I swear July snuck up on me like a plot twist none of us approved. One minute I was saying, “I’ll start fresh in July,” and the next minute July said, “Surprise! I’m already halfway done.” My writing so far this month has been… let’s call it “warming up.” I’ve opened my manuscript, stared at it meaningfully, and even scrolled through it like a Victorian ghost haunting its own novel. Actual words on the page? Those are coming soon — allegedly. My goal for July is simple: momentum. Not perfection, not brilliance, just steady forward motion. A few pages, a few scenes, maybe even a chapter if the stars align and my coffee is strong enough. I’m focusing on showing up even when the writing gremlins whisper dramatic nonsense. So yes — you’re not alone. July is already sprinting ahead, but we’re catching up. Here’s to a month of small wins, messy drafts, and the occasional moment where we surprise ourselves by actually writing something good. Let’s do this!

Hello writers, We're somehow almost a week into July and I wanted to ask how everyone's writing and project updates were going. I personally haven't written anything yet, but that's about to change. Tell me how your writing is going, or what goals you may have for this month.

This isn’t from a book but in an interview I saw with John Acuff who is an author and productivity expert: “I don’t believe in writers block. I believe in idea bankruptcy.” He went on to say how he collects ideas, which I think is a cool thing to do. For myself, this quote motivates me to challenge myself to keep thinking as creatively as I can. What can I create that is unexpected or opposite of what someone might expect. When Jonah gave his first writing prompt, rather than continue with the characters he introduced, I went in a different direction. Maybe in the end it wasn’t so very creative? Maybe others would have had similar ideas, but I enjoyed the creative process. I hope that others in this group will share some of your writing in the writing prompts or projects or workshopping soon!

It's such a simple question, yet actually sitting down to write can be paralyzing. That's the quandary I wanted to tackle this week in #Chapter 7: How Do I Write Now? Check it out, and let me know what you think.

Hello everyone, I have some exciting news to share: this Saturday, May 27, at 1:30 pm EST, I will be doing a short 30 minute live event. I'm planning to revise and work on the short story I shared in the Workshopping Channel. Come hang out and watch, do some of your own work, or even give me live suggestions for how to improve it. I will forewarn you all that this is an experimental event. I would love to do more live events, so this is a test run. That means that there might be some technical difficulties, so keep that in mind. I hope to see you there!