On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I share three things that have changed my writing life for the better lately including:

Kanban Board
Setting not only a daily, but also weekly word count target for my WIP (and of course, stickers!)
Scrivener (desktop version for writers ~ not sponsored!)

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I share how using the rule of three in your writing to create compelling character arcs can help raise the stakes in your novel.

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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Today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast is short and sweet, but imperative for a great story. Learning how to write a book premise, logline, and define your book’s elevator pitch is the first step to writing a book. The second step is structuring, outlining, and plotting — but first, you need to understand your book’s central idea/theme, what drives the plot. Typically, a premise needs to contain 3 things in a single sentence:

A protagonist

A goal (what does your protagonist want or need?)

A situation or crisis (the protagonist is facing)

You should be able to define what your story is about, why readers should care, and be able to complete this sentence:

[Character] must [do something] to [story goal] or else [disaster/crisis situation/reason why the audience should care].

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I have the pleasure of chatting with author Lindsay Zier-Vogel about her debut novel, LETTERS TO AMELIA. In our conversation, we discuss (amongst many things): the transformative power of letter writing, what it’s like to launch your first book during a pandemic, the research process into the undocumented parts of Amelia Earhart’s life, dealing with devastating rejections, and how specificity is key to great writing.

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Lindsay’s Links

Website: lindsayziervogel.com

Instagram: @lindsay.ziervogel

Twitter: @lindsayzv

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I chat about ways to handle constructive criticism and negative feedback as a writer. Writing and publishing books requires a level of vulnerability that can make the harsh sting of criticism hurt on a personal level, but learning how to deal with criticism is crucial for a long-lasting career as an author. In this episode I talk about differentiating between constructive criticism you should ignore and helpful feedback that can enhance your writing, along with sharing some ways I manage self-criticism and literary criticism as a full-time writer.

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I chat with Colby Sharma, speaker and author of THE CURVEBALL: A Story of Grit, Adversity, and Winning the Game of Life. Colby discusses his debut book, the heroic vs. egoic self, and shares valuable insights on what it means to live a life of impact. We also discuss the importance of mentorship, failure, family support (his father is motivational speaker and bestselling author Robin Sharma), and using fear as fuel to overcome adversity on your path to growth.

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Connect with Colby:

Website: colbysharma.com

Instagram: @colbysharmaofficial

Buy Colby’s Book: THE CURVEBALL

Books Mentioned in the Podcast:

On Writing by Stephen King

Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts by Ryan Holiday

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

Perennial Seller: The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts

The Curveball: A Story of Grit, Adversity, and Winning the Game of Life

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I share my top five tips on how to write a great book blurb. Your title and cover can grab a potential reader’s attention, but it’s your book description that does most of the heavy lifting in enticing a reader to buy your book. Think of your book description as a movie trailer in written form. It’s not a play-by-play summary, but in a few compelling paragraphs you should be able to accurately describe your novel, set up the main conflict and give the reader a reason to care about your protagonist without giving too much away. “Your book is a story, but your book description is an ad.”

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I have the pleasure of chatting with bestselling historical romance (and mystery) author, Rachel McMillan. Rachel has published over 16 books and counting, including bestseller THE LONDON RESTORATION and THE MOZART CODE (available for pre-order, forthcoming in March 2022). She is also a literary agent, fierce author advocate, and a wealth of literary wisdom. Rachel shares so many great nuggets of advice for anyone trying to making it in the publishing industry. I so enjoyed our conversation and hope you do, too!

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Rachel McMillan’s Links:

Website: rachelmcmillan.net

Instagram: @rachkmc

Twitter: @rachkmc

Facebook: /rachkmc1 *Don’t miss Rachel’s weekly Facebook Live conversations with authors/writers!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I give a very brief (we are talking the briefest of brief) life update before I delve into why internal conflict is a necessary ingredient to any good story and how it drives character development. I touch on the different types of internal conflict including: religious, moral, societal, existential etc., the five (5) main triggers for a protagonist’s internal struggle including: desire, needs, duty, fear, and expectation, and some ways you can add internal conflict into your character profiles or WIP manuscript.

The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I chat with Liselle Sambury, the Simon & Schuster debut novelist of BLOOD LIKE MAGIC, also an Indigo Staff Pick. Liselle is a wealth of knowledge on the traditional publishing industry and I loved hearing her thoughts on publishing in a pandemic, her writing and querying process (including why books take so long to hit shelves after a book deal), why your goal post is always moving as a writer, an author’s relationship with social media, and the balance of having big dreams with realistic expectations. The Word Weaver Podcast is available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Liselle’s Links

Website: lisellesambury.ca

YouTube: youtube.com/c/LiselleSambury

Instagram: @lisellesambury

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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Today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast is a short solo episode where I talk about why I’m currently taking a writing break and the importance of refilling your creative well. Available on all podcast platforms and now on YouTube.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I reunite with a Harvard classmate, Liz Hauck, the author of HOME MADE: A Story of Grief, Groceries, Showing Up, And What We Make When We Make Dinner, published in June 2021 by Penguin RandomHouse. Reading HOME MADE brought me back to our nonfiction writing class six years ago, when I was lucky enough to read the burgeoning beginnings of what would become Hauck’s debut memoir. I loved getting the chance to catch-up and chat craft with Liz from her home in Boston! You can listen to the podcast on your preferred platform or watch the full interview on YouTube.

Connect with Liz

Buy Home Made

Website: lizfranceshauck.com

Instagram: @lizhauckwrites

Twitter: @lizhauckwrites

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I share a few tried and true tips 'n tricks on how to motivate yourself to write (even when you don’t want to). It’s summer and we’re slowly emerging from a long pandemic-induced season of hibernation, so it’s natural to feel unmotivated to sit at your desk and write. We all need a little kick in the pants sometimes and hopefully this episode inspires you to return to your writing roots (even if it’s in a few months from now). I know I’ll be returning to these 10 tips on how to motivate myself to write come fall :)

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast I get the chance to chat with the beautiful and brilliant Marlowe Granados. She’s a writer, filmmaker, and author of the debut novel HAPPY HOUR. I loved getting to hear about her writing process, journey to publication, and the importance of trusting your creative vision (even when no one else does).

Connect with Marlowe

Website: marlowegranados.com

Instagram: @marlowetatiana

Buy Happy Hour!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

NEW episodes weekly on Word Weaver Wednesdays.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media, as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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Today’s chapter of the #WordWeaverPodcast is short, but sweet. I wanted to introduce the new updated podcast branding and design look ~ a little sleeker, chicer, simpler and give a general life update post publication of my first book. In a way, it feels like things are only just beginning!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m diving headfirst into a highly Googled topic for most writers and aspiring authors, and that is how to land your book on the coveted New York Times bestseller list.

For many of us, the credibility, ego boost, bragging rights, external validation and readership that come along with this prestigious credential after years of toiling away behind a keyboard = the equivalent of our Super Bowl ring or Olympic gold medal. Becoming a NYT bestselling author is traditionally seen as the holy grail for an author in the publishing world.

However, it’s important to note that the NYT bestseller list is not a true measure of bestselling status, which accounts for total actual sales. It’s largely controversial, as the list is subjective and a lot of the criteria is reportedly a “trade secret,” meaning a lot of it is arbitrary and has been subject to curated elitism.

That being said, if you, like many writers, have your heart set on becoming a New York Times bestselling author, I chat about what it takes to get on the list including:

Understanding what the NYT is looking for exactly

Obtaining fast sales, captured within a week, not cumulatively (Think: 10,000 min copies in 7 days, again this is relative/can vary, but in case you really are just looking for a ballpark number)

Diversity of sales across multiple retailers throughout the country

Establish a large author platform

Have a pre-order email list before you launch

I also discuss the importance of pre-order sales (probably your best bet for having a shot of getting onto a bestseller list)!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I chat with Toronto-based writer and art curator, Tatum Dooley. Her writing has appeared in the Globe & Mail, Artforum, The Walrus, Vogue UK, Lenny Letter, TeenVogue and more. She is also the founder of Canadian Art Forecast, showcasing upcoming and mid-career Canadian artists.

I loved getting to talk shop with Tatum! As we’re currently in another lockdown, conversations like these really fill me up and motivate me to keep going.

We chat, amongst other things, about:

The current media landscape (click quota culture & quality journalism)

Cultivating a creative community as an introvert

Lockdown writing routines/rituals

If working in a bookstore is as romantic as it sounds

How to pitch freelance articles to editors (she’s a pro!)

Canadian Art Forecast and why art is needed now more than ever

What it was like working for TeenVogue

What she’s reading, watching and listening to these days!

Substack newsletters

Connect with Tatum

Instagram: @tatum_dooley

Canadian Art Forecast: @cdnartforecast

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m answering the burning questions every (Canadian) author asks themselves or types into Google: how many books do you have to sell to be a bestseller in Canada and how can you become a bestselling author?

In next week’s episode I’ll do a deep dive into the crown jewel, the gold standard of bestseller lists, and share everything I know about how to get on the New York Times bestseller list, but for today’s episode I wanted to break it down specifically for how to be a Canadian bestseller.

Today, I’ll do my best to answer these questions:

How do you measure what qualifies as a bestseller?

How many copies do you need to sell to be on the bestseller list?

Which books are eligible to appear on a bestseller list in Canada?

What sales count toward becoming a bestseller?

When can you label yourself as a “National Bestseller,” vs. “International Bestseller,” vs. “#1 Bestseller,” vs. “Globe & Mail #1 Bestseller,” etc.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m sharing the second book club episode from The First Step Podcast where Calissa and I discuss the novel Monogamy by Sue Miller. We also discuss our favourite books from 2020. These book club episodes originally air on The First Step Podcast. Our next read is Off Script by Marci Ien!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m talking all about pen names, aka. nom de plumes, and whether or not you should publish under a pseudonym. Overall, it’s a personal choice and there really is no right or wrong answer, but in this episode we’ll dissect some reasons why a writer might want to use a pen name and things to think about if you choose to use a nom de plume in your publishing journey.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m sharing my personal annual review process for reflecting on the past year and my planning process for how I set and achieve goals (hint: think quarterly, not annually!)

Can you believe we are in the last week of December 2020?! This year will go down in history…and WOW, guys, we made it. Mentally, emotionally, physically, financially it was a true test on humanity, so take a moment to pat yourself on the back and give yourself a gold star for getting to this point. You did it!

Every December, I love to do an annual audit to see how much I actually DID accomplish, even if they were small wins like changing from one sweatsuit into another. It’s easy to diminish our accomplishments, or forget about them entirely in a year like 2020, but I promise you that once you write it down in a journal and look back on your wins, you’ll be astonished at how much you’ve done and how far you’ve come.

Let me know if you enjoy this episode and how you review and plan to achieve your dream life!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m sharing six ways you can read more with a busy life. It can be hard to get back into the habit of reading, especially with digital technologies like social media vying for our (vastly shortened) attention spans. We all only have 24 hours in a day and it can be hard to find pockets of time to justify reading a book when we have a million other tasks we’ve had to prioritize (props to all of the parents out there). I’ve gone through my fair share of reading slumps, but these are my tried-and-true tips on how to read more.

In this episode, I’ll explain in more detail the following 6 methods:

Audiobooks

The 2-Minute Rule

Habit Tracker / Star Stickers

Sticky Note Method

Pick a topic or genre you actually enjoy, NOT what’s popular

Re-visit an old faithful

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Available on all podcast platforms including Apple iTunes and Stitcher.

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On today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m sharing my candid discussion with Calissa, the founder and host of The First Step Podcast (previously aired on that podcast!) For the first book club pick, we discussed Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman.

It’s the story of two friends (also hosts of the Call Your Girlfriend podcast), Aminatou and Ann, on the art of friendship maintenance and how these relationships ebb and flow over time.

In this episode, we recap the book, give our reviews and go deep into how the book’s themes, from shine theory to stretching for your friendships have affected our own lives.

We’ll be doing a book club review every month until April 2020! Our next book club pick is Monogamy by Sue Miller, so grab a copy and read along with us!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

After finishing his Master’s Degree at the age of 28, Travis couldn’t bring himself to follow the traditional American blueprint laid out for success, so he took off to South America. That first flight was the start of an adventure around the world—an adventure that his friends didn’t understand and of which his father openly disapproved.

Travis shares how his father feels about the release of his raw and revealing book, how he learned to create his own version of success and the importance of following through on the promises we make to ourselves.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

Not That Anyone Asked: A Travel Memoir about Sex, Drugs, Love, and Finding Purpose

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m sharing my recent speech for the University of Toronto’s “How to Become Published” panel to journalism and creative writing students.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I have the honour of speaking with 13-year-old bestselling thriller author and mental health writer for Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, Kristina Naydonova.

Wise beyond her years, it was a treat getting to chat with Kristina about her debut thriller, The Black Sisterhood Files, her writing process, how she balances school and authorhood, her thoughts on social media, advice for writers of all ages, her dreams for the future and how she came to be such a prolific writer and speaker.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

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Today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast was inspired by a trend I noticed a couple years ago that still seems to prevail—and that is the use of the word GIRL in book titles! Gone Girl, Girl on a Train, THe Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest…you’ve probably noticed and wondered about it too!

I’ve also typed into google such questions as: “What are the most popular book titles?” and “What are bestselling book titles?” — I was curious to see if the most popular and bestselling novels out there fit a particular pattern, and lo and behold, yes they do! Many use repetitive, cliché words and often fall into a mold based on genre.

Selecting a book title is a great opportunity to indicate plot, character and the overall aura or atmosphere. Readers like to know what they’re getting into and a book title is a key way to capture their attention.

I discovered eight (8) general trends that the most common book titles usually possess. In today’s chapter, I discuss in more detail the following:

Female Names

Male Names

The Weighty Words

The (followed by a) Noun

The Noun Sandwich

The Fragmented Sentence

The Run-On Sentence

The Biblical Reference

I also touch on specific popular WORDS (i.e. “Girl” “Woman” “Life” “House”) that are trending in each genre.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m talking about visualization and how you can use it as a transformational tool for achieving your wildest writing goals.

Visualization, on its own, is picturing in your mind the outcome of something BEFORE it has happened. By utilizing all five senses to vividly imagine your idealized outcome, it brings your desired goal into the realm of possibility.

Our thoughts are energy, they are so powerful! Your amygdala, the part of our brain responsible for the fight or flight response (our survival instinct), has trouble distinguishing between something that is being seen in your mind during a visualization and something that is actually happening in real time. Simply by visualizing it, you are bringing it into your reality.

When you consistently practice visualization, you’re engaging the familiarity effect, where your wildest writing dreams suddenly seem less scary or impossible and more tangible!

Olympic athletes, like Michael Phelps, have leveraged the powers of visualization (often up to two hours a day) in psychological preparation for big competitions and events. Michael would see himself winning, feel the weight of a gold medal around his neck, smell the chlorine in the pool, taste the water on his lips, hear the sound of the gun going off and the crowds cheering.

As writers, we can employ the same techniques in order to be mentally fit for the marathon of writing and publishing a book. That could be envisioning yourself typing “THE END” on your first draft, getting a phone call from your agent with a book deal, walking into your favourite bookstore and seeing your novel on the Hot New Releases table or opening up the newspaper and seeing your name in print on the bestseller list.

Along with helping to manifest your book goals faster, 8 other benefits of visualization are:

Improved performance (incl. word count output)

Increased focus

Decreased levels of stress and anxiety

Insomnia relief

Boosted immunity

Alleviate migraines and chronic pain

Decreased depression

Boosted confidence

Visualization through meditation, or simply by sitting cross-legged with your eyes closed for five minutes, can start off feeling silly and as though nothing is happening (we are so used to instant gratification) — but through consistent practice, I have noticed the benefits only in hindsight, they happened almost invisibly over time. If you can BELIEVE IT, you can ACHIEVE IT!

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

wordweaverpodcast

Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m taking you on a trip down typography lane and chatting about the best fonts for books.

Did you know, on average, a bookstore browser spends 8 seconds looking at the front cover, 15 seconds reading the back cover and about 5 seconds flipping through a book? Not only are people judging a book by the imagery on the cover, they’re also subconsciously judging the typography!

I found myself down a research rabbit hole looking up the best fonts to use for my manuscript (if you take nothing else away from this episode, always use Times New Roman 12pt font for your manuscript!) — then I got curious about the typography of my favourite books.

In this episode, I discuss the history of typefaces produced just after the invention of the printing press, the five (5) most popular fonts by genre for the interior body of a book, fun fonts for book covers and the difference between a serif and sans serif font.

After listening, you likely won’t be able to pick up a book without investigating the typesetting, as hopefully you find the psychology as fascinating as I do!

Book fonts are important for two (2) main reasons:

Readability — the font has to be easy on the eyes for the reader to absorb for a long period of time (includes the spacing between letters, the height and thickness and the size of the serifs)

Elicit emotion — the typesetting of a book can drastically change how a reader receives your words. When choosing font for your own finished book, ask yourself what message is your book trying to send and what do you want readers to feel?

The Most Popular Five (5) Fonts for a Book By Genre:

Literary Fiction: Baskerville

Romance Novels: Sabon

Thillers and Airport Page-Turners: Garamond

Academic Non-Fiction: Caslon

General Interest: Utopia

Word Weaver Podcast Links

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Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I have the surreal experience of speaking with ANOTHER author named Louise Johnson on the launch day of her debut memoir, Lou Who?

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to speak with my literary doppelgänger and I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did!

Louise moved from Scotland to Vancouver following a traumatic divorce and turned her transformative six-year period into a self-reflective memoir: detailing her discovery of selfhood, personal health, sexuality and ultimately her gratitude for this land she now calls home, which has returned her to the essence of herself.

Her writing style is unabashed and her stories are anything but sugarcoated. As a writer, Louise believes in conveying her experiences using a mixture of stark reality and dark humour; and as a woman, she’s not afraid to tell the truth, especially if that truth is hard.

If you’re considering self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, Louise has some great insight on her positive experience with The Self Publishing Agency.

Happy listening!

Connect With Louise

Website: louisejohnsonauthor.com

Instagram: @_louise_johnson_

Facebook: /louisejohnsonauthor

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m talking about how to plan a productive solo writing retreat and sharing my 7 tips to maximize your experience.

I’m going on a solo writing retreat in a few weeks to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ( SO excited) and wanted to share how I prepare, so you can smash your word count goals and leave feeling accomplished and motivated.

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I speak with my dear friend Bryn Turnbull in the midst of launching her debut historical fiction novel, The Woman Before Wallis.

If you’ve ever dreamed of writing and traditionally publishing a book (with a big 5 publisher to boot), Bryn gives us a real-time glimpse into the emotions and behind-the-scenes happenings of not only what it takes to write a book, but what it’s like to market and launch that book into the world!

RIGHT before we recorded the podcast she found out that in her first week she was a #1 National Bestseller…by the time you’re listening to this episode, she’s still running strong at six weeks and counting as a Toronto Star and Chapters Indigo Bestseller.

Bryn’s journey to becoming a bestselling debut author will inspire and motivate every word weaver out there to KEEP GOING until you actualize your dream of writing a book.

Make sure to check out Bryn’s WORD WEAVER IN RESIDENCE Author Q&A and buy a copy of The Woman Before Wallis, if you haven’t already, wherever books are sold.

Connect with Bryn

Website: brynturnbull.com

Instagram: @brynturnbullwrites

Twitter: @brynturnbull

Facebook: /brynturnbullwrites

Word Weaver Podcast Links

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Intro Song: Late July by Shakey Graves

Outro Song: Way With Words by Bahamas

NEW episodes are posted weekly.

Don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review and screenshot/share the Word Weaver Podcast on social media as it helps more people find it! I appreciate it so much.

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I introduce you to my HOLY SHIT LIST, my ultimate milestone checklist (or bucket list) for writers, to celebrate checkpoints throughout the writing/publishing process that make you go “holy shit! I did it!”

Writing can be a lonely business and since everyone’s journey to publishing a book varies, it’s important to be your own biggest cheerleader and celebrate your wins, both big and small, along the way!

You can download my exact Holy Shit List for free HERE — a printable, one-page PDF to tape to your wall, stick on your fridge, put in your journal or agenda to remind you of how far you’ve come and what you still strive to achieve.

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

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Today’s Word Weaver podcast chapter is all about the law of attraction and using the power of manifestation to achieve your wildest writing dreams, from finishing your manuscript to getting a book deal.

I used to think it was a bit “woo-woo,” but I truly believe you attract what you think. If you’re always focused on the negative, it’s almost like a self-fulfilling prophecy where the worst case scenario will happen. Like attracts like and positive thoughts attract positive outcomes. I share my favourite tips and tricks to implementing the law of attraction in your everyday life and learning to focus more on what you WANT instead of what you don’t want.

The first thing is getting HONEST with yourself on what it is you actually want (it’s a lot harder than it sounds!). Then, it’s about learning to change “I want” to “I will” and fully embodying the emotions and feelings associated with achieving your future goals.

Self-doubt will creep in, but it becomes easier to ignore with these practices:

Write it down (in a journal or on a sticky-note in your agenda/day planner so it’s visible)

Create a vision board of what your future self as a bestselling author looks like (I like to create a mood board for my book that encompasses the theme, setting, time period of the book and a second mood/vision board of my personal life as a full-time author)

Make a “mock” design of your future book cover and put it as the background of your computer or cell phone — you could also change it to an image of an author/writer you admire or a bookish photo from Pinterest of what you hope to achieve

Say it out loud, first to yourself in your room or in a car or while walking, and then start talking about what you want to manifest to other people

Meditate — use it as a visualization exercise to think about what it will be like walking into a bookstore and seeing your novel on shelf, what the cover design will look like, what it will feel like signing copies on a book tour, what it will be like opening galleys and ARCS, what kind of food you’ll serve at your book launch party — for 5, 10, or 15 minutes of your day let your mind fantasize about the fun rewards that come after the long slog of writing, editing, and querying a book — it’s a great way to manifest and motivate yourself to keep going

One of my favourite tips comes from Jim Carrey — he wrote himself a cheque for $10 million in 1985 for “acting services rendered” and dated it 10 years in the future. For a decade he kept that cheque in his wallet and call it a coincidence or the law of attraction and manifestation, but in 1995 he was cast in “Dumb and Dumber” and his paycheque was $10 million.

Try writing yourself a cheque for “writing services rendered” and pick a date in the future — tape it to your wall or keep it in your wallet as a daily manifestation

Another fun one I heard recently was an author who created a fake New York Times Best Seller list — she got a real one and photoshopped the name of her future book (she hadn’t even written it yet) and picked a date four years in the future (near her birthday as a gift to herself). She printed off her NYT Best Seller list, circled her name/book in the #1 spot and kept it on her vision board.

Try creating your own NYT Best Seller (or Amazon or USA Today or Wall Street Journal or Globe & Mail Best Seller list) and allow yourself to work toward that dream!

The key to the law of attraction and manifestation as a writer or an author, is that you don’t have to know HOW you are going to do something, or WHEN you will get it, you just have to know that IT WILL HAPPEN.

Remember, you are not only the author of the work you are producing, but the author of your own life. If you believe it, you can achieve it!

6 Books on The Law of Attraction and Manifestation if you’d like to learn more:

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

The Power of the Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy

The Secret by Rhonda Bryne

Ask and It is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks

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In today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, I'm sharing seven things nobody tells you about being a writer! There are a million more things you’ll discover as you go along through this bookish journey, but these are a few I’ve experienced. Happy listening!

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In today's chapter, I'm sharing my advice on what to do when you get an offer of representation from a literary agent. A friend of mine recently got her first offer after being in the querying trenches for nearly a year and had a few questions for me! It reminded me of my experience along this crazy publishing journey and how I really wished I'd had someone to ask all of these burning questions to.

From making sure you take the time celebrate this huge milestone (pop that champagne!! This is a big deal!!) to what to avoid, what to ask, and everything else in-between, I hope you find this episode reassuring and helpful as you chase your dream of becoming a writer. If you haven’t already, you WILL hit this milestone. The key is just not to give up.

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

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In today's chapter, I'm sharing how to take your amazing book idea and create an outline. It’s one thing to have a starting point, it’s something else entirely getting to the finish line.

Whether you're a plotter, a pantser or a hybrid of both, an outline will act as your daily roadmap with the milestones you want to hit (the big scenes) and the highways/roads in-between en route to the final destination (when you can type "The End").

I use good old fashioned pen and paper as well as digital outlines (index cards, sticky-notes, my white wall, binders, scrivener and excel spreadsheets).

Hopefully, sharing my method will at least motivate you to go from idea to outline in whichever format you choose!

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

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Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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On this chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, I chat with children's fantasy author, Maram Taibah, about her magical world building, the differences between writing children’s books vs. screenplays, and the importance of filling up your creative juice tank. She also introduces me to a new genre: steampunk. Don't miss the rapid fire Q&A at the end!

MARAM’S LINKS:

Instagram: @maram.taibah.author

Website: maramtaibah.com

WORD WEAVER LINKS

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

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The Word Weaver Podcast is BACK! In today's chapter, I'm sharing my 6 tips on creating a productive writing routine at home when life feels uncertain and disrupted.

Writers are built for working from home (this is our Super Bowl!) but managing stress, fear and anxiety is a very real thing right now during these difficult times. It’s easy to get distracted (especially if you’re working from home with a partner or little kids), but it’s important to create a daily habit to help alleviate some of that overwhelm, while improving your writing skills.

Word Weaver Podcast Links:

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Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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On today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, I chat with Yeldah Yousfi, one of Canada’s first and most beloved bookstagrammers (55k followers), better known on Instagram as The Beautiful Bibliophile (@beautiful.bibliophile).

Yeldah gives us a behind-the-scenes look at how, in two short years, she transformed her side hobby into a business and became one of the biggest bookstagrammers in the country. Before the word even existed, Yeldah began what she called a “literary and lifestyle” Instagram account while she was still in university. She merged her dual interests in photography and books by using them as the subject of her Instagram posts. After the account attracted over 55,000 likeminded literary followers, Yeldah began a blog with the goal to connect with people from all over the world and inspire readers - as well as herself - to dream big, read more and travel often.

In short, the term bookstagram is a hybrid of books and Instagram. It’s a bookish community on Instagram where people post anything book-related; what they’re currently reading, to book hauls, to how they organize their bookshelves, to bookish events.

The #bookstagram aesthetic is recognizable in that books are the focus of every photo and the feed is cohesive with similar colours, a mix of flat-lays (i.e. overhead shots of books on a flat surface) or a photo of someone reading and/or surrounded by a stack of a books. Cups of coffee and tea are used often and the most common locations for bookstagram shots are cafés and cozy bedroom nooks (bookshelves and twinkle lights galore!)

There are other variations of bookstagram on other social media platforms, except that it’s called BookTube or AuthorTube on YouTube and Booklr on Tumblr.

What piqued my interest to learn more about bookstagram was how engaging, positive, inclusive, and supportive the online community seems to be. It’s like a global, virtual book club where everyone is just happy to connect, share knowledge and chat about all things bookish! Social media can often lead to a lot of negative emotions, but if there’s one good thing to come out of the darkness that can be the Internet, bookstagram is one of them!

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For today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I thought it would be helpful to walk through a complete guide/glossary of literary, writing, and publishing terms. I know that when I first started out on my book publishing journey — and even now — I found myself Google-ing all of these new words, phrases, acronyms and jargon. Lots of websites, books and publishing veterans are so well-versed in this literary language that they just assume you know what they’re talking about! After asking a million times, “Sorry, what exactly does that mean?” I decided to create my own simple, easy to understand guide for these new-fangled publishing terms. I hope this is a helpful breakdown and handy reference guide for all of you word weavers out there too!

I also received a listener question asking me to go over manuscript specifications and formatting so I included that below as well :)

How to Format Your Manuscript

Manuscript: evolved from Latin and means “written by hand.” Manu is “hand” and scriptus is “to write." It refers to a writer's unpublished work whether it's handwritten or typed. A full manuscript is your fully finished body of work, whether it’s your first or final draft. A partial or unfinished manuscript is your work-in-progress. Many literary agents, editors and publishers simply refer to a manuscript using the abbreviation MS or MSS (plural).

In terms of manuscript formatting, the disclaimer is that each literary agency has specific requirements (outlined on their website) – so make sure that you follow their guidelines before firing off your MS to an agent. That being said, the general rule of thumb for a completed manuscript is:

Times New Roman font (boring but it’s a classic!)

Double spaced (always, always, always double space your manuscript! Even if you think it looks better at 1.5 spacing, all professional literary agents and editors expect double spaced)

Standard 1” margins

Simple cover page that includes the book’s title and subtitle (if you have one) centered about 3/4 of the way down the page, with the author(s) name(s) centered below the title. In the bottom right corner (or left-hand, but I prefer bottom right) include your contact information: email, phone, address, website and any social handles if necessary

Page numbers (I do the bottom right corner) on every page except for the title page

Header at the top of each page (example below)

[LAST NAME BOOK TITLE GENRE]

For reference, my full manuscript ended up being about 90,000 words and 400 pages long (double-spaced, TNR font).

GENRES DEFINED

Fiction: imagined, made-up story not based on facts

Non-fiction: true, factual story

Historical Fiction: a made-up story based on a real time and place in history but the characters and events are not true, accurate or real

Historical Non-Fiction: a true story based on historical fact

Science Fiction (Sci-Fi): writing based on real OR imaginary scientific developments and these books are usually set in the future

Autobiography/Memoir: the writer’s story of his/her own life (note: many celebrity “autobiographies” are ghostwritten but are still marketed/defined as memoir)

Biography: the writer’s account of someone else’s life

LITERARY TERMS

Novel: people often interchange novel and book, but a ‘novel’ is a fictional, untrue or imagined story (so since my book is non-fiction, I am not a novelist)

Prose: literary work that uses familiar, conversational forms of language

Protagonist: the main character, often the hero or force of good in a story

Antagonist: the person or external force that works against the main character or hero of the story

Setting: the place, location, and time frame where the story takes place

Exposition: at the beginning of the story where the characters are introduced, the background is established and setting is described

Conflict: problems, obstacles or struggles that appear in a book — there are FOUR BASIC types of CONFLICT in a book:

Person vs. Person: conflict between two or more characters
Person vs. Self: a character has an internal struggle with themselves/their mind
Person vs. Society: problem between a character and the world or society in which they live (i.e. school, law, religion, etc.)
Person vs. Nature: conflict between a character and some natural element like a blizzard, tornado, a mountain climb, lost at sea etc.

Climax: no sexual innuendo here but this is the high point in the action of a story, the big point of CHANGE where something happens that forces your character(s) on a path where some sort of transformation happens

Falling Action: right after the climax / point of transformation and the subsequent consequences that lead towards the story’s end

Resolution: what editors commonly use instead of “the ending” where all of the loose ends in the story are tied up

Alliteration: repeating initial consonant sounds to emphasize and link words, used a lot in poetry (ex: I love alliteration so the drop-down headers on my website are: plot, purpose, portfolio, prose, podcast, places, and play)

Simile: comparing two things using the words “like” or “as” – ex: “Her smile was as cold as ice.”

Metaphor: similar to a simile in that a metaphor also compares two things that are essentially different but with some commonalities; however a metaphor does not use “like” or “as” — ex: “Her smile was ice. (note: you are encouraged to use similies and metaphors sparingly and to avoid clichés (they should be unique and specific)

Personification: human qualities attributed to animals or objects — ex: “The wind exhaled.”

Foreshadowing: hints that help the reader anticipate the outcome without giving away the ending (helpful to foreshadow at the end of each chapter to entice readers to keep coming back for more

Imagery: use descriptive words or phrases that appeal to all five senses (smell, hear, touch, taste, sight)

Onomatopoeia: words that imitate sounds — ex: hiss, buzz, swish, crunch

POV: Point Of View — when this is circled or noted by an editor or agent on your manuscript it usually means that you aren’t using the correct POV or should think about switching it

First-person: the narrator is a character, usually the main character, and written using “I” and “we”

Third-person: narrator who is separate or outside the story, and instead uses “he,” “she,” “they,” etc.

Third-person limited: the narrator tells only what ONE character perceives/their POV

Third-person omniscient: narrator can see into the minds of all of the characters and writes from all of their POVs

Unreliable narrator: narrator who is telling the reader the story but they themselves might not have all of the information (i.e. they seem suspicious or lack credibility) — common in thrillers and mystery novels (Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window use unreliable narrators)

Reliable narrator: you trust that the narrator is telling the story with full factual information (most books are written from this POV)

Publishing Terms

Comps: in the publishing world, “comps” does not refer to product comps, complimentary, or computers etc. It means COMPETITIVE or COMPARATIVE titles/authors. A literary agent usually requires 3-5 “comps” to help them define your genre to publishers and the press. Comps should show how your book is similar but also different/unique from another title and author

Acquisition: when the publisher buys the rights to publish a book from the author. Publishers have key meetings where the team sits around a big table and decides which books to buy – that meeting is called “Acquisitions” or the “Acquisitions Meeting.”

TBR: To Be Read (referring to a pile or stack of books that a reader hopes to get through) i.e. “My TBR pile is overflowing!” Used frequently on Instagram and Twitter with the bookstagram community

WIP: Work In Progress (writers often refer to their partial manuscripts as WIPs)

ARC: Advanced Reading Copy or Advanced Review Copy (same as ARE/Galley)

ARE: Advanced Reader’s Edition (same as an ARC/Galley)

Galleys: When I first heard this I thought of Pirates of the Caribbean and Johnny Depp “down in the galleys” of the ship… but in the publishing industry galleys are the same as ARCs, AREs or uncorrected proofs. Galleys are created by the publisher months before the final printing and release of the book. They are sent to reviewers, booksellers, bloggers, journalists and other people crucial to the critical and commercial success of the book. There might be some typos but galleys/ARCs are bound like paperback books. Occasionally called “pre-first editions”

Advance: sum of money paid to an author upon signing a contract with a publisher. The terms are negotiated by the author’s literary agent – the one catch is that the author’s advance needs to be “earned out” by sales of the book once released (i.e. it’s not “free money” the publisher is essentially investing in the author’s ability to sell the book). Upon the book’s release, the author will have to “earn out” - or sell at least the amount of the advance - before the author makes a profit. Advances are typically paid out in 4 instalments: after signing the contract, after the finished manuscript is submitted to the publisher, after the book is published in hardcover and finally after the book is published in paperback

Backlist titles: books that have been published in the past or a long time ago but they’re still in print – ex: Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mocking Bird

Blurb: short quote or paragraph of text on the back of a book; basically a short summary for the reader of what the book is about. Blurbs also include quotes from other authors or celebrities that you see on the cover and are often used to pitch the book to media.

The House: In Canada we have “5 big banks” and in the publishing world there are “5 big houses” — term for Publishing Houses such as Penguin Random House, Harper Collins, Simon and Schuster etc. There are also many smaller publishing houses that are just as amazing and can often provide more individualized author attention. Beneath all of these “houses” there are various imprints that specialize in different genres, interest areas or types of books. For example, Penguin Random House has over 50 imprints such as Penguin Classics, Putnam, Bantam, Alfred A. Knopft, Crown, Doubleday etc.

ISBN: every book is assigned a unique ISBN number and it stands for International Standard Book Number, a 13 digit number that’s used to identify each book

The Jacket: term used to describe the book’s front cover (often removable on hardcovers). In key internal meetings at publishing houses where decisions are made about the graphics and blurb copy for the cover, these meetings are called “Jackets.”

Literary Agent: you’ve heard this before (I use it a lot) but what the heck does it actually mean and what the heck does a literary agent actually do? They are the person responsible for managing an author’s entire career – including helping them to develop, pitch and sell their book to publishers. They also act as the facilitator or mediator between the author and their editor. In return, literary agents take a percentage (standard is 15%) of an author’s advance and royalties.

PUB DAY: I also picture an English pub with pints of beers, which would actually be a great way to celebrate, but PUB DAY is the author’s official PUBLISHING DAY when the book is officially on sale online and in bookstores

Pre-Orders: the period during before the book is officially released but is available for “pre-order” purchase online. Pre-orders are SUPER important and can make or break whether an author is a bestseller. For example: if you get pre-orders for 8-12 months, ALLLL of those sales count on the first day that your book is officially released (PUB DAY). The New York Times Bestseller list looks at sales by week, so technically if you had 8-12 months worth of pre-orders and they all counted on your first day of the first week, that is typically your best bet for making any bestselling list

Slush Pile: this always makes me crave a Slushee from 7-11 (!!) but the “slush pile” is a stack of manuscripts that have been sent to a literary agent or publisher for consideration that they haven’t had a chance to read yet

Unsolicited submissions/manuscripts: you’ll see this mentioned on pretty much every publisher’s website, whereas before a writer could often bypass having a literary agent and directly submit their manuscript to a publisher, nowadays every publisher requires a manuscript to be submitted ONLY from literary agent — i.e. they do NOT accepted “unsolicited submissions” or “unsolicited manuscripts” directly from the writer. Literary agents, in that sense, are gatekeepers and vet manuscripts for the publishers that they actually believe are worth their time. That’s why it can be so hard to even secure a literary agent in the first place, as they won’t accept any submissions that they don’t believe they could sell to a publisher.

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Today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast is my in-depth interview with Ben McNally, the legendary bookseller behind "Toronto’s Most Beautiful Bookstore” and his namesake, Ben McNally Books. The shop first opened in 2007 at 366 Bay Street in Toronto’s financial district but Ben has worked in the book business for over 40 years.

We chatted over coffee inside his stunning shop, under the 14-foot ceilings, with the mahogany bookshelves as our backdrop. I was honoured that Ben would take the time to sit down and speak with me as he is somewhat akin to what a celebrity chef in the restaurant industry would be to the Canadian literary scene.

Independent bookstores have long been thought of as a dying breed, particularly with the age of Amazon. Even big box superstores like Chapters Indigo are dedicating more of their retail space to housewares, a higher profit driver for them than books. Despite the recent revival of indie bookshops (much like the renaissance of vinyl records and polaroid cameras), many independent bookstores have been forced to shut their doors over the years as book sales are unable to cover their overhead. In a fraught industry, Ben McNally Books has managed to stay competitive, which he credits to building trusting, loyal and long-lasting relationships with his customers — a face-to-face interaction he fears is being lost in our overstimulated technology era.

“On the internet you can find what you’re looking for; in our store you can find what you are not looking for.”

Ben McNally

In today’s podcast chapter we discuss everything from how he went from parking cars at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) to being at the forefront of the literary industry. He also gives us a behind-the-scenes look from the booksellers perspective of the publishing industry and his stance on why books are sexy again.

Don’t miss the rapid fire at the end where he tells us his favourite author, book of ALL time, favourite place to read and why he loves Harry Potter!

I don’t know if it was being in a bookstore on a quiet, snowy morning or listening to Ben talk about books, but I felt such a sense of calm during the interview. It was a magical conversation with a magical man! I hope you enjoy.

ps. If you’re located in Toronto, Ben hosts a monthly Books and Brunch in the Vanity Fair Ballroom at the King Edward Hotel with up to four authors and various In Her Voice events at the bookstore that support emerging female writers and poets.

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In today’s chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast I’m sharing the nitty gritty of freelancing 101 and how to get started as a freelance writer. There’s a lot to unpack on this topic so if you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments section below, on Instagram or iTunes.

Before diving in, we have to define what exactly is a freelance writer? Freelance writers are self-employed and typically write for several publications at any given time. In this podcast chapter, we’ll go through the different types of freelance writing that you can do and earn money from. When you’re first getting started it can feel a bit overwhelming of where to employ your word weaving talents, but you’ll naturally gravitate towards the topics and the writing formats that you’re most interested in and best at.

In general, the main types of freelance writing are (Note: I got more in-depth in the podcast):

Article (or “Feature”) Writing

Copywriting / Content Writing (including advertising copy, website content, press releases, white papers, print or digital newsletters, and even in-house or individual e-book ghostwriting)

Social Media Content

Blogging (for businesses or personal)

Editing / Proofreading

One of the biggest keys to being a successful freelance writer, with the goal of making this your full-time living, is to DIVERSIFY YOUR REVENUE STREAM. It’s no longer enough to rely on pitching a few magazine articles each month and hoping they get published. There are lots of companies, brands, and individuals looking to outsource various communication functions to freelance writers if you’re willing to put in the work.

The three key traits that every good freelance writer requires is: self-discipline, self-motivation, and an insatiable curiosity. You have to constantly brainstorm new ideas, always have your antenna out collecting concepts, and reading a wide variety of subjects while analyzing what would make a good headline or unique story angle. Then, you have to have the self-discipline to sit your butt down, spend the time researching, outlining, contacting sources, writing and revising your articles, which can be anywhere between 500 to 2000 words. Self-motivation is essential when it comes to making writing a daily habit, while sticking with the relentless pitching process to editors, companies and brands.

So, once you know that this is what you want to do. How do you establish yourself in the freelance writing space and actually find jobs?

The three steps that I recommend starting with are as follows (Note: I go more in-depth in the podcast):

Create a Website Portfolio

Start Honing your Writing Niche

The Pitching Process

Once you land your first writing gig, whether it’s for a newspaper or magazine or a business/brand, I’ll walk you through the phases of submitting your work, solidifying a contract and payment schedule with deadlines (including how many rounds of revisions), to invoicing and getting paid in a timely manner.

The reality when it comes to pitching is that even if you send 20 pitches, chances are you’ll hear back from 1. As freelance writers, the odds are NOT in our favour when you’re first starting out. I know a lot of people think that freelancers get to sit around in their pajamas all day and sleep in but it is a GRIND and you have to work your butt off every single day (eventually you can do it in your cute flower PJs from home once you’ve set up a system!).

Don’t be afraid to follow up with editors after a few weeks, people usually need (and appreciate) a gentle nudge as their inboxes and requests are overflowing. If you still don’t hear back, never take it personally, just move on to the next handful of editors or places you’d like to pitch from your excel spreadsheet and eventually, you’ll get a bite. Don’t get discouraged, don’t give up, and try to take your ego out of it. Rejections have nothing to do with you (they don’t even know you!) so often it’s about timing or not having space in the magazine. As Lady Gaga has said many, many times “If there are 100 people in a room, and 99 of them don’t believe in you, all it takes is one and it changes your whole life.”

The last burning question I dissect in this Word Weaver podcast chapter is how much money do freelance writers make?

Often those who ENJOY writing feel guilty for getting paid to do something that they LOVE, but you have to remember that when it comes to freelance writing, you are being hired by a publication, company or brand for your unique skill set that they either don’t have time to do themselves, don’t enjoy doing, or haven’t thought of doing yet! Freelance writing is a JOB and you should absolutely be compensated for your work in any industry. Own your worth and be confident in your rates! TIME IS OUR MOST VALUABLE CURRENCY so the amount of compensation you receive should be worthy of the amount of time you put into it.

Freelance writing can be an extremely rewarding career if it’s something you TRULY love to do. Success doesn’t happen overnight so be patient and kind to yourself. Stick with it as a daily habit, persevere through the muddy waters of rejection and treat it with as much tact as you would any other profession and great things will happen!

FREELANCE WRITING JOB BOARD LINKS

Media Bistro

ProBlogger

BloggingPro

FlexJobs

WORD WEAVER LINKS

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

WordWeaverPodcast

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Happy 2019! I’m so excited to kick off the New Year with the latest chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast featuring my interview with Paige McPhee. We met, nearly a year ago, at a writing event in Toronto where Paige was the keynote speaker. We got to talking after the event, she signed her own book for me, as she’s the author of the self-published non-fiction book entitled “I’m In Like with You” – a collection of almost love stories geared towards millennials. She knew from a young age that she wanted to publish a book…and she did it while juggling a six-course load at the University of Toronto, working multiple jobs (including Starbucks and as an intern/writer for various media publications).

In addition to being a self-published author and public speaker, Paige is a freelance writer, social media manager/producer for Notable Life and video host for Narcity Canada. Based in Toronto, Paige covers the gamut from pop culture, news, food, travel, beauty, dating, entertainment and gossip across the country.

As soon as I met Paige, I could tell right away she’s one of those rare people who is a real go-getter in life. She doesn’t just hope her goals and dreams come to fruition, she HUSTLES HARD for what she wants and finds a way, even with her busy schedule, to accomplish everything she sets out to.

In this podcast chapter we discuss everything from her favourite and least favourite celebrity interviews, getting published at the ripe old age of 10 in the National Post, how being a Starbucks barista honed her communication, the importance of hard deadlines, her self-publishing journey, freelance writing tips, and how heartbreak can be a great writing motivator.

i'm in like with you: a collection of almost-love stories

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Jessica Blank is a multi-hyphenate author, actor, director, playwright, speaker, and coach on a mission to impact our world through the transformative power of storytelling.

As an actor, Jessica has appeared regularly in film and television such as CBS' Made in Jersey, HBO’s High Maintenance, Blue Bloods, The Mentalist, Law and Order: CI, and many more.

With her husband Erik Jensen, she is author of THE EXONERATED, a play based on interviews they conducted with over 40 wrongly convicted death row inmates across the United States. THE EXONERATED became a New York Times number one play and an award-winning TV movie, starring Susan Sarandon, Danny Glover.

LIVING JUSTICE, Jessica and Erik's book on the making of THE EXONERATED, was published by Simon and Schuster. Jessica recently published her third novel, LEGACY (with Penguin Random House) and her first feature film based on her book, ALMOST HOME, premieres this fall. Her second feature film is currently in development with Likely Story, and her new documentary play (which has original music by Grammy winner Steve Earle) is set to be a major Off-Broadway production. If that weren’t enough to keep her busy, she is also launching several new initiatives as a writing coach and story activist in the upcoming months.

Jessica is a resident teacher at NYC’s Actors Green Room and a mentor for the Firelight Documentary Lab. She has guest taught at numerous colleges and universities including Brown, Stanford, Vanderbilt, NYU, The New School, Northwestern, and is a frequent speaker and panelist on the arts and social justice.

I can’t think of a better guest to have on the podcast to talk about the power of storytelling. Today we touch on everything from why talent is a myth, the differences between a generative and editorial brain, how to work across multiple narrative forms, the intersection between creative work and activism, and how words can change the world.

Jessica’s Links

Website: jessicacblank.com/

Instagram: instagram.com/jessicacblank/

Twitter: twitter.com/jessicacblank

Word Weaver Links

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

WordWeaverPodcast

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There are few things I love more than a fresh notebook. If you're anything like me, then this is the podcast chapter for you!

I used to fill my notebooks with whatever came to mind as soon as I bought a new one and by the end, I could never find any of the original ideas or helpful quotes or To Do list items that I truly needed. A few years ago, I started using different notebooks for different topics and it was a gamechanger in how I organize my thoughts and achieve my goals.

If you're looking for inspiration of what to use your notebooks for or fun, new ways to organize them, then tune on in to hear the 10 ways that I organize my notebooks. I don't usually like to pick favourites but if I HAD to, the first and last out of the ten that I mention are my all-time fav notebooks.

Let me know how you use your journals and notebooks! I'm always looking for new inspiration and organizational methods. Comment below, in iTunes, or on Instagram!

In this chapter of the podcast I mention these links:

Moleskine Notebooks: https://us.moleskine.com/home

Leuchtturm Notebooks: https://www.leuchtturm1917.ca/

Word Weaver Podcast - Chapter 15 - 5 Ways to Prioritize and Protect Your Writing Time (Eisenhower Matrix): https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-word-weaver-podcast/id1393037130?mt=2

Word Weaver Links

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

WordWeaverPodcast #Bookstagram #BestWritingPodcast

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I had the pleasure of chatting with Rae DelBianco, fondly referred to as ‘that redneck kid author’ of Rough Animals and bookstagram darling - she has almost 20,000 followers on Instagram.

Rae has been compared to Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson while her debut novel has been called “Breaking Bad meets No Country for Old Men.” VOGUE called it “existentially gripping” and one of the “25 top thriller books of the summer” by The New York Post.

She grew up in Bucks County, Pennsylvania where she raised livestock and founded a beef cattle operation at the age of 14. Rae attended Duke University on a Robertson Scholarship and was later accepted into Curtis Brown’s novel writing program in London, England.

Rae is an alumnus of Tin House’s Summer Workshop and lived with her 88-year old grandmother for nearly four years to finish her first novel (published June 2018).

In today’s conversation we discuss the importance of grit and perseverance - learnings from Rae’s childhood in Bucks County - and how those traits are crucial tools in dealing with the rejection that all writers’ face throughout the arduous publishing process. We also chat about bookstagram and ways to balance social media as a writer.

Rae is as articulate and as poised as her prose. I loved getting the chance to speak with her!

Rough Animals: An American Western Thriller

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Happy October! This chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast is a Preptober and NaNoWriMo 101 crash course. What is Preptober? What is NaNoWriMo? How do they work?

I also share my top preptober tips with 8 ways to get ready for NaNoWriMo, which stands for National Novel Writing Month, this November (they really like alliteration!)

NaNoWriMo (while a mouthful to say) is a global phenomenon that begins on November 1 and lasts until 11:59pm on November 30. Writers from all over the world can participate and they work towards the goal of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

Did I mention that it is 100% free to participate? NaNoWriMo is a nonprofit that believes in the transformational power of creativity. They provide the structure, community, and encouragement to help people find their voices, create and achieve goals, and build new worlds – on and off the page.

October has been dubbed "preptober" which gives writers time to prepare for the challenge of writing 50,000 words in 30 days.

In this podcast chapter, I explain the ins and outs of how it all works and my top tips on how to prepare for NaNoWriMo such as:

Jot down character names and descriptions
Define your genre
Do the math for the month
Map out your calendar
Reward yourself with mini milestones
Ward off your inner critic
Organize your workspace and computer desktop
Warn your friends and family!

I love the concept and the notion that what you set your mind to, no matter how daunting or impossible the task seems, you CAN accomplish it. At the end of the month, when you see how far you’ve come, knowing that there were people around the world doing the same thing, it truly will make you a more confident writer and motivate you to persevere until you reach the pinnacle of your writing goals.

Links:

NaNoWriMo Website: nanowrimo.org

Word Weaver Podcast: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Word Weaver Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

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Harley Rustad is an editor and writer at The Walrus Magazine and the author of Big Lonely Doug: The Story of One of Canada's Last Great Trees.

Big Lonely Doug was recently named by CBC and The Toronto Star as one of the top 25 non-fiction books to look for this fall.

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On today’s chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast I talk about the five habits that have allowed me to prioritize writing and fiercely protect that precious time. It’s easy to let writing drop to the bottom of your To Do list when there are a million other things pulling at your attention and demanding your time.

To accomplish any big goal, whether it’s writing a book or running a marathon, you have to prioritize them in your life. Between work and sleep, we have so few spare hours to dedicate to our dreams that we easily justify pushing them off until “later.” When we don’t dedicate time daily and schedule big goals into our calendars, they’re unlikely to ever come to fruition.

The easy option is to not do something and remain comfortable in the status quo. The more challenging yet rewarding option is to push ourselves out of our comfort zones and accomplish those things we’ve always dreamed of.

The first step is to start, then find the motivation to keep going until the end.

From the Eisenhower Matrix to learning how to say no nicely, these are the five things that have allowed me to prioritize and protect my writing time.

Let me know in the comments below, on the Word Weaver Instagram or in a review on iTunes how YOU make time for writing in your life and any tips and tricks that you’ve found helpful!

WORD WEAVER LINKS:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Shownotes: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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On this chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast, we chat with historical fiction writer Bryn Turnbull.

After receiving her BA in English Literature and History from McGill University in Montreal and her Master's in Professional Communications in Ryerson University in Toronto, Bryn was accepted into the historic and prestigious prose program at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland where she completed her Master's in Creative Writing.

It was during her time at St. Andrews (dubbed "Hogwarts by the sea") where Bryn established her writing routine, found her writing tribe, and workshopped the beginnings of her first book. Bryn also shares insights from her professor, the renowned Scottish writer, John Burnside, who gave her the best piece of writing advice she's ever received.

We talk about how the idea for People Like Us (the working title of her debut novel) was sparked by the Madonna-directed movie, W.E, how important a supportive network of family and friends are in overcoming self-doubt, and how the publishing process is like online dating.

BRYN'S LINKS:

Website: brynturnbull.com

Instagram: @brynturnbull

WORD WEAVER LINKS:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Shownotes: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Today's chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast is all about the querying process: how to write a query letter and a book proposal (for non-fiction writers).

A query letter (which really should be called a query e-mail since everything is electronic these days) has one very important purpose: to hook a literary agent into requesting your full manuscript (and eventually an offer of representation). Literary agents are the gatekeepers to the publishers so you want (and need) them to love your book as much as you do.

I used to think that after you wrote a book, you sent off your full manuscript (a neat stack of printed computer paper) directly to a publishing house where a man white a white beard smoking a tobacco pipe would decide whether or not they'd print it and put it on shelf.

In reality, traditional publishers no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts. The process after you've written your book can be slow and cumbersome. The first step is sending a query letter (and a book proposal if your book is non-fiction) to literary agents. This can take months, but if they like your query letter or book proposal, the next step is that they will ask to read your full manuscript. After another few months, they might come back with a (kind) rejection, an R&R (revise and re-submit), or if you're REALLY lucky an offer of representation.

Querying is part of the publishing process where you have to switch from your "writer hat" to your "business hat." It's where you have to start thinking about your work as a product. Your proposal is the marketing/business plan for your book.

Today's podcast chapter breaks down the 5 main elements of a query letter, the do's and don'ts, what to include in your non-fiction book proposal, resources of how to find a literary agent and sample query letters, as well as how to create an Agent Submission Tracker in excel.

LINKS MENTIONED:

The Writer's Market 2019: The Most Trusted Guide to Getting Published

Agent Query

Writer's Market

Publisher's Marketplace

WORD WEAVER LINKS:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Shownotes: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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On today's chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast I had the honour of interviewing Bestselling Author, Writing Coach, YouTuber, and Creative Entrepreneur Kristen Martin on how she built her successful literary empire.

Kristen Martin is the International Amazon Bestselling Author of six books including The Alpha Drive trilogy (YA Sci-Fi/Dystopian), The Shadow Crown series (YA Dark Fantasy), and Be Your Own #Goals (Personal Development).

She is also a writing coach, a YouTuber with over 30,000 subscribers on "AuthorTube", host of That Smart Hustle Podcast, and a creative entrepreneur. She lives in Texas and prides herself on helping aspiring authors reach their dreams of publication through her coaching programs, Valiance and Conquering NaNoWriMo.

I left our conversation feeling motivated, inspired, and as though I had just chatted with an old friend. Kristen is the ultimate girl boss and authorpreneur. Grab a pen because this is one you'll want to take MULTIPLE notes on as she shares ALL of the words of wisdom!

KRISTEN MARTIN'S LINKS:

Website: kristenmartinbooks.com

YouTube: youtube.com/authorkristenmartinbooks

Instagram: @authorkristenmartin

Twitter: @authorkristenm

Facebook: facebook.com/authorkristenmartin

Valiance Writing Coaching Program

Conquering NaNoWriMo Program

That Smart Hustle Podcast on iTunes

WORD WEAVER LINKS:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Shownotes: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Once you've outlined and given yourself permission to write a really crappy first draft from beginning to end, then the editing process begins!

Whether you're self-publishing or seeking a traditional publisher, the competition is fierce so your manuscript has to be edited to the highest level before you pursue either avenue.

In this chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast, I'll walk you through my self-editing process, define what it means to kill your darlings, discuss beta readers and critique partners, as well as developmental vs. mechanical content and copy edits.

Remember: the key to a great book, is great editing!

LINKS MENTIONED:

The Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition)

The Writers’ Union of Canada: https://www.writersunion.ca/

WORD WEAVER LINKS:

Instagram: @wordweaverpodcast

Shownotes: louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition

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Fresh from winning an IPPY award for her debut novel, See What Flowers, at the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards in New York City, Shannon Mullen spoke with me for this week's chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast.

Shannon Mullen's work has been published in The Globe and Mail, Thought Catalog, and her debut contemporary novel about love and mental illness is available online at Amazon.

In today's chapter, Shannon shares useful insights about her self-publishing journey with Amazon's CreateSpace publishing platform, including how she picked her book cover design using 99designs, what it felt like to win an award for her first novel, the financial challenges of being a self-published author, the writing routine that allowed her to complete a full manuscript, and her future writing goals.

If you've ever thought about self-publishing a book through Amazon's CreateSpace platform, this is the Word Weaver chapter for you!

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In this chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, I share my top five tips for how to write a strong opening chapter. The first sentence, paragraph, and pages set the tone for the rest of your book. The opening chapter is the first thing that literary agents, publishers, and readers will see once they pick up your book. You have to hook them early and leave them wanting more so they can't put it down.

Along with my top tips, this chapter explains the difference between a preface, prologue, and foreward. We will also dissect the opening sentences of the first two Harry Potter books.

For those keen listeners, I exclusively share the opening sentences for the Preface and First Chapter of my forthcoming non-fiction book.

Word Weaver Instagram: http://instagram.com/wordweaverpodcast

Word Weaver Show Notes: http://louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Eryl McCaffrey is a certified yoga + meditation instructor, mental health advocate, public speaker, and writer.

A former TV news anchor with a background in journalism and broadcasting, Eryl took a left-turn in her career to focus on her true calling: helping others navigate the muddy waters of mental health and providing strategies for self-care.

"Holistic health is about taking care of your mental health the same way that you do your physical health."

Eryl brings her lived and learned experiences with anxiety and depression to schools, companies, and communities with her talks on mental health and mindfulness workshops where she provides tangible tools for dealing with life's stressors.

In today's chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, we talk about how to create mindful habits, the grounding effects of nature, the importance of taking breaks to move energy through your body, and setting boundaries to guard your writing time.

Be sure to stay tuned until the end as Eryl walks us through a wellness for writers guided meditation and breathing exercise. I almost fell asleep in the interview...in a good way! It gave me shivers and will definitely be one that I return to when I'm in need of a calming voice to soothe my writer's block, insomnia, or feelings of overwhelm.

When she isn't bringing her Wellness with Eryl workshops to schools and corporations, you can find her teaching yoga at Good Space and SickKids Hospital in Toronto.

She writes about mental health and wellness on her blog, Two Feet and a Heartbeat, as well as on Wellness with Eryl. Her article on Exploring Abundance with the Law of Attraction was published by Elephant Journal.

YOU CAN FIND ERYL ONLINE HERE:

Instagram: @wellnesswitheryl Her #MeditationMonday videos are posted on her feed weekly

Website: erylmccaffrey.com

Guided Meditation Videos

WORD WEAVER LINKS:

Word Weaver Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/wordweaverpodcast

Show Notes: http://www.louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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There are many ways to write a book which means that there are many ways to outline one. It took me a lot of practice to find the right method that worked for me!

In this chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast, first start by understanding your unique writing style. Are you a plotter, a pantser, or a combination of both?

I will walk you through the various methods that authors and writers have used to outline fiction and non-fiction books, including the popular snowflake method, skeletal method, visual maps, contextual preparation, and free writing.

I will also tell you exactly how I outlined my own book and created a unique practice (using mainly cue cards, my bedroom wall, and Excel!) which allowed me to complete a 90,000 word (360 page) full book manuscript.

By breaking chapters down into manageable components, using your outline as a road map, you will be able to finish that book that is burning inside of you.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/wordweaverpodcast

Show Notes: http://louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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Alex McGill is a senior publicist at Penguin Random House Canada and the co-founder of gf, a PR collective that focuses on a highly personal, collaborative approach to public relations.

A graduate of Concordia University's creative writing program, Alex writes poetry and short stories. Her current favourite genres to read are autofiction, personal essay, and experimental prose.

In this chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast we chat about all things books: how words have influenced her from a young age, the catharsis of poetry, and a behind the scenes look at what goes on in the PR department at a major publishing house.

Alex and I also chat about social media for writers and authors, the resurgence of print as a medium, and her advice on what it takes to stand out from the noise as a word weaver.

Show Notes: http://louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

Instagram: http://instagram.com/wordweaverpodcast

Alex McGill’s Instagram: http://instagram.com/alexjmcgill

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This chapter of the Word Weaver Podcast discusses the pros and cons of traditional publishing and self-publishing. There is also a fast-growing industry of independent publishers and hybrid publishers entering the space.

If you want to publish a book, there are multiple paths to success. It's all about choosing the avenue that is the best fit for you as an author. I'm a firm believer that if you're not getting the desired result one way, then all you have to do is retreat, and attack from a different direction.

There is a lot of information packed into this chapter so you might want to keep a pen and paper handy to jot down some notes if you're weighing the pros and cons of traditional versus self-publishing yourself. Happy writing!

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On our two year anniversary, my boyfriend Geoff allowed me to interview him on the differences and difficulties that come with dating someone in a non-traditional job, specifically, a writer.

Geoff has also lived a unconventional life and has some unique insights to share about the importance of taking risks, asking yourself "What's the worst that could happen?", and why he now appreciates his corporate job despite the stresses that come along with it.

He also sheds some light on what it's like to be in a relationship with someone who goes into hibernation mode OFTEN and requires a lot of solitude and independence.

Whether you're a friend, family member, or partner of a writer, Geoff's insights are helpful to understand the strange creatures that we are and what he thinks are the three most important traits to having a healthy relationship in this industry.

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/wordweaverpodcast

Shownotes: http://www.louiseclairejohnson.com/podcast

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This chapter of The Word Weaver Podcast discusses the psychological phenomenon known as impostor syndrome as it relates to writers and other high achievers.

In the wake of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade’s tragic deaths, impostor syndrome wouldn’t leave my mind as I read about these two incredible storytellers with successful careers who looked like they had it all on the outside, yet suffered with internal, silent struggles.

I share some of the traits that make people more susceptible to impostor syndrome and my personal tips for overcoming it.

Note: I am not a psychologist or a doctor, so if your feelings persist beyond impostor syndrome, please know that there is always someone you can talk to and resources available. I’ve listed a few below:

Canadian Resources: http://depressionhurts.ca/en/information/resources.aspx
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline : 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
Anxiety and Depression Association of America: http://www.adaa.org/

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Julia Cronin is the founder and designer of Svea Swim, a new Canadian swimwear brand based in Toronto, manufactured in Montreal. Julia and I chat about her desire to create a brand that makes women of all shapes and sizes feel confident and empowered in their own skin.

We also discuss her background as a costumer in the film and TV industry (most recently The Handmaid's Tale), what inspired her to enter the seemingly saturated swimsuit market, where the name came from, and why life is too short not to do all the things that you want to do.

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In the first ever Word Weaver Podcast episode (or "chapter" as I like to call them) you'll get an introduction to what kind of content to expect and you'll learn more about why I left a lucrative marketing career in Switzerland and New York to pursue writing full-time.

You'll also get a brief overview of what a day in the life of a writer is like, which includes my four most important takeaways about working for yourself:

Consistency
Routine
Environment
Organization

Let's be pals !

Instagram: @louiseclairejohnson

Website: louiseclairejohnson.com

New episodes are posted every Wednesday (because I love alliteration and "Word Weaver Wednesday" was just too perfect to pass up).

The Word Weaver Podcast: Recent Episodes

Louise Claire Johnson

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WordWeaverPodcast #Bookstagram #BestWritingPodcast