Humans think just over 6000 thoughts a day. That’s a lot of thoughts! 

And for writers, 80% of them are probably some form of “my book is shite.”

We have a tendency to think all our thoughts are true. But understanding that our thoughts are ephemeral AND that they can be changed is a huge step forward in our writing lives.

This is one in a series of short blog posts about the unhelpful thoughts we have about ourselves as writers and our writing lives and how we can shift them.

Unhelpful Thought #1: I’ll Never Finish

Writing a book is a long process. Everyone’s different, of course, but for a new writer completing the first draft of a book-length manuscript in any genre can take YEARS.

But that’s not all writing time. In fact, most of that time is spent avoiding writing and thinking unhelpful negative thoughts about the book and ourselves as writers. Without the nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah from our psyche running in the back of our minds,...

Of all the reasons writers give for not [yet] finishing their books, time is at the top of the list.

We think we would finish the book we’ve started – the one gathering pixel dust deep in the recesses of our laptops – if only we had more time.

How much more time?

Heaps! Gobs! Bunches! Loads!

At least one completely free day every weekend, but preferably just weeks and weeks of open time as we go off somewhere alone and away from all our daily tasks and distractions.

We want a long stretch of time with nothing to do but write, ideally with someone bringing us yummy food, and changing out the towels and bed sheets every 2-3 days. (I confess: IT ME!)

For many writers, it’s impossible to conceive of finishing a book without a blank calendar that stretches miles out into the distance.

And when was the last time any of us had one of those?

You can see the dilemma.

But here’s what I’ve learned the really hard way: you don’t need swaths of open...

Busy Women on Writing Books

This is another instalment in a new interview series on writing, profiling women writers who’ve written and published books while also working, parenting, volunteering, caring for family, attending school, and ALL OF THE THINGS.

This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to my friend, Scottish Indie author Emma Dhesi.

Emma is a book coach and the author of The Day She Came Home, a contemporary women's novel, as well as the novels Belonging and More Than Enough -- all of which are available on Kindle. Now an accomplished Indie author, Emma knew she wanted to be a writer when she was just 8 years old. Emma lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with her family and is the host of the podcast Turning Readers Into Writers.

I know how amazing you are, but please let everyone else know a bit about yourself and the books you’ve written thus far. Own it and brag a bit for us!

I’ve now written six manuscripts and published three - which amazes me...