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On September 14, 2024, Kasie called in a pinch-hitter, Dr. Anna Fitch Courie to discuss the writing process and how she navigates it as a six-time published author. Here are the show notes:

Theme for the day

The Writing Process Revisited

Agenda

• Quick Catch Up
• What is the writing process?
• Best practices for writing and revising
• Best practices for publishing and marketing

Segment 1

This week I’m not flying solo (like the last two weeks). I’ve wrangled Dr. Anna Fitch Courie, author, speaker, and health and wellness specialist. She’s the author of six books, two children’s books and four inspirational non-fiction books. Writing for Anna is an outlet, a way to process what she’s experiencing and to help others put their experiences into context and find hope on the other side of struggle.

Learn more about Anna Courie here. Anna’s new book, Walking with God: The 40-Day Fitness Program and Biblical Journey goes on sale January 14, 2025.

Anna will tell us about her writing journey, how she came to authorhood, whether it’s become a defining characteristic for her, and what she’s working on now. There’s a new book!

Segment 2

The writing process is usually taught in a four-step summary: 1) Drafting, 2) Revising, 3) Editing/proofreading, and 4) Publishing.

But we know there are several other stages. Like … Ideating – where do the ideas come from? And Self-Doubt – Can I even do this? And frustration – I’m never going to finish this book! And Blind Optimism – I’m going to sell SO MANY copies! And Paralyzing Disappointment – No one showed up to my book signing.

But, from a writing perspective, the most important stages are probably ideating, drafting, and revising. So we’ll start there.

Segment 3

How do you get through the editing process? What does that look like for someone heading toward publication?

Should you hire a professional editor? In what capacity? What do you expect of them?

What other professionals should you bring to the writing process? What professionals do you expect your publisher to bring/provide?

Segment 4

Publishing isn’t the end of the journey. You have to sell the books. What happens when you go to market? What do the pre-launch and launch look like?

How are you (Anna) planning for the launch of this new book? What are some reasonable expectations for new authors on their first book?

What did you decide to use to measure your success?