, self-help, or another form of nonfiction. And for each month, I’ve also included mantras to keep you motivated.
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