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Whilst in the process of redefining the format for my third fantasy novel, I have learnt a new valuable lesson when creating stories: embrace the chaos.

As someone who likes structure and planning, that can be really hard. But if it means keeping my mindset in a healthy state, then I think it's worth learning to lean into this state of flow.

Side Note - While editing this episode, I was not in love with the content. The beginning felt a little long winded, and I was a little frustrated with myself for it. I am not saying this to defend the quality of this episode, but to illustrate a little 'behind the scenes moment' whereby, I had created something and it didn't meet my own personal standards, but I still hit publish anyway.

As creatives, I think it's really important to get comfortable with putting something out there even if we don't think it's perfect. Because otherwise, that perfection can hinder us and prevent us from creating altogether.

🌟This episode will be available for every listener for the first three months from date of publication. After that time you'll need to be a subscriber to have access🌟

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Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

Today I am reviewing five novels and discussing why they're opening chapters don't hit the mark. No, I'm not naming names, but yes, they're all bestsellers, which I suppose just goes to show that even the so called 'best' have issues.

This naturally, opens up a space to question the difference between a best seller and good writing, which does get touched on during this episode, amongst other various things like a technique you can use to discern what you actually want in your story.

🌟This episode will be available for every listener for the first three months from date of publication. After that time you'll need to be a subscriber to have access🌟

✨✏️ Click 'Support the Show' just below to become a subscriber📚✨

Support the show

Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

In a world that isn't motivated into doing anything without a dollar value, it can be hard to remember to do things just for the fun of it.

For over a year now, I've been struggling with finding joy with my craft. But thanks to numerous nudges from Life, especially one from a quote by Brett Goldstein, I am beginning to turn the tides and make time for more joyful creative projects.

Because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter if you're not good at something if you're having fun with it. Some things are just meant to be for fun. Which reminds me ...

🩷🌸 New Fun Project Alert! 🌸🩷

After years of sitting on a romance series, I have decided to write and publish it as a serial online romance novel. It's a fun little side hustle, centring around a female character in her late-twenties, Sally Baker.

Sally, like a lot of people in their twenties is having lots of adventures with romantic partners all in hope of finding 'the one.' But as anyone who has been on similar adventures knows, that's not always easy.

This series follows Sally on those romantic adventures, whereby she discovers not only what she's not willing to put up with, but also who she is and what she really wants.

If you're looking for an easy to read romance with a small dose of the social issues women face in the modern dating world, check it out at sallybakerinlove.substack.com/

🌟This episode will be available for every listener for the first three months from date of publication. After that time you'll need to be a subscriber to have access🌟

✨✏️ Click 'Support the Show' just below to become a subscriber📚✨

Support the show

Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

Creators are their own worst critic and because of that we're really good at self-sabotage. The trick is, learning ways we unknowingly self-sabotage ourselves and then implement processes to change that habit whilst also learning why we feel the need to sabotage ourselves in that way.

Like anything in life, it's a process.

And there are many layers to it.

🌟This episode will be available for every listener for the first three months from date of publication. After that time you'll need to be a subscriber to have access🌟

✨✏️ Click 'Support the Show' just below to become a subscriber📚✨

Support the show

Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

I have always been fascinated about the timing of things in my life, including my creative life. The stories I have written, would not be written the same if they came to me today. It means, my earlier work no longer represents the creator I am today, but there is still an immense appreciation for their presence and the timing of those stories coming to me when they did.

Today, we discuss how the timing of a story idea appearing in our lives influences us, and how we can use that to help determine which is the best story for us to be focusing on in this moment of time.

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Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

I don't like to pit book genres (or in fact, anything against one another) as I believe each side will have their uses, however, after working through some triggers last year associated to schools, I did uncover what I believe is a major reason why middle grade fiction triumphs over young adult fiction in a sense of reaching a larger audience and having a longer-lasting impacting.

Trigger Warning: This episode makes mention of stolen generations, asylums, forceable having to give up children, conversation therapy and racial disadvantages to accessing education.

If you are also boycotting all Harry Potter content due to the authors stand against certain minority groups, you are better off skipping this episode.

Support the show

Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

It's a New Year and we're starting season 2 with an episode about ... burn out? I know, strange subject for a time of year where people are supposedly rejuvenated and ready to conquer new goals. But let's be real, sometimes the holiday season doesn't revitalise us, and the reality is, burn out can hit us at any point.

Today I am discussing the burn out that comes with being a writer, specifically as a writer of a series. This is not something I see many people discussing in writing forums, so here I am trying to break the ice on a subject that I feel needs to be discussed and acknowledged more.

Support the show

Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.

Send in a question about writing you'd like to see answered on the show!

It’s that time of year where we begin to look ahead, where we start to make plans and set goals for ourselves. However, instead of doing that, I encourage you to do something else, something far more difficult, but something which perhaps will bring a lot more peace and happiness to your life.

Note - This concludes season one of the Diary of a Writer. Next year, we begin season two. Thank you for supporting this podcast and taking a chance on someone who's just finding their feet on this platform. Your generosity to give your precious time to listen to what I have to say is appreciated. Thank you ✨

Support the show

Scarlett Marie is a true born creative, who has spent her whole life dabbling in the arts and craft, only to find her feet in the world of words whereby she has spent over fifteen years making stories come alive.

Her time and energy has been mainly spent on the series A Royal Life, of which she started drafting when she was fifteen.

Here on the 'Diary of a Writer' she hopes to show people a peek behind the door of what it means to live as a full-time creative.

Visit bookishfeat.com for more details.