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Perspective, Timing and Trust in Memoir

September 4, 2018 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

Memoir is a powerful thing. We love reading stories of love, loss and transformation. True stories are powerful. They inspire us on a deeply personal level. As Brene Brown says, we’re hardwired for story. It’s how we learn. Writing a memoir, though, can be challenging. Where do you start? How do you narrow down your story? How do you shape it? How do you navigate the emotional terrain of delving into the heart of who you are? And what do you do when the initial excitement wears off and you find yourself in the mucky middle of writing a book? How do you get back on track? Here’s the truth: writing a memoir is a journey. Trust and perseverance are critical parts of the process. So are craft and technique. Structure, accountability and encouragement are also important. A consistent writing practice is what […]

15 Ways to Get Unstuck and Reboot Your Writing Project

August 20, 2018 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

In our last post, we discussed whether or not to keep going with your current writing project. Now let’s talk about the logistical pieces involved in getting unstuck and rebooting your writing project. Here are about 15 ways to help you move forward—one compassionate step at a time. 15 Ways to Get Unstuck and Reboot Your Writing Project Schedule a set time to restart your project and put it in your planner. If this feels too big, start with 5 or 10 minutes. Treat this as a sacred date with yourself. It is. Start with one easy, small goal. Start with 5 minutes if you’re drowning in overwhelm. Use that first writer’s date to pull out your writing and leaf through it, familiarizing yourself with your project. If you’re ready to start with something bigger, start with 15 or 30 minutes. If the […]

Should You Abandon Your Project or Keep Going?

August 15, 2018 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

Almost every writer I’ve spoken to recently is either a) feeling stuck, b) wondering whether they should abandon their project, c) ready to run for the border or d) all of the above. This is the first in a three-part blog series to help you figure out whether or not to continue your project and help you get unstuck. How to Decide Whether to Abandon Your Project or Keep Going As we talked about in the last post, writing crossroads often happen over summer, especially for those of us with kids. Even if you don’t have kids at home, summer tends to throw us writers off track. How do we pick up the thread of that project that we were once so excited about, we wonder. Does that damn project even still matter? What if we’ve missed the boat? Lost our friggin mojo?! […]

Starting Again

July 13, 2018 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / 4 Comments

Are certain seasons friendlier for writing than others? That’s a question I’ve been grappling with the past few months, particularly as we’ve expanded into summer. For some folks, fall and winter tend to be a more internal time, and perhaps more well-suited for writing. Since spring and summer are often more social and active—filled with trips and outings, family and friends—these seasons can also be more full. And it can be hard to find time to write when the rest of your life is overflowing with goodness. This is one of those times writers find themselves grappling with the inevitable stopping and starting that comes with writing a book. It’s hard to get your butt into the chair when there are so many other things going on. The sun’s out, an old friend’s in town, etc., etc., etc. I struggle with the same […]

Creating a Writing Schedule that Works for You

May 17, 2018 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / 2 Comments

How do you create a writing schedule that works for you? And why should you bother? Because it can make writing so much easier. When you’re working on a book or any other big project, it’s important to have a consistent writing practice that you can actually adhere to—one that fits your real (read: big, full, lovely, messy) life, not some ideal, future version of yourself (read: perfect fantasy person who can DO all things and BE all things). The secret to creating your writing schedule is figuring out what works for YOU (not someone else) and readjusting as you go. Here’s what that looks like: Maybe your initial goal was to write 5 hours a week. Ambitious, yes, but you want to get that sucker written! Great start! However, after the first week, you realize that it’s pretty friggin hard to fit […]

Secret Life of Grief Wins Nautilus Silver Book Award!

May 3, 2018 / Tanja Pajevic / blog / No Comments

A quick note to share some good news and an update on the next Jumpstart Your Book virtual retreat (May retreat postponed; see below for details). First off, I’m incredibly excited to share the fabulous news that my book, The Secret Life of Grief, won a Nautilus Silver Book Award for memoir! Nautilus publicly announced the list of gold and silver winners earlier this week and I’m still dazed to have my book included amongst the ranks of Brene Brown, Tara Brach, Thich Nhat Hanh, J.D. Vance and many more. Those of you who’ve been with me for a while know what a journey this book has been for me, both personally and professionally. Today, I’d like to take a moment to thank you all for supporting me in the journey and now the celebration as well — it’s been a big deal […]