Tag: novel writing

book formatting timeline for self-publishing authors

When to Format Your Book: A Self-Publishing Launch Plan Timeline for Indie Authors

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Formatting your book is one of the final steps before publishing—but if you wait too long, you could find yourself scrambling at the last minute. Let’s talk about when to schedule book formatting in your launch timeline so you can publish without panic.


📚 You Typed “The End.” Now What?

You’ve edited your book, survived beta readers, and you’re almost ready to upload to your favorite bookstores. But suddenly, your to-do list explodes:

  • Write your book blurb
  • Finalize your cover design
  • Plan your launch
  • And yes—format your book files

It’s a lot. So when exactly should formatting happen in your launch plan?


🕓 Book Formatting Happens Last—But Plan Ahead

While your book is with your editor, you can get a head start on your blurb, cover design, and marketing. But formatting can’t happen until your final edits are complete. It’s one of the last pieces of the publishing puzzle.

⏳ How Much Time Should You Allow for Formatting?

If this is your first book—or the first time using formatting software—give yourself at least 3 weeks. Formatting involves more than just uploading a Word doc and hitting export. You’ll need time to:

  • Choose fonts and font sizes
  • Decide on trim size for paperbacks
  • Prep any images (maps, graphs, charts)
  • Troubleshoot tech issues
  • Learn your software or work with a formatter

And that’s assuming everything else is ready to go!


🛠️ What You Need Before You Format

Before you (or your formatter) can dive into layout, here’s what you’ll need:

✅ Your final manuscript

✅ A finalized cover (at least the eBook version)

✅ All images in PNG, JPG, or TIFF format

✅ A decision on print vs. eBook—or both

If you’re planning to offer a paperback version, you’ll also need to go back and forth with your cover designer. Trim size and page count directly affect the print cover’s spine width, so factor in a buffer for those revisions.


🎁 Planning for ARCs? Format Early!

If you’re sending your book to early readers, launch team members, or ARC reviewers, don’t wait to format. You want those advanced copies to look clean, professional, and polished—not like a draft.


✅ TL;DR: Book Formatting Timeline Recap

  1. Finish edits
  2. Finalize your cover (at least the eBook version)
  3. Prep images and make formatting decisions
  4. Schedule 3 weeks for formatting (especially if you’re DIY-ing)
  5. Allow time for back-and-forth if working with a designer or formatter
  6. Format early if you’re sending ARCs


😩 Feeling Overwhelmed?

You are not alone. Formatting can be technical, confusing, and time-consuming—which is why I created a free Indie Author Formatting Checklist to guide you through it step-by-step. Download it now and avoid last-minute stress.

👉 Grab the checklist here!

Grab your free Indie Author Formatting Checklist here

💬 Let’s Connect!

I post new tips every week on my YouTube channel, where I cover formatting advice, launch planning, and indie author life. Subscribe and come hang out with me!

The Hard Truths of Being an Indie Author (And Why It’s Still Worth It!)

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Being an indie author is an incredible journey filled with creativity, freedom, and the ability to bring your stories to life exactly as you envision them. But let’s be real—it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. There are challenges, frustrations, and moments of doubt that many indie authors experience.

As someone who has independently published three books and is now working on my first urban fantasy series set in New York, I’ve learned some hard truths along the way. If you’re considering self-publishing or are already on the indie path, here are five realities you need to know.

1. You Are Your Own Marketing Team

One of the biggest differences between indie and traditional publishing is marketing. When you traditionally publish, a PR or marketing team supports you to some degree. As an indie author, everything is on you—creating graphics, finding opportunities, developing a strategy, learning social media, and managing a newsletter.

Marketing has been a struggle for me, and I know I’m not alone in that. But the good news? You can improve, find what works for you, and build a supportive community to help navigate the process.

2. Sales Are Unpredictable

In traditional publishing, authors receive an advance, meaning they get paid upfront. But in indie publishing, you only make money when your book sells. And sales can be unpredictable.

You might have a fantastic launch, sell a ton of books, and get great page reads, only for sales to drop dramatically a few months later. This up-and-down nature makes financial planning tricky, especially early on. But the key is consistency and adaptability—always looking for new ways to engage readers and market your books.

3. Impostor Syndrome Never Truly Disappears

Even after publishing multiple books, that little voice of doubt still creeps in. Would I feel more validated if I had an agent? If a publisher had chosen me?

The truth is, indie publishing is just as legitimate as traditional publishing. Over time, I’ve learned to acknowledge these feelings and move forward anyway. The key is reminding yourself why you chose this path and celebrating your wins, big and small.

4. Success Looks Different for Every Indie Author

Traditional publishing has clear markers of success: getting an agent, securing a book deal, hitting bestseller lists. Indie publishing? It’s more fluid.

When I published my first book, success meant selling just five copies. Now, it’s about building a solid marketing strategy, having a successful launch, and seeing readers connect with my stories. Define your own version of success—it will make the journey more rewarding.

5. Writing Is Not Always Fun (And That’s Okay)

Let’s be honest—writing isn’t always enjoyable. There are moments of frustration, doubt, and wanting to quit. The messy middle of a manuscript? The endless revisions? The cover design dilemmas? All real.

This is why having a supportive community is crucial. Surround yourself with fellow indie authors who understand the struggle and can help you through tough days. Writing may not always be easy, but it is worth it.

The Bottom Line: Indie Publishing Is Still Amazing

Despite the challenges, I wouldn’t trade my indie publishing journey for anything. I love the creative control, the ability to pivot quickly, and the deep connection with my readers. If you’re an indie author struggling with doubt, know that you’re not alone.

If you’re in a stuck place, drop a comment below or reach out on Instagram—I’d love to encourage you! Indie publishing may be tough, but it’s also an incredible adventure. Keep going, keep writing, and embrace the journey!

The Hardest Parts of Being an Indie Author (And How I’m Tackling Them)

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Last week, I shared everything I’ve learned as a self-published author. This week, I want to take it a step further and talk about the hardest parts of being an indie author—because let’s be real, this journey isn’t easy. But just because something is hard doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

1. Marketing Feels… Weird?

For some reason, marketing is the hardest part of being an indie author for me. I always worry:

  • Will people even care?
  • What will people think?
  • Am I annoying people by talking about my books?

And yet, here I am, making videos and writing this blog post because I know the only way to push past fear is through action. Marketing is really just about connection—connecting with readers, fellow authors, and people who love books as much as I do.

To push through, I’ve been:
✔️ Learning new strategies (hello, Pinterest!)
✔️ Asking for advice in writing groups
✔️ Testing different approaches and adjusting when needed
✔️ Taking small weekly action to get me closer to my big goals

2. Talking About My Books is Harder Than Writing Them

I spend years writing a book—building the world, developing the characters, crafting the plot. And then when someone asks, “What’s your book about?” I freeze.

I have an elevator pitch, but it always feels awkward. (Imposter syndrome, anyone?) To get better at this, I’ve been:
✔️ Joining a weekly writer’s group where I introduce my book to new people
✔️ Practicing talking about my book in a casual, natural way
✔️ Reminding myself that readers do want to hear about it

3. Writing Sales Copy is a Struggle

If I have a hard time talking about my books, you can bet that writing about them in an engaging way isn’t much easier. Launch emails, book blurbs, social media captions—it all feels so tricky to get right.

To improve, I’ve started using AI tools as a jumping-off point. I don’t copy and paste—I tweak, rewrite, and make it mine. And with each launch, I feel like I’m getting better.

The Biggest Challenge? Fear & Imposter Syndrome

At the end of the day, all these struggles come back to fear—fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear that no one will care. But I remind myself that fear is just my brain trying to protect me. It’s not real.

I used to perform in musical theater, and right before stepping on stage, I’d get the jitters. But as soon as I was under the spotlight, the nerves disappeared. It’s the same with marketing, pitching, and putting myself out there. The fear fades once I take action.

So, here’s what I’m holding onto:

  • It’s okay to be awkward.
  • It’s okay to not be perfect.
  • It’s okay to mess up.

Because at the end of the day, I love being an indie author. I chose this path, and I’m still so happy I did.

If you like to keep up with my writing journey as I create this new urban fantasy series, then join the waitlist for Book 1 – World Ablaze! I’ll be sending out monthly updates, secret behind the scenes look at characters, and more fun as I spend the next few years on this fun, magical adventure!

How I Develop Characters: From Concept to Creation

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

When I sit down to write a new story, the first thing I think about is the characters. For me, they’re the heart of every story, and I like to build them up in layers, starting with a simple question and growing them into fully fleshed-out people.

Starting with a Question

Most of my stories begin with a “what if” question. What would happen if someone was born into a famous flying circus family but was terrified of heights? Or what if a teen girl woke up one day with magical powers, and her mom wasn’t surprised at all? These kinds of questions spark my curiosity and start shaping the bones of my characters.

The question not only sets the foundation for the plot, but it also helps me think about who my main character is and how their internal struggle will drive the story forward.

Using Tarot to Create Characters

Once I have my “what if,” I turn to one of my favorite tools for character development: tarot cards. Tarot has always been a creative tool for me, and I use it to dive deeper into who my characters are.

Because I write YA, I know that most of my characters will be high school or college-aged and usually girls. But when it comes to their deeper traits—like what they look like, what their interests are, and what makes them tick—I pull a card or two to guide me. The tarot helps me figure out their quirks, strengths, and weaknesses. It’s a way to get creative and let the cards guide me toward traits I might not have considered. Sometimes a card gives me a hint about their hair or eye color, while other times it gives me insight into their personality or history.

Pinterest and Casting Characters

With some basics in place, I move on to creating a visual representation of my characters. I head over to Pinterest and start putting together a mood board for the story. This is where I start to “cast” my characters.

Sometimes I’ll use images of famous people—like Harry Styles or Maya Hawke—to give me a face for my characters. Other times, I find inspiration from models or random photos of people who fit the vibe I’m looking for. Seeing them visually helps solidify the character in my mind and brings them to life in a way that goes beyond just words on the page.

Defining Their Core: Desires, Flaws, and Growth

Now that I have a solid image of my character, I start diving deeper into who they are. I ask myself a series of key questions:

  • What do they want?
  • What do they need?
  • What is their fatal flaw?

These questions are crucial because they define the character’s arc in the story. What they want is usually a surface-level goal, but what they need is often deeper and tied to their personal growth. Their fatal flaw is the thing that stands in their way, and it’s what makes them human. I also make sure to define their quirks and behavior traits, things that might not be obvious at first but make them feel real. These are the details that I hope will make readers fall in love with them, or at least feel something strong about them—whether that’s admiration, empathy, or even frustration.

Journaling as My Characters

Once I have the basics in place, I dive into my first draft, letting the characters guide me through the story. After the draft is complete, I take some time to journal as if I am the characters themselves. I write as though I’m inside their heads, allowing them to tell me what I might’ve missed, what I need to change, and how they would react in certain situations.

This exercise is especially helpful because I write in first-person POV, meaning I’m often focused solely on the main character’s internal thoughts and perspective. Journaling in the voice of my side characters helps me connect with them more deeply and craft dialogue that feels authentic to each one’s unique personality.

Refining Through Each Draft

Every draft gives me the opportunity to understand my characters better. It’s during these rounds of revision that they start to feel like real people—people with flaws, strengths, and depth. I want my readers to experience these characters as fully human: to fall in love with them, to hate them, to root for them, or to want to see them fail. My goal is always to make them relatable and multi-dimensional, not perfect, but real.

For my current work in progress, World Ablaze,’ this process has been especially important. With a cast that includes Ruby and her parents, the girls with elemental powers, and Ruby’s best friend Sophie, there are a lot of personalities to manage. But taking the time to develop each one individually, from tarot readings to journaling, ensures that they all feel fully realized by the time I’m done.

This process of developing characters has become one of my favorite parts of writing. It’s like meeting new people, getting to know them little by little, until eventually, they feel like old friends (or enemies). And I hope when readers dive into my stories, they’ll connect with these characters in the same way I do.

From Draft to Publication: My Writing Journey

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Every book starts with a single spark of inspiration. For me, it began with a simple question: What would happen if a girl was born into a famous flying family, but she was scared of heights? That idea lingered in my mind, and soon enough, Roz was born—the protagonist who would lead me on a winding, challenging, and ultimately fulfilling journey.

Draft One: The Beginning

With the idea in hand, I started drafting the story. Roz took shape, and alongside her was Louise, the daughter of a famous clown family. The story bounced back and forth between Roz’s world and Louise’s, weaving together two different lives within the circus. But as the draft grew, so did my doubts. Something wasn’t clicking, and deep down, I knew the story needed to evolve.

Draft Two: A Major Change

That’s when my editor stepped in with a suggestion that would change everything: focus more on the big three-ring circus where Roz auditions at the end of the original draft. It meant scrapping Louise’s storyline and bringing more attention to the heart of Roz’s world—the circus. This shift brought the story back to the drawing board, forcing me to rethink the direction of the narrative.

Draft Three and Four: Finding the Flow

After revising and expanding the circus setting, I finally felt like I had a more cohesive storyline. Roz was stronger, the world felt more vivid, and the supporting characters were coming into their own. But there was still something missing—especially in the ending. My editor came to the rescue once again, offering guidance on where the story could go and how to bring the narrative full circle. With those new insights, I dove back into revisions, determined to find the perfect conclusion.

Draft Five: The Final Version

After many drafts and countless hours of rewriting, I finally had a book that felt complete. The journey of this book wasn’t easy—writing rarely is. It’s about pouring your heart and soul into every word, figuring out what works, and pivoting when needed. Through all the changes, revisions, and rewrites, I held onto that initial spark—the reason why I started writing in the first place. And although Roz is no longer afraid of heights, she spoke to me through the whole process begging me to tell her story and I’m so glad she did!

Now, I’m thrilled to share that my book is available for you to read. Check it out on Amazon, where you can read it for free with Kindle Unlimited.

NaNoWriMo 2022: 10 Ways I Encourage Myself to Keep Going 

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Has your NaNoWriMo novel lost its luster? Are you feeling a little frustrated by your word count or lack thereof? No you’re wondering if you should just quit?

 

Please don’t!!

 

Instead use these ten ways to encourage yourself, give yourself some much needed motivation, and incentive to keep going.

 

The word bribery usually gets a bad rap because it usually means you’re doing something illegal, right? You’re bribing someone you shouldn’t. But self bribery, I think, works really well, especially when you get to the point in your novel writing where it starts to feel a little drudgery, a little drudging through just to get through.

 

Music

 

I love writing with music. I create a playlist for almost every single manuscript I write, but if you don’t like writing to music or you don’t need that interference when you write, then you can do music after the fact and have a dance party. Getting to listen to your favorite jam – whether it be Lizzo or Taylor Swift – and dance around your living room can motivate you to finish writing. Of if you do create a playlist, listen to it before you start writing to hype yourself up, giving your brain a clue that you’re about to write something amazing.

 

Movies and TV

 

I’m assuming you have at least one streaming service, or a stack of DVDs and Blu-rays somewhere so pick a few and use them to reward yourself after each writing session.  You could do one TV show after each session and a longer movie after several sessions in a row. Do what works best for you and your schedule, but having something to look forward to really helps when you don’t want to sit down at your computer. 

 

Video Games, Books, and Magazines

 

This tip also works for other things – not a TV or movie person, that’s fine. Use the same concept with making time to read or play your favorite video game. Say, I’m going to write for 30 minutes, then play for 30 minutes.  We don’t always make time during our day for the things we enjoy, so use those things as rewards for all your hard work. 

 

Food & Beverages

 

You can always have something to drink or eat when you write – your favorite tea in your favorite mug or something crunchy to snack on OR you can use food as a reward for after you write.  I like to have a little chocolate after each session. You can also go to your local coffee place and write there, getting a holiday drink to sip on. Whatever you think is yummy is going to work – want to have a fancy yogurt or fruit salad, go for it!

 

Milestone Rewards

 

The first few things on this list were smaller rewards, things you can gift yourself after each writing session, but I also want you to think about Milestone rewards. This year for NaNoWriMo I’m doing larger items for every 10,000 words written. I’ll be buying books, a new sweater, and some new nail polish from my favorite company as my rewards but you can also do fancy clickety keyboards, new video games, or anything that makes you happy. If your budget won’t allow that – trust me, I get that! – then combine some of the smaller items and have a longer reward where you watch a movie and spend time reading. 

Surprise!

 

If you’d like to add an element of fun to your rewards, grab a D20 or 12 sided die and create a list of all rewards you could give yourself. Then after each writing session, you roll the die and surprise, you get a fun reward.  If you don’t have any dice, you can also put each reward on a small piece of paper and pull one each day.  Seeing what you get each day can be some excellent motivation to keep writing.

 

Plan a day off

 

This might be a bit controversial, but plan for a whole day off from your writing. If you are in the US and celebrate Thanksgiving, you could use that day but seriously any day will work.  Grab your calendar and plan a day off right now.  This works especially well if you are starting to feel burnt out, as we don’t want you to just give up right before the end. 

 

Share online

 

If you are active on social media, you can share your journey online, find some new writer friends and connect with your community.  And sharing gives you some accountability. You can get online and say you’re sitting down to write, then come back afterwards to let people know how you’re doing. If you are not on social media, or don’t feel like sharing, find a friend who will let you text them for accountability.

 

Join my FREE accountability group

 

If you don’t have any writer friends who will understand what you’re doing, then join my FREE accountability group – it’s not too late – I can help keep you on the right path, offer advice and guidance, or just be there for you when you get stuck. 

 

Which item above was your favorite? What is something you’re going to try?

 

Week 3 of NaNoWriMo can really be frustrating – it’s the week where either things are going so well you’re flying high or they suck so bad you want to hide under your covers. If things are terrible right now, please don’t hesitate to reach out for help. And just know that things will be better next week!

NaNoWriMo 2022: 6 Questions to Ask When You Lose the Plot

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Did you follow a plot bunny? And now you are completely off track? 

 

Plot bunnies can be fun, they can be exciting, they can lead us to amazing discoveries, but sometimes they can also leave us lost, confused, and frustrated. Let me share with you 6 Questions that you can ask yourself when this happens so you can get back on track.

 

My favorite way to do this is via a Tarot spread, but you can also just ask yourself the questions as well. To see me go through this spread with my own NaNoWriMo novel, watch the YouTube video below.

 

You might be asking yourself, what is a Plot Bunny?  It’s an idea that refuses to leave you alone until you’ve actually followed it. And even though it does predate NaNoWriMo, they can happen a lot during those November writing sessions.

 

Before you tackle the six questions, ask yourself first how far off your outline you got and if there’s anything from your detour you want to keep.  Do you think you need to start completely over with where you got off track, or can you merge some of your ideas and have a better story?

 

Once you have that all figured out, you are ready to pull some Tarot cards or grab your journal, and find out what your Plot Bunny and Main Character are trying to tell you.

 

Plot Bunnies Tarot Spread

  1. What’s your bunny trying to tell you?
  2. What is your Main Character trying to tell you?
  3. How would the bunny solve this?
  4. How would the Main Character solve this?
  5. What’s one creative solution you can try?
  6. How can you move forward and get back on track?

 

 

Tips & Tricks

If you decide you need to start over and basically trash what you’ve written DO NOT DELETE those words, at least not yet. During NaNoWriMo, those words you wrote count toward your final 50,000 word count goal. I suggest moving them to the end of your document or writing at the head of each chapter that’s going to eventually get tossed: PLOT BUNNY, DON’T USE or something like that.  Then when you come back to edit, you can put those in a separate document just in case.

 

It’s okay to have some strong emotions around this process, getting off track and seeing that you’re going to need to rewrite 5,000 or more words can be devastating, but trust me, that wasn’t wasted effort.  Like I said above, the words still count toward your goal this month, and two it gave you some things to explore, to try out, to discover and that’s never bad – you learned what doesn’t work, sometimes writing them out needs to happen before you can see the right way to go. But be kind to yourself, remember that writing is a process, and sometimes it’s messy and painful.

 

Plot Bunnies can be really fun and take you to some cool places you might not have thought to explore, but if you do get off track, just ask yourself these six questions and get back to writing the story you want to write. 

NaNoWriMo Preptober: Does Your First Draft Need Story Structure?

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

You have your cast of characters ready and you’re all excited about your story idea, right? But maybe you started doing research on Story Structure and now you’re super confused.  Save the Cat, Hero’s Journey, Three Act vs Four Act?!  It’s all so overwhelming and my not so popular opinion is I don’t think you need to worry about structure right now.

Listen, I think structure is fine, overall, but I feel like if you try to shoehorn your book into a specific structure now you’re going to box yourself in and not have room to grow or explore as you write.  Trying to put your story into beats or acts before you even know what your story is about is going to cause problems, and be a complete waste of time.

So…what do I think you need? I’m so glad you asked…just the basics!  Beginning, middle, and end. 

If you have a deck of Tarot cards, you can do the simple three card spread I show below in my YouTube video or you can just start asking yourself the following questions;

Beginning

  • How do you want your story to start? 
  • Who is the main character and what are they doing? 
  • How are they feeling? 
  • What’s happened right before we start our story?
  • What do you need to know to start writing your book?

 

Middle

  • What do I need to know about my main character right now?
  • What does the reader need to know?
  • What do I need to know about the antagonist or antagonistic force?
  • What kinds of conflict do I need to be aware of, or need to add to further the plot?
  • How can I continue to move the story forward?

 

End

  • How do you want your story to end?
  • How has your main character changed?
  • How have they stayed the same?
  • What lessons did they learn?
  • What’s different in your world?
  • How does the ending relate to the beginning?
  • What plotlines might need to be resolved?

 

 

Once you do this, if you’d like to pull more Tarot cards or think about how your characters go from Beginning to Middle or Middle to End, feel free, but you can also just stop right now and do more exploration when we get to Outlining during Week 4 of Preptober, where I’ll show you how I flesh this out into a workable, flexible plan. 

If you’re doing National Novel Writing Month this year and would like some extra accountability, writing exercises, tarot spreads, and more – then join my FREE group and receive a workbook of fun ideas right away!! And in November I’ll be hosting weekly Zoom writing sessions so we can up our word count together. 

>> Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3U48yGw

NaNoWriMo Preptober: My Favorite Technique for Character Design

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Have you ever downloaded a character worksheet from Pinterest (or other online resource) and you were just overwhelmed with how many choices you had to make?

From eye color to hair color to favorite food, there are so many decisions and, especially if you’re doing Preptober for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), you have to make them quickly. Let me share one of my favorite techniques to make character creation simple and fun!!

To see how I do this technique in real time with examples, make sure you watch the YouTube video!! 

Character creation takes time, but when you’re prepping for NaNoWriMo, time isn’t necessarily something you have an abundance of, so you grab one of those worksheets online and get to work…but soon you start to get overwhelmed.  Enter my favorite tool ever, Tarot cards!!

Tarot cards lets you quickly answer those online character worksheets – seriously, I did one whole example in my video in 20 minutes!! – and create a real human that you can then use for November (or anytime you are creating characters).  

Start off by thinking about which character you want to create – protagonist, antagonist, side kick, hero, etc.  And if you have a general sense of your genre, it helps.  Grab your favorite tarot deck – I suggest one that has people on it, but you do you – give it a good shuffle and start pulling cards.

I do one card per section.  So my worksheet had sections for Physical Characters, Story Information, and Likes/Dislikes so I started at the top and pulled my first card.

My physical characteristics started with things like Hair Color, Eye Color, Age, Body type, etc.  I used my King of Wands card to determine that my Main Character has red hair, green eyes, will be 18 years old – a senior in HIgh School, and a slender/athletic body type.  

I do this by looking at the figure or main focus of the card first, then looking at background details, colors, and anything in the foreground. For the red hair in my example above I actually used the main figure’s red pants and not her actual hair color on the card.  The green eyes I picked up from the leaves growing on her wand staff.   

Things to think about…

  • There is no wrong answer, there’s only YOUR answer, the trick with using Tarot is picking up on small details and going with your first gut response.  Remember you can always change things as needed when you start writing or when you figure out other characters. 
  • I tend to pull one card per section, but there’s nothing stopping you from pulling one card for each question – so one card for eye color, one for hair color, etc. You can use one deck or multiple decks – this is YOUR project, your novel, you get to decide. That’s the fun part!
  • Make sure you’re keeping notes, writing things down as you go or recording yourself in some way as alot of info can come up while doing this process.  You might be filling out the characteristics but then get a really great idea for story or plot, write it all down!
  • I got a name during my live example, but most times I have to look up meanings or think of names later – and that’s fine if you don’t get 100% filled out in one session, but I bet you’ll be super close. Naming characters is extremely hard for me, so it’s sometimes easier to do that later with a baby book in hand.  

Have fun, don’t do too many characters at once – I can usually comfortably work up 3 in one writing session before I need a longer break. Make sure you have some rewards/snacks so you can celebrate your accomplishment and get ready for next week when we will talk about Story Structure.

And if you’re doing NaNoWriMo this year and would love some accountability I’m running a free group where I’ll be sending out tips and tricks, tarot spreads, writing exercises, things to try and during November I’ll run weekly co-writing Zoom calls so we can up our word counts together.  I would love it if you’d join me.

How to Identify, Personalize, and Befriend Your Inner Editor

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Do you think you can quiet your inner negative voice while you write? Because I think you can. 


I don’t think there’s a writer around that has not had the issue of sitting down at their keyboard or notebook and hearing their inner voice saying things like:


“This sounds stupid!”

“Nobody is going to want to read this!”

“You have no idea what you’re doing, do you?”


We’ve all been there from bestselling authors to complete newbies. 


Everyone has that inner voice, that inner editor or critic. Some say you can’t quiet that voice, but I think that you can. I think it takes a little time, a little investigative work, and you gotta get into your mind a little bit, which is not always easy, but it’s so worth it!


Figure out who’s talking

Is it someone that you know? A parent, an old teacher or mentor, is it just a version of yourself? I have a snotty teenager that talks to me when I try to do TikTok or Instagram Reels. She’s fun. I also have that old teacher’s voice from back when I was doing theater. That voice is still there, unfortunately. 


Sometimes it is just that inner critic. You don’t really know where it came from – it’s just there. So first, you’ve got to figure out who is talking because that can actually help you figure out how you’re going to deal with them. 


Personify that voice

Even if you know who or what that voice is, if it actually is someone from your past, I still want you to personify them a little bit. For example, I know what my inner teenager looks like – wearing Doc Martens and other various nineties gear, listening to Alanis Morrisette.  I know what that old theater teacher looks like, right? But when it comes to that inner critic or editor, I needed to personify that voice, and I used Tarot cards for that. 


You don’t have to use Tarot, you can pull images from Canva or Pinterest, but if you are going to use Tarot, grab your favorite deck and flip through until you land on a card that gives you that vibe or feeling of your inner editor, something you connect with right away.  This step is important because our next step is to talk to this voice and I find that’s easier if you can look at something or someone. 

 

Interview them, start a conversation

I know that sounds nutty, but I promise you it works! I like to do this long hand in a journal, but you can totally type this up, or if no one else is home, just talk it out. Anything works, just start the conversation. I’d love for you to ask them some questions. Who are you? What are you doing here? Why do you feel the need to criticize everything I do?  Literally ask them and see what they come up with. I know it’s a little weird, but if we personify them enough, they just become another character and as a writer, you are used to talking to people that aren’t really there, right? We are used to creating characters and writing as if we are them, this is just an extension of that.

 

So, be you and then be them and go back and forth and have a conversation. Sometimes I like to write a full on letter to them and then write a full on letter back as if I am the inner editor, but now I’m so used to working with my card that I can speak via post-it note. That took some time though, remember we are building a relationship here. I want you to befriend your inner editor, and that takes time, just like in real life. 

 

When you meet a new person, they don’t become your best friend right away. You may have a very strong connection with someone, but it still takes time to develop that intimate connection. So don’t feel like you have to rush this process, take your time and really work with this inner editor and find out what they’re good at. try to understand them and help them understand you and your writing process.

 

The thing is, I don’t believe the inner editor is there to harm you or hurt you or belittle you on purpose. I think they’re trying to help you. My inner teenager is trying to keep me from being embarrassed when I do Instagram Reels or TikToks because my inner voice was like, you’re going to embarrass yourself. The inner teacher’s voice is trying to keep me on track, trying to get me to do my best. And the inner editor is just trying to make the words beautiful. They really are trying to help, they just do a really crappy job of it. They suck. They’re not nice. That’s the bottom line. They are not nice about it. So if we can befriend those voices, we can make them a little nicer.

 

Let them help you

Once that friendship or relationship is established then you can give them jobs to do, help them help you so they are not butting in where they don’t belong.  My inner editor is great at names and research.  What would your inner editor be good at?  Ask them and see what they answer – put them to work so they quiet down when you don’t need them criticizing you – like first drafts.  This really does work. It really does quiet that inner editor voice. 

 

I would love to know how you personified your inner editor? Did you use a Tarot card? If so, which one?!  Let me know in the comments below.

 

And if this is something that affects you and keeps you from writing, then I invite you to join my waitlist for my signature course – Turn on the Tap – which I’ll be opening up again in the Spring of 2022.  

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