B is for Book Coach

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for posture.All posture is much more complex than it seems—in your body and your book.- The mechanics of physical posture- The parallels in book posture- How to look closer at the posture you hold as an author, your reader holds when arriving to your book, and the space the book holds for you both- The pain that doing this might create (and the pain NOT doing this definitely does) Enjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum here, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for words that belong.For the past several months, I’ve been working with the incredible Hussein al-Baiaty over at Rising Authors to get my new website up and running.But the website was just the output. What we were really spending all that time on was what the website should contain.Not should as in “supposed to.” Should as in “belongs.”- The difference between checking the boxes and making it right- Creating the conditions for connection- Intentional vs incidental outcomesEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! Become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, or access a more focused supportive space here. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for connection.You and your experience are worth witnessing.This is a true statement, no matter who you are or what your experience is.You matter.Your story matters.Choosing to share any part of yourself—from ideas to lived experience to insights—is a generous gift that holds intrinsic value whether or not it creates a return.And if you’re writing a Magenta Signature Connection book type, this belief is the cornerstone of your entire project.- Meet the Spectrum- Meet Magenta- Creating the container for connection- Audacious vulnerability- Avoiding overshare- Tips for Magenta authors- Remembering why you're hereEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.Create a one-time boost of Momentum or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for noticing.Hear directly from my friend and author about the experience of writing his last book, with clips of a conversation recorded a month into post-publish territory—a month into borrowed time, according to the prognosis he’d been given, and only a few months before he passed away.Before we go any further, I want you to know that it’s okay if this one’s too heavy to sit with. If for any reason you don’t want to continue on, I completely understand.If you’re still with me, I’d like you to meet Will, author of The Power of Noticing.On Taking His Time~7 minutesOn Writing through Chemo~4 minutesOn Books being One Thing~5 minutesOn Going Deep with Experience~8 minutesOn Writing with Three Months to Live~8 minutesEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.Create a one-time boost of Momentum or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m reading through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: Using the Table of Content.A follow up to this episode: https://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/the-ocean-workbook-the-table-of-contentReferencing a Kurt Vonnegut video found here: https://youtu.be/oP3c1h8v2ZQ?si=UDMGMT0OgVMoMi5n Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for the mess.Do you remember the old Reese’s candy campaign, “There’s no wrong way to eat a Reese’s”?In retrospect, this was probably meant to counter KitKat’s “break me off a piece of that KitKat bar” methodology.KitKat might not be my favorite candy, but their approach makes sense.Simplicity is appealing.So when I talk about simplified templates and processes and systems for writing (and I get a smidge of irritation in my voice), I don’t blame them either.When you’re looking back and forth between the intricacy of a completed book and the mish-mash that is your concept-in-progress…well, it’s natural to want it all broken into pieces.I’m just a “no wrong way to eat a Reese’s” kind of person.- Becoming the candymaker- Getting comfortable in the test kitchen- Finding your own recipe for writingEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for the future.In this month’s subscriber update, I said something that might need a bit more explanation.I said that “community is the future of books.”And I meant it.- Why we're looking tot he future of books- What I mean by community- What books can actually create- How to make that happenEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.Create a one-time boost of Momentum here, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for publishing.Humans have always told stories. From campfires to city centers, wherever someone would listen (and occasionally when no one would), someone else was ready to share.This made written language a radical technology, allowing a single person to be heard far beyond and long after they spoke.We carved, we scribed, and eventually we printed—finding ever faster and better mediums to carry our visions to the world.For most of our millennia of storytelling, the story itself was our most valued technology. Myths and legends were passed down, verbally edited from telling to telling based on the listener’s reactions.Writing changed the game.- The evolution of publishing- The devolving of storytelling value- How we're taking it backEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.*I linked to The Untold Story of Books early on, because it’s such a brilliant, easy-to-read encapsulation of the history of publishing. I highly recommend you grab it here or at your local library. Full disclosure: this is an affiliate link. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m reading through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: Table of Content.Enjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become an ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.Create a one-time boost of Momentum or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.---https://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/[email protected] Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for weirdness.Raise your hand if you’ve heard yourself say any of the following things about your book:I don’t know if it’s the RIGHT way to do it, but…there it is…It’s a little bit of X and a little bit Y…It’s complicated.It’s complex.It’s weird.Can I tell you a secret? All the best books are.- Why we're good with weird- What it really takes to make the weird work- A framework you can use - A reminder you can keepEnjoying this space? It takes all of us to create it together! When you become a one-time or ongoing Momentum Partner, two things happen.First, you get to join a small but growing group of folks who pop in for Office Hours twice a month to sort out their content and travel this journey together.Second, you add to the Mutual Momentum fund, which helps to bring deeper development support to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum here by clicking the button below, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you’re already doing it. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for constraints.We’ve been talking a lot about releasing external obligations, and for good reason. Especially now, at the start of the year, they’re loud, they’re pushy, and they’re often unrelated to what we actually want and need.But I find that internal pressure is much more difficult to release.- Unhelpful brain stories - The Cynefin Framework- Governing and enabling constraints- How to emerge from the chaosThanks for creating this space with me today.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you’re already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for relief.A well-respected leader in a niche industry sent out an email recently that had me yelling and drawing out charts like I had missed my calling as a sports commentator. The same message hit a friend of mine via a podcast just days before, and my authors tell me they hear it all the time. It’s everywhere.- The sales messaging formula that stresses us all out about our books- A truer version to translate it to whenever it crops up- Steps you can actually take to level up your visibility- A reminder that you're already an authority, book or noThe B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for yourself and someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum at bit.ly/mutual-momentum, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m reading through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: Reimagine Your Next Steps.To get the rest of the workbook right away, look for You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident on Amazon, or subscribe to get a free copy right now.And as always, whenever your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a guided 5 Minute Outline.- Why I don't believe in writer's block- One kind of block many of us do face- 5 Minute Outline (If you’re new to 5 Minute Outlines, you can click through to an introduction.)- What are you going to do with this book?- Why are you writing?- What might feel unshareable?- What will it take for you to write through the unwritable?- What will happen when you do?The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you’re already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for growth.One year and one month of posting on Substack has taught me that when you’re in the right place, you can create one year and one month of content.That’s it.And it’s everything.- What I've learned about growth in the content space- What I've learned about myself in the content space- What it takes to grow beyond the content spaceThe B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life. You can create a one-time boost of Momentum here, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for mobility.I have hyper mobile joints—or, as we might have called it in the ‘90s, “stupid human tricks.” Without any real awareness of this imbalance, I couldn’t put any intention toward rectifying it. So my body did what bodies do best: it contorted itself, according to its overriding command to survive at all costs. This came to mind earlier this past week, when a friend and client sent me an article about why creatives aren’t productive.- The difference between "creatives" and what we are creating- The overdevelopment of willpower muscles- The muscles left to develop- A reminder to pursue balance firstThe B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for yourself and someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum or subscribe via Substack to keep the forward movement going for us all.And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m reading through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: Your Idea.Previous workbook episodes:https://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/the-ocean-workbook-your-readerhttps://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/the-ocean-workbook-your-author-ityhttps://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/the-ocean-workbook-the-projecthttps://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/the-ocean-workbook-ethos-and-processThe B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for yourself and someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum by clicking the button below, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.And as always, whenever your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a guided 5 Minute Outline.When you are writing for something more than the transaction of it all, the bigness of the work is twofold.There’s the complexity of constructing a book, and then there’s the complexity of leading change in your corner of the world.So when I say “start with the small,” I don’t mean that we’re going to shrink that bigness down at all.The complexity stays. It has to.This is a structure that can hold it.You might want to check out this introductory post if this is the first 5 Minute Outline you’ve worked with.Otherwise, grab a pencil and paper, write the numbers 1 through 5, and start with your pencil at number 3. Because beginnings are hard, so we’re not going to start there.By the end, you should have something written at each of those 5 points that resonated most, and it can be mad-libbed in to look something like this:* There is [a problem, difficulty, or complicated situation] that [the thing I want to say] can address.* It’s complex because [reasons].* If I weren’t worried about those reasons or how I’d say it, I would say [the thing].* Still, despite all of that complexity, [the thing] is important to say because [big reason].* When I say the thing to the person who’s waiting to hear it, [things will change].This is complex work you’re doing.It’s good work that you’re doing.And it doesn’t have to be done in isolation or simplified into oblivion.Hey, thanks for creating this space with me today. The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for yourself and someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you’re already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for momentum.From time to time, I have to pause to look up definitions of very basic words, because I’ve realized my neurodivergent self isn’t using them quite the same way dominant society does.- Checking our definitions around productivity- Checking our assumptions around our own productivity- Checking the societal expectations that keep us from progressingHey, thanks for creating this space with me today. The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for weeds.Do you remember last spring, when I landed in the middle of a tangled mess of roots in my garden bed—one that I decided could serve as a metaphor for my life?It started with an attempt to clear surface level weeds from a garden bed tucked alongside my house, journeyed through the pit of despair that was the realization that those roots ran deep, and ended with the hope that the medicinal plants gifted to me by a friend would take root.Months later, I am pleased to announce that…this project is still a metaphor for my life.- An update on the garden bed (spoiler: the weeds won)- Weeds as stories- How obligation overwhelm is fueled by stories- Where we find choices that lift the weight and reframe our next stepsThe B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started. You can make a one-time contribution here, or you can subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m reading through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: Your Reader.The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for yourself and someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum by clicking the button below, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.And as always, whenever your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a guided 5 Minute Outline.Over the last few weeks, I’ve been immersed in Anne Frank’s world. It started because Alice Hoffman, author of Practical Magic, is one of my favorite authors, and I needed a new audiobook to listen to at night. Her most recent, When We Flew Away, happened to be a fictionalized prequel to Anne Frank’s diary.First things first: If you read fiction, I highly recommend this book. I also know it’s a tough time to be into anything World War 2 related, so I also recommend you take it (and the rest of this episode) slowly. It’s okay to tap out whenever you need to.And that permission to walk away brings us to Anne Frank’s diary, the Clarity Spectrum book type it represents, and the 5 Minute Outline exercise I have for you today.- Anne Frank's book type on the Clarity Spectrum- What is your core reason for writing?- Who can you imagine would be your reader?- What context does that imagined reader need to have?- What truth comes out when it’s just you and that reader?- What might happen if that truth were published?- A Tale of Two AnnesThe B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for yourself and someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum by clicking the button below, or subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you’re already doing it.Be sure to subscribe here on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for finishing…or not.A few years ago, a client came to me with a beautiful book idea and a not-so-pretty anxiety. Time was getting away from him.- The pain of an unfinished project.- The marketing bros who exploit that pain.- How to heal that pain even before the project is finished.The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for someone else, contributing to the Mutual Momentum fund brings those services to authors who need more than just space to get started.You can create a one-time boost of Momentum here, or you can subscribe to keep the forward movement going for us all. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space without obligation.“I guess everyone wants to write a book at some point, right?”I hear this so often it’s hard not to roll my eyes—not at you, the person I’ve probably only just met face to face and am so glad to hear from. But at the messaging that has so heavily influenced our world.- The overwhelming messaging that "you need a book."- How that builds into "you need...everything else."- How obligation overwhelm pulls our focus- How to get it backHey, thanks for creating this space with me today.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m reading through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: Your Author-ity.To get the rest of the workbook right away, look for You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident on Amazon, or subscribe to get a free copy right now.The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life. If you’d like to expand that space for someone else, Mutual Momentum is a way to *pitch* in even if it’s not yet time to *dive* in.Thank you, as always, for trusting me with your work and supporting me in mine. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a guided 5 Minute Outline.The most effective nonfiction masterclass I’ve ever experienced was not in a workshop or conference. It wasn’t paywalled behind a subscription fee, and it didn’t end in a sales pitch.It was—and is—the “red dress” scene from the movie The Matrix: https://youtu.be/IJrjcHx9nDA?si=Gp_DzUstvMBJLV0rThe brilliance is in a real message, communicated well.For this exercise, I want you to stop trying to posture as a “good writer,” and stand instead as the architect of your own simulation. Guided 5 Minute Outline:* What does your person see now? * How does your person filter what they see? * What does your person need to see?* What unfiltered truth are you standing in?* What can your person become open to seeing? The B is for Book Coach space is one way I create direct support for authors as they bring their books to life.If you’d like to expand that space for someone else, Mutual Momentum is a way to *pitch* in even if it’s not yet time to *dive* in.Thank you, as always, for trusting me with your work and supporting me in mine. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space without intruders.I manage a birthing room like I manage the writer’s room in your head.…maybe I should back up and explain a few things.- Birth as a parallel to writing- Writing rooms as internal spaces - Who gets to be in the space and how it's managed- Recovering your energy after an intrusionHey, thanks for creating this space with me today.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for names.I have a unique name. My very first self-branded copy was this:Hey, there!I'm Brannan.You can call me B.You're also likely to call me Brannon, Branan, Brennan, Brandon, Brandy, Brenda, Britney, Brianna...​​You can call me anything, as long as you call me when you're stuck.It’s true that I’ve been called all of those things (and more)—and it’s just as true that I’m not particularly bothered by it. What does get me, however, is when misunderstanding turns into re-naming. For a long time, I didn’t really know why.- The archetypal significance and power of names- The power we gain through naming- How to apply that power to your book AND the experience of writing it.Hey, thanks for creating this space with me today.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m going to read through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: The Project.To get the rest of the workbook right away, look for You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident on Amazon, or subscribe to get a free copy right now.And as always, whenever your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a Guided 5 Minute Outline.I often hear that a 5 minute outline recording or episode helped someone, followed quickly by the acknowledgement that it took 15 minutes or more to get through.I think my record 5 minute outline was 45 minutes long.The thing is, the “5 minutes” part of the outline isn’t a gimmick that never comes through. It’s actually a really important constraint to the exercise.- Why we need a direct way in- Task initiation - Access to intuition- Guided 5 Minute Outline(5 Minute Outline Introduction)Hey, thanks for creating this space with me today.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for patterns.If you don’t have a teenager in your house, you might not have jumped onto the KPop Demon Hunters bandwagon yet. It’s an animated movie about (surprise!) a KPop girl group who hunts demons. Pretty straightforward setup, if you're open to a vital message delivered like a musical punch to the gut.- Patterns that we tend to hide- The magic of acceptance- The audacity of authorship- What to do with your writing demonsHey, thanks for creating this space with me today.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for resistance.The other day, a colleague posted a thread on LinkedIn about certain things that aren’t as scary as we were led to believe they’d be when we were kids in the ‘90s.Quicksand.Razorblades in Halloween candy.Spontaneous combustion.I’d like to submit to the record: Resistance.- The fear of resistance- The reality of resistance- A new way to look at resistance (especially for non-writers)Thanks for creating this space with me today. Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m going to read through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.Today, we’re reading from: Ethos and Process.To get the rest of the workbook right away, look for You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident on Amazon, or subscribe on Substack to get a free copy right now.And as always, whenever your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. I’m B, midwife of big ideas and book development partner for writers and non-writers alike. And for the next few minutes, you are my author.Today, we’re making space for a magical Guided 5 Minute Outline.These exercises are usually pointed toward one specific kind of content, but this one is about remembering who you are.You can reach your people.It doesn’t even have to feel that hard.You don’t need to be perfect. You definitely don’t need to perform. You just need to remember who you are and why you’re here.Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing just yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it.Be sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I.https://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/introducing-the-5-minute-outlinehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXkCDSUCoJA Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. I’m B, midwife of big ideas and book development partner for writers and non-writers alike. And for the next few minutes, you are my author. Today, we’re making space for balance.Can a multipassionate, purpose-first change-maker find a routine so balanced that they’re actually satisfied?- The myth and misunderstanding of balance- The vulnerability of being honest- The stuff that makes this kind of writing so hardBe sure to subscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts to catch every coaching moment to come. And when more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you.And so will I. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to a special edition of B is for Book Coach. In these episodes, I’m going to read through pieces of You Don’t Get to the Ocean by Accident—the workbook version of the early work I do with all of my authors.If you want to follow along or jump ahead, pocket-sized copies are available on Amazon, and every Substack subscriber gets a fillable PDF copy as well.Today, we’re reading from: the Introduction.https://www.amazon.com/You-Dont-Get-Ocean-Accident/dp/B0BZFCZKJG/bisforbookcoach.substack.com/aboutbisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for perspective.A few weeks ago, one of my teenagers wanted to spend the day “body-doubling” at the library to make progress on the last of her eighth grade school work. I took the opportunity to get my own stack of tasks done, but not before I stepped inside to grab a book that one of my authors referenced as a complementary title. While scanning the numbers and titles to find that book, I paused on one with a rainbow gradient on the spine, not unlike the design I’d just created for my Clarity Spectrum work-in-progress.The book is called Full Spectrum: How the Science of Color Made Us Modern, and the topic of color was way too timely to ignore.- The metaphor of color as applied to writing- The obviousness of our own perspective and how easy it is to miss it- A Spongebob Squarepants update to a cliche we've all heard before- How the science of color can help us write challenging booksFor a transcript, more coaching, the links that contextualize this content, and more, subscribe via bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribeFor more on the Clarity Spectrum and the two-question quiz that can give your book a home on it, go right to brannansirratt.com Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a simplified 5 Minute Outline.Over the past few months, I’ve been in the trenches of articulating the Clarity Spectrum—a new set of book categories based on what the author intends to create for a reader. In that process, I realized something key: The 5 Minute Outline revolves around just two questions.The two questions in the quiz. The two questions you can ask yourself at every stage of writing. The two questions that pull you out of performance space and back into connection with the message you want to deliver to the person who needs to hear it. This guided 5 Minute Outline holds that focus, and it looks something like this:* Where am I meeting my reader? * What is my reader holding? * What do I want to offer my reader? * What helps my reader pick up what I’ve offered? * What does my reader need to expect now? Keep tuning in weekly to settle into this coaching space while your book emerges. And when it’s time to dig in further, upgraded spaces and deeper services are available too.Subscribe on Substack for these episodes as written newsletters and for more levels of support: bisforbookcoach.substack.comTake the two-question quiz: brannansirratt.comExplore the Clarity Spectrum: brannansirratt.com/book-spectrumGet to know the 5 Minute Outline: https://bisforbookcoach.substack.com/p/introducing-the-5-minute-outline Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for genre.At roughly the midpoint shift of my career to this point, I made my way into the Story Grid universe. If you’re not familiar, “the Story Grid” is a story nerd’s dream, plotting entire fiction works onto spreadsheets to see how the arcs take shape.- Content genres vs sales genres- The shape of story that we play out all the time- The cost of living a story that's not ours- The nonfiction story shapes that have emerged from years in this spacebisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribebrannansirratt.com brannansirratt.com/book-spectrumSubscribe to stay close while your story emerges. Upgrade for Traction and Momentum when it’s time for it to take shape. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Once upon a time, and somehow just yesterday, I hosted a season or two of another podcast. The theme was parenting, but through the lens of the “young witch” archetype in literature. And we did it all in a weekend, holed up in an AirBnB in Memphis, TN, with stacks of books all around us and the rain quietly falling outside.Witches or no, that work was magical.One of the stories we centered on came from Women Who Run with the Wolves, which I hadn’t read in full before that weekend. And then I still didn’t read it in full during it…or after…for literal years. Some books need to be digested slowly, and for me, this was one.- The slowness of story as medicine- The intention it requires- How the book landed for me as I finish a big project- How finishing a big writing project might land for you- Parting words of wisdom for the slow work of writingI'm building steady containers to support you and your book through the slow “becoming” that is authorship. Subscribe to stay close. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. I'm B, midwife of big ideas and book development partner for nonfiction writers and non-writers alike. For the next few minutes, you are my author. And today, we’re making space for vulnerability.Think about your favorite books. What are those books about?If you sit with that question for a minute, you might come up with a long-ish answer about the depth that impacted you, the stories you were wowed by, the connections that they made.Good books are hard to put into words.- Pitfalls of replicating other authors- Why we can't really know what vulnerable writing looks like- The real role of details- Reframing what books are about- How boundaries make books workSubscribe on Substack or wherever you listen to podcasts. When more of your book is ready to emerge, the space we made today will be here waiting for you. And so will I.Links:This postA Hannah Gadsby 5 Minute OutlineGet more direct supportFree Call Fridaybrannansirratt.com Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a special guided 5 Minute Outline. And this time, we're not going to outline anything at all.There’s nothing wrong with producing things, of course. Making something tangible out of the intangible is magic, by definition.But there’s a difference between alchemy and sleight of hand—and a true flow state is never an illusion.There is a not-so-small part of me that wishes I could finish this episode with a formula for you. That the 5 Minute Outline or some other tool had finally unlocked the doors to the Realm of Creativity, where all is flow and flow is all.But creativity simply needs white space, like the margins of a good book.Inspired by Will KeiperGet free weekly book coaching right in your inbox, or upgrade your coaching access to include calls, office hours, and workshops. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

In the board game Candyland, who remembers getting stuck in the Molasses Swamp for ages and ages until you finally drew a double color? It's very possible that my family or friends or even I had made up some kind of masochistic house rule in order to make the game more difficult. But it seems so clear in my mind: if you were stuck in the Molasses Swamp, you were stuck-stuck.I would love to hear from you if you have any recollection of this game.More importantly, I would love to hear from if you feel *stuck-*stuck on your book.Listen through for reasons that you could be stuck that have nothing to do with procrastination, hustle, or trying to make it to the "finish line" of editing or publishing before accessing outside help.Subscribe for more Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space, for beginnings.I won't tell you that beginnings aren't important. The entire writing world can't be wrong (can they?). But neither will I spend time on how they are important. You already know. And that's the problem.- The pitfalls of the pressure to get first lines right- Why they're actually hard, and why that's ok- Permission to start elsewhere, and where that might beSubscribe here for weekly encouragement and insights, or subscribe on Substack for added support while your book emerges: bisforbookcoach.substack.com Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for more. digging.We often face down the topics we're writing about while we're writing them. I don't mean “yes I'm writing this so of course I'm thinking about it.” I mean ordering pizza while stressed out during the last push of your book about healthy eating. Overworking while writing about the dangers of overwork. Hitting a new set of growth challenges while writing about entrepreneurial growth.- What it looks and feels like to get in over your head on a writing project- Revisiting a Braiding Sweetgrass metaphor- Differences between surface level writing and deep dives- So. much. mud.Ready for your book to emerge? Get the Momentum you need with an upgraded subscription on Substack. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to B is for Book Coach. I'm B, midwife of big ideas and book development partner for writers and non writers alike, and today, we’re making space for a guided 5 Minute Outline.Before I finalized this exercise and decided to go ahead with the episode, I looked for any insights Robin Wall Kimmerer had already given about her process of writing Braiding Sweetgrass. If there were contradictions or things that might make this exercise feel constraining or contrived, I wouldn’t do it.Happily, I found what I already suspected to be true about this exercise: no matter who you are and how you write, it’s simply about bringing yourself to the page.- Context for Mirroring Braiding Sweetgrass- Highlights from an interview with Robin Wall Kimmerer- Breakdown of the structure and flow of Braiding Sweetgrass- 5 Minute Outline for an introduction based on Braiding SweetgrassMentions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in80NAbp7Xg, https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/23/robin-wall-kimmerer-people-cant-understand-the-world-as-a-gift-unless-someone-shows-them-howFor weekly updates and more levels of support, subscribe on Substack. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for digging.Confession time: I do not think of myself as a writer.An editor, yes. A story nerd, definitely. A creator, sometimes. An operations director, once. A mom, a doula, a midwife-in-another-life, a bit of an herbalist, a bog witch? Sure. I know I'm an excellent ghostwriter. I do not think of myself as a writer. I see something different in the nature of writer that I don't relate to. - Writers and non-writers- The difference in challenges- Seeing these challenges and writing anywayWriting a book is a weird gig, friend. If you’re feeling stuck, you’re in good company. Whether or not you’re ready to dive into writing quite yet, remember that the best authors show up fully, just as they are. That’s all it takes—and you're already doing it. Subscribe for weekly encouragement Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for frogging.As a process-knitter, the product at the end just feels like a bonus compared to the process of the knitting itself. And I believe in the power of process-writing.- What "frogging" means in knitting and in writing- How to cut the melodrama around cutting content - What you need to enjoy the process of writingHey, you. With the book that won’t leave you alone, but that you don’t quite know how to finish? Yeah, you. Don’t stay stuck alone. Subscribe on Substack for free episodes and added ways to stay supported while you write. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for community.Braiding Sweetgrass is both an ecology book told through an Indigenous lens and a book of Indigenous wisdom focused on ecological topics. And if you're like me and catching up on all of the incredible reads that made waves while you were barely treading water—I highly recommend moving this one to the top of your list. In this episode, we're going to unpack a core lesson that I learned—and am still learning—from her wisdom.- The Ceremony of the First Salmon, and the climactic content of a nonfiction book- Turning Attention to Intention, the importance of marking milestones with ceremony, and my mixed feelings about it all- Where Communities Emerge, and the difference true community makes in our writing journeysWriting for purpose first, product second? Welcome home. Subscribe for free at bisforbookcoach.substack.com for regular encouragement and an editable copy of my discovery workbook, or upgrade for more direct support. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome back to B is for Book Coach. Today, we’re making space for a special guided 5 minute outline.Before we get into this week’s episode, I want you to understand that these outlines might take 5 minutes to map, but they represent a lifetime of your mastery.This is true more of memoir than any other nonfiction sub-genre.So when I say that we’re going to reverse-engineer Hannah Gadsby’s book Ten Steps to Nanette: A Memoir Situation to create a 5 minute outline for your book, I’m not being cheeky.We’re not oversimplifying the work that Hannah did or presuming that this exercise is going to cut corners on the deep introspective work that memoir requires.We are going to get a better view of the bones of that work and give you a tangible place to start piecing your own together.- Context for the Book We’re Mirroring- Approaching Memoir without Overwhelm OR Oversimplification- A Guided 5 Minute Outline Mirroring Ten Steps to Nanette- What You Can Do NextGet free weekly book coaching right in your inbox by subscribing on Substack, or upgrade your coaching access to get direct support on your work in progress. Get full access to B is for Book Coach at bisforbookcoach.substack.com/subscribe