writing life

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.

(more…)

Body Doubling for Writers

Body doubling may sound like something from a sci-fi novel about cloning humans but it’s actually a technique that could help you finally write a novel of your own.

If you’re a writer struggling with a lack of motivation, and you put the pro in procrastination, body doubling may be exactly what you need. Body doubling can also be helpful if you feel isolated and lonely in your writing life.

Read on to learn how body doubling works and how to use it to improve your writing routine.

(more…)

Gift Ideas for Writers 2024

Yes, you’ll find gift ideas for writers here but this isn’t your typical gift guide.

The 2024 See Jane Write Gift Guide is here! While most gift guides are about helping you choose gifts for others, this one is all about helping you treat yo self! And these are gifts meant to help you start the new year off “write” – see what I did there?

(more…)

5 Routines for Writers With Busy Lives

Creating routines for writers is a bit of an obsession of mine because I believe good time management is the key to both a successful writing career and a fulfilling life. As a writer, you probably already know that having a writing routine can help you write that book, launch that blog, or stay consistent with your newsletter. But what you may not realize is that having routines for other aspects of your life can elevate your writing too.

To make the most of your creative energy, having routines in place is key. Whether you’re trying to squeeze in writing around other commitments or want to create a rhythm that lets you flourish, routines can help you stay focused, energized, and on track.

My five years as a full-time freelance writer and the 10 years I spent juggling writing with being an English teacher have shown me that there are five essential routines every writer needs. Let’s dive in!

(more…)

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.

(more…)