Fiction Writer's Toolshed: Practical Tools for Authors

Every writer knows the feeling: the cursor blinking, the page going nowhere, the project that started with such promise now collecting dust. In this episode of Fiction Writer's Toolshed, I sit down with Ramona Ausubel-- award-winning author and longtime teacher-- to talk about her new book Unstuck: 101 Doorways Leading from the Blank Page to the Last Page (a LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2026). Whether you're staring down a first draft, stalled in the middle, or trying to finish something you've been carrying for years, this conversation is a doorway of its own. We had a great conversation that will help any auther get Unstuck.

In this episode, we go to a quiet corner of the toolshed, where I sit down with author J.A. Merkel to talk worldbuilding, long-term creative projects, and the ideas behind The Fourth Portal (1 book released) and The Fall Gauntlet (3 books released, with 4 coming this summer). From early inspiration to publishing ambitious, interconnected stories-- this episode is all about what it really takes to bring big ideas to life. Get your ebook copy of The Fall Gauntlet, Book One here: https://jamerkel.com/newsletter-sign-up/ About The Fall Gauntlet: Seventeen-year-old Benji Calyx finally has a chance to save his mother from her off-world prison. All he has to do is win the Fall Gauntlet, an ancient, fight-to-the-death tournament designed to please the gods and goddesses, and keep them at bay. Benji has made it to the finals. He's trained for this moment for seven long years. There's just one problem. The hulking man behind the bear mask is his estranged younger brother, Soren. Things just got a lot more complicated.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=-  You're probably not stuck-- you're just not aware of what part of the journey you're on. In Part 2 of The Creation Funnel, I'll give you a full diagnostic of the 8 stages of making anything, so you can figure out where you are and what to do next. Each stage comes with: Signs you're there Signs you're struggling What's really going on And one practical tool to move forward Because when you don't know where you are… every part of the process feels wrong. Clear the confusion. Stop spinning your wheels. Do the work that belongs to the stage you're in. Let's go. 

You should try my Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it (it's free): https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- There's a moment on a long road trip where it feels like you should already be there… but you're not even halfway. Most writers quit in that moment. Not because they're incapable-- but because they don't realize it's part of the journey. In this episode, I lay out The Creation Funnel: a practical framework for understanding exactly where you are in a creative project-- and why it feels the way it does. It's a map for your creative journey. If you've ever wondered: "Why is this so hard right now?" "Was this idea ever good?" "Why can't I finish anything?" This episode might change how you see your work entirely.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- In this episode of Fiction Writer's Toolshed, we're talking about the moment before the work-- the hesitation, the resistance, and the quiet lie that you need to feel like it before you begin. And how a Blood Punch might set you free.  This episode breaks down two core ideas that can radically change how you approach your writing practice. We also explore the trap of endless ideation: how keeping projects in your head feels safe but ultimately keeps them from ever existing, and why sometimes what you need isn't more planning, but a decisive, imperfect burst of action. If you've ever found yourself standing at the edge... knowing you should write, intending to write, but not starting... this episode is your push. And when I say go… go.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- For a lot of writers, the novel has quietly become the default starting point. If you're serious about writing, the assumption often becomes: start planning your novel… or your trilogy… or your series. And if you're not doing that, it can start to feel like you're not quite doing the "real thing" yet. But in this episode, I want to suggest something that might sound uncomfortable at first: For many writers, you probably shouldn't be writing a novel right now. Not because novels are bad. Not because you shouldn't write one someday. Novels are incredible creative undertakings. But I bet you shouldn't be writing one right now. Join us inside the Fiction Writer's Toolshed to find out why.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- A lot of writers are starving themselves creatively-- and they don't realize it. Not because they lack ideas. Not because they lack discipline. But because they aren't finishing things. In this final episode of a three-part series on the things that quietly destroy writers, I talk about something incredibly simple that turns out to be surprisingly powerful: Finished work.  Not outlines. Not worldbuilding. Not half-drafted novels. Actual finished pieces of fiction writing. When writers go months (or years) without finishing anything, they lose the psychological and creative fuel that keeps a writing life alive. In this episode, we explore three key "nutrients" that finishing small pieces provides.  Enjoy, and welcome to the Fiction Writer's Toolshed.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- When most writers start, writing feels light. It's curiosity. It's wonder. It's something you can't stop doing. But somewhere along the way, something shifts. Writing becomes measurable. It becomes evaluative. It becomes work. And slowly, quietly, almost without noticing… Something important disappears. In this episode-- the second in a short mini-trilogy about things that quietly erode writers from the inside-- I talk about what happens when improvement becomes the primary goal, when awareness turns into self-policing, and when every time you "pick up the ball" it feels like you're suddenly playing under professional-level expectations. You'll hear: How growing skill can accidentally crowd out creative joy Why self-awareness becomes destructive when it turns into constant judgment The subtle difference between healthy craft discipline and over-regulation And why trying to force joy directly almost never works If your writing has started to feel heavy… If you've been procrastinating something you used to love… If everything feels like it has to justify its existence… This episode isn't about fixing your technique. It's about rediscovering something you may have lost without realizing it. And once you see it, a lot of the weight starts to lift.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- I struggled with separating the concepts of Fiction Farming vs. Fiction Cooking for a long time. And while it might sound strange, confusing those two modes may be quietly destroying more writing momentum-- and more long-term creative joy writing fiction-- than almost anything else. In this episode, I introduce a distinction that completely changed how I understand procrastination, "writer's block," and the shame spiral that comes from sitting down to write and walking away feeling like you failed. I call it Fiction Farming vs. Fiction Cooking. You'll learn: Why your brain uses these two different modes Why judgment kills ideas in one mode-- but is essential in the other How mixing the two creates unnecessary friction and ultimately leads to not writing And how to diagnose which mode you're actually in before you sit down to work   This is the first episode in a short mini-trilogy about subtle habits that quietly erode writers' confidence over time. If you've been hard on yourself lately, this one might bring some relief—and a clearer path forward.

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- This episode is the diagnostic follow-up to the 6 Pillars framework, but can also be useful on its own. For each pillar, I share a few signs it may be underdeveloped– and one practical thing you can try to strengthen it. If you want clearer insight into why your writing gets stuck, this is where the framework turns into tools. In the previous episode, I laid out The 6 Elemental Pieces of Being a Fiction Writer– a framework for understanding writing mastery as a system of skills, not a single talent. In this episode, we get practical. This is the diagnostic half of the framework: for each pillar, I walk through a few common signs it may be underdeveloped– and one concrete, testable thing you can try to start strengthening it. The goal isn't self-judgment. It's clarity. When writers get stuck, it's often because they're trying to fix the wrong problem. This episode is about learning how to identify where friction is actually coming from, so effort turns into progress instead of frustration. In this episode, I cover: How to diagnose issues across craft, ideation, design, process, sustainment, and taste Simple signals that point to the real source of stalled projects One actionable exercise per pillar– designed to be tried, not believed Why exhaustion, resistance, and inconsistency are information, not failure How to treat your creative capacity as infrastructure, not a resource to burn If you've ever felt like you're working hard but not moving forward in a way that sticks, this episode gives you tools to figure out why– and where to focus next.   The Make Existian Toast -===============- May you slay false perfection, the old foe of done. May you make all you dream of, and let making be fun. And may you count who can make what you make– only one. Sláinte.  

You should try the Unstoppable Maker newsletter.  You'll get simple, practical writing tools to stop overthinking and start finishing stories. Click here to try it: https://makeexist.beehiiv.com/ -=-=-=-=-=- Craft matters– but it's not the whole picture. This episode introduces The 6 Elemental Pieces of Being a Fiction Writer, a framework for understanding why writers stall, burn out, or struggle to finish work– even when their craft is solid. If you want a clearer map of what actually governs writing progress, start here. Most writing advice focuses on craft. And craft matters. A lot. But it's only one part of why writers finish work– or don't. In this episode, I lay out a framework I call The 6 Elemental Pieces of Being a Fiction Writer. It's a way of looking at writing mastery not as a single skill, but as a set of distinct, improvable competencies that work together over time. The problem isn't that craft advice is wrong. It's that it's incomplete. When we try to solve every writing problem with craft alone, we miss other invisible factors that quietly stall projects, drain momentum, or cause burnout. This episode is about making those factors visible– so they can actually be worked on. In this episode, I cover: Why writing mastery isn't one skill, but a system of skills The six pillars that govern how writers actually finish work How blind spots– not lack of talent– cause most stalls Why many "craft problems" are actually design, process, or sustainment problems How to think about mastery as a reusable map, not a checklist This episode sets up a practical diagnostic framework we'll use going forward. If you've ever felt like you're working hard but not progressing in a way that sticks, this gives you a clearer map of why.   The Make Existian Toast -===============- May you slay false perfection, the old foe of done. May you make all you dream of, and let making be fun. And may you count who can make what you make– only one. Sláinte.  

Feeling paralyzed by what to write next?  This episode introduces the Mosaic Method– a practical way to lower the stakes, keep writing, and make progress without committing to the "one perfect project." If choosing feels harder than writing, this tool is for you. Choosing what to write shouldn't feel like a branding decision– but for a lot of writers, it does. When your body of work is small, every project can feel like it has to represent all of you. That pressure creates paralysis: fear of choosing wrong, fear of losing readers, fear of starting with the "wrong" idea. In this episode, I walk through a tool I use to break that paralysis: the Mosaic Method. Instead of treating any single piece of writing as the door to your career, the Mosaic Method reframes your work as a growing body of tiles– small, finished pieces that eventually form something larger. You'll learn how to shrink the emotional stakes of starting, keep multiple projects alive without burning out, and make real progress without waiting for "the right idea." This episode covers: Why "what should I write first?" is often the wrong question How small, finished pieces build momentum better than big commitments A practical way to keep writing when novels feel overwhelming Why dedicated, focused time matters more than constant note-taking A simple voice-memo workflow that turns speech into usable draft material If you're stuck choosing between ideas– or stuck because choosing feels impossible– this episode gives you a tool you can try today.   The Make Existian Toast -===============- May you slay false perfection, the old foe of done. May you make all you dream of, and let making be fun. And may you count who can make what you make– only one. Sláinte.  

Today, I double down on the core idea behind the show: fiction writing is a craft made up of learnable, testable skill, and tell you a little bit about my background as a working writer. You'll also hear about two guiding principles that shape the show: The Current Best Approach: treating every tool as provisional, adaptable, and open to change Showing how the sausage is made: documenting the real, messy, day-to-day process of writing instead of mythologizing it after the fact If you've got half-finished drafts, rewritten openings, or a growing pile of "someday I'll write that" ideas, this episode will help you begin to understand why you're stuck-- and what this show is designed to help you build instead. This isn't about hype, shortcuts, or finding the "one true way." It's about finishing work, diagnosing problems, and building a toolbox you can use again and again. Let's get started.  This podcast is part of Make Exist, where we create tutorials, tools, and resources for creative work.