Your Write Life Coach | Motivation and Momentum for Heart-Led Authors

Alice Crider | Book Editor, Author Coach, Certified Life Coach
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Welcome to Your Write Life Coach! A podcast where heart-led authors of non-fiction, fiction, and memoir go from stuck and overwhelmed to aligned and unstoppable. Each week, I bring you real stories, hard-won lessons, and secrets from bestselling authors, so you can avoid costly mistakes and move forward with clarity and confidence. With my 30 years of experience, I'll help you shift from confusion and burnout to purpose and momentum. Because book publishing success doesn't have to mean selling your soul. I'm Alice Crider, and I'm so glad you're here. Learn more at alicecrider.com.

  1. 1d ago

    From a Calling to a 40-Year Writing Career - Janet McHenry Interview Part 1 | Ep22

    What happens when you sit on a rock at a women’s retreat, half-rolling your eyes at the assignment, and hear God say, “I want you to write for me”? For Janet McHenry, it became a writing life that has now spanned four decades and 24 books, including the bestselling PrayerWalk and The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Janet and I talk about how that calling unfolded one small step at a time: devotions and magazine articles first, then children’s board books, chapter books, and a girls’ mystery series, and eventually the prayer books that became her life’s message. She also opens up about a season of doubt earlier this year, when she hadn’t had a book contract in a couple of years and wondered whether the calling had run its course. What happened between takeoff and landing on that flight to Alabama will give you chills. We also talk about how much publishing has changed since the late 1980s, why Janet encourages writers to “write what we don’t know yet,” how writing turned a self-described undisciplined woman into a disciplined one, and why her brand grew organically out of simply following the call. In This Episode How Janet juggled newspaper reporting, ten years in her husband’s law office, teaching high school English, and raising four kids while answering a call to writeThe retreat near Lake Tahoe, the rock, and the moment she heard, “I want you to write for me”Why a string of rejections from women’s magazines didn’t end the storyHer starting smallThe college senior who swore she could never write a couple hundred pages, and the 95,000-word book she has since writtenHer season of doubt this year, and the email waiting for her when her plane landedHow publishing has changedWriting what you don’t know yet as a path to intellectual and spiritual growthOrganic branding versus trying to brand yourself Why Praying Personalities is the book that stretched her most 📗 Key Takeaways for Heart-Led Authors 📗 A calling can start small. Janet never set out to write a book. She wrote short pieces she could already write well and let each step lead to the next. Test the call. Janet distinguishes between someone telling you “you should write a book” and a calling you’ve examined prayerfully and seen confirmed. Doubt doesn’t cancel the call. Even after 40 years, Janet wondered if she was done. Her answer was surrender, not striving, and the next door opened. Write what you don’t know yet. Curiosity and inquiry can grow you as a writer and as a person. Your brand can grow out of your message. Janet’s identity as “the prayer lady” came from following what was on her heart, not from choosing colors and fonts first. About Janet McHenry Janet McHenry is a national speaker and the author of 24 books, including the bestselling PrayerWalk, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus, and Praying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style. Through her ministry, Looking Up, she encourages others to look up in prayer. An avid prayer walker, Janet has been featured in magazines including Health and Woman’s Day. A former newspaper reporter and high school English teacher, she and her husband raised four children in California’s Sierra Valley. This year she celebrates 40 years as a published author. 📚 Books Mentioned 📚 PrayerWalk by Janet McHenryThe Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus by Janet McHenryPraying Personalities: Finding Your Natural Prayer Style by Janet McHenry (includes the Praying Personalities Quiz, also available at https://prayingpersonalities.com/) Connect with Janet Website: janetmchenry.com Facebook: @JanetMcHenryAuthor Instagram: @janetmchenry Twitter: @LookingUpFirst 🟧 Go Deeper 🟧 Work with me one-on-one: inquire about coaching at alicecrider.com. Resources: Energy Journal to help you discover when you have the best energy to do your best writing.

    From a Calling to a 40-Year Writing Career - Janet McHenry Interview Part 1 | Ep22

  2. Oct 5

    The Myth of More Time: Why Energy, Not Time, Is Your Best Writing Resource | Ep21

    I tackle a belief that quietly sabotages a lot of writers: that the real obstacle to getting words on the page is a lack of time. Using a recent, honest example from my own life — sitting down to write this very episode and hitting nothing but brain fog — I make the case that energy, not time, is usually the real bottleneck. I share three practical shifts for working with your natural energy instead of fighting it, no matter how full your schedule already is, and introduce a free tool to help you find your own best writing hours. In This Episode Why my own attempt to write this episode kept stalling out — and what changed when she moved it to her highest-energy hour instead of her last open time slotThe idea of the “Round Tuit” — a playful token some motivational speakers have handed out as a nudge against waiting for the “perfect moment” to take actionWhy willpower is a limited resource, and what happens when you keep writing during your lowest-energy hours out of guilt or obligationThree shifts Alice recommends: finding your personal best writing window, working in short high-energy bursts instead of forcing long low-energy ones, and making honest, intentional trades with your time rather than chasing a mythical energy surplusWhy the goal isn't a full schedule overhaul — just noticing where your energy actually is ✍️ This Week's Invitation ✍️ For the next week or two, pause a few times a day — morning, midday, evening — and notice whether your energy feels high, medium, or low. Jot down the time and what you ate or drank around it to start spotting your own patterns. Free Resources My 2-Week Energy Journal — a free tool to help you track your energy across the day and find your natural best writing hours. Available at alicecrider.com.Live Workshop on Wednesday, October 7: The Missing Link: What Stands Between the Writer You Are and the Author You’re Meant to Be. I'll be doing live coaching and sharing practical tools to help you move forward with real momentum. Join the newsletter at alicecrider.com for details and the link to join. Resources & Mentions 📒 The “Round Tuit” token, popularized in motivational speaking circles 📒 My 2-Week Energy Journal (free download at alicecrider.com) 📗 Grab your free copy of My 2-Week Energy Journal at alicecrider.com to start noticing your own best writing hours this week. Available at alicecrider.com.

    The Myth of More Time: Why Energy, Not Time, Is Your Best Writing Resource | Ep21

  3. Sep 28

    Beyond the Bestseller: Paula Scott on Finding Readers, Growing as a Writer, and Writing With Purpose (Part 2) | Ep20

    In Part 2 of my conversation with bestselling indie author Paula Scott, I turn to the practical side of the writing life: marketing, readers, and growth. Paula shares the surreal story of an unsolicited Publishers Weekly review, why she keeps her books mostly off her personal marketing efforts and lets them find readers on their own, and where she believes real readers actually spend their time. Paula and I also talk about what writing has taught her about herself — including the reader letters that keep her going — and she closes with her best advice for anyone just starting to write a book. About the Guest Paula Scott is a bestselling indie author who writes under her husband's first name; she also runs West Butte Orchards, her family's stone fruit farm in Sutter County, California. Her books, published under her own imprint, West Butte Press, include The Mother Keeper, River of Mercy, Farming Grace, and Love in a Fertile Land. In This Episode How Paula's early self-published novels found readers largely without active marketing on her part, including a debut that took a year to “hit” after she put it on AmazonThe unsolicited Publishers Weekly review for The Mother Keeper — and the New York publicist who tracked Paula down after reading it, not realizing she was self-publishedWhy Paula brought on an Amazon ads specialist this year for the first time, and what that's changed about how her books are being foundWhy Paula doesn't feel comfortable actively marketing her books on social media — even though she has a large following built around West Butte OrchardsWhere Paula believes real, avid readers actually spend their time (Goodreads, reader-focused Facebook groups) versus general social media, and why she mostly avoids reading her own Goodreads reviewsWhat writing has grown in Paula personally: learning to trust her “muse,” and the reader letters she's received from people who say her books — including The Mother Keeper — brought them back to faithPaula's “woman at the well” framing for her sense of calling as a writerJack London as an example of a self-taught writer, and Paula's advice to learn to write partly by reading widelyPaula's core advice for someone just starting out: finish the whole novel, treat writing as a craft you build through repetition, and don't write for money or fameWhere to find Paula's books, and the story behind her pen name, Paula Scott Resources & Mentions Paula Scott — The Mother Keeper (novel) — “Scott elegantly considers the difference between faith and trust” — Publishers WeeklyWest Butte Press (Paula's publishing imprint)West Butte Orchards (Paula's family farm)Jack London (author)Goodreads Connect with Paula Scott Website: https://www.paulascott.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulascottbicknell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulascottbicknell.9 📋 Join Alice's email list to get the workshop details and Zoom link: alicecrider.com (fill out the contact form)

    Beyond the Bestseller: Paula Scott on Finding Readers, Growing as a Writer, and Writing With Purpose (Part 2) | Ep20

  4. Sep 21

    The MUSE Behind the Story: How Paula Scott Learned to Trust Her Creative Gift (Part 1) | Ep19

    I sit down with longtime friend and bestselling self-published author Paula Scott for the first half of a wide-ranging conversation about the writing life. Paula traces her path from newspaper reporter to novelist — including two early manuscripts that almost sold, a Hollywood movie option that never became a film, and nearly a decade away from writing while raising her family. Paula and I dig into what she calls her “muse”: the sense that her stories arrive from somewhere outside herself, and what it's like to follow that voice even when it's unsettling. Along the way, we talk about flow states, faith, and the strange experience of writing something that later seems to come true. About the Guest Paula Scott is a bestselling indie author living on a fruit farm near the Sutter Buttes in California — often described as the world's smallest mountain range. She began her career as a newspaper reporter before turning to fiction full-time. Her novels include the California Rising series, The Mother Keeper, and River of Mercy, along with two memoirs, Farming Grace and Love in a Fertile Land. In This Episode How Paula moved from two near-miss novel deals (one considered by Harlequin) into newspaper reporting, and the New York literary agent and Hollywood movie option that followed her third attempt at a novelWhy Paula stepped away from writing for close to a decade while raising four children as a military spouse, and what brought her back during five months of bed rest with her fourth childWhat Paula means when she talks about writing “by the muse” — and how that differs from imposter syndrome and the inner critic, topics Alice has covered in recent episodesThe prayer Paula prayed when she became a Christian: asking God to take the muse away if it wasn't from HimHow her novel that began as “The Peach Orchard” became River of Mercy, and her early feedback from a Christian literary agentMy own NaNoWriMo story — a chapter that “wrote itself” and got the attention of a literary agent, even though the rest of the manuscript needed workPaula's reflections on Jack London's Call of the Wild as an unintentional self-portrait, and the authors she believes also write “by muse,” including Francine Rivers and Stephen KingThe story behind Paula's novel The Mother Keeper How events in River of Mercy seemed to mirror something that later happened in Paula's own family — unsettling enough that she pulled back from promoting the novel for several years Resources & Mentions Paula Scott — River of Mercy (novel)Paula Scott — The Mother Keeper (novel)Paula Scott — California Rising series (novels)Paula Scott — Farming Grace and Love in a Fertile Land (memoirs)Jack London — Call of the WildFrancine Rivers (author)Stephen King — On Writing; The Green Mile; Different Seasons (source novella for the film Shawshank Redemption)National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) Connect with Paula Scott Website: https://www.paulascott.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulascottbicknell/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulascottbicknell.9 📋 Join Alice's email list to get the workshop details and Zoom link: alicecrider.com (fill out the contact form)

    The MUSE Behind the Story: How Paula Scott Learned to Trust Her Creative Gift (Part 1) | Ep19

  5. Sep 14

    Dancing with Your Inner Critic | Ep18

    That voice that shouts “you're crazy” in the middle of a rough draft, or calls you names the second you catch a mistake — it's not going anywhere. Not through willpower, not through positive thinking, not through gritted-teeth persistence. This episode is a follow-up to Episode 17. I draw a sharp line between everyday self-doubt and the much louder, much crueler voice of the inner critic — and make the case that the critic isn't really the problem. It's a symptom of self-abandonment, the quiet habit of overriding your own needs and instincts to stay safe or keep the peace. Drawing on a story from my coaching work and one from my own childhood, I offer a different way forward: you don't have to silence the inner critic. You can learn to dance with it instead. In This Episode The real difference between imposter syndrome (self-doubt) and the inner critic (shame and fear)The story of an author who nearly quit her book because of a voice that wasn't even hersMy own inner critic, and the childhood moment it still echoesWhy the inner critic is a symptom of self-abandonment — and what self-abandonment actually looks like for a writerThe important difference between self-abandonment and sacrificeThe seven types of inner critics, from psychotherapists Jay Earley and Bonnie Weiss — and how to tell which one is talkingWhy editorial judgment isn't the enemy: separating real craft feedback from inherited crueltyFour ways to dance with your inner critic instead of fighting it — including a simple two-column exercise you can do this week 📜 From the Episode 📜 “The inner critic is a symptom of self-abandonment. It's not the root problem. It's the smoke, not the fire.” “You don't need it gone. You just need it to stop being the one holding the pen.” ✍️ Your Invitation This Week Four ways to dance with your inner critic, friend: Give it a goofy name — something too ridiculous to take seriouslyThank it for trying to protect you, then take the step anywayDraw a line down a page. Left side: what the critic says about you, others, and what's possible. Right side: what wisdom would say. Notice the difference — then choose which voice to believeDo something. Take one small, true action in the direction that makes you nervous Start noticing when you're abandoning yourself to satisfy that voice. And in that moment, choose yourself instead. Links & Resources Mentioned 📋 Join Alice's free workshop on Wednesday, October 7th — a deeper dive into imposter syndrome and the inner critic, with live coaching and tools to help you move forward 📋 Join Alice's email list to get the workshop details and Zoom link: alicecrider.com (fill out the contact form) 📗 The seven types of inner critics referenced come from psychotherapists Jay Earley and Bonnie Weiss's Internal Family Systems (IFS) approach, detailed in their books Self-Therapy for Your Inner Critic and Freedom from Your Inner Critic *********************   Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review!  ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit. ********************* About Your Host Alice Crider is an author coach, book editor, and certified life coach. She has edited hundreds of books and spent decades helping writers move from stuck to published — with their voice, vision, and sanity intact. Her podcast, Your Write Life Coach, exists to give heart-led authors the motivation AND the momentum they need to do the work that matters. Find Alice at alicecrider.com

    Dancing with Your Inner Critic | Ep18

  6. Sep 7

    Rethinking Imposter Syndrome for Writers: Why You're Not a Fraud | Ep17

    You may have already called yourself a fraud at least once this week. Not out loud, but just that quiet voice that shows up right before you hit send, right before you speak up, right before you finally share the thing you've been working on. We've been told for almost fifty years that this feeling has a name — imposter syndrome — and a cause rooted in self-doubt. In this episode, I — author coach, book editor, and certified life coach — question whether that story is actually the right one. Drawing on an author who sat on a finished manuscript for two years and her own imposter moment at the launch of this very podcast, I make the case that what is often called "imposter syndrome" might really just be your nervous system doing exactly what it was built to do.   In This Episode Why the science behind “imposter syndrome” isn't as settled as we've all assumed Where the term actually came from — and how it drifted from “phenomenon” to “syndrome” The story of an author who sat on a finished, good manuscript for two years, convinced it “wasn't ready” My own imposter moment at the start of this podcast — and what actually moved her through it Why your nervous system, not a personality flaw, is behind most of your self-doubt The important difference between real barriers (bias, gatekeeping) and internal doubt — and why they deserve different conversations A simple, four-step practice for noticing doubt instead of obeying it The invitation: one small, true step you can take this week   📗 From the Episode 📗 “That wiring never got the memo that wild beasts are no longer eating people for breakfast.” “A rejected query doesn't make you a fraud. It makes you a writer who queried. That's the whole game, friend — not zero rejection, just zero surrender.”   ✍️ Your Invitation This Week Four small steps: Notice the thoughts that make you doubt yourself — without judging them Thank your nervous system for trying to keep you safe Remind yourself of your calling, and ask: “What is one small step I can take?” When the answer comes — take that step It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be true, and it has to be yours. Then give yourself a high five — you just expanded your own comfort zone, and that's worth celebrating.   Links & Resources Mentioned Grab some free resources for writers at alicecrider.com /your-write-life-coach-podcast   Work with Alice one-on-one: alicecrider.com or email admin@alicecrider.com The term “impostor phenomenon” was coined by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in their 1978 paper, “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention,” published in the journal Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice Definition referenced from Merriam-Webster   Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review!   ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit. *********************  About Your Host Alice Crider is an author coach, book editor, and certified life coach. She has edited hundreds of books and spent decades helping writers move from stuck to published — with their voice, vision, and sanity intact. Her podcast, Your Write Life Coach, exists to give heart-led authors the motivation AND the momentum they need to do the work that matters. Find Alice at alicecrider.com

    Rethinking Imposter Syndrome for Writers: Why You're Not a Fraud | Ep17

  7. Aug 31

    What Actually Moves a Writing Career Forward - Laurie Davies Interview Part 2 | Ep16

    In Part 1, Laurie Davies got honest about the decade of inner work — and self-rejection — behind her debut book, Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck. In this second half of the conversation, Laurie and I turn to what actually moves a writing career forward: staying authentic instead of chasing platform tactics, why writers' conferences matter more for relationships than for strategy, and how Laurie has come to define success in a way that has nothing to do with bestseller lists. Laurie also shares a laugh-out-loud story about the day she accidentally made her first impression on her future acquiring editor, plus a moment with a reader that she now considers the real measure of whether her book is hitting the mark. About Laurie Davies Author of Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck (Moody Publishers, 2026)Writer, speaker, and lay counselor who helps women let go of emotional "clutter" — regret, grudges, bitterness, and shameBackground in journalism; has written professionally for 35 years and added speaking to her work over the last 8 yearsWriter for Proverbs 31 Ministries devotionalsLives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her husband of 30 years Connect with Laurie Davies Website: LaurieDavies.comInstagram: @lauriedaviesauthorFacebook: @LaurieDaviesAuthorBook: Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck — available wherever books are sold What You'll Hear in This Episode What actually kept Laurie going through self-rejectionWhy chasing platform tactics never felt authentic to Laurie — and why that's okayThe unexpected "kindness" Laurie now sees in her platform not growing fasterThe belief Laurie had to let go ofThe two things Laurie says are pure gold about writers' conferencesThe story of how Laurie accidentally met her acquiring editorWhy no one in the Bible went from zero to serving overnightHow Laurie defines success in book publishing — and it's not the bestseller listWhat "success" really looks likeLaurie's advice for writers just starting out 📜Quotable Moments “I think you have to just stay in love with writing... So much of the business side of all of this can just suck the life right out of that.” — Laurie Davies “I can't find one person in the Bible who went from zero to serving the kingdom overnight.” — Laurie Davies “Man looks at the outward man, but God looks at the heart.” — Laurie Davies Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review! ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit.

    What Actually Moves a Writing Career Forward - Laurie Davies Interview Part 2 | Ep16

  8. Aug 24

    The Inner Work of Becoming a Published Writer - Laurie Davies Interview Part 1 | Ep15

    In this first half of a two-part conversation, I sit down with author, speaker, and lay counselor Laurie Davies to talk about the long road to her debut book, Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck. Laurie and I met ten years ago at the Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference, and in this episode Laurie gets honest about what it actually took to get from "rising star" (as I called her) to published author — including the pride she had to let go of, the season when speaking opportunities outpaced her writing career, and the surprising moment her manuscript finally sold. We also dig into comparison, platform-building, and the real story behind Laurie's own rejection — which, as she puts it, was mostly self-imposed. Part 2 continues the conversation with practical wisdom on what actually moves a writing career forward, including how to get the most out of writers' conferences and staying connected to your "why." About Laurie Davies Author of Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck (Moody Publishers, 2026)Writer, speaker, and lay counselor who helps women let go of emotional "clutter" — regret, grudges, bitterness, and shameBackground in journalism; has written professionally for 35 years and added speaking to her work over the last 8 yearsWriter for Proverbs 31 Ministries devotionalsLives in the Phoenix, Arizona area with her husband of 30 years Connect with Laurie Davies Website: LaurieDavies.comInstagram: @lauriedaviesauthorFacebook: @LaurieDaviesAuthorBook: Emotional Hoarding: Letting Go of the Stuff That Keeps You Stuck — available wherever books are sold What You'll Hear in This Episode How Laurie and Alice met at the 2016 Mount Hermon Writers ConferenceThe "back of the house" personal growth that happened over Laurie's 10-year path to publicationWhy Laurie had to let go of pride — and what she learned from watching speaking doors open before writing doors didThe moment Laurie "laid down" her attachment to platform, and what happened eight weeks laterLaurie's take on comparison, and why it never leads anywhere goodThe real story of Laurie's rejection — and why she says it wasn't imposter syndromeThe "three-legged stool" of publishing: writing, idea, and platform — and how Laurie sold a book with only two 📜 Quotable Moments 📜 “Sometimes there's some pride that has to go, so we can adopt a posture of humility, which is essential in this space.” — Laurie Davies “I was my own rejection.” — Laurie Davies “The best way for you to show up as a writer is to be absolutely you.” — Alice Crider Enjoyed This Episode? Leave us a comment or review! ⭐ Rate & Review on Apple Podcasts (iOS only) Open the Apple Podcasts app and search for the show. Tap the title to open the main show page.Scroll down to the Ratings & Reviews section and tap the stars to leave your rating.Tap Write a Review, enter your title, comments, and nickname.Tap Send to submit.

    The Inner Work of Becoming a Published Writer - Laurie Davies Interview Part 1 | Ep15
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About

Welcome to Your Write Life Coach! A podcast where heart-led authors of non-fiction, fiction, and memoir go from stuck and overwhelmed to aligned and unstoppable. Each week, I bring you real stories, hard-won lessons, and secrets from bestselling authors, so you can avoid costly mistakes and move forward with clarity and confidence. With my 30 years of experience, I'll help you shift from confusion and burnout to purpose and momentum. Because book publishing success doesn't have to mean selling your soul. I'm Alice Crider, and I'm so glad you're here. Learn more at alicecrider.com.

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