The Pen Garden

Why we should turn to comforting fiction when our writer journeys get hard | E4 | S5 LEARN/LOVE

Tue, 11 May 2021 23:00:00 GMT

In my darkest time, I picked up a book I have read lots of times to remind myself of its simple wisdom. 'The Little Prince' is a romantic point of view towards life and if you stick with me for the next fifteen or so minutes, I will share a few quotes from it and let you know how these notions have affected how I think about my writing journey.

Welcome to the the Pen Garden - your writing productivity and mental health podcast which will help you build a zen writing routine tailored to your lifestyle. I’m your host Lainey, a self-published author and an overall anxious mess trying to do a bit better every day.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Juggling a writing routine among your other life routines | E3 | S5 LEARN/LOVE

Tue, 04 May 2021 18:00:00 GMT

Stick around for the next ten or so minutes to hear me discuss how a writing routine fits with all the other routines you might be juggling on the daily. For me it wasn’t easy to slot it in or to consistently be good at it, I’m still struggling some days, so if you do too, you’re not alone.

Welcome to the the Pen Garden - your writing productivity and mental health podcast which will help you build a zen writing routine tailored to your lifestyle. I’m your host Lainey, a self-published author and an overall anxious mess trying to do a bit better every day.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What beta readers want you to know before you send them your novel | S5 Bonus episode

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 11:00:00 GMT

The Pen Garden Podcast is usually about writing productivity and mental health. I say usually because today I will be sharing a discussion with my friend Flora Kittle, who is a fellow author and beta reader. The both of us together oversee the Pen Garden Beta Reading Program, a project which provides writers the opportunity to receive extensive feedback on their current book.

Briefly, a beta-read is a preliminary read of an edited manuscript with the purpose to provide feedback which will improve aspects of it. A beta reader will look at your story from the eyes of a critical reader and identify places that are confusing or inconsistent. Some beta readers might help you improve your writing style too but it depends on their own skills.

The Pen Garden Beta Reading Program provides feedback on four areas in the shape of a letter. There has been one round so far, and all the participants have been thankful. If you have a self-edited, complete manuscript you’re seeking feedback on, the Program Round 2 is a good opportunity for you.

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Reading as a writer and writing as a reader | E2 | S5 LEARN/LOVE

Tue, 20 Apr 2021 18:00:00 GMT

Stick around for the next fifteen or so minutes to hear me discuss the wonderful act of reading and how I struggled to get enjoyment out of it for a time. I will discuss two different modes of reading and how things can change around that when you’re a writer on the hunt for learning.

Welcome to the the Pen Garden - your writing productivity and mental health podcast which will help you build a zen writing routine tailored to your lifestyle. I’m your host Lainey, a self-published author and an overall anxious mess trying to do a bit better every day.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The emotional place of money in a writing journey | E1 | S5 LEARN/LOVE

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 17:00:00 GMT

Stick around for the next fifteen or so minutes to hear me discuss the emotional place of money in a writing journey. I will touch on investing money in your writing, spending, profits and how they all affect writers’ mental heath.

Welcome to the the Pen Garden - your writing productivity and mental health podcast which will help you build a zen writing routine tailored to your lifestyle. I’m your host Lainey, a self-published author and an overall anxious mess trying to do a bit better every day.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Keep your writing career expectations in check | E5 | S4 Success & Failure

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 19:00:00 GMT

Success and failure depend on the person’s expectation around writing, but even if people are happy with their work, society or those in our social bubbles can bring our writer confidence down by forcing on us their often unrealistic and unreasonable expectations about what a writer should be. So in the final episode of this season, I want to deconstruct some of these interactions and hopefully inspire you to take pride in your writing and to have the confidence to stand up for yourself when you feel wronged in any way.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Setting realistic writing goals | E4 | S4 Success & Failure | Writing productivity without burnout

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 20:00:00 GMT

Let’s start 2021 with a bang and talk about setting achievable writing goals. Some of you may call them writing resolutions and may well be setting some pretty ambitious ones as we speak. But hold off for the next ten-fifteen minutes and listen to the following tips, tricks and ideas. This episode will help you evaluate your practice and set up your yearly writing objectives with your personal situation in mind, and hopefully prevent you from burning out or feeling like you’ve failed in the coming year.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Accepting feedback and rejection in your writing journey | E3 | S4 Success & Failure

Tue, 22 Dec 2020 17:00:00 GMT

In this episode, I will discuss why criticism is important, and how to spot when a negative review might be useless to you. Then, on the mental health side of things, I will look into how to process feedback while still maintaining your feeling of self-worth.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Success & your writing routine | E2 | S4 Success & Failure

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 16:00:00 GMT

Find out why achieving your writer career dreams can be disruptive and how to pre-empt any issues and establish a routine which will stand the test of change.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writers’ perception on creative success & failure | E1 | S4 Success & Failure

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Today I will try to define what writerly success and failure is, and how they impact your writing routine. I’ve asked writers about what they perceive as success and failure and their answers were eye-opening.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S4 Overview | Writing productivity without burnout | E0.5 | S4 Success & Failure

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 13:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode, I will look at writer success and failure, as perceived by writers themselves, and help you understand how these two seemingly opposing things can both change the way you view your writing practice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writing friends, writing communities and writing retreats | E5 | S3 Inspiration

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Discover the benefits of finding writing groups and being part of a writing community, why writing retreats are awesome and what types there are, and how to use all that is available online to improve your writing practice by achieving your writing goals and meeting new like-minded people.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Creative brainstorming and writing exercises | E4 | S3 Inspiration

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 13:00:00 GMT

How can brainstorming jump start your inspiration and how giving writing exercises a go can get you out of a slump and into a new dawn of creativity.? Listen to find out.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sleep, dreams and creative inspiration | E3 | S3 Inspiration

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Today, I’m going to talk about sleep, dreams and how we can prime our subconscious to generate new ideas and problem-solve our writing issues for us.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9 Mental Health Traps of NaNoWriMo and how to avoid them | S3 Bonus episode

Sat, 31 Oct 2020 21:00:00 GMT

I recognized some unhelpful patterns in my thinking while doing my NaNoWriMos in previous years, some words I would say to myself that would hinder my progress. I call them mental health traps, because once you start thinking them, your mental health suffers and you’re trapped in an unproductive state. So I wanted to make this special episode of the Pen Garden for all of you who are attempting NaNoWriMo this year and give you a chance at a strong start, particularly when it comes to your mental health.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Trick yourself out of procrastination and refill your creative well | E2 | S3 Inspiration

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 13:00:00 GMT

This week, I will discuss a topic which all writers dread to think about - procrastination. It’s the enemy of productivity and inspiration and can leave pretty much anyone feeling like they can’t write. But it’s not all doom and gloom - I will teach you how to trick your brain into doing things that fuel your creativity while still indulging that need to procrastinate for a bit.

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

S3 Overview | Writing productivity without burnout | E0.5 | S3 Inspiration

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode, I present a short overview of what’s the third season about and how I will try to de-mistify inspiration and offer you some practices which might be useful if you want to foster it regularly in your writing routines

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The theory of creative inspiration and how to foster it | E1 | S3 Inspiration

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Today’s episode focuses on the theory and science of inspiration - what it was perceived to be, what it is viewed as now and how can you fit this knowledge in your writing practice to empower your creativity.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writing routines are for all personality types | E5 | S2 Your Personality

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode, I will talk about the favorite topic of this podcast - routines. This time, I will look at them through the lens of personality research. This means I will delve into which personalities thrive on routines and which struggle - and how to power up your practice so you can include a routine that complements you and doesn’t stress you out.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Discover your best writing environment | E4 | S2 Your Personality

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

This episode explores what the perfect writing space and social environment look like for all the personality types.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Find your most creative writing time | E3 | S2 Your Personality

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

This episode is about exploring what your most creative writing time might be according to your personality.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Uncover your inner writing motivation | E2 | S2 Your Personality

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode, I dive straight into what creative motivation is and then break it down for all MBTI personality types.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Theory of habits & writing productivity | E1 | S2 Your Personality

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode, I talk about habits - what they are, how they’re different from routines, why it’s so hard to change them and how we can build good ones and discard the ones that don’t bring us anything positive.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overview | Writing productivity without burnout | E0.5 | S2 Your personality

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:00:00 GMT

What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode, I present a short overview of what’s the second season about and how the next episodes can help you begin the process of knowing yourself so you can create a writing routine which works for you and your personal situation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Self-care & writing | Writing productivity without burnout | E1 | S1 Beginnings

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

For writers of all kinds, feeling productive is key to our writing practice. But that’s not always straight-forward and can even stress us out. What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

This episode is all about the basics of self-care and how it can benefit your writing practice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your social bubble & writing productivity | E3 | S1 Beginnings

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

For writers of all kinds, feeling productive is key to our writing practice. But that’s not always straight-forward and can even stress us out. What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

Like it or not, you and I are part of society and if we want said society to engage with our writing, we have to keep within its bounds. That includes accepting that writing might never be straightforward and that there will always be interruptions from within our social bubble.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writing routines are great | Writing productivity without burnout | E5 | S1 Beginnings

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

For writers of all kinds, feeling productive is key to our writing practice. But that’s not always straight-forward and can even stress us out. What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode I talk about what place routines have in our lives, why they're so great and why you should make one that works for your writing practice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Burnout in writers | Writing productivity without burnout | E4 | S1 Beginnings

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

For writers of all kinds, feeling productive is key to our writing practice. But that’s not always straight-forward and can even stress us out. What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

For this episode I focus on the definition of burnout, why writers are so susceptible to it and I will outline a few things you could do to recognize it before it’s too late.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Your personality & writing productivity | E2 | S1 Beginnings

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT

For writers of all kinds, feeling productive is key to our writing practice. But that’s not always straight-forward and can even stress us out. What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?

For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.

In this episode I talk a little bit about how to determine your personality type and how that can help you shape your writing routine. Understanding what drives you and what your strengths and limitations are will help you focus your efforts and create a routine that is a perfect fit, with you and your needs at its core.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Overview | Writing productivity without burnout | E0.5 | S1 Beginnings

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 11:00:00 GMT

For writers of all kinds, feeling productive is key to our writing practice. But that’s not always straight-forward and can even stress us out. What if you could develop a writing routine that sidesteps those negative feelings and keeps you consistently fulfilled?
For the time it takes to drink a warm cup of tea, The Pen Garden will welcome you and offer you the tools to learn what works for you and what doesn’t, will inspire you by sharing how established writers tackle their daily life and will put your mind at ease that the challenges you face are not yours only and can be overcome. Come spend 10-15 minutes with me every Tuesday for some writing productivity self-care.
In this episode, I present a short overview of what’s the first season about and how the next episodes can help you begin the process of creating a writing routine which works for you and your personal situation.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Pen Garden

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:00:00 GMT

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.