Keeping Up with the Janes: Audrey Atkins

See Jane Write Collective member Audrey Atkins is on the go! Let’s find out what she’s been up to.

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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How to Build a Creative Practice That Doesn’t Burn You Out

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write publishes guest articles by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By: Thenuri Thesara

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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Your 90-Day Book Lauch Plan

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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How a Newsletter Can Help You Succeed as an Author

Editor’s Note: See Jane Write publishes guest articles by writers who identify as women, non-binary folks, and our allies. Learn more here.

By: Delany Diamond

You need a newsletter.

You’ve probably seen that advice more times than you can count, but building a newsletter can be overwhelming. So, many authors dismiss the idea, choosing instead to focus on social media interactions with readers.

Unfortunately, that places you at the mercy of those platforms. That’s why you need a newsletter. It’s one of the greatest tools in your writerly tool shed.

I’m a firm believer that without my mailing list, I wouldn’t have an author career today. So first, I’ll explain why you need a list, give you advice on how to build a list of subscribers, and then suggest content for your newsletter.

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How to Write Even When You Don’t Feel Like It

We all know the feeling: You want to write. You plan to write. You even talk about writing. But when it’s time to sit down and get words on the page, suddenly everything feels harder than it should be. The inspiration is missing. The energy is low. The inner critic is loud.

But if you’re serious about your writing goals—whether you’re working on a book, blogging consistently, or growing a writing practice—you need strategies that help you write even when you don’t “feel like it.” That’s because writing consistently isn’t about waiting for inspiration. It’s about creating conditions that make inspiration more likely—and learning how to show up even when it doesn’t.

Here are some practical tips to help you stay inspired and push through on the days when inspiration is nowhere to be found.

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