My Plotting Wall & Plotting Notebook Setup
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2024
- I’m so excited to share my brand new plotting space in the new house and show how I’ve set up my plotting wall and my plotting notebook. Thanks so much for watching and please know I’m cheering you on in your writing, too!
Links:
🖤White Kraft Paper Roll - amzn.to/38Ft8tH (you can get some cheaper with small width like this - amzn.to/3sN1S3l )
🖤Similar from Office Depot - www.officedepot.com/a/product...
🖤Colorful Masking Tape - amzn.to/3yM1qGy
🖤Bic Mark It Markers - amzn.to/3z1XUYP
🖤Flip Chart Markers - amzn.to/3ws1hGL
🖤Crayola Supertips Markers - amzn.to/37W0c0a
🖤3 x 3 Post It notes - amzn.to/3LrfkAo
🖤4 x 4 Lined Post It Notes - amzn.to/3wpVxgo
🖤Small page Flags - amzn.to/3wrnZP7
🖤Sharpie Fine point Markers (I wouldn’t use these on the wall, because they may bleed through, but they are awesome on page flags) - amzn.to/3MIqjXT
🖤 Color Dot Stickers - amzn.to/3MwcI5y
UniStyle Fit MultiPen with 5 pens - www.jetpens.com/Uni-Style-Fit...
🖤Index cards - amzn.to/3llYb0n
🖤Book Ring - amzn.to/3FZehqv
Stickers for my planner came from RedBubble and Etsy.
Winklelark - www.redbubble.com/people/wink...
StudioAdorkable - www.etsy.com/shop/StudioAdork...
ProcrastiplannerEtc - www.etsy.com/shop/Procrastipl...
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
2:51 My Plotting Wall
12:23 My Backpack
14:10 My Plotting Happy Planner
21:40 Writing At A Cafe
23:35 Wrap Up
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🖤Visit me on Etsy to see my custom 90-Day planner, the HB90 Method. The 2022 Planners are available now! www.etsy.com/shop/heartbreath...
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Grab my book, The Witch’s Key, now!
books2read.com/thewitchskey
🖤FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM FOR PLANNER HAULS, DAILY BOOKENDS CHATS, AND STORYBOARD UPDATES IN MY IG STORIES!
/ heartbreathings
🖤Join me LIVE Friday at 4PM Eastern time each week on my second channel for a live coffee chat Q&A where we often talk about witchy stuff or the writing process!. Join us! / sarracannon 🖤
🖤Buy HB90 Method Stickers and other stickers for writers at Procrastiplanner, Etc!!! www.etsy.com/shop/Procrastipl...
Like my music? I get all of it from Epidemic Sound. Get a 30 day free trial here when you use my link to sign up : www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
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SUBSCRIBE NOW -- / heartbreathings
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I’m truly so honored and appreciative of when you want to send me Happy Mail! It touches my heart more than I can say. Thank you all so much!
My P.O. Box address is:
Sarra Cannon
445 E FM 1382, Suite 3 - 419
Cedar Hill, TX 75104
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BLOG -- heartbreathings.com/blog
INSTAGRAM -- / heartbreathings
FACEBOOK -- / heartbreathings
TWITTER -- / heartbblog
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Heart Breathings - Episode 335
About Me: My name is Sarra Cannon, and I've been indie publishing since 2010. In that time, I have published 26 books and sold well over half a million copies.
I've made some mistakes along the way, but I've also learned some valuable lessons that I think will help you reach your goals. I can't wait to help you learn to make money writing what you love.
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MY BOOKS -- www.sarracannon.com
THREE FREE BOOKS -- sarracannon.com/book/beautiful...
My Author \ Vlog Channel - / sarracannon
#authortube - Jak na to + styl
Yay for plotting tools and writing outings. Hope you're feeling motivated by watching the video. Thanks so much for being here!
So glad you have this second space. You deserve it, girl! ❤️ My process is very different (honestly I feel like I keep changing it with each book🤦) BUT watching yours is very motivational and calming to me. I watch your videos a lot while doing non-writer tasks (especially the dreaded dishes😄) and I end up getting all kinds of inspiration so that when I finally sit down to write, I am loaded and read to go! Thank you so much for sharing
Yes I am getting motivated. Thank you so much.
Thank you for making and posting this video. I was getting into a bit of a slump in writing my novel, but watching this reminds me that I should be enjoying writing, bot just pushing myself to churn out that number of words target. So cheers for bringing back FUN into writing! 🥰🥰
You should totally film the entire plotting process and release the vid after your book comes out, and just put up a spoiler warning. I'm getting way into plotting, and I'd LOVE to see your process in action!
I use to be a pantser, but after doing a writing experiment where I focused on plotting a story before writing it I can safely say I will never go back! I can't even write a story now without plotting it out now. I have to say it has improved my writing so much, and helped me stop putting in recurring scenes that I noticed that I tend to do a lot in the different stories I was writing.
I know this is an older video, but that pep talk at the end hit home and I really needed to hear it, especially from you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Sarra!
You are soooo different from me! The more I plot the less inclined I am to write the actual story. I am not good with planners, Kanban boards make me anxious, writing somewhere with people around me that would be able to look at what I am doing is a big no-go and I couldn't write if the page is not flat on the table (as you do with all the stuff you have in your planner underneath the page you write on).
BUT I love watching your videos. They never fail to motivate me. I love seeing how happy you are when you do it your way, I love how we can see how excited you get - and believe you me, we all root for you when it's not working out so well. Because you show us the good and the bad days and it is so relatable. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
You've got this, this last book will be so amazing and so very much worth the wait, I am so excited!
LOVE This. Just goes to show that we all have our own process, they are all valid, but we can still learn from and inspire each other along the way. Thank you for sharing that you're rooting for me!
I’m a pantser, but the story unfolds in random order, so I want to preserve those future ideas until I get to those points in the story. I also need to keep track of what I’ve written in the story without having to reread entire sections or the whole thing.
I love the wall idea. I have a whiteboard, but it’s not big enough. I also use my tablet, but I prefer to see everything at once.
I also like the idea of tracking my progress as well as creating deadlines and sticking to them. I’ve had a Happy Planner for years because I like watching planning videos and want to be a planner but never had a practical use for it. I will try to use it for this.
I am a puzzler author. I write out of order, about half the time. I see things as a big picture. For the longest time I thought I was doing it wrong, or 'weird', but I realized I am not pantser after all, I just see things in a different way, and plot in the way my mind sees things. - I discovered that I am not alone in my style of writing, there are others,
I think I'm gonna get 4 poster boards and tape them up on my office wall. I have tons of sticky notes but I need to see what colors and sizes I have... aka OH LOOK I HAVE A NEW PROJECT THIS WEEKEND!
ps. I'm trying to get back into writing now that I'm settled into my own space, so I've been looking up writing vids from all my fav youtubers... thanks for being part of my journey!
I'm going to be honest and say that you could show us the fully filled out wall so blurred all we could see are the colours and the black borders and I would LOVE to see that. It would be so cool to see how you weave POVs just in that very simple way.
I like the idea of using different colors for each character. I'm going to repurpose an outdated Happy Planner to use as a plotting notebook. The grid for the Acts are already there.
Videos like this make my heart happy. I love seeing different writers processes. I'm a pantser but I do some outlining in the beginning and I always have the three act structure in my mind when writing. Watching this video has made me want to go to my local coffee shop and do some writing! x
I'm so happy you are beginning to feel more like yourself again. I've been coming back from burn out since January this year, so I know how important it is to have an environment that feeds your creativity, despite how RL tries to smother it sometimes. In answer to your question, for the most part, I'm sort of a hybrid. The most I plot is the 5 'W's, which serves as my character arcs, then I let everything else within the story occur organically. However, I am a productivity fanatic, so I have a notebook to keep track of my sprints for each WIP I'm working on. The notebook's purpose is also to keep track of how I felt before, during and after writing so I can gauge exactly what's going on within my process and adjust it accordingly. I got the idea from the DIY-MFA, and it's been serving me well so far. Well wishes!
‘What tools work to get the dang book done’ -yes, this! I love watching your plotting and planning vids but all the pretty stationary can be overwhelming at first, but you are always inspiring! So many good tips, tricks and reminders that everyone is capable of writing the book they want to write with their own tools! 😁
I have probably said this before but I love these videos explaining your processes. They have helped me so much in my writing. The way you track, plan and organize resonates with me. I really appreciate all the help you have given me. Thank you ❤
Thank you for this comment! I always feel like it's all so "extra" but it works I think when you're super visual!
I am on book two of the Shadow Demon Saga series! I love it! It has helped me to escape from my anxiety from my medical issues, and family issues. I just got books 3 and 4. I am so excited to read the next few books. I love my me time to just sit and read!
Thank you so much for reading! Glad it's providing a bit of escape for you right now.
I'm visual too. So my character wall has descriptions and pics so I can visually see how they look in my head, on paper. Same with the town their in and some of the main buildings or main house. I floor plans and pics for description purposes. I have mine in my living room tucked into a corner. I also have a beautiful wooden room seperater so nobody can truly see it when I get going.
I can’t stop watching. All your processes are like my new happy place. Hello sister!
I know you focus on writing videos but would you consider doing a video on your spirituality side? I’ve just started learning about witchy things and law of attraction and would love to hear your thoughts. Loved the video!
Would love for you to join us in our weekly coffee chats on my other channel. czcams.com/users/sarracannon Tomorrow at 4pm eastern I'll be going through my tarot collection and talking about manifestation!
💡Lightbulb moment! Daaah. And my niece just gave me a whole spool of brown paper that I was wondering what the H....I was gonna use it for.
Oh fun!!! Perfect timing
I love the visual. I think this might be exactly what works for me. I love it!!
It seems like your positive energy is flowing again, and I’m so happy for you!
Love the writing room, love the planner wall. Nothing beats being able to see everything at once.
I like everything on a wall, all out to see at once, as well. I have the outline laid out on the big whiteboards with a timeline and then a side board for character growth charts. I even made little magnets with pictures of the characters and recurring themes to put next to each chapter card in the outline. It's all very helpful. I appreciate not having to look everything up online or in binders. It's easier to make changes for me that way too where something doesn't get overlooked.
Best video I have seen anywhere on CZcams in such a long time. You are so motivating and uplifting. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to plan, make, and upload these wonderful lessons and messages.
planning is good for me
I've really tried plotting, but after all that hard work, I start writing and something comes out that totally changes everything. So I decided to embrace my pantser self, but I use these plotting tools after each act is written to make sure I'm on track with story beats. I'll brainstorm ideas for the next act, then I'll start writing again. Thanks for this video. I love seeing other people's process. Thanks!
Omg! 🌸I will absolutely be trying my own board on the wall. I am a huge planner and love being able to see what I’m doing and where I wanted to go. I thoroughly loved this video and had to watch it as soon as I got the email. 🎉 I wish I could feel good enough to take part in the writing this weekend but gatherings and writing events with others still send me into imposter vibes so maybe not yet. 🤗 But sending positive creativity your way!! ♥️🍀
Yay! I geek out so much for these videos! lol I'm here for all of it!
I am definitely giving this a shot! Moved into a new home, and actually have a writing room as well! Won't be up for at least a month, but this is a awesome idea!
I had no idea (somehow, I know) that you were of the witchy spiritual persuasion! *excited* I LOVE your setup! yay for getting the feel back~ I dream of having a space like that one day myself.
Super video. Can’t wait for the scene videos 😀
Love your plotting wall! I may give it a try because I love the idea of getting up and moving around instead of sitting in front of my laptop. Working on my third release! Thank you for all the wonderful motivation and positive energy you always bring. 💙
Sincerely and respectfully,
Billie Blue (aka Sassy Jacksun)
I love all the tools you use. I'm a tool heavy kind of writer. Being a plotter there are times where I can write down the outline right onto paper and it's enough. Or there are times like right now where I'm rewriting the middle of my novel and I need a visual to see where all the plotlines are running. I think I'm going to use a color system to keep track of which plotline I'm doing. My current book is only one POV, but I kept forgetting about key characters and their arcs, so a color system might help me notice when I haven't written about one of the subplots in a while. Thank you for all the tools and your amazing energy! See you at the retreat!
My favorite kind of Sarra Cannon video! "Don't Break the Chain" with writing/process videos:)
I loved this video!! Thanks for sharing :)
So excited!
Love love love this video. So helpful and inspiring. Thank you!
I was waiting for a new wall and plotting set up. Thank you for posting! 🙏🏼
Gorgeous! That bathroom tile! That blue floral rug!
Great timing as we just moved into a new place & I finally have my own office! 👏🏼
My process is very much like yours, with all the lovely stationery tools. (I always wonder if it’s from all the years as student/teacher, that I share with you, & my library days.) Seems I always reach a pt, however, where I either get dependent on that process & procrastinate or get paralyzed if I can’t perfect the resources, or I’ll finally ditch the extras & narrow my focus to the work alone (the latter being more ideal than the former, obviously).
I’m new-ish to your channel so pardon me if these questions were brought up before (still working thru video backlist): The plotting wall idea seems so similar to the story board screen writers use…? And, you’ve seen the sticky white board-style roll that’s meant for temporary wall placement? I sometimes us that; or a combination of flexible rolled or standard white boards, computer software, & paper. As you say, whatever works! ✌🏼💕 Here’s to a productive period ahead! 📆 ✍🏾
Thank you I need this
I love this! Especially the Characters sheet. I can see using something like that at the beginning of my series. So many great ideas. Thank you!
Love this Sarra
Thanks for another great vlog !! Really like your methods and "tools" so inspiring and wonderful to see! You are the best! Love from Sweden
This is awesome! I'm definitely trying this. I'm plotting right now and feel like I need something that I can see.
Thank you for sharing your process! I've been struggling with writing my first book and your messages of encouragement were everything I needed to hear today! Love your videos and hope to join in the virtual retreat this weekend!
Evie is so cute 🥰 I’m so inspired by your plotting wall haha I think I’m going to make my own version.
Thank you! I couldn't resist putting her in the video, because she was just so adorable with that tape measure!
I need to plot and improve characters. I have had a hard time lot to get motivated lately. Thank you so much for the videos.
OMG! I knew I loved you! So many of my favorite YTers that I watch for one of my loves show me that they cross over to another of my loves! 💗💕💗💕
This is so helpful. Thank you. I have seen people that just put the sticky notes directly on the wall for plotting. I might do that making the grid lines with painters tape directly on the wall. I love the idea of making your own board because the boards I have found are way too small for what I need to do. I suppose there is huge ones somewhere, or a had thought of using corkboard tiles on the wall but this seems easier and more affordable, too.
I definitely need a notebook for the purposes of outline, and then I'll take the scene beats from that outline and write them out on colored index cards so I know which act correlates with which color.
I *love* the idea of the plotting wall! I did something like this with a kanban board a couple of years ago and it was so helpful.
I'm so happy you've found your passion for writing again! Best of luck with Book 12. :D
I am such a visual person, especially a visual thinker, and I love seeing the way you organize and plan because it's very inspiring for me! I just set up a big magnetic whiteboard with these color bordered magnetic dry erase flash cards to use for scene cards and it's working so well for me! Thank you for sharing 😊
Love your little witchy writing room! It's a lot like mine - though I need to put my big plotting whiteboard back up so I can get on with my WiP. Excited for next month's bootcamp, and looking forward to more videos 😍
I loved this video. I wish I had a spiritual/writing room. I think that's amazing that you have your own corner of the house that you can feel centered and be inspired to write.
I do have to say that I'm Pantser, plotting is hard for me so I just sit down and start writing but I do love using your writing tracker because it holds me accountable for my writing.
I love seeing that you're supporting the local shop near you. I always wanted to go to a coffee shop and write but for some reason I thought I needed to take a bunch of stuff with me. After seeing what you take to help you write, I'm ready to take some time to myself and write a little bit at one of the local coffee shops near me.
Thank you so much for this video.
Love this video! I have a notebook where I bullet point scenes then write it out on the next page. I am trying to get back into writing the second book in my YA series. Some days I feel like things are going well and other days I'm struggling to get words out. I've started this book over four times and I'm hoping that four times a charm! :) I can't give up!
I love the video. I do all the same things only using my writing program Papyrus Author!
You could do a video of the process and share it in 5 years 😅
I like to have the main story plots in my head and write those chapters in google docs and then bounce around through the novel and write parts of it as I think of the ideas and once I am done I like to have the first draft printed out and bound up so I can handwrite notes about the book in a notebook and then take all those notes and edit the novel in google docs.
I, too, started over with my story. Please share how ended up rewriting your book! 📖
Just figured out what to do this weekend! You are such an inspiration
Hooray!
I'm kind of a plotting pantser. I start with my characters and their trates, jobs etc . I list places for location. I write ideas. So I write all the little details. When it's time for more broad strokes I will write or list short descriptions of possible events. Then when I sit to write I use all those notes as suggestions. As I go things often develope and change. When I get stuck, I bring out my notebook of ideas. And brainstorm. It's kind of weird, but it works for me. I do use post it notes, colors, notbooks the laptop. I love all my supplies. :)
Thank you for sharing! It's always fun and helpful to hear about someone else's process.
I'm a new subscriber :) I have an idea for a book and you have just motivated me to get going :) I have post-it notes all over my wall but this is definitely a better way to organise my thoughts.
Just started watching your wonderful videos and methods. I wonder what you mean with Sprints in your folder?
this is so inspiring ❤ i can t wait to have my own space dedidacted to writing. (it ll have to wait though cuz for now i dont even have a computer..) my coffee table is covered with post its! i love your set up! i
I understand! I started out mostly writing on my couch and at coffee shops until I got an office space! The last house, I created my plotting wall just inside the front door hallway. We work where we can!
Hey Sarra! Love this video! Very informative :) Also, love your t-shirt at the end of the video LOL
Haha, thank you!
I absolutely love your writing vlogs! I'm in the same boat as you as I am also plotting a new book. Would love to see more writing vlogs and more planning vlogs please and thank you 😄💗💗
oh and I think I need to see the happy planner sticker book collection 😆
I'm also a visual learner, and I am a plotter, but I don't do as much as you when it comes to writing, definitely. Each project is different too, so what I use also depends. For my current WIP, instead of making a very detailed outline as I did in the previous project, I just sat down and wrote the summary of each scene in the last third of the story (because I'd already been working on it for quite a while) on post it notes and just put them in a notebook, lol. It's not my favoured method, but for this particular project, it's the only thing I need.
I use this sticky paper on my wall for revisions. I use the snowflake method to plot my book and have a list of scenes, but I am a bit of a discovery writer so even though I have all the scenes until the end of the book, I usually have to do substantial rewrites where the end of act 2 into act 3 starts, especially in the first book of the series because I don't really know my characters or what will happen for sure until I write the story for a while. It's usually because I hate being "mean" to my characters so I have to go back and make things way harder! lol But being able to see visually my scenes against story structure AFTER I write is super helpful for me. I can't start with structure though or my brain implodes - too many details for this high N/P girl (Meyers-briggs). :)
same! 😂
Where did u get ur chair I love it.
That what I wanted pink and big and cozy
SO jealous of your door. That shuts. I hope you're just soaking that in. :)
yessss
I am lovin' that witchy writing room!! Thank you for always inspiring me to try new things to keep my productivity up while enjoying the fun and creative planning stages, too. And thank you for the sticker links! So appreciated!
I'm just getting started in this room! I can't wait to get it all together, and I'm so enjoying the process. And I need to place a new sticker order, haha.
@@HeartBreathings the room already looks wonderful! And I'm happy to send you some freebies any time!
Love, love, love your videos. I’m repurposing a happy planner that I haven’t used at all this year to model your 3 act structure for my plotting and I need want to use some of your inserts to figure my writing❤️ thank you for all you do ❤️
So happy you're finding it all helpful!
@@HeartBreathings I brag about you all the time❤️ I know I have to push myself and plan to have a successful writing career❤️
Do you have a notebook the helps you plot your book with prompts or tips? I love how you are using the colors for each character! I just started using transparent sticky notes
Wait. Do you write your books in your notebooks first? Amazing!!
lol i did the same thing last week in my office! lol love seeing the plot out in the open so i don't have to go back and forth searching through documents!!
So helpful right?
@@HeartBreathings yep!!!!
You met Holly Black!?! Love her!
Yesss!!! She's incredible!
As I'm attempting to outline first, I like rough draft the three major disasters in my story, then follow the 10 steps of the snowflake method to flesh them out in more details...sometimes disasters change as I move further along in the outlining process. I like to type in a word document, and then hand write out the information on a regular sheet of notebook paper and keep the hard copy organized in a binder. I've tried poster-boards, but they didn't really work well for me, but I also like using lined index cards when I start the first round of scene drafts to include title, synopsis, goal/reaction, conflict/dilemma, and outcome/decision. Then after I get that information, I flesh out the scenes from the Start, set-up, climax, and end of scene. and any other information that might be useful. It's a lot of work but it helps me.
I wanted to add something to my outlining process...while larger white boards don't really work for me, I got a 9 in by 12 in sketch pad notebook and some smaller 1.5 by 2 in sticky notes and use that sort of like a poster board. While one story would take several pages, I really like it. The one story I have pretty much all outlined I took one page for act 01, a page for act 2 part one, a page for act 2 part two, and act three. Though if I need to on other projects, I could always use more pages. This is better for me. It's more portable and when I'm done working for the day, I can close up the notebook and put it aside until I want to work on my outlines more.
i use chalkboard paint to make my plotting wall. I've switched to bullet journals for series notes too.
Ohh, that's brilliant!
Hi Sarra, I would like to ask what you do if the story changes from your plotted index cards when you actually start writing? Do you go through the whole plotting process again to take those changes into account? I cannot seem to stick to any outline! Any help gratefully received.
Sarah can you do a video on getting an author platform started
I am finally back to reading books for worldbuilding notes. Its rebuilding time cause I lost it all when my external hard dive got broke.
My notes will be going into Campfire and scrivener eventually.
Oh no!! I'm so sorry to hear you lost your notes. Heart breaking!
@@HeartBreathings Thanks Sarra! You inspired me to keep going, Thank You!
💗💗💗
I love the idea of the wall (though I don't get along with three act structure) but alas I'm not allowed to stick things to my walls. Do you find planning in your witchy room helps your creativity? I keep crystals (and knick-knacks) next to my desk to look at.
This is going to be my first time getting to plan here, as we've just moved in recently! I'm hoping it will feel very creative!
@@HeartBreathings Ah, I didn't realise it was a new thing for your new house (which looks awesome, btw). Hope it works well for you. :)
Can you share where you purchased your desk and matching drawer cabinets?
Sadly, they have been discontinued. This is all from the Martha Stewart Craft collection and I got them at Home Depot years ago. i wish they would bring them back!
I would try out a plot wall but I share a room with my sister and have no space for it 😅 personally I'm a daydreamer kind of a writer though it is pretty fickle at times. I like to see the story progress in my head before I write scenes, and I have tried to plot out the story, before and after, but most of the time I can't pull everything together in the middle and I lose what to do next, at months at a time, and it's incredibly frustrating. 😤😑
I do that with the progress in my head, as well, like scenes from a movie! It's definitely frustrating when it just doesn't come together. Don't give up!
Yea I don't necessarily need all the tools you use but I have figured out a way to combine parts of your system and my own. It's been awesome. Especially the plotting notebook with the HP (Lord knows I have enough of them lol) & the index cards. I also use an EC productivity notebook for notes/outlining/writing.
Hmmm... crappy unfinished walls here so might need to just do 4 sheets to take up more space. Just have to figure out how to make the post it notes completely flat against the wall or it will be a major temptation to my cat.
Great idea! And I find the best way to make the post its as flat as possible is to take them off sideways instead of pulling the upward off the sheet, if that makes sense. Then maybe you could put an extra removable tape at the bottom?
Sarra, Might I suggest you get a dog soon? Most dogs are good about killing snakes. I don't know a whole lot about it, but I talked to my sister, who raises dogs, Yorkies mostly, and she says they are good about killing snakes, and mice. Also chickens will peck snakes to death.
Hey, Sarah!!!! Was that guy your husband? Your little girl's really cute.
Yes! George. He helps me with everything!
I've taken a 2 year break from writing. 😢
Sometimes we just have a season where writing is not the focus. It's all okay.
I am a total pantser.