Indie author diaries Indie Author Diaries

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!

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:-)

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!

 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! 

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

 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!