Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach

  (If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to the website to use the audio player.) In this week’s four-ish minute podcast, you'll learn how I use one tip from the GTD productivity approach to break big writing projects into manageable chunks, prioritizing and ordering them as I go.   Resources mentioned in the podcast: Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (story told in the podcast found on pages 18-19 in the Anchor Books, Doubleday, edition) Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen   * * * On Being a Writer "This brand-new book is a must-have for career writers, whether seasoned or just starting out." — from "10 Great Books for a Writer's Wish List" on Huffington Post NOW AVAILABLE “A genial marriage of practice and theory. For writers new and seasoned. This book is a winner.” —Philip Gulley, author of Front Porch Tales

(If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to website to use the audio player.) In this week’s three-and-a-half minute podcast, you'll hear about the conditions and circumstances under which E. B. White wrote—and those under which Glynn Young and Ann Kroeker continue to write. I allude to a passage from Stephen King's memoir On Writing that I read years ago. It awoke in me a jealous and obsessive craving for an office door: The [writing] space can be humble (probably should be, as I think I have already suggested), and it really needs only one thing: a door which you are willing to shut. The closed door is your way of telling the world and yourself that you mean business; you have made a serious commitment to write and intend to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. (King 151, Pocket Books - a div. of Simon & Schuster, NY, copyright 2000, personal copy) I longed for a door. A door, I thought, would help me become a productive, efficient writer. I had a writing space. I just needed a d

(If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to website to use the audio player.) In this week’s three-minute podcast, I share a few thoughts in response to an article by Jeff Haden in Inc. about the difference between goals and systems. After you listen, I'd love to hear some of your own responses both to the podcast and to the questions below. Do you tend to set goals and resolutions at the turn of the new year? How effective are they?  Do you have goals for this year? Would systems work better for you than goals alone? What systems might you incorporate into your writing life this year to help you make steady progress toward your goal(s)?   * * * On Being a Writer "This brand-new book is a must-have for career writers, whether seasoned or just starting out." — from "10 Great Books for a Writer's Wish List" on Huffington Post NOW AVAILABLE “A genial marriage of practice and theory. For writers new and seasoned. This book is a winner.” —Philip Gulley, author of Front Porch Tales

(If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to website to use the audio player.) In this week's three-minute podcast, I interview my coauthor and friend Charity Singleton Craig about our collaboration, asking about some of the challenges and joys associated with our work together writing On Being a Writer. Her responses make me wonder about the collaboration experiences of my readers and listeners. After you listen to Charity's response, I'd love to hear your answers to these questions: What challenges did you face when you collaborated on a creative project and how did you work through them? Have your collaboration projects been filled with enough joy to balance out the challenges? Would you collaborate again? If so, what would you do differently? If not...why not?   * * * On Being a Writer "This brand-new book is a must-have for career writers, whether seasoned or just starting out." — from "10 Great Books for a Writer's Wish List" on Huffington Post NOW AVAILABLE “A genial marri

Listen to The Writing Life with Ann Kroeker Episode 2: Rescue Lost Time (If you’re a subscriber reading this in email, please click to website to use the audio player.)   http://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/The-Writing-Life-Episode-2-Rescue-Lost-Time.mp3 When over the past week might you have rescued lost time to work toward a writing deadline? What tool or tools might you use to start rescuing lost time? Learn more about: Google docs Voice-to-text feature on phones (some people use dragon, but I just use the dictation feature on my Android phone — enter your phone in the search engine to find out what dictation or voice-to-text features it offers). Learn more about using your phone as a mobile hotspot and contact your cell phone provider for pricing.  * * * On Being a Writer “This brand-new book is a must-have for career writers, whether seasoned or just starting out.” — from “10 Great Books for a Writer’s Wish List” on Huffington Po

Listen to The Writing Life with Ann Kroeker Episode 1: Just Get Started http://annkroeker.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Ann-Kroeker-Podcast-1-just-get-started.mp3 What have you been putting off because you’re afraid, uncertain, or intimidated by everything involved? What project could you start today?  * * * On Being a Writer “This brand-new book is a must-have for career writers, whether seasoned or just starting out.” — from “10 Great Books for a Writer’s Wish List” on Huffington Post NOW AVAILABLE “A genial marriage of practice and theory. For writers new and seasoned. This book is a winner.” —Philip Gulley, author of Front Porch Tales   The original version of this article can be found here: The Writing Life – Episode 1: Just Get Started