Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing flow!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What is flow state
• How to find flow state
• Experimenting with your unique brain and body
• Letting go of shame surrounding focus and discipline

STOLEN FOCUS by Johann Hari: https://stolenfocusbook.com/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about organization!

What you’ll learn from this episode: 

• Emily and Rachel's personal processes
• Deciding on what your priorities are first
• Not using "organization" as a procrastination tool
• Leaning into your brain and body's natural tendencies

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about prologues!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Subjectivity is part of this process and industry 
• What makes prologues not work
• What makes prologues work
• How trends change over time

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about building your story with genre with guest Savannah Gilbo.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Why genre is a really important building block of your story
• Commercial genre vs content genre
• 5 things genre can tell us
• How to use genre to plan your story

Get in touch with Savannah!

Website: https://www.savannahgilbo.com/

Podcast: Fiction Writing Made Easy, https://www.savannahgilbo.com/podcast

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/ 

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about where to start your story.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Starting your story by introducing your character's world
• Showing your character acting on what they want
• Backing up just a little bit BEFORE the big plot problem (the catalyst)

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

 Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about creative burnout with guest Gauri Yardi!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What burnout is + how to recognize it
• How our nervous systems are tied to our creativity
• How to recognize if you're in burnout
• Some ways to begin burnout recovery 

Gauri Yardi's links:

Website: https://www.gauriyardi.com/

Quiz: https://www.gauriyardi.com/creative-burnout-quiz

Ebook: https://downloads.gauriyardi.com/acgtbfreeebook?utm_campaign=website&utm_medium=link&utm_source=burnout-quiz

ReCreation: https://www.gauriyardi.com/recreation-masterclass

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gauri.yardi/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the flow of learning.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• The process of learning
• How to understand and apply this process to your writing journey
• Searching out support based on where you're at in the pyramid

Bloom's Taxonomy Image: https://goldenmayediting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blooms-Taxonomy.png

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about making money with your writing with guest Nicole Stork-Hestad. This is part 3 of our interview series with Nicole!

What you’ll learn from this episode: 

• building belief in yourself and your story 
• how to build safety in the exchange of money for your work
• why you deserve to make money off your writing
• deciding to put your book into the world

Nicole's details: 

https://www.nshmoneycoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/nshmoneycoaching/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about investing in your writing with guest Nicole Stork-Hestad. This is part 2 of our interview series with Nicole!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what does it mean to invest in your writing?
• when/how to invest time, energy, and money into writing
• making money choices to get you to the person you want to become
• how to invest in yourself with confidence 

Nicole's details: 

https://www.nshmoneycoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/nshmoneycoaching/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about money mindset in your writing life with guest Nicole Stork-Hestad. This is part 1 of our interview series with Nicole!

What you’ll learn from this episode: 

• what IS money mindset? 
• how money mindset impacts your writing life
• how to stop feeling guilty about your money and start taking control
• "spending" your available time, energy, and resources on your writing

Nicole's details: 

https://www.nshmoneycoaching.com

https://www.instagram.com/nshmoneycoaching/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how to start a revision.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• A little update about Rachel's and Emily's WIPs
• The revisions hierarchy
• Where your mindset should be during the process
• Busting common revision myths
• Where to start exploring your revisions process

Learn more about our Story Magic 1:1 book coaching program: https://goldenmayediting.com/storymagic/

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about theme and how it relates to story and character, with guest Emma Dhesi!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What is theme?
• The difference between theme, story points, and thematic statements
• Do you need a theme? Why? 
• How to incorporate theme into each scene
• How to tie theme back to character

Important Links: 

https://emmadhesi.com/

Launch Pad book series

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about internal goals.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What are internal goals and why your characters need them
• How to create relatable and understandable characters
• How to use internal goals to bring depth and dimension to your characters

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about ending chapters!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Scene vs chapter
• Scene structure
• Ending in the middle?

SCENE STRUCTURE BLOG: https://goldenmayediting.com/scene-structure

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about scene structure!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what a scene really is
• how scenes break down into 4 major components
• tying character arcs and plot to scenes
• linking scenes across your story
• special offer for Scene Structure Simplified, our new workshop!

Enroll in Scene Structure Simplified: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/sceneworkshop

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about when and why to table a story.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• how to know if/when you should table a story
• why it might be the right time
• why tabling a story is NOT a failure
• what you can learn from the process

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldencoach/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about descriptive characterization.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• how to intentionally characterize your characters
• adding meaning and relevance to descriptions
• how less is often more

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldencoach/

Today we have a recording of an Instagram live discussion between Emily and actor / creative coach Corrie Legge where they discussed when art is worth doing in a world that feels like it's on fire.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• why art is important
• how to reconcile creating in the midst of global unrest and climate crisis
• all about Emily's teenage and college years! (Corrie is one of her oldest BFFs)

You can learn more from Corrie and her coaching programs and services at https://www.creatingwithcorrie.com/ and https://www.instagram.com/creatingwithcorrie/.

Want to watch the original Live video? You can find it here!

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about staying true to your humanity.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• How we bring our whole selves to the writing process
• No one can ask you to diminish your true self
• You do not need to change yourself to fit someone else's preferences

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about our favorite plotting tool: pivot point plans!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Character plans
• Linking story goals to pivot plans to scene goals
• Using plans to establish arcs
• How to implement on the plotter vs pantser spectrum

Pivot Point Plan graphic with extra example from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how writing is work.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• How writing is takes energy, even if it feels fulfilling
• We need to take breaks to recharge and refill the well
• Not filling every single day with writing
• Resting without guilt

Special links: 

Gauri Yardi - https://www.gauriyardi.com/

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about slow writing!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• why you feel the need to write fast
• how slow writing can actually result in better stories
• Addressing why you might be writing slowly
• Tools for addressing the things holding your writing process back

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk with guest Kristen Kieffer about creating in sequence.

What you’ll learn from this episode

• What does it mean to create in sequence?
• What happens when you create outside of sequence
• The creative fulfillment pyramid
• Finding fulfillment in your writing practice

Check out more of Kristen's work! 

Wildmaking

KristenKieffer.co

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about whether writers discover or create their stories.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• discovering vs creating your story
• are there right or wrong choices as you're writing?
• gaining agency over your writing choices
• how to make the best decisions
• letting go of shame and judgement as you make changes to your story.

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing in different POVs.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Knowing your character well enough to see from their perspective
• 1st person vs 3rd person perspectives 
• Tips and tricks for differentiating between your different POVs

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how to create dialogue that feels natural.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• how to create intentional and relevant dialogue
• using dialogue to show subtext
• how to show a character's true desires in the dissonance between what they say and do
• weaving conflict and action throughout a conversation
• the impact of reading your dialogue out loud

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about toxic positivity in your writing life.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what toxic positivity is
• why it's NOT part of a healthy writing mindset
• what you can do to acknowledge and embrace your difficult emotions 

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about character agency!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What agency actually is
• The difference between story and scene goals
• Using story goals to drive scene goals to create character choices
• Lots of examples!

Join us for our LIVE character goals and agency Masterclass How to Craft a Page Turner on March 24th at 1pm EST! Learn more: https://goldenmayediting.com/pageturner

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the difference between exposition and info dump.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what is exposition? what is info dump? 
• the 3 keys to exposition
• examples breaking down how these two things show up on the page
• how you evaluate your own writing for purpose, relevance, and meaning 

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about what writing feedback should really be like.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What feedback should NOT feel like
• What feedback SHOULD feel like
• What feedback actually means
• How to cultivate healthy feedback relationships

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about a brainstorming technique called divergent and convergent thinking.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• how divergent and convergent thinking work
• how to let go of the pressure of coming up with perfect ideas
• how to apply this brainstorming technique to your own writing roadblocks

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: http://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about our favorite trick to making your writing life easy.

In this episode you'll learn:

• how you're probably making writing harder than it needs to be
• how to take the pressure off yourself
• our fav tip for making writing easy
• the top ways you can implement this tip

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation? Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today on our first official episode, Emily & Rachel talk about building a sustainable writing life.

In this episode you'll learn:

• how to avoid the 'shoulds' in your writing life
• the 3 pillars of a sustainable writing life
• how to develop practices that work for YOU
• where to get started with creating the writing life you deserve!

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation? Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about character flaws.

In this episode you'll learn:

• why character flaws are so important
• our definition of the Internal Obstacle
• the difference between general flaws and the Internal Obstacle belief
• how to start developing your character's deep-seated flawed beliefs
• examples from published works!

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation? Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/emilygoldenedits/

Hey fiction writer! Want your readers to stay up until 2am, so engrossed in your story they just can’t put it down? Want to build a successful, fulfilling, and sustainable writing life that works for YOU? Story Magic is the place for you.

Every week, professional book coaches and editors Emily and Rachel from Golden May dive into writing craft, community, and mindset tips, tricks, and advice so you can write and publish books you’re damn proud of, again and again. We cover craft topics like story structure, character development, worldbuilding and ‘show, don’t tell’; we dive into how to grow your writing community of readers and writing partners; and we’ll talk about all those mindset challenges from imposter syndrome and perfectionism to fear of the blank page.

Story Magic has all the tools you need to become the author you’re meant to be. You’ve got this, let’s go!

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the brain science behind resistance with special guest Monica Hay!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What causes our brains to freeze up when we try to write
• Retraining your amygdala 
• Building neurons that support a writing habit 

MONICA HAY's WEBSITE: https://monicahay.com/

MONICA's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/monicahayauthor/?hl=en

MONICA'S MATCHING PROGRAM: monicahaycoaching.com/matchmaking

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about descriptions!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• What makes a good description? 
• How character perspective impacts what they see and describe
• How character emotions colors and influences description
• Tips and tricks

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about their 2025 years, and what they hope for 2026!

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about unlikeable characters.

What you’ll learn from this episode [insert bullet points]

• What does  ‘unlikable’ mean, and who decides?
• How to make unlikeable characters more likeable
• The importance of ideal reader when building complex / morally grey characters
• How to create unlikable characters intentionally by giving them purpose
• An impromptu A Game of Thrones debate!

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about jumping into new projects.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Moving onto new projects - like a totally new set of characters, new series, etc. It's scary!!
• What it’s like to start a totally new project 
• Embrace rewriting and making decisions
• Play, have fun, and follow curiosity 

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about revising and/or rewriting messy scenes.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• How to know if you should rewrite or revise messy scenes
• What ‘rewriting’ can look like, depending on your process
• How Emily & Rachel approach rewriting differently (and similarly!) 
• Mindset around ‘throwing things out’

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about post-book-release emotions!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what it's like to release a book into the world
• mindset reframes 
• practical steps for managing the ups and downs of the publishing process

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about magic as a metaphor for mental health with guest Ruth McKell.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• using writing as catharsis
• incorporating mental health themes into your magic
• including mental health representation intentionally
• practical tips for developing magic through real-world observation

Read HONEY IN HER VEINS by Ruth McKell: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239680531-honey-in-her-veins

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about what happened during the time we've been on hiatus!

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel are back from hiatus to talk about dictation with guest Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Incorporating dictation into your writing process
• Managing mindset and perfectionism
• Technology and tips

Join Sarah's DICTATION BOOKCAMP: https://www.fictioncourses.com/dictation

Check out Sarah's books: https://www.choctawspirit.com/shop/books

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about book coaching behind the scenes with Sam Cameron!

This is a special edition episode originally recorded for Sam Cameron's substack, Truant Pen. Check out Truant Pen here: https://truantpen.substack.com/

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what 1:1 book coaching is really like
• lessons learned from writing, revising, querying, and getting an agent
• what coaching feels like to a coach
• how rest is so important to the writing process

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about studying published works. 

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• why studying published works is our fav trick for leveling up your skills
• how to study and apply the lessons
• growing your knowledge while keeping your unique voice

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about revising large parts of your manuscript!

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• Rewriting words is so normal
• How to know you have to do it
• Tips and tricks for rewriting 

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about atmosphere and setting with Thea Verdone.

What you’ll learn from this episode:

• what makes a setting 'gothic'
• bringing atmosphere to life on the page
• choosing relevant and important setting details
• showing world building on the page

CHECK OUT THEA's WEBSITE: https://theaverdone.com/

Read NEVER LEAVE, NEVER LIE: https://theaverdone.com/#never-leave-never-lie

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about publicity and book marketing with guest Jenn Vance.

What you’ll learn from this episode: 

• how publicity services can help you
• the strategy of book marketing
• different marketing methods and paths
• finding and embracing the strategy that works for you

Check out BOOKS FORWARD: https://booksforward.com/

Register for the FREE "Ask a Publicist" webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/QMfcpNUFSyq61jzB72AEag

Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagic

Join Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/

If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!

Follow us on social media!

Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/

Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/