profile

Writing Practices

A writing exercise and so much more

Published 5 months ago • 1 min read

October's Writing Voice exercise

Hi Reader,

It's October already. Cue the pumpkin spice, sweaters, and in my neighborhood, insanely escalating Halloween decorations. (Seriously. One of our neighbors carves so many pumpkins that USA Today wrote about them! No pressure...)

Instead of pumpkins, I'm offering a grab bag of resources for writers: a challenge, a conference, a book, and of course a writing exercise. Let's dive in.

Novel November is almost here!

Do you dream of writing a quick first draft in a single month? Are you mourning the loss of the official NaNoWriMo organization? Mourn no longer.

ProWritingAid is stepping up with Novel November. They've picked up partners and sponsors and mentors, and of course it's free. Find out more and sign up here. (Thanks to Jane Friedman to alerting me to it.)

Feeling stuck with your writing?

October is also the yearly Write Anyway Summit, which addresses many of the issues that keep us from writing. I've participated in the past, and this year's line-up of speakers looks great.

You can attend free in real time (October 20-23) or buy the All-Access Pass to get the recordings afterward. Find out more here.**

Too busy caring for others to write?

Donn King has written a lovely and generous book called Creating While Caring. If you're trying to juggle writing and caregiving, you may find support and inspiration in these pages.

Here's the Voice Exercise for October

We are on the tenth of twelve exercises about writing voice in 2025. This one asks you to think about your relationship with the reader—because as a social being, you automatically adjust your words and voice based on relationships.

Give it a try and let me know what you think!

If you'd rather hear my dulcet tones, watch the YouTube video.

October Workbook Workshop starts tomorrow

It's not too late to sign up for October's Workbook Workshop. (The other attendees have had the assignment for a few days, though, so you'll have to catch up!)

Calls happen October 2, 9, and 16, and you'll get the self-paced assignments ahead of time.

​Register here.​

If that timing doesn't work, let me know. I can add you to the wait list for November's group.

That should keep you busy for the next couple weeks! I'll be back mid-month with more.

Until then, happy October and happy writing.

Anne

**The WriteAnyway link is an affiliate link. If you purchase the All Access pass using that link, it helps to support this newsletter. Thank you! 💕

PO Box 66285 Scotts Valley, CA 95067

​
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

Writing Practices

by Anne Janzer

If you love writing (of all kinds) and want advice and inspiration, sign up for my every-other-week Writing Practice email. Join now for a free email consultation about your biggest writing problem/barrier.

Read more from Writing Practices

Writing advice and a book give-away Hi Reader, Before we get to the book give-away and writing advice, we need to talk about the book ecosystem. Specifically, Amazon. I have a mixed relationship with Amazon. As an indie author, a majority of my sales come from Amazon. I try to support the broader book ecosystem, distributing my books widely, but it's harder to make a dent with nonfiction books outside of Amazon, and getting into physical retailers is difficult. So, I need to sell books on...

7 days ago • 2 min read

A writing experiment, a workshop, and an update to The Writer's Process Hi Reader, If you're in any part of the U.S. that has been buried in snow and frozen in subzero temperatures, I hope this email warms you. Times are tricky indeed—which makes it more important that we write for ourselves and others. I've read many moving, personal stories of experiences with ICE and with ice this winter. Here are three things that might help: February's writing experiment, useful for anyone having trouble...

21 days ago • 2 min read

Hello Reader, As I type this, a dozen cedar waxwings perch on the bare branches of the plum tree outside my window. I'll take that as a good sign. Reading the news is difficult these days, but looking out the window almost always delivers. Books are another great escape during turbulent times. I've just finished a couple memoirs by great writers: Joyride by Susan Orlean and Working by Robert Caro. Those writers' stories inspired this week's post. Because the post is short, you can read the...

about 1 month ago • 2 min read