As a writing coach, I’ve tried a lot of tools for writers.
I’ve read a lot of writing books. Tried a bunch of writing tools. These are my go-to favorite resources.
Best tool: FLOWN for FOCUS. Best book: Writing Down the Bones. Read why below.
(Although it won’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small percentage of purchases made via the affiliate links below. So if you check them out, please check them out through my links. Thank you for supporting my work by supporting these partnerships!)
FLOWN for FOCUS
You can try it free for 30 days and maybe it won’t work for you personally, but my $19/mo membership to FLOWN is one of the best investments I’ve made as a writer.
If you’d like to write more, try leaning on the pleasantly consistent support of regular FLOWN online co-working sprints. I won’t call it witchcraft, but I will say I often get more done in a FLOWN hour than should reasonably be possible.
For me, what puts FLOWN above similar offerings that I’ve road-tested (Caveday, London Writer’s Salon, Focused, Focusmate) is this platform’s highly trained facilitators. They’re certified in arenas like breathwork, meditation, ADHD counseling, productivity, somatics, and lots of other deeply supportive stuff you maybe didn’t know you needed. I’ve learned tactics that help me with goal-setting, grounding, and finding healthier work-life balance… all while hitting my word count milestones and enjoying gentle community with interesting folks from around the world.
There are even some sessions just for writers, recently led by Layla F. Saad (author of NYT Bestseller Me and White Supremacy) and by Manchester-based novelist Micah Yongo (seen in the video at left.)
I hit a session almost every day because of the positive impact on my focus and flow. It helped me write half-a-million words last year. FLOWN might not be for you, but i suggest you find out.
Wanna get involved? Try FLOWN free for 30 days.
Writing Down the Bones for INSPIRATION
Reading this book by Natalie Goldberg is what made me a writer.
This classic is about getting you present, free, bold, and honest on the page. There are lots of books on writing. I’ve read dozens of them. Probably nearly a hundred. Most have a few good morsels to offer. A handful of writing books are really damaging and alienating. Natalie Goldberg’s short paperback remains my favorite.
For years, I used to buy every copy that I could find in any used bookstore in my home city of San Francisco. I gave it away so many times that I could never manage to keep a copy on my shelves!
Now I’m proud to share it with you as an affiliate partner for Bookshop.org, an ethical online book retailer that directly supports independent brick-and-mortar bookstores.
When you click through a link from my site and buy “Writing Down the Bones” or any other book, a small percentage of your sale will go to me but the site will also donate funds to an independent bookshop that serves a real, live local community.
If you’d like to be a more powerful writer,
READ “WRITING DOWN THE BONES.”
(Don’t want to buy it? Check it out at your nearest library.)
Want more free writing resources?
They’re coming soon…
I’m creating a digital library
of free on-demand writing resources
based on my coaching.
It’s important to me that my best techniques and tactics are available to any writer who wants them.
I know one-on-one coaching isn’t right for everyone.
If it’s not for you, you still deserve the best I can give.
To support writers with different learning styles and access needs, I’m gradually building a small selection of original videos, audio resources, and a BOOK that will all be available here for free.
If you want to hurry that along,
join the community supporting this work on my patreon.
You can also join choose “join for free” on my patreon simply to stay up to date on new stuff (like free classes on demand.)
(Not a Patreon person? Stay up to date on all my projects via my e-mail list.)