Author, educator, book coach and founder of Author Accelerator, Jennie Nash, joined me this week in a special edition of the show dedicated to unearthing tools and strategies for writers on the winding, sometimes daunting journey, to finishing your big, scary book. "Writing a book is like childbirth." - Jennie Nash Jennie started her career in publishing at Random House and has over 30 years experience in all facets of the industry. She also taught at the UCLA Extension Writers' Program for 12 years and has spoken at writing conferences across the country. She's the author of seven books including a self-help book for writers – The Writer's Guide to Agony and Defeat (Amazon) – and has written hundreds of magazine articles for national publications. For nearly a decade now Jennie has been coaching authors "from inspiration to publication" (including Lisa Chron, author of Wired for Story and Story Genius, and Sam Polk, author of For the Love of Money: A Memoir), helping them to land top New York agents and book deals with major publishers. As the founder of Author Accelerator, described as "A personal trainer for your writing life," she and her team of book coaches now provide writers the blueprint so often lacking in the traditional publishing world ... including the tools, nurturing, and encouragement needed to finish their work and get it into the world successfully. In a serendipitous turn of events, after this interview Author Accelerator became a sponsor of this show, and I'll tell you all about a resource they've created just for listeners of this show during our chat. This conversation is tailor-made for writers just starting out or well along on your journey to publish. If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. Audible is offering our listeners a free audiobook with a 30-day trial membership. Just go to audibletrial.com/writerfiles and browse the unmatched selection of audio programs – download a title free and start listening. It’s that easy. Go to audibletrial.com/writerfiles to get started today. In Part One of this two part file Jennie Nash and I discussed: Why the stages of writing a book are like the stages of grief How Jennie came up with a winning formula for helping writers bring their books to life The questions so many writers forget to ask before they start writing their book The frustrations and roadblocks authors run up against in the middle of a book How to make meaningful progress toward finishing Creativity and the myth of the lone genius And why writers can't wait around to be picked Show Notes: Author Accelerator The Writer's Guide to Agony and Defeat: The 43 Worst Moments in the Writing Life and How to Get Over Them by Jennie Nash (Amazon) For the Love of Money: A Memoir by Sam Polk Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence by Lisa Cron Daisy Jones & The Six: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid Author Accelerator on Facebook Jennie Nash on Twitter Author Accelerator on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Please click the PayPal Donate button to support The Writer Files with a secure PayPal donation