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Mark interviews Rona Gofstein, an Author Accelerator certified fiction book coach who specializes in helping writers of genre fiction develop, write and revise their novels. She also writes contemporary romance, is the president of Broad Universe, an international organization for women and alternatively gendered authors of speculative fiction, as well as president of the New Hampshire Chapter of RWA.
Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, thanks his patrons and provides them an update on June virtual hangouts and a word about this episode’s sponsor.
You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.
During their chat, Mark and Rona talk about:
- When Rona first started to play around with writing when back in college
- How Julia Cameron’s Book The Artist’s Way inspired Rona to get serious about writing and publishing a book
- Being a “feel your way through” type of writer
- Knowing her characters really well, despite being a planstser
- How Rona works through character sheets
- The importance of having a “what would they never, ever do?” element on a character sheet
- What Broad Universe is within speculative fiction and how they use it to help bring attention to a more diverse range of authors
- Becoming an accredited Author Accelerator Book coach
- Rona’s love of helping writers realize their dreams of becoming a writer
- The different types of clients Rona works with and the techniques and elements she helps them understand
- Where and how Rona fits in her own writing
- Continuing to do the “Morning Pages” from the previously mentioned book by Julia Cameron
- How coaching and writing can help feed off one another for Rona
- The Joan Didion quote: “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.”
- And more…
After the interview Mark reflects on the idea of the morning pages that Rona does based on reading Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
Links of Interest:
- Rona Gofstein’s Website
- Broad Universe
- Findaway Voices
- Buy Mark a Coffee
- Patreon for Stark Reflections
- Best Book Ever Podcast
- Lovers Moon Podcast
- The Relaxed Author
- Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
- An Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
- Wide for the Win
- Mark’s Canadian Werewolf Books
Rona Gofstein is an Author Accelerator certified fiction book coach and specializes in helping writers of genre fiction develop, write and revise their novels. She writes contemporary romance and will be launching a new series and pen name later this year. Rona is the president of Broad Universe, an international organization for women and alternatively gendered authors of speculative fiction, as well as president of the New Hampshire Chapter of RWA. She desperately needs her morning coffee, thinks reservations are the best thing to make for dinner, and believes that one day she will find the magic planner that will keep her perfectly organized.
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
Catching up on old episodes and I have to day this interview with Rona was exactly what I needed to hear. I started back on morning pages last week and it has done wonders for the writing. I had to rewrite my outline, again, and hearing her mention the emotional journey I’m taking the characters one really stuck with exactly what I needed to do in the current WIP.
As for morning rituals:
wake up
write the day to-do list, journal (personal), journal (writing)
brush the cat (she’s very demanding about this)
do stretches
Put on the Freedom App, which blocks my most distracting websites
make a cup of tea
do some kanji practice
then write for 2 hours.
perhaps a long lest but it’s worked so far.