Saturday Morning Coffee ☕ Edition #4

Wakey wakey...

Canva image.

☀️ Good morning, my friend.

It’s Saturday - we made it.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for a coffee.

In this week’s edition, you’ll find the usual collection of links to articles I think you’ll like, as well as a little thought from me.

While I have you, I’d also like to ask a quick question:

You may or may not know that I’ve written three myself, with the first due for publication sometime this Spring. Hopefully the others will follow soon enough.

My debut novel - The Soulburn Talisman - is packed to bursting with elemental magic, clashing armies, and wise-cracking trolls. Think Harry Potter-type characters in a Westeros-style landscape undertaking a Tolkien-level mission to save the fantastical world into which they’ve stumbled, and you’ll be on the right track.

Soulburn is heavily inspired by Irish mythology and the stunning Mourne Mountains of Northern Ireland, which have been my playground for many years.

These snaps were taken on New Year’s Day, and boy was it freezing up there! 🥶

If this sounds like your cup of tea (or coffee), keep an eye on my posts over the coming weeks. Hopefully I’ll have more news to share soon.

And if you have written a novel yourself, I want to know about it! Drop a comment below and tell us everything.

🚨 Finally, a very quick update on my 1,000 Subscribers offer: almost all of the slots are gone, so grab one of the few remaining spaces while you can!

---

A brief thought from me

Stop talking to me.

That’s what people were thinking.

I was a terrible conversationalist. I was introverted as get out. I mumbled. I talked too fast. I tripped over my words.

I’ve gotten a lot better over the years.

But why was I like that?

I’m pretty sure it was down to one main thing: I didn’t listen.

I was so busy mentally preparing what I was going to say next, I didn’t really listen to other people.

Once I realised how powerful listening actually is, I instantly became a much better conversationalist.

It sounds like such a basic concept, but it took me a long time to figure out. And once I did:

• I stopped stressing about what to say next

• I became an engaged conversation partner

• I asked better questions

• I told my own stories with more fluidity

Listen to people when you’re talking to them.

Listen carefully for struggles, for pain points, for dreams.

Listen more than you speak.

Once you master listening, what you say (or write) next becomes obvious.

---

Some interesting thoughts from others

• 5 ways to write a book this year by

  Charlotte Runcie

• Own your writing this year by

  Simon K Jones

• Cut It Out by

  Laura Leffler

• The life of a writing nomad by

  Writers Are Superstars

• Craft Development: Nailing the First Chapter by

  Amanda Saint

• Ten Things I Know About Storytelling by

  Laura Pashby

• How I start a new book by

  Katherine May

• How (and why) to build a personal brand to keep your books selling by

  Russell Nohelty
  and
  Jessica Sorentino

• I’m An Ordinary Person. Here’s How You Gain an Unfair Advantage as a Writer by

  Eve Arnold

• How to Achieve Early Publishing Success in Short Fiction Writing by Nicola de Vera

---

What to expect next week

• On Tuesday, another fantastic guest post entitled 5 Ways New Writers Can Make Money (How I Made $4420 In My 1st Year) will land in your inbox. It’ll be free for all subscribers and you won’t want to miss it.

• On Thursday, paid subscribers will receive something from me. It doesn’t have a title just yet (that always come last for me), but if you want to generate income by writing online, it’ll be well worth your time.

• And of course, at the weekend you can settle down with Saturday Morning Coffee Edition #5 (I can smell those beans already…) ☕

---

Thanks for enjoying another Saturday morning coffee with me!

Please leave a comment below telling us what you’re up to today, and give this post a quick restack if you can.

Have a brilliant rest of your day! 😊

---

Read this next:

How I Grew My Substack Audience by Over 1,400 Subscribers in Under 2 Months

---