Tag Archives: Motivation

Non-resolution resolutions for 2022

January is traditionally the month of the ‘fresh start’. Of turning over a new leaf and becoming a dramatically different person who gets up early and drinks green smoothies, or gets 2000 words written daily before the rest of the house wakes up. Of starting new diets and joining new gyms, only to judge and shame ourselves when we fall off the wagon by Pancake Day (or decide to have a lie in and get a zero daily word count).

Let’s all agree that 2022 is the year we don’t bother with resolutions or any of that other bullshit that is designed to make us hate ourselves and spend money we don’t have on solutions we don’t need, for issues that don’t really exist. You are beautiful and unique and perfect, exactly as you are.

Dream on little dreamer

Dreams are good. Goals are better. But with the pandemic still ongoing and an air of uncertainty around absolutely everything we do, is 2022 the year you achieve your big, stretch goals? Maybe not, and it won’t be because you didn’t try hard enough or you didn’t deserve to success. You deserve everything you want, everything the world has to give. But the world doesn’t have much to give to us right now, and we can’t predict whether it will in twelve months’ time, so don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. Treat yourself with kindness, take this New Year as slowly and gently as you need to, because we’re all in this together and there’s no need to rush.

Reflections, not resolutions

So, instead of coming up with resolutions or even intentions for 2022, why don’t you take this year to look back at what you’ve achieved, and feel proud? Open that brand new journal you’ve been keeping for best and write a list of reflections, things you enjoyed from the last year, new things you tried, experiences you had where you were wholly present and not worrying about how you looked or getting the best camera angle.

Congratulate yourself for the incredible things you achieved and celebrate the small wins too, anything that brought you joy in 2021.

And at the bottom of your list, write ‘more of this in 2022’.

Let’s be honest, January is the Monday of the year, but if you focus on the good, treat yourself with kindness and give yourself small, manageable goals that feed your soul, then it will be a brilliant start to the new year.

Sending positive things your way!

Lyndsey

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Why consistency is better than originality

The title might be a little misleading, I guess it should read “why consistency is just as good as originality”. But when it comes to your writing and publishing career, especially if you’re an indie author, then consistency really is king.

For readers, a book that gives them a completely new perspective and a fresh take on the genre is amazing. But they might love it just as much as that other book that features all their favourite tropes and feels like a warm hug every time they reread it.

And which one can you write more quickly and easily, and publish more often? I’d say for most of us its the consistent book rather than the original book.

Consistency makes a publishing career

As an author, you might have a few truly original books inside you, and I absolutely encourage you to write them! But they can take years to finish because you need the right inspiration, the right headspace, and let’s be honest, we’re much more particular about these special books-of-our-hearts – the weird little WIPs we’re nervous to share in case nobody else likes them – than we are about the ones we know people will love because we’ve put the old, tried-and-true tropes to work.

Your readers love your writing, your voice, your world-building and storytelling. And their absolute favourite thing? When you bring out a new book. So give them what they want and consistently write and publish, don’t keep them waiting because your shiny, original story isn’t quite perfect yet. Get it perfect in the moments of inspiration and flow, when the muse is kind and the sun shines on your soul project.

But in the gaps between, write that comfort book. Employ all of your favourite tropes. Fan of friends-to-lovers? Write it. Secret royalty? Give it to us. And don’t feel bad if it’s not the most original, earth-shattering, mould-breaking story you’ve ever told. We all need those books that feel like coming home and putting on our oldest, cosiest sweater.

Original is overrated

You’ve probably heard that there’s nothing original left in this world, and it’s not far wrong. The rare book that comes out and shakes up the industry, turning everything that’s gone before it on its head, is all the more exciting because it’s just that – rare.

Humans love familiarity. We love comfort. Our brains are really stressed out by the new and different. There’s a reason why tropes are a thing, why so many stories follow the same old patterns and yet are still told centuries, if not millennia, later. It’s because we love them, they make us feel safe, they give us an experience we crave, which is to know how it’s going to end, how the story will turn out, and where the twists and turns will come.

Storytelling is the oldest method of spreading news, warnings and information. Hearing the same story, told in different ways, over and over again, is how we learn. So don’t shy away from retelling, tropes, and even prequels, sequels and tie-in series that fans of your other books will love.

It might be fan-service, but at the end of the day, we’re here to serve our fans, so why not give the people what they want?

Lyndsey

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Podcasts for writers and readers

Hi friends! Well, I’m back with some more podcast recommendations, because I can’t not listen to podcasts all day, every day.

On a side note, if you’re a big podcast fan too, and you enjoy true crime, audio books and dark young adult stories, then you definitely need to listen to Sadie by Courtney Summers! It’s a bestselling novel that follows dual POVs – Sadie’s POV, as well as a podcast host who is investigating a missing person case for a podcast called The Girls. It’s incredible. Head to Audible (or your fave audio book provider) and download it right now! Or read my review to see if it’s your cup of tea.

OK, back to the actual real life podcasts. Here we go…

The Author Accountability Podcast

Hosted by Donna and Rhianne, The Author Accountability podcast is a writing craft resource that all writers and authors should know about.

With episodes discussing everything from word counts and writing software, to author interviews highlighting the various journeys writers take towards publication, and beyond, there’s something for every stage of the writer’s life.

Back in January 2021, I recorded an episode with Rhianne as a guest co-host while Donna was on maternity leave. We chatted about our current WIPs, what we were reading and watching at the time, and how we come up with our character names. And then in July 2021, I recorded another episode with Rhianne, this time being interviewed as an author!

Listen to my guest co-host episode here!

Listen to my author interview episode here!

Follow the pod on Instagram

Unstoppable Authors

Every week, Angeline, Holly and Julia share their wealth of knowledge and experience on all things writing and publishing.

With over 100 episodes of insightful chats and interviews with some of your fave indie authors, there’s plenty of excellent content for you to binge on your daily walk or while you do the dishes (or is that just me?).

In August, I joined Julia to talk about my experience of collaborating with other indie authors on anthologies. Have a listen if you’re interested in working with your fellow authors and wondered how to get involved.

Listen to my episode here!

Follow the pod on Instagram

Through the Portal podcast

Through the Portal is a book club style podcast focusing on second world fantasy and sci fi, hosted by Chi Obasi and Alyssa Markins. Each month, they read a different book and interview the author, with a special section at the end for spoilers for those who’ve already read it. Then a second episode is released with the hosts chatting about the book and answering listener questions. It’s a really great way to have a deeper discussion about a book you’ve read and enjoyed with other readers, without having to leave your home!

Last month, I recorded an episode with Chi and Alyssa about my debut novel, The Fair Queen. It was so much fun to discuss the story in depth and share some sneak peeks about book two, as well as sharing behind the scenes info from my edits, such as how the story changed from the first draft to the published version.

Listen to my episode here!

Follow the pod on Instagram

The Writing Sparrow

Sarina interviews a different author each week and shares their insights on everything from writing and publishing to marketing for indie authors. Ever wondered how you could use TikTok to market your books? There’s an episode for that. Dreaming of writing a ten book series? There’s also an episode for that!

I’ll be recording an episode on marketing for indie authors with Sarina soon, so keep your eyes peeled for my episode going live!

Follow the pod on Instagram

88 Cups of Tea

And finally, if you’re a writer or reader who loves podcasts and you haven’t come across 88 Cups of Tea yet, then you must have been living under a troll bridge.

More than just a collection of incredible interviews with your favourite traditionally published authors and storytellers from the TV and big screen, 88Cups has become a huge community of incredible, like-minded readers and writers who love to hear and share great stories.

The top most downloaded episodes include Sarah J. Maas, Victoria Schwab and Samantha Shannon, plus there’s interviews with Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Maggie Stiefvater, Marissa Meyer, Leigh Bardugo, Stephanie Garber, Tomi Adeyemi, Roshani Chokshi… the list goes on. And there are tons of interviews with literary agents who share their #MSWL (that’s manuscript wishlist to you and me) so you can brush up your query letter game and make sure you’re targeting the right agents.

Not only that, but the amazing host, Yin Chang, and her girlfriend Moonlynn Tsai, who is a chef, decided to start a charitable initiative to combat the rising xenophobia against the Asian community as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic by delivering free, culturally-thoughtful meals to those in need in their hometown of NYC. Heart of Dinner is an incredibly beautiful movement and something we should all be supporting and emulating in our own communities right now.

I hope you picked up a couple of new podcast recommendations and enjoyed listening to me chatting to some of the hosts about The Fair Queen and my writing journey.

Happy listening!

Lyndsey

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