writer life

The Word x Word Accountability Planner for Writers

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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My Mid-Year Mantras: Making the Most of the Rest of 2025

One of my favorite podcasters – Les Alfred of the She’s So Lucky podcast — recently released an episode during which she shared the Lucky Girl Commandments – a list of tips or words of wisdom to help us all create our own luck for the rest of the year and beyond. And of course, this inspired me to write some commandments of my own. I’m an Enneagram 1, which means I crave order. Rules don’t feel like restrictions to me. Instead, they’re the boundaries I need to keep from running myself off a cliff. (Side note: I also give myself permission to ditch any and all rules that don’t align with who I am and what I want. For example, you say every woman should be a mother. I say I’m quite content living my rich auntie life. But I digress.)

Because I know the word “commandments” can be triggering to some (#churchhurt), I’m calling these my mid-year mantras instead. Here are the rules I’m following to make the most of the rest of 2025.

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I’m Autistic and Writing Helped Me Find My Voice

Woman smiling, posing outside near flowers
Through writing, Lara Boyle found confidence and community.

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

By Lara Boyle

“Why can’t you let her speak for herself?”

That’s what family members and friends would ask my mom. I’d be at the dinner table in a crowded restaurant or even in our living room when my throat would close up. I opened my mouth to speak, but all the words I needed were gone. Under the weight of everybody’s eyes, I shrunk into my seat, unable to do more than clear my throat. I had no issues learning how to talk. I could ramble on and on for hours about horses, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter or my favorite cartoon show, Alex Hirch’s Gravity Falls on Disney. Yet, somehow I still struggled to say what I thought, to find the right words. I wouldn’t find out until I was eighteen years old that this struggle to speak was because I have a type of Autism Spectrum Disorder commonly known as Asperger’s Syndrome. My voice seemed to disappear until I found it scribbled out in jet-black ink on paper.

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I always wanted to be a stay-at-home freelancer, so why am I so sad?

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

By Carmen Shea Brown

I remember the drive down the long, winding road to my place of employment, passing all the same restaurants, shopping centers and offices I had gone by almost every day for the past 10 years. After months of thinking, praying and analyzing the situation from all angles, I knew I was doing the right thing. Still, as I got closer to the parking lot, my heart felt like it was going to explode. 

I was about to break the news to my manager, supervisors and co-workers that after a decade of being a faithful employee at a major retail chain, I was leaving to pursue my passion for writing full-time. 

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For the Teaching Writer — Heavy on the Writer

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

By Jelisa Jay Robinson

Dear Teacher Writer, 

I see you. Finishing manuscripts on holidays and summers.  Attending See Jane Write meetings on Tuesdays. I see you finishing your grading so that you can steal a moment to work on your screenplay.  You are the teacher that incorporates writing into your lessons.  Letting kids know that writing isn’t a bore; it’s a major source of creativity, joy and a skill set that can make you money in the future.  You are the Teacher Writer…Heavy on the writer. 

You’ve been told that those who can’t do, teach.  But you know that’s not true; those who teach…do…and they do it well.  

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