Hey Reader,

Gardening! Do you love gardening?

My favorite activity of the spring season (and one of my summer favorites) is gardening. I love making compost, planting seeds, and eating what I've grown. The best part is the taste-oh wow! How I love a fresh, warm tomato off the vine for a caprese salad (Que up my Italian genes).

Do you plant a garden? If you don't think you have the room, have you heard of windowsill or planter gardening? There are lots of ideas and options for gardens when you have limited space at your place. Here's an article from Mahoney's Space, explaining how to garden within your spatial confinement.

I've never once sat down in the garden and experienced writer's block. Being out in nature and getting my hands in the dirt short-circuits the overthinking that kills good writing. That's flow state — when the internal critic goes quiet, and the work flows.

While most writers assume it's a gift, I can tell you there's nothing further from the truth. Flow State is a condition you create. And once you understand how to produce it, you can call it up almost on demand.

😊Want to learn more? I've compiled a playlist of my top writing and productivity episodes from my podcast, Self Publishing for Professionals. Click here to listen to the playlist!

While you're there, make sure to leave a review!

You know what I noticed? 👀

I've never seen anyone who doesn't benefit from the support they need to write their book. That being said, if you haven't checked out my new Skool community, you'll want to sign up today! You don't only get amazing support from other professionals, you also receive a complimentary monthly coaching and a coffee publishing chat in Self Publishing for Leaders. Join now while it's still free!

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Imagine this scenario... 💭

Marcus is an executive who has worked in his industry for two decades. He has an amazing story and business framework to share, so he decided to write a book. Even though he is disciplined and motivated to write, he has been staring at the same paragraph for nearly forty minutes.

He knows what he wants to say — he's said it a hundred times in conference rooms, on panels, in conversations with colleagues who always tell him he should write a book. So he finally is.

Except right now, the cursor is blinking at him like a dare.

He gets up to refill his coffee. Checks his phone. He answers an email that could have waited until tomorrow. Sits back down. Reads the paragraph again. Deletes the last two sentences. Rewrites them. Deletes them again.

The idea is there. He can feel it sitting just behind the words, fully formed, waiting. But every time he gets close, something pulls him sideways. A notification. A doubt. A voice that asks whether anyone will actually care about this, whether he's explaining it right, whether the whole premise holds up under scrutiny.

By the time he closes his laptop, he's written maybe eighty words he halfway likes. He tells himself he'll do better tomorrow.

He's been saying that for three weeks...

The problem isn't that Marcus doesn't have anything worth saying. The problem is that no one ever told him how to write a book — how to structure a session, how to quiet the noise, how to move from knowing something to getting it onto the page without losing it in translation. He's treating every writing session like a performance review, and his brain is responding accordingly.

✨ Let's go deeper

🎯 Why does writing feel so hard when you already know what you want to say?

🎯 What does flow state actually look like for a professional who is writing a book for the first time?

🎯 How do you structure a writing session so you stop starting over and start making real progress?

🎯 What is getting in your way — and how do you quiet it long enough to get the words out?

💡 Here's what to do

1. Move your body before you open your laptop. The fastest way to access flow state is not to sit down and force it. Take a walk, hit the gym, fold laundry, wash dishes, or do any repetitive physical task that keeps your hands busy and lets your mind wander. This is not procrastination. This is how the brain loosens its grip on the internal editor and lets the real thinking surface. Many authors report that their best ideas arrive not at the desk, but halfway down the block.

2. Set a session intention, not a word count goal. Before you sit down to write, decide what one idea, section, or scene you are going to work on. Not how many words you will produce, but what you are going to say. This small shift takes the pressure off the session and gives your brain a specific lane to run in. Flow state happens when the challenge matches your skill level, and the target is clear. Vague goals produce vague sessions.

3. Remove the triggers that pull you sideways before they get the chance. Put your phone in another room. Close every browser tab that is not your manuscript. Set a timer for thirty or forty-five minutes and treat that window as protected time. What broke Marcus’s concentration was not a lack of ideas. He left a dozen small exits open. Close the exits first, and the writing has nowhere to go but forward.

💡Final Thoughts: When you treat your writing time like a professional commitment, prepare your mind and body before you sit down, and remove the distractions that give doubt a way in, something shifts. The words that felt stuck start moving. The idea that was sitting just behind the page finally lands on it. That is not magic. That is what happens when a prepared mind meets a protected hour. Give yourself both, and the book you have been meaning to write stops feeling like a someday project and starts feeling like a get-it-done activity today.

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🤝 Client Testimonial of the Week: I worked with Jennifer Longworth to write her book, Build a Strong Podcast. Jennifer had been wanting to write a book about podcasting for several years. Her friends said she should write a book. So did her colleagues. She has now been interviewed on TV, podcasts, and radio about her book because she is seen as an expert in her field.

"Lynn helped me get through the writing of my book, Build a Strong Podcast! I couldn't have done it without her."

📚 📖 📝 ✍️ Join my upcoming Write Your Book in 180 Days Group Coaching Cohort📚 📖 📝 ✍️

If you're hesitant about using a ghostwriter to write your book but would like the support and advice of a professional along the way, reply and let me know you're interested in being added to my list. There's no obligation.

Ready for Some Book Marketing Advice?

If you’re serious about writing a book, you also need a plan to amplify it.

Virginia shares how podcasting helps you expand your reach, boost your website visibility, and create ongoing conversations that position you as the expert.

If you don’t want your book to sit on a shelf, her newsletter will show you a better way.

Join here → https://podcastabundance.kit.com/podcasttogrow​

🔥How to Break Through Writer's Block and Finish Your Book 🔥

Are you getting stuck, staring at a blank page, not sure what to do next? Are you frustrated because your book progress is moving along slower than a snail through molasses?

​Join my free community for access to my upcoming workshop, where I show you techniques to avoid or work around writer's block. These are the same methods that I use in my professional writing. This is free, interactive, and designed to save you a whole lot of frustration!

⬇️ Click your preferred calendar button below to automatically add this event to your calendar! ⬇️

Your Publishing Partner,

Lynn "Elikqitie" Smargis

P.S. – Are you looking for a fresh set of eyes on your manuscript for a review? Grab a spot on my Self-Publishing Discovery Call calendar to find out how quick and easy this process can be!