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!

Indie author diaries

IAD Ep27: Balancing writng & life

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:-) 

IAD Ep 26: Getting to know you

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!

IAD Ep 25: Prioritising Writing

 In this episode Sarah and Lisa chat about the things they've learned about girlbossing  their author life: They chat about: team management the importance of a sensible understanding of budget the problem with mates rates the problems that arise when working with friends (and things you can do to minimise problems) the importance of setting a routine setting deadlines and planning releases  the importance of not undervaluing your work (and Sarah chats about how she prices her books) four tips for girlbossing your author biz And more! 

IAD Ep 24: Girlbossing the author stuff

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 

IAD Ep 23: Show and tell (and show don't tell)

 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! 

IAD Ep 22: Nailing your characters

 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! 

IAD Ep 21: Serious Research

 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! 

IAD Ep 20: Getting Back to Business

In this episode Sarah & Lisa chat about 'self censoring' their writing (e.g. not always writing what the story needs for fear of what other people will think. Eg:  Holding a story back, changing a character, toning down a part of the story down (not because your editor said it was what the story needed, but because you were worried that your friends would look at you funny). If you've ever felt this way, then this one's for you:-)

IAD Ep 19: Self Censoring

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.

IAD Ep 18: Our 2019 Goals with Sarah & Lisa

 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!

IAD Ep 17: 2018 Review with Sarah & Lisa

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. 

IAD Ep16: Practical goal setting & an update from Sarah & Lisa

If you're going to put your best work forward, you need to edit it. In this episode Lisa and Sarah chat with Canadian editor and author, Alex McGilvery from Celtic Frog Editing services about editing for indies. In this chat they discuss: *the stages of editing (structure, developmental, line, copy and proof reading) and what happens at each stage, *what indies on a budget should focus on *how to prepare your manuscript before sending it to an editor *some tools that can help improve your writing *how Alex suggests you use beta readers, alpha readers or critique groups in the editing process *how to find an editor if you've never worked with one before *Alex provides some great tips for editing your own work, and how to test is a new editor is suitable for you *the importance of making sure you're asking your editor for the right kind of edit for your work *why people are afraid of editors (and they shouldn't be) And more! Sarah and Lisa also share their experiences and what they've learned along the way.

IAD Ep15: Editing with Alex McGilvery

To help new indies put out their best work, Sarah & Lisa chat with Ian Andrew (award winning author and founder of Book Reality Academy) about how to format books so they look professional. In this chat they discuss: *how to make your book look professional *how to avoid rookie mistakes *the simple tool that will help you format your book (& other programs that can help you format the book) *programs that help you create epub and mobi files *some things to think about when it comes to print formatting (digital, print, hard cover and large print) *how to avoid weird spacing in your books *ecourses that teach you how to format your ebook *winning awards as an indie and more! It's a lively chat (very lively - as Ian was in Bali while we were recording this episode and there was an earthquake in the middle of our recording).

IAD Ep14: Book formatting with Ian Andrew

Last episode Sarah & Lisa chatted about "Putting your best work forward" and so this week they chat with cover designer, and author Angela Stevens about creating good covers. In this chat Angela discusses: *the different cover options available from self-made to pre-made and custom *how to choose compatible fonts for your cover *Angela's tips for author name to title ratio *the importance of budgeting for a cover and the things to avoid if you are designing your own *how to avoid the one thing that most says, "I made this cover myself" *different cover design programs *different cover dimensions and templates (for digital, print and hardback) and things to be mindful of when approaching your designer *checklist of information you need before you commission a cover *comprehensive list of information you need for digital, print and hardback covers (e.g. what information is needed for the front, spine, back and dust cover) *designing covers in advance and finding a cover model that matches your hero or heroine *tips for designing covers for books in a series ...and more! (it's a really good chat!)

IAD Ep13: Covers Uncovered with Angela Stevens of The Cat's Pyjamas

Welcome to indie author diaries. A weekly diary with two indie writer mums. Show hosts Sarah Gai and Lisa M White chat about how they are fitting writing into their every day lives, their writing process from idea to published novel, and more. A podcast for beginner indie authors. Sarah is the author of The Curvies trilogy (a sweet, plus size, romantic comedy), contemporary romances, and Christian fantasy) Lisa is the author of A Touch of Magic (a women's fiction contemporary fantasy) & she's currently writing more. She's also the author of 13 cookbooks.

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Indie author diaries

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