Projects & Progress

Sophie reports on the progress she’s making on Poirot no. 5, and other Dream Authors report on their progress and the challenges they’re currently facing, including: a bizarre book cover, a house move and how to approach a one-to-one with an agent.

What to do if you’re worried that you’ve fallen behind in Dream Author and/or aren’t doing it properly!; what to do if your week seems to shrink so that you can’t fit in all the things you’ve planned to do; a Dream Author’s plan for how to proceed with her current writing project; Sophie talks about her own (flawed) plan for writing Poirot no. 5.

How to suffer less, when you’re struggling with guilt or shame; Sophie’s ‘Get real and get down to it’ challenge re scheduling; why no Dream Authors are ‘failed’ Dream Authors; how to go from a no progress ; inner coach versus inner critic – how to know the difference and why it matters.

How to know if you should press on until the end of a draft or go back and edit before finishing; how to structure a thriller plot; how to deal with aspects of your plot that might be considered far-fetched.

When it feels as if it’s taking nightmarishly long to finish your book; should you apply for grants that will enable you to write full time, and what if you don’t get them?: sprucing up a self-help proposal to maximise its commercial potential: when your writing group submission deadlines aren’t regular enough: why it’s sometimes a great sign if you don’t want to tell your agent what you’re up to; when will the Dream Author Experience Slack Channel appear?: when you’ve had a series of disappointments: treat planning to cheer yourself up.

In this call, Sophie and Dream Authors discuss their current projects and their plans for making progress. Also: how to tackle our fear of starting; Dream Author online writing retreats; how being a people-pleaser/upholder can lead to a desire to rebel against your own dreams and goals.