Indie author diaries

Can you ever really achieve balance? We like to think it's possible, but understand the path to get there is windy.
A lot has changed since our last episode, but we discovered last week that Indie Author Diaries has turned 1, and so we thought an update episode was in order.

In this episode, Lisa & Sarah share what they've been doing since the last episode including:

• going back to work part time
• balancing writing and life
• balancing writing and energy levels
• balancing ambition and energy
• works in progress
• changes in direction - new pen names, old pen names, and different genres
• keeping healthy
• learning to say no
• entering competitions

And more!

How well do you really know your writing buddies?

In this episode Sarah and Lisa interview each and cover the tricky questions, like: if you could join the adventure and live in any book which would it be?, who is your favourite character,  and, did you read fairy tales as a kid? And if so, which was your favourite?

Their answers might surprise you!

After listening to this episode, head on over to our @indieauthordiaries instagram page and share your answers to these questions:-)

This week, Lisa and Sarah had a choice to make: spend time editing and writing their manuscripts or produce a podcast episode? The answer led to one of the most impressive updates of the year (from Sarah) and this episode (it might not be what you think!:-).

There's also the usual musings about writing and life, some theories about writing and life and some honest sharing about what Sarah and Lisa are finding tough at the moment.

Enjoy!

This week Sarah and Lisa chat about:

•  their current understanding of 'show don't tell' 
• the (three) different levels of showing and
• when it's ok to show and tell 
• the books they're currently reading
• and they give an update on what they've been up to since the last update
  

 In this episode, Sarah and Lisa discuss how they research and  create characters. It's a tricky one to summarise in dot points, but here  we go:

• Sarah shares the key things she includes in a character summary sheet for her protagonists and secondary characters
• Lisa  shares her "organic" approach to building characters (without a summary  sheet) but from looking at the character's journey through the story.
• They discuss the benefits of deeper research
• Sarah discusses the "Easter Egg" character she includes in each of her books
• They discuss what "keeping a character consistent" means (to them)

And more!

 In this episode Sara and Lisa discuss their different approach to research.

Sarah shares

• The  three main things she researches when researching the location her  books are set (to make them more authentic and real for the reader).
• The  extra level of research she does for certain characters (she uses the  example of a hearing impaired character and another character who is in a  domestic violence situation (for an upcoming book) .
• The  steps she takes for market research (especially when writing in a new  genre) and understanding the reader expectations in different genres and  sub genres.

Lisa shares

• Her  method-like approach for researching locations and characters so that  they are authentic for the reader (without getting stuck in the rabbit  hole).
• The four things she asks herself when she's at a place she's going to set a book.
• The things she takes photos of when she's researching a location.
• Things that you only see and learn from being in the location where the story is set.
• How she researches characters.
• The importance of checking the reliability of information and fact checking when using resources like. interviews, books, websites.

And more!

 The school holidays are over, and Sarah and Lisa are getting back into their regular writing life.

In this episode, Sarah and Lisa chat about:

*How they are feeling post-school holidays (and the challenges with getting back into healthy routines)
*Mindset shifts and goal changes that occurred through the holidays
*The importance of re-evaluating goals
*The link between people pleasing and deadlines
*Being mindful of, and staying away from "feast and famine" business approaches (if you're prone to burnout)
*Story shelf life
*An update on what they achieved through the holidays
*And more!

In this episode Sarah & Lisa chat about their 2019 Goals for:

• income
• words written
• books published
• craft development
• marketing
• and some of the challenges with setting goals

They also chat about their words for the year.

 In this episode Sarah & Lisa review their goals and achievements for 2018 and discuss:
*how many words were written
*how many books were published
*how they're going with their earning goals
*how many books they read
*their favourite books, music and movies for 2018
and more!

The warm-up to our goals for 2019 episode!
In this episode:
*Sarah & Lisa compare writing & publishing with parenting
*Lisa shares her new approach to setting goals so she can achieve her writing goals without burning out
*Lisa shares how she's currently writing & plotting her work in progress & solving plot issues
*Sarah & Lisa share an update on how they're exercising & writing at the moment
*Sarah shares how her writing has improved since she became a plotter
*They share their experiences with dictation
*Sarah shares an update on her launches for the Sparkles & Curvies books & the books for  her new pen name
*They both share an update on what they've done since the last diary update.