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Julie Artz | author, editor, book coach, dragon

Julie Artz helps writers who dream of a life spent telling stories that matter slay their doubt demons so they can send their work out into the world with confidence. An active member of the writing community, she has volunteered for SCBWI, TeenPit, and Pitch Wars and is a member of EFA, the Authors Guild, and AWP. A social and environmental justice minded story geek, Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Seattle, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers, and a couple of naughty furry familiars. Check out her weekly newsletter, Wyrd Words Weekly, and subscribe today.

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Featured Post

[Wyrd Words Weekly] Writer's Block is not a thing

Hello Reader, I don't really believe in writer's block. Before you hit delete or fire off your rebuttal to my controversial statement, let me clarify that I don't beleive in writer's block, but I do know writers get stuck sometimes. The truth is, there's no wicked virus or affliction out there that infects our creative brain and keeps us from writing. Instead, I've found clients come to me with one of several reasons behind their "stuckness:" Doubt Demons - Fear is the biggest culprit when it...

11 months ago • 1 min read

Hello Reader, Because the sun has finally returned to the Pacific Northwest, I'm feeling the need to call an end to hibernation and re-emerge into the real world. If you've been around here for a while, you know the value I place on finding your writing community. It's why I run a free critique partner matching service multiple times a year, why I'm a member of numerous critique groups and writing organizations, and why I go out of my way to hang out with other creatives whenever I can. But...

5 days ago • 4 min read

Hello Reader, Before we dive in...help me answer a question that's been on my mind. Don't stress, I promise, this is an easy one. Just hit Reply and let me know your answer (hint: there are no wrong answers here!). What does wyrd mean? a. Weird b. Word c. Fate/Destiny d. Don't know/don't care, sounds cool tho! e. Too weird for me...Not approachable! Go ahead, I'll wait...And don't worry that you're hurting my feelings. I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to know. We're all truth-tellers here......

12 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, I love answering writer questions and there are a few I get all the time. The #1 most common is: How do I know if I'm ready to query? If you've asked yourself that question--and don't have a firm answer--don't miss next week's newsletter because I have something very exciting to tell you about...a program designed to finally, once and for all, empower you to answer that all-important question! Another common question I get is about whether or not to include a prologue in your...

19 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, I don't know about you, but the first day of spring brought on a big case of the busy for me! I am in the midst of drafting a novel I'm really excited about, launching a kiddo to college (our youngest...hello, empty nest!), rebranding my business (reveal coming soon!), and, you know, no big deal, planning a cross-country move. It's easy to get overwhelmed, and let me tell you, I got there last week. I lost my cool more than once, which was a big indicator to me that I needed to...

26 days ago • 3 min read

Hello Reader, You might notice that today's newsletter is just a teeny bit less colorful than past installments. That's because the tech gremlins got me this past week. Apparently Outlook users received a very unreadable black-text-on-purple-background email last week--my sincere apologies (and thanks to everyone who reached out to let me know!). While the tech gremlins sort themselves out, I've changed the template a bit so that hopefully everyone can read without eyestrain or stress. If you...

about 1 month ago • 4 min read

Hello Reader, I've been teaching a lot the past six months as part of a conscious effort to reach more writers than I can with 1:1 coaching. And it's been a lot of fun, not only because I love teaching, but a larger sample size allows me to see patterns and themes that most writers seem to struggle with. And that lets me make my content even more useful to you, my wonderful subscribers. Something that came up again and again in my last class was a rush to get the Inciting Incident into the...

about 2 months ago • 5 min read

Hello Reader, When I dig into a new story, I always go through a honeymoon period where I'm so excited about the idea that I've forgotten just how tricky writing that zero draft can be. During this honeymoon phase, the ideas come at me faster than I can type them up and sometimes I even get what my family calls "story brain," when I get caught staring at the wall thinking about my story when I'm supposed to be talking to them or getting myself ready or really doing any number of other things...

about 2 months ago • 5 min read

Hello Reader, I'd like to give a special welcome to folks just joining us from ProWritingAid's Romance Writers' Week. I'm so glad you're here (and just in time to celebrate!). There's nothing better in the life of a book coach than witnessing a hard-fought client win, which is one of the reasons it's been a pretty fabulous week around here. My friend, client, and fellow book coach Suzette Mullen celebrated the release of her heart-wrenching, vulnerable, empowering memoir, The Only Way Through...

2 months ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, What's the best gift you've ever received? When we think of gifts, we often think of things that come in shiny packages with beautiful ribbons and bows. Or a birthday cake with candles and delicious icing. And I love those too (who doesn't?). But the best gift I got for my birthday this past week was one I gave myself: Time. OK, there was birthday cake too. I'm not a monster :) That's right. I gifted myself a writing retreat. Three whole days to write with no other...

2 months ago • 3 min read

Hello Reader, Scene is the smallest unit of story, the atom in Story's Periodic Table. And yet it can be difficult to identify what a scene is and how it functions in our stories. A scene: Is a finite, relatively short moment in time... Takes place in one concrete location/setting... Has a beginning, middle, and end... Contains a MOMENT OF CHANGE that moves the story forward by advancing the plot, character, or world-building (or all three!). Just like your larger story, your scenes have a...

2 months ago • 1 min read
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