How Do You Write

How to use intuition like a muscle - the more you use it the stronger it gets! Also: on shaking ideas out of your brain, and keeping the brain active when NOT thinking. Tara Sim is the author of The Dark Gods trilogy, the Scavenge the Stars duology, and the Timekeeper trilogy. She can typically be found wandering the wilds of the Bay Area, California. When she’s not chasing cats or lurking in bookstores, she writes books about magic, murder, and mayhem. We Shall Be Monsters is her most recent book. Also: Listen to Don’t Write That Book - Writers Block is Not Real, from May 16

What do you do with social anxiety and OCD? Write about it. Don't miss this lovely chat with Natasha and Rachael! Natasha Daniels is a child anxiety & OCD therapist, who has battled her own anxiety throughout her life. She is the author of Social Skills Activities for Kids, It’s Brave to Be Kind, Anxiety Sucks: A Teen Survival Guide, How to Parent Your Anxious Toddler, The Grief Rock, Crushing OCD Workbook for Kids and her latest, Out of My Shell, a memoir about overcoming social anxiety from childhood to adulthood. She is the creator of ATParentingSurvival.com, the host of the highly ranked, AT Parenting Survival Podcast and creator of the Youtube channel, Ask the Child Therapist. Her work has been featured in various places including Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, PsychCentral, The Child Mind Institute and The Mighty.

Ally and Rachael talk about FUN and celebration as well as living (and thriving) without alcohol. Don't miss this one! Ally Nikolaus is an award-winning filmmaker and author of the upcoming memoir, I’m Gay and Drink Water. Their memoir covers six years of their life from the time they were a freshman on the University of Mississippi’s soccer team to when they came out at age twenty-four while living, working and going to school in Chicago. Alcohol consumption played a major role in Ally’s story. Through trial and error, Ally found that the only way to live as their truest, healthiest, and most creative self was to quit drinking alcohol altogether. Being alcohol free is the best thing they've done for their creative process and mental health. Outside of writing and working as a legal assistant during the day, Ally enjoys baking, Pilates and spending time with friends, family, their fiancée and their puppy, Stella. Ally has a B.A. in Speech Communications from Webster University and an M.F.A. in Screenwrit

Sheer fun! Danica Nava talks about the joy of writing fanfic while young, and how to surprise yourself! Danica Nava is an enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and works as an Executive Assistant in the tech industry. She has her MBA from USC Marshall School of Business. She currently lives in Southern California with her husband and daughter. The Truth According to Ember is her debut novel. You can find her on Instagram at the handle @danica_nava

Please enjoy this LIVE EPISODE of The Black Herron with Sacha Black and Rachael Herron! 

This is one of Rachael's favorite episodes of the year - don't miss this incredible chat with AJ Harper, author of the phenomenal Write a Must Read! AJ Harper is an editor and publishing strategist who helps authors write foundational books that enable them to build readership, grow their brand and make a significant impact on the world. As ghostwriter and as developmental editor, she has worked with newbies to New York Times bestselling authors with millions of books sold. AJ is writing partner to business author, Mike Michalowicz. Together they’ve written six books, including Profit First, The Pumpkin Plan, and their latest, Fix This Next. Through her Top Three Book Workshops and Retreats, AJ empowers authors with insider publishing knowledge and guides them through the book development, writing, and editing process. AJ lives with her wife and son in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. Connect with her at ajharper.com. NOW OPEN: (maybe?)

Why writing a book based on just a title might be a great idea! Also, keeping track of details, struggling with reveals, character building, not reading reviews and NOT killing yourself on promo - enjoy all of this with Elyssa Friedland! Elyssa Friedland is the USA Today bestselling author of six novels and one picture book. A graduate of Yale University and Columbia Law School, she has taught creative writing at Yale and at select conferences. She resides in New York City with her husband and three children. NOW OPEN: (maybe?)

Considering whether (or why) to go to a writing conference? Let Rachael walk you through her best tips for getting the most from one! NOW OPEN:

Join us as Sacha’s getting ready to come to New Zealand and Rachael’s been setting up her Shopify store for the first time! 

Have you ever considered making author stations in your home or office to streamline your writing process? Don't miss this amazing idea with Jessica Mehring! Jessica Mehring is a Colorado-based author of contemporary romance, cozy mystery, and creative nonfiction -- and she splits her time helping technology startups communicate without sounding like robots. She believes that story is the foundation of human relationship, and history and nature are our greatest teachers. She loves reading, walks in the woods, and creating and collecting art. She lives with her husband, two daughters, and more pets than she'd like to admit to — and her growing collection of books and office supplies are slowly taking over their house.NOW OPEN: (these sell out fast)

How can you harness the joy and fun of writing in a younger voice? Join us today to find out! Jennifer Lane was born in NSW, Australia, which is where her novels are set, but she’s lived in Wellington, New Zealand, for more than half her life, and that’s where she’s joining us from today. Her first novel, All our Secrets won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel in 2018, and her second, Miracle, published in 2022, was a New Zealand YA Award finalist. She recently finished her third novel - tentatively called She Loves You. Publisher Rocket new Amazon Ads Course - FREE! HERE.

We often want there to be an easier way to write, but hey, how about the best, fastest way? Let’s talk about going through it. Tasha Coryell lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her husband, toddler, and greyhound. She holds an MFA in creative writing and a PhD in composition and rhetoric from the University of Alabama. Her book of short stories, HUNGRY PEOPLE, was published by Split Lip Press in 2018. Her debut novel, LOVE LETTERS TO A SERIAL KILLER is out now. Publisher Rocket new Amazon Ads Course - FREE! HERE.

Why shouldn’t spite be harnessed for its sheer power? Get on board this new methodology - you’ll love it! Ashley Poston (she/they) is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Dead Romantics and The Seven Year Slip. They write stories about love and friendship and ever afters. A native to South Carolina, they now live in a small grey house with their sassy cat and too many books. You can find them on the internet, somewhere, watching cat videos and reading fan-fiction. A Novel Love Story is their most recent release. Susan Dennard 1 page synopsis: HERE. Rachael Aarons 2k-10k: HERE.Publisher Rocket new Amazon Ads Course - FREE! HERE.

Rachael dives into what she spent (and made) on her Kickstarter, and then has an amazing conversation with Ken Liu on world building and the Dao De Jing! Ken Liu (http://kenliu.name) is an American author of speculative fiction. A winner of the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards, he wrote the Dandelion Dynasty, a silkpunk epic fantasy series (starting with The Grace of Kings), as well as short story collections The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories. He also penned the Star Wars novel The Legends of Luke Skywalker. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Liu worked as a software engineer, corporate lawyer, and litigation consultant. Liu frequently speaks at conferences and universities on a variety of topics, including futurism, machine-augmented creativity, history of technology, bookmaking, and the mathematics of origami.Laozi's Dao De Jing: A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time - https://amzn.to

Sacha Black and Rachael Herron talk about their next adventures! Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help? http://rachaelherron.com/write

You are going to love this incredibly inspiring interview with Polly Cambell and her story about having Ink in Your Veins might make you cry in the best way possible. Polly Campbell is the author of You, Recharged: How to Beat Fatigue (Mostly), Amp Up Your Energy (Usually), and Enjoy Life Again, (Always), and three other books. She is the host of the Simply Write w/Polly Campbell podcast and the Polly Campbell Simply Said, podcast and her magazine articles regularly appear online and in print. Check out Polly's Simply Write column on Substack at SimplyWrite.substack.com.

Rachael answers some BONUS writing coaching questions and then she and Kristina Forest chat all things first draft! Kristina Forest is an author of romance books for young adults. Her novels include I Wanna Be Where You Are, Now That I've Found You, Zyla & Kai, and The Neighbor Favor. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing at The New School, and she can often be found rearranging her bookshelf. The Partner Plot is her most recent release. Find her here: https://www.kristinaforest.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help?

An adult diagnosis of autism for Holger Nils Pohl has given him a unique view on living a full, creative life. You’ll love this gorgeous conversation! Holger Nils Pohl is an award-winning communication designer, author, keynote speaker and visual facilitator. If he’s not working, he spends his time with his wife, three kids and their zoo of pets. The Wrong Planet is now on Kickstarter at: http://holgernilspohl.com/autism and also at http://rachaelherron.com/autismBook rec: Brain Rules - Brian Medina Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help?

A hard revision letter can push a writer into despair—what can we do to make sure we don’t burn out, trying to make the book better? Find out in this conversation with Sarah! Sarah Zachrich Jeng grew up in Michigan and always had a flair for the morbid and mysterious (for her dad’s thirty-fifth birthday, she wrote a short story entitled “The Man Who Died at 35”). After a brief career as an aspiring rock star, she now develops websites and writes cross-genre novels that combine suspense with the speculative. When I’m Her is her most recent release. Find her here: https://sarahzj.com/Book rec: Shutter, by Ramona Emerson Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help?

Sacha and Rachael talk about the wonderful success of Rachael’s Kickstarter and Sacha’s exploding sales! Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.✏️ Can I email you some writing help? http://rachaelherron.com/write