What’s the Second Draft if the First Draft is Garbage?

Sunk cost is the time, effort, money, or energy invested in something that ultimately doesn't work. 

Sunk cost FALLACY is when we believe that we have to keep doing that thing because if we don't, all that investment is WASTED.

But the investments you make into things that ultimately become sunk costs are never wastes, and this episode details why.

So if you've ever felt like you can't give something up but you know it's not the right thing to continue doing, listen to this episode.

Resource: 

• https://www.scribbr.com/fallacies/sunk-cost-fallacy/

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

Last week's episode may have left you with some questions, primarily this one:

How do you recruit alphas, betas, and critters?

You can find these magical people in several places, but it can feel like hunting unicorns at times.

In this episode, I list a few places you can find ABCs.

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

What are alphas, betas, and critters (aka critique partners)? 

Are they different? The same? What exactly do they do?

In this episode, I talk about how I define each of these types of feedback partners, and whether you need any of them at all. 

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

Have you ever made a decision, started working on it, and then realized that you probably should have chosen something else?

But then you feel like you HAVE to keep going because if you don't, then your integrity is at stake, or you'll feel like a failure if you "quit"?

Insert a decision pivot.

You don't have to remain beholden to the decisions you made in the past, and this episode details how.

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

What do you do to prepare yourself for a writing session?

Whether it's lighting candles, playing music, or completely secluding yourself in a dark and mysterious library office, those things are probably your writing ritual.

Writing rituals can make all the difference with finishing your book.

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

In this follow-up episode to the one on the difference between personality and temperament, I break down the four types of temperament traditionally known by their "Greek Humor" names:

• Sanguine
• Choleric
• Phlegmatic
• Melancholic

We can use the temperaments not only to better know our characters, but to better know ourselves.

Resources:

• https://psychologia.co/four-temperaments/
• https://fourtemperaments.com/what-are-the-four-temperaments/
• https://psychcentral.com/quizzes/temperament-test

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

Can you spot the lie in this episode?

Our guest has a passion for storytelling, dinosaurs, and inspiring young people to write more. 

Actually, none of those are lies. You'll have to listen to the episode for the real two truths and a lie!

Shanna P. Lowe, author of Candy Sky Tells a Lie, joins me to talk about her experience with The 60 Day Novel Writing Challenge, Professional Premium, and the importance of getting to the root of what gets in the way of writing. (It may or may not be laundry.)

Connect with Shanna:

• Her author website (with the Imagineer's Library)
• Instagram & Threads @author_shanna.p.lowe

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

There are things in life that propel you forward, much like an engine moves a boat through water.

These are the things we turn to when we need a boost of energy or inspiration, including when we write.

Do you know what your writing engines are? 

This episode includes examples of writing engines which might help you galvanize your writing life.

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

Quitter's day is that day just a few weeks into the new year when most people who set New Year's Resolutions feel like quitting.

Don't let the natural entropy of excitement and motivation keep you from achieving your writing goals this year.

You can make it past Quitters Day! Listen to the episode for tips on how to do this.

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell

Halie Fewkes Damewood joins me to talk about the different types of publishing: big press, small press, hybrid, and self-publishing, where self-publishing is split between print on demand and ebooks, and what's known as offset printing. 

As we get into in the episode, choosing the right kind of publishing for you depends on your preferences, and where you want your difficult to be.

What to do next…

• Get the first 5 days of the challenge + worksheets for FREE (trial challenge)
• Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge
• Sign up for the next round of Professional Premium
• Join The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Facebook Group
• Follow the 60-Day Challenge on Instagram
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts

Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:

• Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
• The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell