How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: REVOLUTION [Podcast]
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: REVOLUTION [Podcast]

Welcome to the final episode of the Joyful Writing Goals series! In this episode, we’re bringing it ALL together! If you’ve struggled with consistently starting and finishing creative stories, showing up courageously for your work, using the ICPCS framework is a model you can put on repeat so creative writing feels joyful, automatic, and you eventually have a thick portfolio of finished stories you’re proud of. Putting this process on repeat keeps that wheel spinning, and what do we call a wheel that keeps spinning? A revolution. ICPCS is your key to creating a revolution in your creative writing life.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Hacks, Writing RoutinesRenee LongJoyful Writing Goals SeriesComment
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: SUSTENANCE [Podcast]
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: SUSTENANCE [Podcast]

For today’s episode, we’re diving in to the fifth and final section of the Wheel of Joyful Writing Goals framework: Sustenance. This part of the wheel is all about making your journey as smooth, joyful, and sustainable as possible. I like to think of it like this: if you were dropped into the middle of the woods with nothing but the clothes on your back, theoretically, with the right knowledge, you could survive. You could look for clean water, create a fire by rubbing together sticks or rocks, and build a rustic shelter. But unless you’re IN to that kinda extreme survival lifestyle like Bear Grylls or Survivor Man, you’re probably not gonna have a great time enjoying the wilderness or the journey to getting back home. Sustenance is all the tools in your backpack you use on your journey to make it ease-ful, joyful, and sustainable. Imagine getting dropped in the woods but now you have a compass, a satellite phone, a water purifier, fire starters, plenty of food, and an all-weather tent. That journey is going to be much more joyful, sustainable, and you’ll be able to focus on the process of getting home vs. survival. So when I talk about Sustenance in relation to your writing practice, I’m talking about any and all ways that can support you on your journey so it feels less like you’re running away from a hungry bear and more like you’re on a fun, exuberant hike.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Hacks, Writing RoutinesRenee LongJoyful Writing Goals SeriesComment
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: COMPASSION [Podcast]
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: COMPASSION [Podcast]

For today’s episode, we’re diving in to the fourth section of the Joyful Writing Goals framework: Compassion. This part of the wheel is arguably the most important. Honestly, if you went all in on Self-Compassion in your writing life, the other parts of the wheel would eventually follow and fall into place. Compassion reduces friction in the Wheel of Joyful Writing Goals so that cruel inner critic doesn’t throw off your writing momentum.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Hacks, Writing RoutinesRenee LongJoyful Writing Goals SeriesComment
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: PRESENCE [Podcast]
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: PRESENCE [Podcast]

For today’s episode, we’re diving in to the third section of the Joyful Writing Goals framework: Presence. This part of the Wheel will help you stop procrastinating from writing by making your goals “real,” which helps you become a more consistent and motivated writer. Presence is all about keeping your writing intentions front and center. Presence is about being grateful for the journey you’re on and noting how far you’ve come instead of getting deflated by how far you have to go.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Hacks, Writing RoutinesRenee LongJoyful Writing Goals SeriesComment
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: CLEAR VISION [Podcast]
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: CLEAR VISION [Podcast]

In this episode in the Joyful Writing Goals series, we’re diving in to the second section of the framework: Clear vision. This part of the Wheel will help you make bold and liberating decisions on what creative writing projects you’re going to work on. We’ll also talk about defining what “done” looks like so you don’t get stuck in a perfectionism cycle of editing and revising until you’ve been working on the story for 30+ years. 

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Hacks, Writing RoutinesRenee LongJoyful Writing Goals SeriesComment
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: IDENTITY [Podcast]
How to Set and Achieve Joyful Writing Goals with ICPCS: IDENTITY [Podcast]

Welcome to Episode 2 in the Joyful Writing Goals Series! For today’s episode, we’re diving in to the first section of the framework: Identity. This part of the Wheel will help you redefine your definition of a “Real Writer” so it feels empowering instead of deflating. I’ll share how stepping into the identity of a “Real Writer” requires shifting from a viscous identity cycle into a vivacious identity cycle, so your belief in your creativity literally feeds off itself! We’ll also talk about how to integrate the identity of a creative writer into your daily life (and every part of your being) in just five minutes per day.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Hacks, Writing RoutinesRenee LongJoyful Writing Goals SeriesComment
Embrace Gratitude to Joy-ify Your Creative Writing Routine [Podcast]
Embrace Gratitude to Joy-ify Your Creative Writing Routine [Podcast]

For me, gratitude is an excellent tool for shifting into the energy of ✨ inspiration ✨ when I want to be inspired to write.

Many creative writers wait to "feel inspired" or "be in the mood" before they put pen to paper. Unfortunately, this leaves you feeling behind and unproductive in your writing life.

On the other hand, forcing yourself to sit down and write when you don't feel good isn't the answer, either.

Here's where gratitude can help.

A gratitude practice shifts you at least 10% closer to that ✨ inspiration ✨ energy so you feel joyful and creative when your scheduled writing time comes around.

The catch: many of us have a sticky relationship with gratitude because it's been used like a cudgel to dismiss and bludgeon negative thoughts and emotions.

That's why I use a two-step gratitude process that does NOT emotionally or spiritually bypass your yucky feelings.

This strategy helps you acknowledge and release negativity so you can move into inspiration and joy.

That's what today's podcast episode is all about. This episode is for you if:

  • You wait to feel "inspired" to write, but you also want to be more consistent with your routine.

  • You've avoided gratitude in the past because it feels icky or inauthentic.

  • You want effective tools to shift into joy and inspiration before you sit down to write.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing RoutinesRenee LongComment
For When You Feel Unoriginal and Creatively Dried Up [Podcast]
For When You Feel Unoriginal and Creatively Dried Up [Podcast]

One of the biggest blocks that can suck the sweet juices out of a creative writer's heart is this... Feeling unoriginal. My mind starts to pinwheel around these depleting thoughts: It's all been done before. Someone else has done it already and better than I ever could. My idea is similar to that person's idea, and I'll be called a fraud and a copycat. Ultimately, it's a case of imposter syndrome and self-doubt. But what can we do about it? In my latest podcast episode, I discuss the two human instincts that contribute to feeling unoriginal. Plus, I offer specific steps on how to move past this block and share the gorgeous stories trapped in your heart.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing RoutinesRenee LongComment
Cultivate Patience to Write with More Consistency and JOY [Podcast]
Cultivate Patience to Write with More Consistency and JOY [Podcast]

What blocks your flow when writing?

For a lot, if not all of us creative writers, we write a few sentences, a few paragraphs, and immediately start picking apart everything on the page.

Ugh, this is awful! Total garbage! Who would want to read this trash, this word salad, this dumpster fire of the English language!

I’ve had these thoughts. My students have had these thoughts. If you read the biographies and memoirs of your favorite writers, they’ve had them too.

But here’s the truth about what’s going on here…

Read More
The Writing Life, The Science of HabitRenee LongComment
Become a More Powerful & Joyful Writer Through Conscious Complaining
Become a More Powerful & Joyful Writer Through Conscious Complaining

If you’re seeking expertise and fulfillment through a creative craft, there are serious downsides you will face along the way. For creative writers, it’s the frustration of cobbling together beautiful sentences. It’s the difficulty of sitting in one position for hours while typing or writing by hand. It’s the agony of getting a rejection letter from your dream magazine or agent.

This is where the tool of conscious complaining comes in!

The practice is exactly what it sounds like: you complain on purpose. Conscious complaining means setting up an intentional system to release your negative thoughts and emotions so you’re not splattering your negativity and frustration all over other people or yourself when you’re trying to be creative or productive.

Read More
The Writing LifeRenee LongComment
How to Read Like a Writer & Become a Powerful Storyteller
How to Read Like a Writer & Become a Powerful Storyteller

I want to talk to you about a critical skill that gets overlooked by most aspiring writers. And if you’re not doing this regularly, it doesn’t really matter how much you write.

If you don’t cultivate this skill, your writing will most likely stagnate, and no matter how many words and hours and years you put into your story, you may never hook readers or catch the attention of agents or editors.

Read More
Writing Hacks, Captain Your CraftRenee LongComment
Embrace Growth Mindset to Become a Phenomenal Writer
Embrace Growth Mindset to Become a Phenomenal Writer

Many of us assume you must be born with a high degree of natural talent to become a great writer. That you have to be gifted by the gods before you can write work that moves people.

It’s not true! Rather than being gifted with a finite supply of talent and skill, we are born with potential.

And all of us have potential. If you have a desire to write stories, that’s all the proof you need to know you have the potential to be a great writer.

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing Routines, The Science of HabitRenee LongComment
Why You Should Love Your Terrible First Drafts
Why You Should Love Your Terrible First Drafts

I hear it all the time from aspiring creative writers:

  • I’m great at starting stories, but then I get lost beneath a pile of raw writing that’s going nowhere.

  • I start off strong, but I get bored and give up in the middle of my story.

  • When I look back at what I’ve written, I can’t get over how terrible it is.

Today’s video is going to dive deeper into those limiting beliefs and offer some mindset shifts to remove those blocks. Let’s dive in!

Read More
The Writing Life, Writing RoutinesRenee LongComment
How to Choose the Perfect Time to Write & Stick with It
How to Choose the Perfect Time to Write & Stick with It

As a writing coach, I get asked about time & consistency a lot. Here are two questions I received just last week from writing students:

  • “How do you designate time to write and keep that same writing time?”

  • “How do you maintain a consistent writing practice?”

Here’s a short training addressing those questions with simple, practical solutions:

Read More
The Writing Life, The Science of Habit, Writing Routines, Writing HacksRenee LongComment
5 Ways to Grow Gentle Consistency & Discipline for Creative Writing – Part II
5 Ways to Grow Gentle Consistency & Discipline for Creative Writing – Part II

I believe in creating consistency that feels good. I believe writing should be JOYFUL and FUN (most of the time). I believe in creating a writing routine that feels like a sacred, energizing ritual that fills you up, not a chore that you have to show up to and leaves you depleted of energy. Here are five simple ways to create a gentle and consistent writing practice.

Read More
The Writing Life, The Science of Habit, Writing RoutinesRenee Long Comments
5 Ways to Grow Gentle Consistency & Discipline for Creative Writing – Part I
5 Ways to Grow Gentle Consistency & Discipline for Creative Writing – Part I

I believe in creating consistency that feels good. I believe writing should be JOYFUL and FUN (most of the time). I believe in creating a writing routine that feels like a sacred, energizing ritual that fills you up, not a chore that you have to show up to and leaves you depleted of energy. Here are five simple ways to create a gentle and consistent writing practice.

Read More
The Writing Life, The Science of Habit, Writing RoutinesRenee LongComment
In Defense of the Comfort Zone
In Defense of the Comfort Zone

I have to rant about this. The comfort zone gets a bad rap! Yes, it’s true that growth requires a degree of discomfort. It is ALSO true that comfort and safety are important, too. I slapped on an extra coat of bold red lipstick 👄 (ironically getting out of my comfort zone) to film a quick rant about my love for the Comfort Zone.

Read More
Renee Long Comments