Shows
Inspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 77: [Summer Short] Why Your Writing is Better Than You ThinkSend us a textIn this episode, Elizabeth and Stephanie chat about how quickly self-doubt can creep up on you when it comes to your writing, but the truth is your writing is better than you think. When you join critique groups and read within your genre, you'll discover you know more than you think.Subscribe to our email list to be the first to know about our weekly podcast episodes, get insights into our writing lives, and learn about upcoming programs for writers! Save your seat for the Memoir Master Plan cohort...2025-07-2809 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 76: [Summer Short] Do Chapter Titles Matter?Send us a textMemoir Master Plan Cohort starting soon. Save your seat here.Elizabeth & Stephanie talk about whether chapter titles matter. Do you need chapter titles? Is there a difference between genres? Do readers have expectations?As part of our Summer Short series, this episode shares our perspectives on whether or not chapter titles are important. As we both make progress with our works in progress, it's something to consider because there are differences, and sometimes it's just a matter of personal preference. Subscribe to our email list to...2025-07-2112 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 75: [Summer Short] Why Your Email List Should Be Top of MindSend us a textIn this summer short episode, Elizabeth and Stephanie sit down together to discuss various perspectives on their social media strategy. They cover Instagram, Threads, and Substack. The general consensus is the benefit of having an email list.Previous episode with Michael Fedor mentioned : Writing Process with Award-Winning Political Thriller Author Michael Fedor Subscribe to our email list to be the first to know about our weekly podcast episodes, get insights into our writing lives, and learn about upcoming programs for writers! Save your seat for the Memoir M...2025-07-1421 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 74: [Summer Short] Finding Beta ReadersSend us a textElizabeth introduces our Memoir Master Plan cohort We're talking about finding beta readers and what we've learned from reaching out into the world of writers. It's curious to us there are editors offering beta reading and writers are paying to have people beta read. In our experience, beta reading involves finding your target audience of readers and they'll read without needing to be paid. What are your thoughts?Subscribe to our email list to be the first to know about our weekly podcast episodes, get insights into our writing l...2025-07-0712 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 73: [End of Season] Getting Ready for Summer & Writing PlansSend us a textIn this episode, Elizabeth and Stephanie talk about:* writing goals for their works in progress* books they'll be reading this Summer* Love is Brewing Substack & Podcast by Stephanie* what to expect in July with shorter episodes* limited podcast guest interest spots availableGet our Summer Bingo game hereSubscribe to our email list to be the first to know about our weekly podcast episodes, get insights into our writing lives, and learn about upcoming programs for writers! Save your seat for the Me...2025-05-2627 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 72: Is Truth Stranger Than Fiction?Send us a textIf something happened to you in real life, how much of it can go into a work of fiction for your character?Would your readers believe the scene?This is what we dive into in this week's episode. In romance, there are often outlandish events that bring people together or tear them apart. Readers get drawn into the emotion and tension of a scene, but are they questioning if it's believable?Being part of a critique group often brings up these interesting points to...2025-05-1922 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 71: [Donatella Taker] Fantasy World Building & CritiqueSend us a textThis week, Elizabeth chats with fantasy author, Donatella Taker, about her writing process. Even if you're not a fantasy writer, there is so much that's relatable in this episode about being a writer. You'll discover you're not alone in some of the challenges that present themselves for writers, such as self-doubt, and you'll find inspiration for navigating your way through when you listen to Donatella's journey.There's world building, character development, writing process, and navigating critique packed into this episode.Connect with Donatella Taker on...2025-05-1245 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 70: [Wendy Alexander] Reclaiming Your Voice Through MenopauseSend us a textOn this week's episode, Elizabeth talks with Wendy Alexander about her writing journey through menopause and how she helps women find their authentic voices and career paths. Wendy's perspective is where you'll find inspiration, especially if you're in this phase of life, or you're curious about what's ahead. You'll hear about how menopause can be viewed as a transformative journey for women. During menopause, many women struggle with uncertainty and experience profound changes which can lead them to question their life choices, particularly with their careers. Wendy describes menopause as...2025-05-0543 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 69: [BOOK CLUB] Reading Amanda Gorman's Poetry to Improve Your CraftSend us a textThere's so much to learn from poetry for improving your writing.This episode digs into the playfulness of language, but also the possibilities of repurposing writing to create new meaning.Have you thought about the last time you picked up a book of poetry?We know some of you write poetry.Whether you write poetry, or not, there's a lot to learn from exploring another genre.One of the interesting poetry styles used by Amanda Gorman is erasure, or blackout, poetry from her...2025-04-2839 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 68: [Marissa Loewen] Why You Become a Better Writer in CommunitySend us a textThis week’s episode is going to amplify what we believe so strongly here at the Inspired Writer Collective: Writing in community makes you a more productive and better writer.We welcome our guest, Marissa Loewen, who discusses the incredible benefits writers receive when they join a community of creative minds. Marissa hosts a virtual space for entrepreneurs, business owners, and writers. There’s no need to create in isolation. When you join a community, you’ll find yourself getting closer to the finish line of...2025-04-2137 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 67: [GUEST] Collaboration is Key to Reaching Your Goals with Amanda McKinneySend us a textSet your 90-Day Goal with PATH (use code INSPIRED for 20% off)We're back with Amanda McKinney, an accountability coach for women entrepreneurs, this week to share our results after setting a 90-Day goal upon the completion of Amanda's course PATH.We’ve been talking a lot this week about how this is the year for collaboration.Why is collaboration so important?When you collaborate you build community.Your productivity increases along with your confidence.Especially for women entrepreneurs and women writers!2025-04-1457 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 66: [GUEST] Finding Consistency Through Accountability with Amanda McKinneySend us a textIn this week's episode, Elizabeth talks with Amanda McKinney about the following and more:The Three Levels of AccountabilityCreating a 90-Day Writing StrategyOvercoming the "Perfect Conditions" TrapAccountability is the secret weapon of consistent writers, but you might need a different level depending on your needs. When you listen to this episode, you'll learn about those levels and you can decide what works for you.As you listen, ask yourself: What level of accountability do I currently need for my writing goals?2025-04-0752 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 65: [GUEST] Journaling to Empower Women's Voices with Jenny BenitezSend us a textIn this week's episode, Elizabeth chats with Jenny Benitez about the benefits of creating her podcast and discovering journaling for mental health and self-discovery. Elizabeth and Jenny share a passion for amplifying women's voices. Their conversation focuses on the transformative power of writing and journaling in women's lives. Jenny shares how she got started podcasting.With her podcast, she's created a space for women to share their stories and feel valued. You can get the guide she created here.Journaling is transformative because, like meditation, it brings you into the present mome...2025-03-3140 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 64: Finding Your Creative FlowSend us a textIn this week's episode, we reflect on our process of getting in the creative flow. Here's some of what we touch upon:The Science of Flow: We reference research in positive psychology about flow by professor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi who wrote a book called "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience"Identifying Resistance: Elizabeth emphasizes that recognizing when you're not in flow provides valuable information about your writing process. She shares her experience with her memoir, where resistance indicated she needed to restructure her outline.Creating Flow C...2025-03-2430 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 63: If It Doesn't Fit, Don't Force It: Talking About Spice Levels in Your NovelSend us a textIn this week's episode, we discuss the nuanced decision of how much “spice” or intimate content to include in your romance novel, memoir, or fiction with romantic elements. Stephanie shares her personal journey navigating this important choice in her own writing, breaking down the decision-making process into three key areas:Your audience - Within your genre, what does your audience expect? How are you choosing to balance YA vs. Adult audience expectations and the spectrum from sweet romance to more mature content? Character development - How y...2025-03-1723 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 62: [GUEST] Finding Your Audience After a Multi-Year Break with Romance Author Marysol JamesSend us a textJoin Elizabeth for a great conversation with Marysol James, a remarkably prolific self-published romance author with 31 books across six bestselling series who discovered her writing career by happy accident. Marysol's journey includes not only impressive literary success spanning cowboys to motorcycle bikers, but also a powerful personal story of healing and rebuilding her life after an abusive relationship derailed her writing. Meet Marysol James:Marysol James was a best-selling romance writer when she met and fell in love with a man who offered her a fu...2025-03-1046 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 61: [BOOK CLUB] What We Learned From Reading "First Lie Wins" by Ashley ElstonSend us a textHave you ever wondered what it takes to craft a story that keeps readers turning pages late into the night? You don't want to miss this week's podcast episode featuring our discussion of First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston—a masterclass in suspense and character development. It's a book that was optioned for the screen before it was published, it's a Reese's Book Club pick, but those aren't the reasons why we picked it. Stephanie had gone "down the rabbit hole" of reading books with the word lie...2025-03-0347 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 60: [GUEST] Vulnerability & Authenticity Sharing Personal Stories with Angela Dunn CartledgeSend us a textThis week on the podcast, Elizabeth chats with Angela Dunn Cartledge about connecting with others through our stories. It takes a lot of courage to put your personal story out into the world, and Angela creates a safe space for people to share and find they're not alone. Meet Angela: Angela Dunn-Cartledge is a working mom of triplets who lives in Knoxville with her family. She has been working as mostly in Finance her entire career but wanted a way to connect and tell her story on a...2025-02-2436 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 59: [GUEST] The Power of Knowing Your "Why" When Writing Memoir with Julie SedlerSend us a textThis week on the podcast, Elizabeth chats with Julie Sedler about her writing process and journey to publishing her memoir, Watch Me: Part Dare. Part Demand.Meet Julie: I’m Julie Sedler a chemical engineer by training, but a storyteller at heart. I have spent years journaling and writing down my latest inspirations on random post-it-notes. This has brought the ‘in the moment’ commentary and perspective to my books, courses, and coaching. I released my first memoir, Watch Me, in 2023 on how I transformed my life after...2025-02-1739 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 58: How To Set Goals to Fit Your Writing LifeSend us a textThis week on the podcast, we talk about our experience setting goals for our writing inspired by working through Amanda McKinney's PATH course. We do not make this recommendation lightly. Anything that we ourselves promote on the podcast (outside of providing a space for guests to share their services, books, and products) is heavily vetted. Here's what's in this week's episode: how the goal setting strategy designed by Amanda works so well for planning your writing timehow we've applied what we learned to our writing lives and...2025-02-1048 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 57: Take Control of Your Writing Career with DataSend us a textThis week on the podcast, Elizabeth and Stephanie talk about what it means to be a data driven author and how it's become a new coaching program of the Inspired Writer Collective. During their discussion, they touch upon the following and more:how Stephanie arrived at focusing on datakeeping your approach to data simplehelping authors not feel overwhelmed when it comes to datawhat are you curious about?what questions can data answer for you?Send a DM to Stephanie @data.driven.author on IG if you're interested in setting up a...2025-02-0330 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 56: [GUEST] Poses and Prose with Writer and Yoga Teacher Adrien TerrellSend us a textThis week on the podcast, Elizabeth chats with Yoga and Writing Teacher Adrien Terrell about the benefits of integrating a yoga practice with your writing practice. During their discussion, they touch upon the following and more:releasing energy in the body through yoga posescreating a ritual for yourself when you're ready to writefinding time to write and your path to being a writer that's uniquely your ownusing storytelling to navigate grief and challenges you faceAdrien Terrell is a writer and yoga teacher. She found yoga during a time o...2025-01-2732 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 55: [GUEST] Writing Process with Award-Winning Political Thriller Author Michael FedorSend us a textThis week on the podcast, Elizabeth chats with award-winning political thriller author Michael Fedor.During their discussion, they touch upon the following and more:writing a political thrillerusing your own story to inspire what you're writingcreating a prequel to hook your readersbuilding your writer identityThere's so much inspiration for writers packed into this episode.Michael shares what inspired him to start writing and how he draws from his own experience working in Washington D.C. to develop his characters and stories.You'll find useful tips...2025-01-2042 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 54: Benefits and Impact of Being a Guest On PodcastsSend us a textThis week on the podcast, we discuss the benefits of being a guest on podcasts.During our discussion, we touch upon the following:practicing showing up for yourselfrefining your messagecreating communityreaching a broader audience of potential readersThere's a lot of value in setting your sights on being a podcast guest, especially as an author.You'll gain self-confidence and propel your author journey forward by being a guest on podcasts.You can begin before your book is even ready for publication.Elizabeth mentions...2025-01-1327 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 53: Intrinsic Motivation for WritersSend us a textThis week on the podcast, we discuss our takeaways from reading Daniel H. Pink's book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.The book challenges traditional views of motivation based on rewards and punishments.Daniel Pink argues that intrinsic motivation - driven by autonomy, mastery, and purpose - is key for creatives.Tune in to learn more about how we connected our reading of this book to the writing process.Subscribe to our email list to be the first to know about our weekly...2025-01-0635 minInspired Writer Collective PodcastEpisode 52: [GUEST] Don't Wait! Follow Your Dream From Print to the Screen with B.L. ThomaSend us a textThis week on the podcast, Stephanie interviews her friend, author B.L. Thoma, who shares her unique writing journey from a dream to the screen. It’s the direction so many authors hope their book takes from being traditionally published to being optioned for the screen. B.L. Thoma’s first novel, Hear My Whisper, in her Morgan’s Landing series was written in an unexpected way, yet it opened up opportunities and helped her discover her gift for storytelling. And so I got out of bed, I grabbed a spiral...2024-11-2542 min