Tessonja Odette

Author. Coach. Unicorn.

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mindset for writers

Author confidence – when others doubt your writing journey

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Hello creative badass! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?

I’ve been DEEP in finishing my second novel, editing, formatting, and now preparing for its July 3rd launch. It’s been fun, but crazy, and I still have much more preparation to do!

When it’s time to balance my priorities, writing comes first, as many of you agree with!

BUT I finally got around to recording a new livestream in the Inspired Writers Tribe Facebook Group and uploading it to my YouTube Channel.

It’s a juicy topic and one I know many of you can relate to…

THE MOST ANNOYING QUESTIONS WE GET AS WRITERS

[Read more…] about Author confidence – when others doubt your writing journey

Artists in Business Podcast Interview

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Mindset tips to use to move past road blocks

I was recently on the Artists in Business Podcast, where I shared some mindset tips for writers and all creatives. When it comes to moving past blocks in the creative process, mindset is where it’s at. I had so much fun chatting with Alexis, and loved to hear her views on the subject as well.

Check it out! Listen to it here on Alexis’ webiste.

Or here on Itunes!

Don’t forget to leave a review and subscribe to the podcast. Also, let me know what you thought of it!

Five lies that keep you playing small

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You’ve been there. I know you have.

You’re about to embark on something brilliant. Something that sets your soul on fire. Something new and challenging and exciting. Something that has the potential to change your life.

And then you freeze.

That’s when the lies come in. That’s when you start telling yourself stories about my you can’t, shouldn’t, or don’t deserve to take the step, do the thing, or write the book.

You concoct these tales all about why you can’t. Why now is not the right time. Why you don’t have what it takes. Why it’s not realistic. These tales grow and expand, becoming more solid and real to you than your dream ever was.

You play it safe. You stay small.

And that’s the worst failure of all. You give up before you even give your dreams a chance. [Read more…] about Five lies that keep you playing small

Why mindset is more important than talent

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You’d call J.K. Rowling talented, right? I sure would. She wrote one of my favorite series of all time, she’s an international best seller, and a household name.

However, when she first set off to get Harry Potter published, she was REJECTED. Loads and loads of times.

Can you even imagine someone reading Harry Potter and thinking it was garbage?

And if she’d let those rejection define her talents, she never would have made it to where she is now. If she would have looked at that heap of rejection letters pouring from her mailbox (perhaps even reminiscent of the Hogwarts letter scene in book one!) she could have said, “That proves it. I’m not talented. I should give up.”

But she didn’t. She kept going.

Now, let me ask a more difficult question: what do you think about Stephenie Meyer, of Twilight? Or E.L. James of Fifty Shades of Grey? Ask a number of people their opinion on these writers’ talents, and the answers will vary. Some say these are untalented writers. Others say they are brilliant. [Read more…] about Why mindset is more important than talent

Why I’m grateful for writer’s block

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If you’ve been following my writing journey, you’ll know it took me 15 years to finish my very first novel in a fantasy trilogy. I started it when I was 18 years old. While the first draft was easy and seemed to take no time at all, it was the rewriting and editing process that I got stuck on.

That’s where the fears came in. The doubts. The anxiety that my novel would NEVER be finished, much less published.

That’s when the giving up began. I felt too paralyzed by fear, doubt, and anxiety to work on my book. I felt like I was missing something. I started feeling uninspired. It felt like creativity had left me and my novel altogether.

This is what I defined as writer’s block.

The giving up sometimes lasted months. Other times, it lasted years. But I always came back to my novel, eventually.

Because that’s what artists do. We always return to our passions. [Read more…] about Why I’m grateful for writer’s block