Write Now with Sarah Werner
A podcast for all writers looking to find a healthy work/life/writing balance. Get the encouragement, honest advice, and inspiration you need to pursue your passion and write every day. Recurring themes include books, coffee, rainy days, truth, beauty, lasers, dinosaurs, and all of your other favorite things.
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Expectation vs. Reality - WN 159
04/10/2024
Expectation vs. Reality - WN 159
This week, we're talking about expectations and how they tint our reality and shape our experiences... and what we can REALLY expect if we want to write full-time. Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon at , or send me a tip on Ko-Fi at . Happy writing! — Sarah
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Being A Slow Writer - WN 158
03/13/2024
Being A Slow Writer - WN 158
No matter how much coffee I drink, I’m never able to write as quickly as I want to. This week, we’re taking a look at what it means to be a "slow writer" — and all of the baggage that comes along with it. Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon at , or send me a tip on Ko-Fi at . Happy writing! — Sarah
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Consistency For Writers - WN 157
11/29/2023
Consistency For Writers - WN 157
Creating consistently strengthens your command of the craft and builds trust with your audience. But if you're anything like me, creating on a consistent basis feels impossible. Why are we like this? What do we do when we fail to live up to our own — and others' — standards? Thank you for listening! For show notes and a full transcript of this episode, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Happy writing! — Sarah
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When Your Writing Dreams Change - WN 156
09/20/2023
When Your Writing Dreams Change - WN 156
What happens when your childhood dream feels like it's no longer achievable? What does it mean if (and when) your five-year plan goes off the rails? Today we're talking about what happens when our writing dreams change — and what it means for us as creators. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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It's Good To Have A Hobby - WN 155
09/13/2023
It's Good To Have A Hobby - WN 155
What is writing to you — a hobby, a second job, a meditative practice? Something else? All of the above? This week, we’re talking about the role of writing in our lives and how we can feel more satisfied and fulfilled in doing what we love. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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Selling Art Or Selling Out? with Asa Merritt - WN 154
09/06/2023
Selling Art Or Selling Out? with Asa Merritt - WN 154
How should we navigate selling our creative work? I speak with Asa Merritt about pitching a project, which hill(s) to die on, and the pros and cons of telling a personal story on a commercial platform. TRIGGER WARNING: This podcast episode contains mention of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, please talk to someone you trust, contact your local crisis center, or (if you're in the United States) call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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No One Gets To Tell You Who You Are - WN 153
01/18/2023
No One Gets To Tell You Who You Are - WN 153
Sometimes it feels like everyone wants to tells us who we are — our friends, our enemies, and even random strangers on the internet. But what do we do when the identity we've chosen for ourself, such as "writer" or "creator", is challenged? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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Endings Are Hard - WN 152
11/23/2022
Endings Are Hard - WN 152
Why are endings so darn hard to write? Is it just because it's difficult to wrap up all of the loose ends... or is there something more going on? What makes for a truly satisfying ending, and how do we create one? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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Why Do I Write By Hand? - WN 150
11/14/2022
Why Do I Write By Hand? - WN 150
Why did I ditch my laptop and start writing everything by hand? (It's not even clickbait — I actually did this!) What are the benefits to writing by hand, and what have I learned from it about the craft of writing? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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Improvised Storytelling with Cat Blackard - WN 151
10/24/2022
Improvised Storytelling with Cat Blackard - WN 151
If you've ever been curious about how live-action roleplaying game podcasts are planned, created, recorded, and produced, or if you have any interest in RPGs like D&D, Pathfinder, or improv in general, give this episode a listen. Cat is an expert in plucking meaningful narrative from a scattered story and provides tons of great advice on how to clarify your own creative work. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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Reclaiming Your Voice with Kate Wallinga - WN 149
08/31/2022
Reclaiming Your Voice with Kate Wallinga - WN 149
No matter who you are, Kate Wallinga's story of wielding creativity to take back agency in her life will inspire and astound you. And if you're neurodivergent or have experienced life with disability in some regard, her story may hit home in a profound way. Kate is the host of Ignorance Was Bliss, an interview podcast about how we become who we are. It's a show rooted in transformation - created as a an outlet as Kate, a psychologist and crisis clinician, survived a series of life-altering, disabling events. Her lived experience and her perception of self changed, and as she developed tools to live in this new paradigm, the work of creation helped her see herself and carry on. In this interview, Kate graciously shares her story with me as we explore creative power - both what the act of creation do for ourselves and for others. For a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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Forgiving Yourself - WN 148
08/03/2022
Forgiving Yourself - WN 148
Regrets can consume creatives and they can sometimes take the place of the creative output we'd like to have. In my case, it keeps me dwelling on the past, instead of focusing on the future or even the present. In this episode I'm asking why might creatives we hold onto regrets? What are we punishing ourselves for? Why do we spend so much time and energy focusing on our regrets and what purpose might they serve? For a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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What Are You Balancing? - WN 147
07/27/2022
What Are You Balancing? - WN 147
What is your ideal balance or imbalance? What would it take to actually get there? What can you drop in your life that does not feed your purpose? What are you balancing that doesn't necessarily need to be on that scale? Are you allowing yourself to be honest about it? For me, it was really hard to be honest with myself about balance, because I felt like letting myself do creative stuff was selfish, greedy, or indulgent. But it was also my purpose. And I could not get away from that. For a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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My Top 10 Tools For Writing - WN 146
07/20/2022
My Top 10 Tools For Writing - WN 146
It has been a while since I last talked about my favorite writing tools — and by “a while”, I mean . Whew! Suffice to say a lot has changed since then, including the tools and processes I use to write. In this episode, I break down my writing process, tool-by-tool. It's my own process, and everyone has their own comforts and methods to write, but maybe some aspect of how I do things might inspire you to pick up some new habits like I have over the years. For a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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Collaborative Storytelling with Erik Saras and Dan Lovley - WN 145
07/13/2022
Collaborative Storytelling with Erik Saras and Dan Lovley - WN 145
I’m thrilled to share a discussion with my longtime colleagues in sci-fi audio drama; two of the co-creators of the award-winning series, Marsfall: Writer-Director, Eric Saras and Writer-Director and actor Dan Lovley (ANDI). They discuss their process for writing their series collaboratively and how that process has evolved as the project has grown from a home-spun operation to a much larger show. Eric and Dan also share how their identities as authors intermingle and the struggle kill egos and darlings throughout the editorial process. Marsfall homepage: Marsfall Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/marsfallpodcast Marsfall Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marsfallpod/ Marsfall Twitter: https://twitter.com/marsfallpod For a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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When You're Not Okay - WN 144
07/06/2022
When You're Not Okay - WN 144
Times get tough and sometimes I am not okay. I haven't been okay for a while. Maybe you can say the same. Lately, I've woken up every morning to a pounding heart, racing breath, and a very intense feeling of panic and anxiety. I feel like my heart is a runaway stage coach driven by a horse that got spooked and is now dragging my body through the crowded town square of life. I can't say for certain, whether it's anxiety, fear, overwhelm, burnout, depression, ADHD, or just the world that we live in today. It's hard to overcome this feeling. It's hard to write when it's present. I've been puzzling out a path through it. Maybe we can get through it together. For a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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Write Now Update & #AmWriting Episode Swap
06/15/2022
Write Now Update & #AmWriting Episode Swap
Hello friends, this is Sarah and I've got good news! Write Now is coming back. New episodes start July 6th will release every Wednesday morning hereafter - New words and warmth and new author interviews. I wanted to touch base with you, share this announcement and to give you something substantial to enjoy in the meantime, swap an episode with a podcast I love. After you hear from me, you'll hear a full episode of #AmWriting, a podcast series that offers entertaining, actionable advice on craft, productivity, and creativity for writers of all genres. This is an interview episode of theirs that I really like called "Writer De-Snobbification" where they talk to author Katherine Center. The subject matter of this discussion is really near and dear to my heart. Center started out as a literary writer and didn't discover genre work until later in life. She found that she really loved working in genre, but struggled with her formal training as a literary author versus the often stigmatized romance genre. You'll hear Center and the #AmWriting hosts dig deep into the process of figuring out what you love in a book and how to find it in your own work: analyzing other books and the importance of the reading journal. They also get into the craft of writing books that satisfy your own readerly urges, embracing unifying tropes, finding a compelling hook, and how to ground a story that's to big to be true by creating real characters with relatable problems in familiar settings. You can find #AmWriting at and on your favorite podcast app. To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah ©2022 by Write Now, LLC.
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Interpreting Your Circumstances - WN 143
02/24/2022
Interpreting Your Circumstances - WN 143
I've been thinking a lot about our circumstances lately, and how we interpret what we are going through, and how that interpretation informs a huge part of our self-identity and self-worth as writers and creators. What would we do, and who would we become, if we interpreted our situation(s) a little bit differently? For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! As always, thank you for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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No Rules, Just Write - WN 142
01/20/2022
No Rules, Just Write - WN 142
Are there any absolutely universal writing rules? In this week's episode, we're taking a look at not only writing advice but the context surrounding it. For show notes and a full episode transcription, please visit: To support the work I do here at the Write Now podcast, become a patron on Patreon! Thank you as always for listening, and happy writing! — Sarah
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Regaining Your Magic with Tomi Adeyemi - WN 141
01/07/2022
Regaining Your Magic with Tomi Adeyemi - WN 141
I'm starting 2022 with an interview with the AMAZING Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Blood & Bone and all-around incredible individual. We're talking about getting un-stuck from writer's block, what it means to be a successful author, the sensory/aesthetic experience of writing, and more. (And Midori loudly plays with a plastic bag in the background!) You won't want to miss it.
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A Quick Announcement
12/10/2021
A Quick Announcement
Sarah here with a quick announcement! No, the show isn't ending — rather, I'm coming back in January 2022 with all new episodes! This announcement explains what's been going on behind the scenes and what's in store for the future of the Write Now podcast. :)
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The Bulletproof Writer - WN 140
10/08/2021
The Bulletproof Writer - WN 140
We're constantly trying to move toward being better writers — but how do we make ourselves bulletproof against life? Is one particular system or another the answer... or is it, as we fear, impossible?
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Taking Down Hustle Culture with Amie McNee - WNP 139
09/29/2021
Taking Down Hustle Culture with Amie McNee - WNP 139
Are you ready to take on the Hustle Culture? Then tune in to this week's episode, where I get to interview fellow podcaster, novelist, and journal enthusiast Amie McNee! Together, we'll talk about transforming the narrative, choosing yourself, and finding your creative stride. Don't miss out!
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Getting Into Flow - WNP 138
09/22/2021
Getting Into Flow - WNP 138
Have you ever experienced that magical moment when the words pour from your fingers and send you into a timeless creative zone? That's what I call flow, and this week's episode explores what it is and how to get there.
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Creative Input & Output - WNP 137
09/14/2021
Creative Input & Output - WNP 137
Where do our ideas come from? How intentional are we about curating our input and inspiration — and how does it affect our creative output? Today, we’re exploring different types of creative input and how what we pay attention to affects our art.
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Making Your Own Opportunities - WNP 136
09/08/2021
Making Your Own Opportunities - WNP 136
If you've ever wasted time waiting for the perfect creative opportunity to come along, then you need to listen to today's episode! In it, we talk about what it takes to stop waiting for opportunities and start creating our own!
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Too Afraid To Create - WNP 135
08/25/2021
Too Afraid To Create - WNP 135
Like all creatives, I deal with the fear that comes with producing new things—and I don’t always deal with it well. This fear is the reason I haven't created a solo episode in weeks, and it might just be the reason why you're stuck in a creative rut right now. So tune in, and let's tackle the fear together!
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Creativity & Survival with Charlie Jane Anders - WNP 134
08/18/2021
Creativity & Survival with Charlie Jane Anders - WNP 134
Charlie Jane Anders has a list of publication credits as long as my arm, so you can imagine my excitement when she agreed to let me interview her! Join us as we talk about her new books, her experience writing for TV, her past in journalism, and more!
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Judgment & Acceptance with Rebecca Wiener McGregor - WNP 133
08/11/2021
Judgment & Acceptance with Rebecca Wiener McGregor - WNP 133
Is your fear preventing you from releasing your creativity into the world? Then you'll want to check out the recent interview with my friend and mentor, Rebecca Wiener McGregor! Rebecca is a transformational hypnotist, love amplifier, and all-around life coach, and she's ready to shed some light on our fears as creators. It's an insightful interview that you shouldn't ignore!
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Doing All The Things with David S. Dear - WNP 132
08/03/2021
Doing All The Things with David S. Dear - WNP 132
Have you ever wanted to write an audio drama but didn't know where to begin? Then you need to join me as I interview fellow audio dramatist David S. Dear! David is the creator of A Ninth World Journal, and we discuss everything from plotting an audio drama, where to find inspiration, how to use elements of theater, and more!
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