All Episodes

February 17, 2025 28 mins

Send us a text

In this Ask Beth & Lisa episode, the hosts tackle a common writer struggle: getting out of a creative rut. They share personal experiences, actionable strategies, and insights from working with critique partners and beta readers to reignite motivation and improve writing.

Key Discussion Points

  • Recognizing a Writing Rut: How to identify when you’re stuck in autopilot and losing creative energy.
  • Micro Goals for Progress: Beth shares her strategy of setting small, achievable goals like 500-word daily targets to push through blocks.
  • Shaking Up Routine: The benefits of changing writing environments, traveling, or even dictating chapters while walking to boost creativity.
  • The Power of Beta Readers & New Critique Partners: Lisa explains how fresh eyes on her manuscript helped her identify repetitive writing habits and refine her storytelling.
  • Finding the Right Critique Group: The importance of choosing partners whose work aligns with your writing style and elevates your craft.
  • Using The Waiting Room for Writers: How their private Facebook group helps authors connect, find critique partners, and navigate publishing challenges.

Conclusion

Breaking out of a writing rut requires intentional shifts—whether through setting small goals, changing routines, or seeking new perspectives. The key is to stay engaged, experiment with different methods, and remember that creative slumps are temporary.

Mentioned Links

Beth & Lisa return on March 3rd with guest Meg Gaertner, Managing Editor at Flux and Jollyfish Press, to discuss editorial insights. Don’t forget to subscribe, follow, and share the podcast!



Crew Collective
A podcast about the wild, weird, and deeply human side of cosmic storytelling.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts  

Support the show

Visit the Website

Writers with Wrinkles Link Tree for socials and more!


Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist

It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.