The Writing Cycle Blog

Question: Are book coaches and freelance editors a scam? Answer: I see so many posts (and receive queries) on this topic, I thought it was time to put in my oar. It’s essential to understand the HISTORY of the publishing industry to understand how it has evolved in the 21st Century. Independent book coaches and […]

BOOK DEVELOPMENT, PART I: THE MINDSET PIECE  When we build your book together in #WRITTEN, The Writing Cycle’s 4-month One-on-One Coaching Program, I first emphasize the importance of mindset work.  This is the piece many writers skip when they set out. Of course, you need to be passionate about an idea. Likewise, acquiring craft skills [...]

It’s one thing to work through trauma with a trusted a therapist. It’s quite another to share your story with the world. The Writing Cycle has rounded up ten powerful quotes on healing trauma to offer insight and inspiration as you engage in writing your trauma narrative. Which resonates with your experience writing trauma? Would […]

Carol, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally? “The creative adult is the child who survived,” said author Ursula K. Le Guin. This has been a guiding light for my artistic evolution. As a writer, I’m obsessed with how artifacts, images, and language hoarded in family systems reveal—and hold the potential to heal—generational […]

As a young writer, I assumed everyone had a process similar to my own. It was only in an MFA that it dawned on me most writers do not work the way I do. This distinction increased starkly once outside an academic environment. Bestselling guides advocated following concrete rules, and, above all, chasing market trends. Community critique groups […]

Scottsdale author and editor Carol Test talks rejection, inspiration, and the writing life with VoyagePhoenix. Read about her current projects and learn more about The Writing Cycle’s services in this week’s Trailblazer series. “I love helping authors find their voice and connect with larger questions about the human experience their writing [...]