The Writers' Cafe : Brewing Stories and Creativity
Your Monthly Dose of Writing Inspirations - February 2025
Welcome to The Writers’ Cafe, where stories brew and creativity flows like a bottomless cup of coffee.
As a subscriber, you can expect this newsletter to drop in your inbox on the first Sunday of every month. This one is my 2nd so far, and I am still finding my way.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! What resonates with you? What topics would you love to see explored in future newsletters? Please drop a comment and let’s start a conversation!
Now pull up a chair, grab your favourite drink, and let’s dive in.
MY MONTH
This month has seen many changes in both my personal and writing worlds. As with most changes, they require some adjustments before we become comfortable with our new routine.
How do we best deal with change?
By allowing time to adapt and be good to ourselves.
A big change for me was cutting my day job to three days a week was a big shift—one that brought both excitement and unexpected emotions.
Retirement—it’s for old people, right?
At least, that’s what the little voice in my head kept saying.
Retirement always seemed like something for ‘later,’ but I’m reframing it as a new chapter—one filled with more time for writing, family, yoga, and long walks. (Okay, and I may have bought an old rocking chair… but only because it’s the perfect reading spot!)
I have also become a grandma for the second time. It meant a hectic drive for me in the middle of the night this week to mind my 4-year-old grandson. They never made it to the hospital. I kid you not; he was born under a gum tree!! Could he be more Australian?
All is well; he is a beautiful, healthy little boy, and they are now settling into a life of four.
Speaking of exciting milestones, let’s talk about my latest book journey
SECRETS IN THE LAKES NEWS
My debut novel has been out for two months, and sales continue to thrill me via the Amazon and Draft2Digital platforms.
Reviews
I have received some amazing and heartwarming reviews that have validated my decision to publish this book.
One of these reviews came from a multi-book author I met 10 years ago at a local writers’ festival, Kaneanna May.
We have since met at various events over the years and always have a great chat. I love what Kaneanna said.
Here is an excerpt:
‘Secrets in the Lakes is a thoughtful and atmospheric story set in the quiet yet mysterious town of Lake Haven. It follows Mandy Reid, a writer returning to her hometown after a friend’s tragic death, where she begins to unravel long-hidden secrets. The book skillfully combines suspense with emotional depth, exploring themes of loss, trust, and self-discovery. The relationships Mandy navigates, particularly with grieving families and an old flame, add layers to the story. A solid read for fans of twisty emotional mysteries.’
Good reviews are so important for us authors. Especially first-timers. We have so much self-doubt, and to be validated is immensely helpful. I have appreciated every single review received so far.
Curious about Secrets in the Lakes?
Grab your copy here and dive into a story of mystery, nostalgia, and hidden truths.
Next Launch Phase
With the hype of the launch party now diminishing, it is time to ramp up the ‘sales pitch’ and start heading out into stores and libraries, and to pitch to writer’s festivals, podcasts and other book events. This is the time-consuming side of writing but essential if I want my book to continue to sell. The competition is tough in today’s market and we can not sit back and expect readers to find us.
So far, I have organised a couple of events.
I am so excited to let you know I am finalising a time to appear on the Writes4Women podcast run by Pamela Cook.
You can find more about Pamela’s work here
Also looking forward to an author spot in March on the Global Girls Online Book Club. This FB group provides some amazing author events and has such a diverse range of readers.
Watch out for updates on both coming soon.
Writing Business
They say writing is 20% craft and 80% business—a truth I’m quickly realizing firsthand.
That concept can be hard to get your head around when you are a debut author and have been used to writing almost 100% of your time.
The business side can be draining and it is sometimes hard to have enough motivation and energy to write.
Here is my best advise:
Write first. Business Later.
That may be 5 am. It may be after your day job or when the family and the house are quiet. But write first.
Even if you only have an hour, dedicate the first half to writing before getting lost in admin. Words first, logistics second—that’s how stories get finished.
By the end of the week, if you still have admin/business to do, then batch them up in one big session.
Future newsletters will include more of my secrets to ‘getting things done’. They are tips accumulated from years of writing alongside a full-time job and family commitments. When you have limited time, you develop hacks to make that limited time more effective.
How do you manage your time to ensure you get enough writing done? Do you set aside a special time of your day or week just for writing?
CURRENT WIP
‘Three best friends, one secret, a lifetime of consequences.’
A multi-timeline, multi-POV women’s fiction set in Denmark.
Writing this novel has been like stepping into a time machine—back to my teenage years in Denmark, where choices were fewer, but life felt simpler
The novel is testing my memory. Eg I wrote a scene about where the three teenage girls were about to watch a movie, forgetting that Netflix and even videos were not around then. In Denmark, we had one channel, and there would normally be no movies on till 8.30 in the evening. Except maybe Saturday afternoons.
Oh, they were indeed times of little choice. Sometimes, I think maybe it was better. At least we didn’t waste half our time deciding what to watch when we indulged in a movie.
The 2nd timeline is more current and easier to get the details right.
So far, I am a little behind on my word count to where I intended to be now. But I am not panicking yet.
As of this week, I have 12,500 words written. The target is still 80,000 by the end of April. I hope to get more words down as the story flows and I am more familiar with my characters and where they are going.
Lessons
Self-publishing
You have full control of your book but also a huge pile of tasks to do. If it’s your first time, there will be tasks you forgot to plan for, and many tasks you didn’t even know you had to do. It’s inevitable.
An example is how to get your book into libraries here in Australia. I sent a copy to the National and State libraries in the belief that it would make it available for other libraries. But after further investigations, I have realised libraries have a ‘preferred supplier’, and they need to have it uploaded before the library can purchase your book. Of course, the preferred supplier has a back pile of work to do, so it’s just a matter of waiting.
So, an error many self-publishing authors make, including myself, is to give every task too little time. To avoid stress, make room for mistakes and add extra time to what you cannot control.
Writing
Procrastination is a killer of creativity.
I continue to think like this:
‘Oh, I’ll just relax for a bit and recharge my batteries and my muse will appear’
NO!
I totally know I need to just get ‘butt in seat’ and the muse often will come out of nowhere. But there is often another voice in my head that derails me.
‘It’s too hot. The laundry needs doing. I should go for a walk. I’m hungry.’
I’m sure you hear these voices too.
Like today. I sat at home after lunch, feeling a little uninspired because of the humidity. I have AC at home, but it is not very effective. So I was feeling hot and unmotivated but with the pressure to get this newsletter done.
So I walked down the street to the local library, where I typed up the first draft. I was fully motivated, enjoying the quiet, surrounded by books and a lovely cool AC.
So, if the muse is lacking, take yourself out and find yourself a seat where you will get inspired and, most importantly, have no distractions. Glue that butt to the seat and the words will come.
BOOKS
‘The Last Illusion of Paige White’ by Vanessa McCausland
I bought this book when attending Vanessa’s author event in December last year here in Sydney. It was a brilliant event, and the book sounded fascinating.
I started reading it last week, and wow, it is a page-turner with so many thought-provoking lines! It is beautifully written and deep. I can’t wait to discuss it at a new book club I am attending later this month.
Some of the wonderful passages that I have highlighted in the book so far are:
‘I don’t miss the likes or the adoring comments from strangers. These are not the things I miss. I don’t know why when I was alive the small things weren’t enough to make me happy.’
‘He was nothing compared to my relationship with the grid. I think that’s why when everything changed, I took it harder than I might have otherwise, because that world had become more real to me than my real world.’
‘Relationships are flux,fluid, even the ones we think are static, safe.Because at the heart of all relationships is power. Needs being met. Or not being met…and what that ends up doing to a relationship.’
I can highly recommend this book even though I still have about 25% of the book to go. I just know this book will stay with me long after I get to the end.
CREATIVE DATES
January is often a quiet month with few writerly events.
Here in Sydney, it’s summer holiday mode. Think days at the beach, BBQ’s, picnics and a more low-key lifestyle.
So creative dates as such have been limited. But even normal day-to-day adventures can find its way into our creative minds. Like my day spent with my gardening friends at our local community garden. You can read the story in my post here.
This month, I am looking forward to an IRL Creative coffee date with Sydney writer, Gunnar Habitz, who I met on Substack. He is a LinkedIn and networking expert, and that’s an area I know many of us can improve on.
QUOTE
“Creativity is a combination of discipline and childlike spirit.” – Robert Green
I love this quote, and it’s an extension of my Writing Business section. We must have discipline, but our childlike spirit ensures we have fun when writing.
I hope you all maintain your childlike spirit.
Thank you for sharing this creative space with me!
Let’s keep the conversation going—tell me about your latest writing win (or struggle!), and if you’re in Sydney, let’s grab a coffee IRL!
The self publishing journey is always a crazy one. You’ll find the groove. Seems like you have it under control!