 Hello, hello writers! I'm Christine Kiefer, author of fantasy fiction and creative writing resources, and you are listening to the Well-Sturried podcast, where I share insights, encouragement and actionable advice designed to help you craft sensational novels and build your best writing life. Always in 30 minutes or less, so you can get back to writing, of course. Ready for the show? Let's get talking! Come on in! Welcome once again friends, and thank you for joining me for today's episode of the podcast. Today is May 15th, 2019, and having somewhat recently acquired a new microphone for recording and really upping the quality of the podcast here, I decided that it was time that I went back through some of the blog archives and updated some of the old episodes. All of these episodes of the podcast are also available as articles on the Well-Sturried blog, and my articles are largely evergreen, meaning that they can be discovered and accessed and the information is still quality and is still relevant at any time. So it's important to me that the podcast episodes also reflect the quality of the articles so that when the articles are discovered, so the podcast episodes are too, so they're really great for you guys and the best that they can be. So today we are diving back into the very first episode of the Well-Sturried podcast titled Ten Ways to Care for Yourself as a Writer. You can find the article that also serves as the episode transcript at www.well-sturried.com slash self-care. Now let's dive in. Ten Ways to Care for Yourself as a Writer. Back in the summer of 2016, I wrote a very personal article for the blog. In it I revealed that I battled depression and shared tips on how to write while living with a mental illness. I never could have imagined how much of an impact that article would have. It's one of the biggest reasons why I want to talk more about writer-leaf self-care on the blog today. As writers, our work is often so mentally and emotionally draining. It's not hard to fall into periods of burnout or extreme doubt, which, being so difficult to overcome, can prolong our writing ruts even further and leave us feeling defeated. This is not a pattern I want you guys to fall into, which is exactly why I want to share ten ways that you can learn to care for yourself as a writer today on the blog and on the podcast. Tip number one, call yourself what you are. A writer. If you're writing, you are a writer. It truly is as simple as that. It's not publishing or reaching a certain skill level that validates you as a writer. The fact that you're actively and consistently creating new stories is all the proof you need to take up the title and start proclaiming your writerhood to the world. So what are you waiting for? Go own your status. Tip number two, accept that you'll always have room to grow. I don't think I'm good enough to be a writer. This phrase most often stems from a place of doubt, but it's also extremely problematic. It implies there's a certain skill level you need to reach before you can even call yourself a writer, which, as we talked about in tip number one, simply isn't true. It also reinforces the idea that writing is pure talent, which is also false. Does a bit of talent help a writer along? Sure, but good storytelling is a craft that can be learned by anyone with a love for stories, an open imagination, and the willingness to work hard for what they want. Your skills as a writer and storyteller may not be where you'd like them to be today, but there's nothing stopping you from getting there. You are truly as good a writer as you work to be. Tip number three, give yourself time to write. If you struggle with the first two self-care items on our list, you may also experience writer's guilt. Again, this guilt usually stems from a place of doubt. Why write when you aren't that great or when you could be spending time with friends or family members, putting in overtime at work, or doing something else you consider more productive or worthwhile? Writer, you should never feel guilty for doing what you love. If stories are your passion, make time to write them, guilt-free. Nurturing your passion is what brings you joy in life, and as a bonus, it's also the quickest way to improve your writing skills. So give yourself time to write freely and willingly. You won't regret it. Tip number four, create an elevator pitch. Has someone ever asked you what your book's about? Only for you to awkwardly stumble through an answer? Me too. One thing we certainly don't want to equate our writing with is embarrassment. That's why it's so helpful to have an elevator pitch ready to go. I prefer to keep things sweet and simple. In most cases, the person you're talking to isn't expecting a seamless three-paragraph book blurb. They're simply curious about what you write. Need an example? Here's what I usually tell people about my two novel projects, The Dark Between and Lady Legacy. Oh, it's the first book in a fantasy series. It has multiple main characters and lots of intrigue. Kind of like Game of Thrones, but for a younger audience. And it's about a woman named Kleana. She's a talented healer, but she has crazy ambitions that often get her into trouble. She's like Christina Yang from Grey's Anatomy, but in a medieval fantasy world. You don't have to include pop culture references in your own elevator pitch, but I personally find that doing so helps move the conversation forward. It gives the person you're speaking with something to relate your book to. Tip number five, stop caring about what others think. There are going to be people in your life who think writing is a waste of time. It's not a profitable career. It's too time consuming a happy. It's a silly pursuit. I'm sure you've heard it all, but that doesn't mean those statements are true. Not in the slightest. There will also be people who doubt you as a writer or think the genre of stories you tell are silly, sappy, cheesy, whatever. The key is to simply stop caring what other people think. I know it's easier said than done. I'm a recovering people pleaser myself, so I hear you. But you have to accept that you're never going to please everyone. And that goes for readers, agents, and critics too. Instead, focus on creating amazing stories for people who share your interests. Because there are people out there who love the same types of stories as you, and they're just waiting to devour everything you have to share. Tip number six, set up an automatic backup system. If you've ever lost work due to a crashed computer or a failed save, you know just how frustrating and heartbreaking it can be. But don't spend your days worrying about backing up your work. Instead, switch over to an automatic backup system. My favorite automatic backup system is Dropbox. It's free and setup is simple. All you have to do is head over to Dropbox.com, sign up for an account, and download the free app. The app then appears on your folder, on your computer as a folder. House your projects inside this folder, and every time you press save, your files will update automatically in your Dropbox cloud. Even if your computer crashes, you'll be able to access all of your files simply by logging into your Dropbox.com account. Pretty awesome, right? I'm not affiliated with them in any way, by the way. I just really love the service. Here's a pro tip. Write your novel inscrivener, and you won't even have to remember or worry about pressing save. Your entire project will automatically save itself every time you stop typing for two seconds, so you can write completely worry-free. Alright, tip number seven. Organize your notes and project files. Nothing is worse than rifling through dozens of project files and notebooks, trying to find that one cool line you wrote while waiting for your triple venti caramel macchiato at Starbucks. It's time to admit that you cannot work this way, which also means it's time to get organized. Even if finding an organization system that works for you turns out to be more time-consuming than you expected. You may need to try out multiple systems and reorganize a lot of work before you find the perfect setup. But getting organized is worth it when you can sit down to write, knowing exactly where all your notes and files are housed. I personally enjoy using Scrivener to get the job done. On to tip number eight we go, and that is to find a community. Writing is most often lonely work. It's no wonder that doubts often creep up and disrupt our groove. That's why finding a writing community is so important. If you're lucky enough to have a writing group in your area and it's a good one, I can't recommend getting involved enough. Being able to meet up with fellow writers in person is an amazing opportunity. But if you don't have a writing group nearby, or if yours wasn't the right fit for you, don't stress. There are plenty of ways to get involved in the writing community online. In fact, I currently facilitate two different communities for writers that I would love for you to join. The first is Your Write Dream, which is a thriving Facebook group where writers can seek support and encouragement in their writing journeys. I also host StorySocial, which is the weekly writers chat I host on Twitter. So click on the links in today's episode transcript at well-dashdroid.com slash self-care to learn how to get involved. On to tip number nine we go, and that is to take breaks from your writing. The surest way to avoid writing burnout? Don't work so hard and fast that you get burned out. That may seem like pretty obvious advice, but so many writers still work themselves into the dirt. I've learned over years of falling into writing ruts, my most recent laugh sting over two months, that you can't just take a break when you have no other choice. You have to take preemptive breaks, too. Simply by taking a day each week or a few days each month to rest and recharge is huge. You don't even have to stop working altogether, though that's perfectly okay too. Instead, simply have a little writing-related fun. You can create a Pinterest storyboard, write some bad poetry, read up on your favorite research topic, or just play around with a new story idea. On to tip number 10, write what you love. The key to caring for yourself as a writer truly lies in writing what you love. In feeding your passion and giving your love for storytelling the room to grow and thrive. So many writers spend their days worrying about how they'll find an agent, how marketable their story will be, or whether or not their readers will enjoy it. And while those things are important, they shouldn't be your main concern. After all, if you aren't writing something you love, why are you writing it in the first place? If you're passionate about a story, I promise you there will be readers who will love it, too. No matter how weird, sappy, literary, gory, or so on you make it. You are not alone in what you love. So don't settle for writing anything less than what makes you happy. Thank you for listening to today's episode of The Podcast Writer. I hope you found it helpful to your writing journey. If so, make sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a new episode and to give the podcast a quick rating and review. Doing so goes a long way toward helping the podcast reach new writers and lets me know that you're enjoying what I'm creating. You can also give me a shout out directly on Twitter at christen underscore keeper. For additional guidance as you work to craft sensational novels and build your best writing life, be sure to head on over to www.well-storied.com where I share blog posts, workbooks, e-courses, and other helpful resources for writers. Again, that's w-e-l-l-s-t-o-r-i-e-d dot com. Thank you again for tuning in to today's episode, my friend. Until next time, happy writing!