The podcast is on summer break, so please enjoy this vault favorite!

And don't forget to submit a Courage File for a chance to be featured on the show and win a free editorial assessment and book coaching session in Fall 2026!

SUBMIT TO THE COURAGE FILES

Are you procrastinating when you want to be writing your novel?

You are not alone and we can fix it!

Join me on the Write It Scared podcast, where we delve into the art of beating procrastination and finding the courage to write your novel. This episode is packed with practical strategies and insightful discussions that will help you overcome your writing hurdles!

In episode two of the 'Write it Scared' podcast, we chat about the challenges writers face, particularly procrastination. It's not because of poor time management but rather an emotional coping mechanism that has gone astray and a response to the stress or perceived stress of writing.

Self-criticism won't help. Instead, I suggest practical methods for understanding and overcoming procrastination and other forms of resistance, such as re-evaluating one's beliefs and fears about writing and taking small but consistent steps to set and achieve writing goals.

If you want more help overcoming resistance and moving past creative blocks, download my free guide: The Write Mindset. www.writeitscared.co/thewritemindset

01:03 Understanding Procrastination in Writing

01:41 The Real Cause of Low Writing Productivity

02:31 The Role of Stress in Writing

02:49 The Impact of Fear and Self-Doubt

03:17 The Cost of Procrastination

03:34 Understanding Procrastination as an Emotion-Focused Coping Habit

04:38 The Truth about Procrastination and Resistance

05:35 Strategies to Overcome Procrastination

06:22 The Role of Fear in Procrastination

07:41 The Power of Action in Overcoming Procrastination

08:07 A Simple Process to Overcome Resistance

08:48 Questions to Ask Yourself to Overcome Procrastination

11:08 The Power of Belief and Action in Overcoming Procrastination

12:10 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

12:44 Resources to Help You Overcome Procrastination

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit your writing win to the Courage Files for Season 4!

In this season finale, the host, Stacy Frazer, shares a deeply personal writing update and reflects on what happens when life interrupts creativity. This episode explores anticipatory grief, uncertainty, creative numbness, and what courage looks like when you can't find your way forward.

Stacy also shares plans for the podcast's summer hiatus and a reminder about the Courage Files for Season 4.

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit your writing win to the Courage Files for Season 4!

What keeps a writer going through fifteen years of rewrites, rejection, and uncertainty?

Middle-grade author Sara F. Shacter joins me to talk about the long journey behind her debut novel, Georgia Watson and the 99% Campaign, and how revision became less about “fixing” the story and more about uncovering its emotional heart.

We discuss resilience, imposter syndrome, comparison, and the challenge of staying connected to joy while navigating the publishing process. Sara also shares practical revision strategies, the importance of community, and why progress—not perfection—is what really moves a writing life forward.

If you’re stuck in the messy middle of revision or questioning whether your story is worth continuing, this episode is a reminder that persistence matters more than getting it right the first time.

Timestamps

00:00 – Why Revision Matters

10:09 – The Premise of Georgia Watson and the 99% Campaign

13:48 – The 15-Year Road to Publication

22:23 – Revision Tools and Strategies

26:49 – Doubt, Comparison, and Staying the Course

31:52 – Making Time to Write

35:44 – Identity Beyond Publishing

40:44 – Progress Over Perfection

44:07 – Current Projects and Where to Find Sarah

To connect with Sara and read her debut novel, go to her website

Links Mentioned:

SCBWI: Society of Book Writers and Illustrators

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit Your Writing Win to the Courage Files for Season 4!

Can we find more play in writing by lowering the stakes? This episode explores how perfectionism, pressure, productivity culture, and the need to “get it right” can slowly drain the joy out of creativity.

I talk about where play naturally exists in the writing process—daydreaming, brainstorming, messy drafting—and why reconnecting with those moments might matter more than forcing constant productivity. Sometimes the path back to creativity isn’t pushing harder. Sometimes it’s lowering the stakes enough to let yourself explore.

So if you’ve been feeling stuck in drafting or revision, overwhelmed by expectations, burned out by productivity culture, or guilty because writing hasn’t felt fun lately… this one’s for you.

There’s also a quick season update and information about the new Courage Files segment coming in Season Four.

Timestamps:
00:00 When expectations block creativity
00:24 Welcome to Write It Scared
01:21 Season update + Courage Files
03:48 What “play” means in writing
04:43 When writing starts to feel heavy
07:23 Lowering the stakes
08:33 Reflection prompts
09:21 Closing thoughts

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit to Season 4 Courage Files Here!

What happens after the book is finally out in the world—and all the noise starts creeping in?

In this conversation, indie MM romance author Alex Cross joins me to talk about emotionally intense storytelling, publishing pressure, writer’s block, and the challenge of protecting your creativity once readers, reviews, and big expectations enter the picture.

We talk about the Fire Between Us series and its highly anticipated second installment, From Our Ashes, which released May 4th, 2026, as well as her stunning Us duet—Echoes of Us and Becoming Us.

We dig into the craft, including keeping track of dual timelines, writing toxic relationships, character psychology, and messy, deeply human love stories. Alex also shares her journey into self-publishing, the realities of revising published work, navigating social media and comparison, and learning how to reconnect to why she writes in the first place.

It’s an honest conversation about creativity, vulnerability, and continuing to write even when fear and doubt get loud.

Timestamps

04:04 Meet Alex Cross

08:29 Choosing a risky debut

11:37 Echoes of Us

19:11 Crafting dual timelines

24:44 Revising published work

29:49 Fire Between Us update

33:30 Writing high-angst stories

35:53 Writer’s block + sequel struggles

37:56 Reviews, doubt, and social media

41:35 Boundaries and support systems

44:48 Protecting the magic of writing

47:26 What’s next + where to find Alex

To connect with Alex and read her books, go to her website and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

All of Alex's books are available in KU.

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit to Season 4 Courage Files Here

What does it take to keep believing in a story through rejection, rewrites, and years of uncertainty?

Middle grade author Shafaq Khan joins me to talk about her debut novel, Zaina: Lost and Found, a historical adventure inspired by the real-life Hippie Trail through Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Turkey in the 1970s. We discuss balancing research with fast-paced storytelling, writing about identity and belonging, and the emotional resilience required to survive the long road to publication.

Shafaq also shares the behind-the-scenes reality of querying, revising after difficult feedback, finding community, and learning to trust her voice as a writer.

If you’re deep in the messy middle of your own writing journey, this conversation is a reminder that persistence matters—and sometimes the long road is part of becoming the writer you’re meant to be.

Timestamps
00:00 – Grounding Through Story
07:12 – The Premise of Zaina: Lost and Found
11:42 – Research vs. Storytelling
24:07 – Querying and Rejection
30:00 – Tough Feedback and Big Rewrites
35:12 – Learning to Trust Her Voice
41:59 – Advice for Writers

Links Mentioned:

Shafaq Khan Website

Instagram

Tiktok

SCBWI

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit to Season 4 Courage Files Here!

What if the answer isn’t forcing yourself or your story harder… but trusting the process a little longer?

In this episode, I talk with author and book coach Andromeda Romano-Lax about her latest psychological thriller, What Boys Learn, the messy reality of revision, and why stepping away from a draft can sometimes be exactly what your story needs.

We also dig into self-doubt, negativity bias, supportive feedback, and why writers grow by finishing more books—not by obsessing over making a single book perfect.

Timestamps
00:00 Permission to Think
01:20 Meet Andromeda
08:38 Why She Turned to Thrillers
13:53 The Draft Breakthrough
21:07 Villains + Mystery Craft
25:46 Negativity Bias
28:17 Trusting the Process
32:56 Helpful Feedback
38:17 Why Writers Need More Manuscripts

To connect with Andromeda, read her many helpful Substacks, and purchase her books, please visit her website.

She enjoys hearing from readers.

You can also find her on Instagram

Other links mentioned:

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Submit to Season 4 Courage Files Here!

Ever hit that point in drafting or revision where you’re not sure what should happen next?

You might know the next big plot point, but the how-to-get-there part… that’s the problem.

In this solo episode of the Write It Scared podcast, I break down why the answer usually isn’t inventing a brand-new conflict. More often, the next scene is already hidden inside the consequences of what just happened. We talk about cause-and-effect storytelling, tracking what changed in the previous scene, and how pressure from other characters and antagonistic forces naturally creates momentum.

I also share a simple trick for getting unstuck when your brain goes blank: writing a messy reaction scene first.

Plus, there’s a quick update on The Courage Files coming in Season 4.

Timestamps
00:00 Why Writers Get Stuck
02:07 The Courage Files Update
04:08 “What Happens Next?”
05:12 Cause-and-Effect Story Logic
05:52 Finding the Consequences
08:04 Pressure From Other Characters
09:51 The Reaction Scene Trick

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears