Episodes

Find a Chunk of Writing Time for Your Creative Deep DiveRelease Date: Sep 30, 2026(episode 296) With a chunk of time you could do a deep dive into your work in progress, immersing yourself in it so your structure takes shape and your chapters emerge. Instead of chipping away at the project in Pocket Sessions, Deep Dives drop us into creative focus and flow where you binge-write, far exceeding your word count goals. Finding time for a Deep Dive seems impossible, and yet it’s not as outlandish a...

Are you book-ready? Check the 4PsRelease Date: Sep 22, 2026(episode 295) If you’ve wondered how ready you are to write a book and pursue publishing, it’s time to determine your readiness with the 4P Diagnostic. Writers who struggle to make progress are almost always stuck in one (or more) of the 4Ps: Pitch, Prose, Platform, or Practice. Over the years I developed separate programs designed to help writers level up all 4Ps, individual programs that were dedicated to each of the Ps. Addressing t...

Don’t have blocks of time to write? Pockets work great!Release Date: July 25, 2026(episode 294) In my last post, I recommended you value yourself and your work enough to stop putting it off. The assignment: figure out where the time goes so you find time to write. The good news is that even if you only have slivers of time available, a lot of writing rolls onto the page during these “Pocket Sessions.” This post encourages you with quotes from famous writers who worked during Pocket Sessions a...

”I don’t have time to write”- Ah, where does the time go?Release Date: July 2, 2026(episode 293) It comes up in nearly every conversation with a writer, whether in a group or one-to-one: “I don’t have time to write.” Their deep longing to compose thoughtful, focused prose runs up against scrunched schedules that squeeze out creative effort. It seems they have nothing more than cracks or crevices of time to sit at the computer and can’t focus long enough to write what they want to say. Worse, ...

”Oh no! My book was written by someone else!”Release Date: May 17, 2026(episode 292) Discovering "comps" (comparable books) for your book proposal is discouraging. But this episode gives you the good news: your comps validate reader interest and show your topic is in demand. Learn how to leverage these existing titles to position your book as "similar, but different." Don't let competition discourage you; rather, embrace it as a sign of reader (and publisher) interest. Listen or head to https...

Dear [favorite author]Release Date: April 20, 2026 Use this prompt to write a letter to your favorite author, alive or dead. Listen and you'll hear the letter I wrote (and who I wrote it to). This simple act reveals your creative values as you tell the author what it is you admire about their work. Listen or head to to read it and access additional related reading: https://annkroeker.com/2026/04/20/dear-favorite-author/ And to get a copy of 52 Creative Writing Prompts, head to annkroeker.com/...

Are Abandoned Projects a Sign of Creative Weakness?Release Date: March 25, 2026 Writers I work with—and if I’m honest, I myself—launch multiple projects, enthusiastic about every idea. We open a document, give it a working title, tap out a few paragraphs with loads of energy. Like the squirrel, we scamper around the Internet or library doing research, gathering quotes and anecdotes to incorporate into this shiny new work-in-progress. A few days or weeks later, we abandon it, our sentences as s...

Don’t want to say it yourself? Put a frame around it!Release Date: March 22, 2026 In novels, memoir, nonfiction, and poetry, a narrator can set up the main story so that we have a frame effect. This is, in fact, called the “frame narrative.” The main story, then, becomes “the story within the story.” Learn all about it and study examples in this episode. The frame narrative sets up the “main” narrative, and provides context and lends plausibility to the story within the story. The nested story...

Do you really want to write “quietly”? (It’s an AI favorite)Release Date: February 27, 2026 We all have “pet” words or phrases that slide into our prose like a favorite shoe that’s shaped to our foot and supports our gait—literary techniques that feel like our voice on the page. Some writers come across more casual, using sentence fragments or words like “ain’t” and “c’mon!” Others turn to ellipses for hesitation and pop a statement (or question) in parentheses for humor. Guess who’s been pay...

Whose Voice Is on Your Pages? Human vs. AI WritingRelease Date: February 11, 2026 I opened someone's newsletter a few weeks ago touting the “glorious” age of AI and the advantages it provides. Hm, I thought. AI is fascinating, I guess. Speedy. Clever, in its way. But…glorious? It’s been studying us. Wouldn’t that suggest anything “glorious” about AI can be attributed in part to what it’s drawn from that which makes us gloriously human? It did, after all, train on our published projects like a...

Self-Publishing vs. Traditional: Janyre Tromp's Real-World Experience with Both (and Clear Favorite)Release Date: December 17, 2025 Award-winning author and editor Janyre Tromp joins us for an in-depth exploration of her deep publishing experience. She’s seen it from all angles, as an editor in traditional publishing houses, and as an author who has seen the pros and cons of both traditional and self-publishing. Janyre breaks down the definitions, differences, and decision-making process for au...

What's your role in your reader's lifeRelease Date: December 2, 2025 In this episode, Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach, explores how clarifying your role in a reader’s life transforms your tone, structure, and connection on the page. Using real-world analogies and examples from Anne Bogel, Annie F. Downs, and Lisa TerKeurst, Ann shows how to choose and calibrate a voice readers trust—whether you’re a knowledgeable friend, a teacher, a tower of authority, or a fellow traveler in the field. In This Ep...

Why Writers Get Lost in Research (And How to Find Your Way Back)Release Date: October 8, 2025 In this episode, Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach tackles the common "research rabbit hole" problem that plagues nonfiction writers. Learn how to balance thorough research with productive writing, using Isaac Newton's famous quote about "standing on ye sholders of giants" as inspiration for leveraging others' knowledge without getting lost in endless sources. In This Episode You'll Discover:Why the research...

Start with Your Ideal Audience: Insights from Janyre Tromp Episode 283 | Release Date: September 24, 2025 Quick SummaryIn this episode, Ann Kroeker is joined by award-winning author and editor Janyre Tromp for a deep dive into identifying your ideal audience as a writer. Janyre draws on 20+ years of publishing, editing, and marketing experience to explain why targeting the right readers—and understanding their true needs—will transform every stage of your writing process, from drafting to edit...

Don't Wait to Share Your Message Episode 282 | Release Date: September 10, 2025 Quick SummaryIn this episode, Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach, explores how we can share our ideas and messages immediately through digital platforms rather than waiting for traditional publishing timelines. Learn why starting small today can make a bigger impact than waiting for the "perfect" long-form project to be complete. In This Episode You'll Discover:How digital publishing has transformed our ability to share i...

I tend to sprawl—both in my writing and, if you ask my family, on the couch. I start with a plan, but as I write, new ideas branch out in every direction. Before I know it, I’ve lost my way. And yet…while I encourage the power of outlines, I confess that I often prefer finding my way through the sprawl, writing until I experience an epiphany—a moment of convergence that shows me what the piece is…and isn’t. In other words, I write my way to clarity. In Write Your Way Forward (episode 281), I hel...

If you second-guess yourself each time you send your words into the world, you’re not alone. You’re feeling what writers throughout the ages have felt, because it is a risk each time you click \"publish.\" Even if you’re viewed as an expert or thought leader handing down wisdom, your readers need to know they’re not alone. They need to see that you\'ve struggled and still found a way forward. Whether you\'re a writer who regularly reveals your ongoing messy life or you\'re someone who seems to h...

An idea pops into your head, so you grab whatever paper product lies nearby and scribble down the thought. Or you come across a quote, story, or stat and realize it connects to your project. Convinced it’s all great material, you jot it down, then stuff the paper into your pocket or purse. Now you’re ready to write, but you're discovering random Post-Its, index cards, and the backs of envelopes—not to mention pages from notebooks and journals. And you're wondering how these scattered notes and ...

Find your publishing home without losing your voice: Literary agent Deidra Riggs reveals insider secrets on breaking into publishing while staying true to yourself—especially for women of color and writers with unconventional perspectives. In this interview (episode 278), you'll discover... Insider secrets: Deidra reveals what draws her to a manuscript Authors' authentic voices: Deidra supports clients, helping them navigating publishing without compromising their unique perspectives and voic...

On a chilly December afternoon in 2014, I closed the door to my bedroom, swallowed back nerves—even trembled a little as I held a tiny earpiece as a microphone. Then I cleared my throat and recorded my first podcast episode that lasted all of two minutes. At that point a seasoned author, I forgot what it felt like to send something into the world for the first time. I’d done it for decades with my voice on the page or the screen. With a podcast, I was sending my actual voice into the world for ...

A few years ago, a client came to me with an idea for a nonfiction book. She was ready to write a draft and send it to a publishing house. What she didn’t realize was that she was working a few steps ahead. Thankfully, we met early enough in the process that I was able to fill her in on the steps she’d need to take to pursue traditional publishing—allowing her to sidestep a lot of mistakes that would have slowed her down. Even though she didn’t need to write the entire manuscript before taking...

Somewhere along the way, you stopped writing. Life got in the way. You lost your confidence. You ran out of time. You ran out of ideas. You hit a huge block you can’t get past. Maybe you thought writing belonged to younger-you, when the stakes were lower and you took more risks. For one reason or another, the words stopped flowing. You set aside your pen. You stopped calling yourself a writer. You scribble in a journal now and then, but nothing beyond that. This happens. One day, you’re an...

Is Substack the best platform for writers? Is it right for you? In this interview, publishing expert Jane Friedman explores Substack’s social media-like features, blogging-like functionality, podcast-host possibilities…and its implications for writers. From using Substack “Notes” to community cross-promotion, it’s an ecosystem worth understanding. Substack is more than just newsletters—it’s a blog, social media, podcast host, and email marketing tool all-in-one platform. Perfect for beginners,...

“A writer — and, I believe, generally all persons — must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource,” writer Jorge Luis Borges said in an interview, when asked about his blindness. “All things have been given to us for a purpose,” he continued, “and an artist must feel this more intensely. All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.”1 You may be familiar with Kat...