I'm so excited to announce the blog tour for Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima. This book is perfect for helping people who have been struggling with anxiety and fear finally start writing their book. Join us as we celebrate the launch of the book, interview the author, and give away a copy to one lucky reader.
Here's more about Write Out Loud:
Are you still struggling with your book? Feeling overwhelmed or creatively blocked with self-doubt, fear, and general anxiety about what it means to write a book? Are you still wondering if you have what it takes to even write a book?
Not all fears are created equal.
Write Out Loud is a step-by-step guide to help you identify the fears that are keeping you from sharing your story so you can beat them back and finally write your book with confidence. In Write Out Loud, you’ll learn how to:
• identify the source of your self-doubts and fears
• validate your book idea
• gain self-belief (in your story and in your ability to write your story)
• start writing your first draft with confidence
• feel comfortable talking about your book idea
• And, yes, much more!
Amazon bestselling author and ghostwriter Naomi D. Nakashima brings her experience of helping authors to write and publish their books along with her training as a psychotherapist to walk you through the sometimes painful process of facing your fears and sharing your story. If you're ready to finally sit down and start writing your book without the fear and anxiety, read Write Out Loud: How to Get Over your Fears and Build the Confidence to Finally Write Your Book.
ISBN-10: 8987209820
ISBN-13: 979-8987209820
ASIN: B0BXTCZ7Y6
Print Length: 207 pages
Purchase a copy of Write Out Loud on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Bookshop.org. You can also get an autographed copy (and put more money back in the author's hands) by purchasing it on Glitz and Glamour. Make sure you also add it to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author, Naomi D. Nakashima
Naomi D. Nakashima is a bestselling author of nonfiction, a ghostwriter with 20 years experience, a trained psychotherapist, and a TikTok writing coach with thousands of followers who attend her coaching events and regular Q&As. Everything I Need to Know About Parenting I Learned from Watching Star Trek, her first book published under her name, became an international Amazon bestseller and stayed on the bestseller list for step-parenting and blended families for three years.
As a single mother of two, Naomi daydreams about spending her free time reading books, diamond painting, and traveling the world.
Follow her online at:
Website: https://helpmenaomi.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helpmenaomi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/helpmenaomi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helpmenaomi/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/helpmenaomi/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helpmenaomi/
---- Interview by Nicole Pyles
WOW: First, congratulations on your book Write Out Loud! What inspired you to write this book?
Naomi: Thank you! So, I've actually wanted to write a book about how to write and publish a book for a long time. But, funny story, I kept allowing my own imposter syndrome to get in the way. There are a lot of books out there on how to write a book and even a lot of books out there on why you should write a book, so what could I possibly say that was different. But then I looked at my calendar last year and I saw that I was coming up on my 20th anniversary as a ghostwriter, and I decided that I wanted to do something big. So I dusted off that WIP file and decided to push through and finally get it done.
WOW: Something about writing anniversaries can push us out of our comfort zone. I was immediately captivated by your candor in the first chapter. And there are no words for what you experienced (I won't say any more to hopefully entice people to read your book! It's such a powerful experience you shared and the lesson you shared with others from it!). Why did you decide to share this in the first chapter?
Naomi: That actually wasn't the first chapter, believe it or not! Originally, the first chapter was going to dive right into imposter syndrome and all the different ways that imposter syndrome can manifest. And then two days after I sent the book off to my editor, I was on a call with a client and we were reviewing her book and I told her "there's just not enough of your story in here. You give great tips but you haven't really said why you're telling this story or what these tips actually mean to you." Which is great advice and it's something I've had to talk to my clients about a lot over the years. But hearing it in that moment in that meeting made me realize I hadn't really done a good enough job of sharing why it's so important to me for people to know that their story matters.
So as soon as we got off that call, I messaged my editor and put everything on hold so I could go back to my book, and then I sat there asking myself why this book. And it just started to sort of pour out of me. I never intended to ever share that story; I was going to take it with me to the grave because I'm not proud of it. I'm ashamed that I never turned it into anything, I just let it defeat me. But it poured out of me and then it just felt right. I think it sets up the rest of the book to show how mine is different and it really helps people understand why I do what I do (which is something I didn't even truly understand for a while).
WOW: It really does! I love how you break down all aspects of the writing process in your book. How did you decide to organize your book?
Naomi: One of the first questions that I ask prospects during discovery calls, whether it's for ghostwriting or for editing, is what they are afraid of when it comes to that book? And there are so many fears out there when it comes to writing. But the interesting part is that there are different fears at different stages. So someone in the planning stage of their book might be afraid of judgement and feeling that imposter syndrome, but someone in the writing stage might be afraid of their ability to craft words or spelling or sometimes they're afraid that their writing is getting boring. Later in the process they are afraid of rejection or theft. It's like as soon as you get over one hurdle, one fear, there's another one just waiting for you. So what I wanted to do was really guide someone through each of the fears that they might face while trying to write their book and let them know that hey, it's okay. This is right where you're supposed to be.
WOW: What a wonderful way to approach any project, actually. Why do you think writers hesitate to share their story?
Naomi: A lot of times I think it's fear: what happens when I tell my story? What if no one likes it? What if everyone likes it? And unfortunately, the first time you come across a new fear, you might not be equipped to overcome it. A lot of authors have learned how to overcome some of these fears and other hurdles simply because they've done it over and over again. They've learned preventative habits that alleviated the fears or they've learned coping skills that help overcome the source of those fears, but new authors don't have these skills or habits yet, so they don't really know what to do with it then. It just ends up stopping them in their tracks until they can come up with an answer for it.
WOW: So true! And why do you think fear holds writers back?
Naomi: I think the fear makes our survival instinct kick into overdrive. We have certain fears surrounding failure, such as rejection, which we have learned to cope with through avoidance, procrastination, or perfectionism. But we also have certain fears surrounding success. Failure is easy—we know what that feels like. But success is undiscovered territory. We don't know what life looks like in that territory, what new issues might come up; we don't even know if we can live up to the expectations that we are setting up. It's a wild ride to be afraid of failure but equally afraid of success. And, again, when you're facing these fears for the first time, you're not necessarily equipped to cope with them, yet.
WOW: Great point! I love that you said success is like unexplored territory. What is one of the biggest stumbling blocks you see writers run into?
Naomi: Don't forget to write your story. So many writers get caught up in the entire process of writing a book—they start thinking about editing and how do they hire editors and what about formatting and can they find an agent and what about sales or marketing... they get so caught up in the entire process and everything that it entails that they don't actually write the book. Everything can get fixed later, everything can be set up and formatted later, everything else can wait its turn. If writing a book feels too big and you find yourself struggling and thinking about all the things, then just focus on writing your story. You can't do anything without that story.
WOW: I think a lot of us needed to hear that today! How does your job as a ghostwriter prepare you for writing your own stories?
Naomi: As a ghostwriter, I get to see a lot of things that other authors don't necessarily see. I have relationships with agents and publishers as well as other authors. So I get to peek in a lot of times and see what sorts of things are working, what the trends look like, and things like that. Plus, I get to see, vicariously, the type of impact that my clients' books have on their audience, which always gives me more inspiration to keep going and keep writing.
WOW: I think I'd be inspired by that too. What do you hope people take away from reading your book?
Naomi: I hope they write their book! But on top of that, I really wanted them to feel like someone who cares about them and their story is rooting for them. I wanted it to feel like they had their own personal cheerleader right there in their Kindle.
WOW: You really come across that way too! What is your writing process like?
Naomi: I use a lot of writing sprints and a reverse outline. I have ADHD so a lot of my writing process involves making "future Naomi" happy. That's where the reverse outline comes in. Like many writers, sometimes I forget where I left off. But if I start reading what I wrote to try to figure out what to write next, I start to get lost. I start editing and losing track of trying to write. So instead, I spend time at the end of my writing session to write out a summary of everything. That way I can review my notes and not get lost in the file before I've even started.
I also have to be able to find my files easily because otherwise just trying to find those files can lead to distractions and rabbit holes that will pull me away from writing. So I make sure to use keywords in my file names and things like that to make it easier to find them when I search. It's kind of like setting my computer to act more like a search engine to help me find my files instead of using it to store my files. Finally, I surround myself with reminders of what I'm doing; if I'm writing a book about vampires, I am surrounded by books and drawings of vampires, I set up my desktop wallpaper and screensaver, everything else with vampires to help keep me on task and inspired with that project.
WOW: Great ideas! Why is having a plan for writing so important?
Naomi: Planning has a lot of advantages, including helping you stay motivated, keeping your thoughts organized, and keeping you from forgetting anything. But I think the most important thing is understanding how your brain works. Some people are able to sit down and start writing with little to no planning at all; we call then "pantsers" because they write by the seat of their pants. They just get an idea and they're off to the races. Others feel better when they know what they're writing before they sit down. There's nothing wrong with either of these strategies, planning or pantsing. but where writers run into trouble is when they try too hard to lean on one strategy and their brain just doesn't work that way.
You want to be able to put together as much of a plan as you need, whether that includes a basic timeline, a routine, or a full-blown outline, without allowing the planning process to become a procrastination technique or keeping you from getting started or making progress.
WOW: Excellent point. We don't want planning to be a procrastination tool! What are you working on now that you can tell us about?
Naomi: I always seem to have things in the works!
Right now, I am working to finish and release a book on ghostwriting, which is another book that I started years ago. I've also decided to pull back a little on client work so I can take some more time this year to work on some of my own fiction, which is what inspired me to write in the first place. And, of course, I am still on my mission to help people share their stories, which means I am working on relaunching my YouTube channel and launching a new Virtual Summit with my friend and author Jessica Cage, so we can help even more people get their story out there.
WOW: I can't wait to see what you come out with next! Best of luck on your tour!
----- Blog Tour Calendar
May 15 @ The Muffin
Join us as we celebrate the launch of Naomi D. Nakashima's book Write Out Loud. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
May 16 @ One Writer's Journey
Join Sue for her review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima.
May 16 @ Karen Brown Tyson
Visit Karen's blog again for a guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about understanding what goes into an author platform.
May 17 @ Karen Brown Tyson
Join Karen for her review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima.
May 18 @ Author Anthony Avina's blog
Join Anthony for his review of Write Out Loud.
May 19 @ One Writer's Journey
Visit Sue's blog for a guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about why your story is a good idea.
May 20 @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole as she features author Naomi D. Nakashima on her weekly feature, Three Things on a Saturday Night.
May 21 @ Shoe's Seeds & Stories
Check out Linda's review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima.
May 22 @ Writer Advice
Visit Lynn's blog for Naomi D. Nakashima's guest post start writing your first draft with confidence.
May 23 @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra for a feature of Write Out Loud.
May 24 @ Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa for her interview with Naomi D. Nakashima.
May 25 @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy's blog for her review of Write Out Loud.
May 26 @ Beverley A. Baird's blog
Join Beverley for her review of Write Out Loud.
May 29 @ Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire
Visit Mindy's blog for a guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about imposter syndrome.
May 30 @ My Beauty, My Books
Join Nikki for her review of Write Out Loud. A must-read book for writers!
May 31 @ Beverley A. Baird's blog
Join Beverley again for a guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about memory issues.
June 1 @ The Mommies Review
Join Glenda for her review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima.
June 1 @ Jill Sheets' Blog
Join Jill for her review of Write Out Loud. She also interviews Naomi D. Nakashima, author of the book.
June 2 @ My Beauty, My Books
Visit Nikki's blog for her guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about finding the time to write.
June 3 @ The Faerie Review
Join Lily for a review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima.
June 5 @ Sara Trimble Freelancing
Join Sara for her review of Write Out Loud.
June 7 @ Create Write Now
Join Mari's for her guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about writing with ADHD.
June 8 @ The Frugalista Mom
Visit Rochie's blog for her review of Write Out Loud.
June 9 @ Book Reviews from an Avid Reader
Visit Joan's blog for her review of Write Out Loud.
June 10 @ A Wonderful World of Books
Check out Joy's blog for an excerpt of Write Out Loud and enter to win a copy of the book.
June 12 @ Word Magic
Fiona will be spotlighting Naomi D. Nakashima's book Write Out Loud.
June 15 @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole for her review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima. You can also win a copy of the book too!
June 16 @ Choices
Join Madeline's blog for a guest post by Naomi D. Nakashima about weird writing tips and tricks.
June 16 @ Mary Jo Campbell
Visit Mary Jo's Instagram page for her review of Write Out Loud by Naomi D. Nakashima.
June 17 @ Coffee And Ink
Visit Jan's blog for her review of Write Out Loud.
***** BOOK GIVEAWAY *****
Enter to win a copy of Write Out Loud: How to Get Over Your Fears and Build the Confidence to Finally Write Your Book by Naomi D. Nakashima. Fill out the Rafflecopter form by May 28th at 11:59 pm CT for a chance to win. We will choose a winner randomly the next day and follow up via email. Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
3 comments:
Thank you for sharing this interview. I look forward to reading the book!
Would love to read this one for tips to finally finish my book!
I've actually begun writing a book, but I don't know if my fear will let me finish it or ever birth it into the world beyond my little writing group. This definitely sounds like a book I should read!
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