Episode 6: Creativity is a Muscle - Writing & Publishing with Amanda Shofner

Amanda Shofner satisfies her need for adventure through the written word. She’s a self-published author who has written urban fantasy, non-fiction and romantic suspense. She’s a voracious reader, TV-watcher and Minneapolis native. We chatted with Amanda about her writing process, alpha readers, beta readers, pantsing, plotting and a little bit of everything in between.

Here’s where to find Amanda Shofner:

Website/blog: http://amandashofner.com/

My blog posts at Mill City Press/where my non-personal writing content is: https://www.millcitypress.net/blog/authors/amanda-shofner

Published: http://published.com/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/amshofner

Instagram: http://instagram.com/amshofner

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amshofnerauthor/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/amshofner/

Writing Sprint Hashtags: #NaNoWriMo #AmWriting

Mill City Press self-publishing services: https://www.millcitypress.net

Here’s where to find Ashley:

Website: www.BrooksEditorial.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brookseditorial

Instagram: http://instagram.com/brookseditorial

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/brookseditorial

Here’s where to find Abbigail:

Website: www.InkwellsandImages.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/abbigailekriebs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abbigailekriebs/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inkwellsandimages/

Mini Book Club:

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi

The Lunar Chronicle Series by Marissa Meyer

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Quotes:

“Everything I have done in life has led me to where I am now.” -- Amanda

“Writing is a priority and I had to figure out how to fit it in my life.” -- Amanda

“I started writing 30 minutes every morning. A morning is not a morning without writing.” -- Amanda

“Your self control stumbles over into other areas of your life when you choose to be really diligent about something.” -- Abbigail

“You don’t need a lot of time to write.” -- Amanda

“A lot of the things that I told myself about writing were wrong. Writing is what you make it.” - Amanda

“If you commit to writing and if it is something you really want to do, you will be surprised in where you can find the time.” -- Amanda

“[Netflix] is kind of an easy pit to fall into.” -- Ashley

“It’s tough to find a balance: sometimes you do need those days where you don’t do anything.” -- Ashley

“Sometimes just doing the work in your daily life takes a fair amount of creativity.” -- Ashley

“The first draft can be terrible. I can hit delete later on in revision. But I need to write terrible now to get to the next point.” -- Amanda

“Given the choice between something that I am really excited about and something that I want to never look at again, it was an easy choice.” -- Amanda

“You need to be excited about the project that you are working on.” -- Ashley

“You still run into problems, but writing can be enjoyable.” -- Amanda

“Times are changing in self-publishing: it’s no longer a last resort.” -- Amanda

“It’s probably smarter to focus on one thing at a time.” -- Ashley

“That’s why I have a full-time job: I can write as much as I want and not have to worry about what is paying my bills.” -- Amanda

“Having a full time job allows you to take a little more risk and fail a little more often.” -- Abbigail

“The ability to fail is huge. You have to be able to fail in order to succeed. Failing means you are trying things.” -- Amanda

“Creativity is more like a muscle: you have to train it to do what you want it to do.” -- Amanda

“Writers struggle at finding other people to connect with. It is a very isolating experience.” -- Amanda

“Writing sprints are how I am able to do as much as I do.” - Amanda