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4 Steps to Finish Your Writing Project on a Deadline
Can't seem to finish what you start? Here's a 4-step system for setting a writing deadline that actually works — and breaking your project down until it's done.
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Catherine Forrest
5 days ago9 min read


7 Tips for Making a To-Do List That Actually Works for Writers
A to-do list sounds simple — but most writers make theirs in ways that set them up to fail. Here are 7 tips for building a to-do list that creates momentum, handles distractions, and actually gets things done: from the three-section structure to immovable items, color categories, gimme tasks, rewards, and the overflow list.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 48 min read


From Idea to Draft: A Step-by-Step Process for Getting Your Story on the Page
You have the idea. Now what? This step-by-step process helps writers get their story out of their head and onto the page — using journalism's 5 Ws, inverted pyramid structure, five-act story structure, and a gap-filling exercise to build a solid plot before you draft.
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Catherine Forrest
Sep 45 min read


Where Do Writers Get Their Ideas? 3 Goldmines Worth Mining Every Day
Every writer gets asked where their ideas come from. Here are three reliable sources fiction writers can return to again and again: dreams (even fragments), strategic creative borrowing, and the iteration game — a thought exercise that turns any existing story into something entirely your own.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 274 min read


How to Keep Writing While You Travel: 5 Strategies That Actually Work
Travel doesn't have to derail your writing habit. Here are five practical strategies for fiction writers who want to keep making progress on the road — whether you're on a plane, in a car, or stuck in a hotel with no desk.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 276 min read


Mind Mapping for Writers: What It Is and How to Use It
Mind mapping is one of the most powerful planning tools available to fiction and nonfiction writers. Learn what mind mapping is, how it differs from brainstorming, how to apply it to novels and nonfiction projects, and which free digital tools are actually worth using.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 218 min read


5 Writing Habits to Cultivate
Five writing habits worth building — from morning pages to daily word study — to strengthen your craft, stay consistent, and keep your creative muscles working even on off days.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 149 min read


How to Write Every Day Even When You Can’t
Writing is a skill built through study and practice — not inspiration. Here's how to gamify your writing habit, set achievable goals, and keep yourself writing even when you'd rather do anything else.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 148 min read


Writing Productivity Helpers
Four tools to organize your writing projects and stay productive: Notion for project tracking, Pacemaker for writing schedules, 750 Words for daily habit-building, and Focuswriter for distraction-free writing sessions.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 128 min read


Identify Your Beta Readers
Your manuscript has bugs. Beta readers are how you find them before your readers do. Here's how to build the beta reading team that will actually make your book better—and who to use with caution.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 710 min read


The Sunk-Cost Fallacy for Writers
The time you spent on the manuscript that isn't working is already gone whether you quit or not. The only question is what you spend next.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 79 min read


Understanding the Basics of Typesetting for Authors
Your typeset book should go unnoticed. If the reader notices it, you did it wrong. Here's what to know before your manuscript hits the page.
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Catherine Forrest
Aug 710 min read


Free Evernote Templates for Writers
Three Evernote templates for writers who want to organize their projects, track submissions, and research markets—plus how to set up a writing life that actually stays organized.
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Catherine Forrest
Jul 308 min read


How to Start a Writing Group
Everything you need to start a writing group that actually sticks — format, frequency, finding members, and the digital tools that keep it running. From a writer who's been doing it since 2016.
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Catherine Forrest
Jul 308 min read


I Built the Writing Tracker I Couldn't Find
ScribeTrack is a mobile app built by a writer, for writers, to track writing progress and calculate real writing data for authors.
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Catherine Forrest
Jul 305 min read


The Executive Function Assistant I Built Because I Couldn't Focus Long Enough to Finish Anything
Tailor: A focus companion and executive dysfunction assistant built from the ground up for adults who need help focusing:
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Catherine Forrest
Jun 153 min read
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