Jasraj's voicenotes (Jas Hothi)

In today's diary entry, I speak with my good friend Lauren Sapala, a writer and writing coach: https://laurensapala.com

The loose theme for our conversation was "our sensitivity and how we can manage it". In particular, we talked about things like:

- Checking-in with how we feel in our bodies  
- Counteracting screentime and computer/phone scrolling  
- Managing & responding to emails; the 2 helpful prompts Lauren uses  
- Why Lauren says “no” a lot 
- Giving ourselves *permission* to have what we need
- The books we're reading and what we're both currently up to 

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narrated by Jas, with music by Porter

// receive my monthly letters ✉️

Why I'm returning using my full name, my new venture: FIVE RIVERS, and thinking about what to now call this podcast.

📝 I need your help: https://lnks.to/jasraj/product/ya7fjdfd

Jasraj x

My conversation partner today is Anna-Marie O’Brien.

Anna-Marie O'Brien grew up in Ohio as a fan of rock music and good books. After working for a record label in the early 1990's, she spent almost 20 years as a public librarian. She now coaches writers through their creative journey, and is currently working on her third book. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

We talk about things like:
- Anna-Marie's writing journey with writing
- Her career transition from librarian to writer
- Memoir vs other forms of writing
- "When did you realise you were worthy of being an author?"
- How Anna-Marie became a writing coach
- The importance of writing and creativity in our healing 
- Anna-Marie’s blog to share her journey as she writes her next book
- Advice for anyone who is feeling blocked and stuck with their writing 

Anna-Marie: https://annamarieobrien.com

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In this diary entry, I talk about the unhelpful myth of writers being called "talented", and the book which has helped change my perspective.

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

Jas narrates an entry from his written journal, dated Monday 20th September, 2021.  
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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In today's diary entry, I am sharing why I started The Indie Author project, and why I've stuck with it over these last two years. (I definitely haven't completed every project I've started)

I talk about:   

- Why I'm so passionate about self-publishing and the 'indie' movement  
- How traditional publishing isn't the only way, and may not be the best fit for you right now   
- The writers who first blew my mind   
- The power of learning from stories vs information 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

This is the third of 3 special fireside conversations to celebrate the release of The Indie Author Ebook, with self-published authors Katherine Turner and Rebekah Mallory. 

We talk about things like:  

- Katherine & Rebekah introduce their first books, Finding Annie and Train Gone 
- "What did the writing process look like for you?"  
- "Did you write with a genre/themes in mind?"  
- Katherine shares hows she started writing her memoir, Resilient  
- "Did writing compliment your therapy?"  
- Katherine and Rebekah share their thoughts and feelings around marketing
- "Have you figured out ways to do marketing in a way that feels more authentic to you?" 
- "What's next for you, writing-wise? 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In today's diary entry, I share how I've put together my first book, The Indie Author. 

I talk about: 

- How The Indie Author transitioned from blog to book 
- How I found self-published authors to interviews for the book 
- Under-estimating the editing process(!) 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

Nearly a month ago, I landed in the beautiful city of Valencia, Spain.

I share everything that's been going on in recent weeks, why I paused my travel plans earlier in the year, and what has now brought me to the start of a new adventure. 

Amongst other things, I talk about navigating family life with being independent.

I hope you enjoy listening to me unpack everything that's been going on. 

Here's to a new season ☀️

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In today's diary entry, I look back on my writing journey from my childhood through to the present day. 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In this episode, I share how you can use journalling to start writing your book. If you've been procrastinating on your idea or looking for the right time to get started, this short exercise is for you.

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by Jas Hothi (with music by Porter)

Journalling has been the foundation of my writing practice for the last 8 years.

In this episode I define *what* journalling is, share *why* it’s so powerful, and explain *how* it can help us uncover the stories inside of us.

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by Jas Hothi (with music by Porter)

So we leave another year behind us... I saw in the new year indoors with my parents. I'm still getting used to it being 2023, to be honest.

Do you know what you’d like to focus on this year?

I share a few words on 2022, and my one big hope for my writing this coming year. 

Here’s to happy memories, milestones in 2023 - with plenty of writing and self-expression :)  

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narrated by Jas Hothi, interlude by Porter

Almost a month ago, I hit a pretty significant milestone in my writing journey... I became an independent author. 

In this recording, I share the approach that I'm taking to selling and distributing my book. 

I talk about Shopify, Amazon, bookshops and - most of all - why I've chosen to take a direct-first approach to selling my book. One that involves selling on my own online bookshop and making it available in the more traditional places, too. 

narrated by Jas Hothi, interlude by Porter

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write to me: jas@indiewriter.net 📝 

In today's diary entry, I look back on blogging journey over the last six years.

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

Sasa is an indie maker I initially met on Indiehackers, and we then both ended up in the ‘digital nomad village’ in Madeira during the Summer. We recorded this conversation in-person whilst we were there. If you’re someone who wants to be an independent blogger or a creator of any kind, if you’re already on that path, or you’re currently in a spot where you’re feeling unhappy in your employed job, I feel like this conversation will speak to you.

We talk about things like: 

- introducing yourself, and your ‘identity’ as a creator  
- why Sasa left his full-time job as a software developer  
- ‘building in public’, and connecting with people on twitter  
- how Sasa and I met, our experiences in the ‘digital nomad village’ in Madeira, and the importance of friendships and community  
- what Sasa is currently working on 

Sasa: https://twitter.com/sasacocic

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In this episode I share an exercise designed to help you unpack the *ingredients* of flow, and discover your very own *recipe* for finding flow in your writing sessions.
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I encourage you to listen to the podcast episode where I walk through the exercise and provide some added context, but here are the Ingredients and Prompts for your convenience:

INGREDIENT #1:
"Concentration on the task at hand"

PROMPTS:
What does your ideal writing space look like?
Where do you usually write from? Is there anything you can add or eliminate to help you concentrate on your writing better?

INGREDIENT #2:
"Having clear goals" 

PROMPTS:
Why is it that you write?
Do you work better with with wordcounts, or setting aside time for your writing?
INGREDIENT #3:
"Being in the present"
PROMPTS:
At what time of day, am I the most relaxed?
What are the biggest distractions that tend to crop up in my life?

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by Jas Hothi (with music by Porter) 

Today marks one year since the release of The Indie Author book. It’s a project that began more than 1,000 days ago now, and it's been a rollercoaster of a ride from the start.   There’ve been ups n downs, twists n turns, internal and external things to deal with… and a whole lot more.   
In recent days I’ve written a long update to share my reflections on the e-book’s release, the journey I’ve been on with the print version (it’s been pretty wild… there’s something in there for everyone), and looking ahead to what the future might hold.   
I also say a few thankyou’s to some of the amazing people who’ve accompanied me on this journey.   
Things I mention:
- 'The War of Art', by Steven Pressfield:  https://stevenpressfield.com/books/the-war-of-art/
- The blog post series I mentioned (Word document to book) has now been turned into a print guide, available with The Indie Author paperback at: https://indiewriter.press

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In this episode I talk about the two core types of journalling & how to use them:

1. Free-journalling

2. Journalling using prompts

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by Jas Hothi (with music by Porter)

I became an author a few days ago... after working on it for more than 2 years, The Indie Author is complete and now on sale. Find out all about it in today's diary entry. 

The Indie Author book: https://theindieauthor.net 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

End-of-year reflections and setting intentions for the year ahead.

I sometimes find myself getting caught up in too much thinking. Over time I’ve learned that rather than dive straight into setting goals, what helps is to lead with my feelings and my senses.

There are ways we can make plans, that combine both head and heart.

A couple of tools have really helped me when it comes to my end-of-year review + intention-setting for the year ahead:

- “My ideal day”

- YearCompass.com

I hope you enjoy reflecting on this past year - and looking ahead to the next one. 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter 

My conversation partner today is Jessica Pereira. 

Jessica is a B2B SaaS and digital marketing writer. But you can also find her on Freelance to Fortune, a blog dedicated to her and other writer’s journeys to six figures. When she’s not helping freelancers scale her business, you can find her reading fiction and planning her next road trip.

During our conversation, we talked about things like:
- Jessica’s road-trip travels
- Identity as writers, online and offline
- What is a freelance writer?
- How Jessica became a full-time freelancer in a year
- Landing her first client
- Jessica’s advice for discovering your niche
- Imposter syndrome and confidence
- Jessica' 'Freelance to Fortune' blog and who it is for
- Future plans for her blog and newsletter
- Jessica’s journey to 6-figures, and growing sustainably (without burning out)

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

A conversation with my friend, songwriter and performing artist Laurence Warner (Cerulean): https://wa.rner.me 

We were celebrating the release of his second album, The Divided Selfie LP, out 22nd June 2022. 

🎶 buy + listen now: Ceru.li/2 or CeruleanSounds.Bandcamp.com
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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In today's diary entry, I speak again with my friend Lauren Sapala, a writer and writing coach: https://laurensapala.com

The loose theme for our conversation was "the joys of self-publishing". In particular, we talked about things like:
- the tips + lessons learned from publishing our books the indie way
- how silent-writing and self-publishing have changed Lauren’s world as a writer
- why Lauren chose to self-publish, after years of querying
- the realities of self-publishing vs traditional publishing
- my experience as an intern in a big publishing house
- Lauren’s experience working in a social media startup for famous authors and spending time in San Francisco’s literary scene
- the power and freedom that comes with self-publishing and the creator economy
- why Lauren edits her own books, and whether you should do your own editing, or not
- some of our favourite books, stories and TV shows 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

I am delighted to bring you today's episode which officially marks the launch sequence for the release of my first book :) This is my fireside conversation with Lynnda Pollio & Ritu Kaushal, two of the contributing authors to my forthcoming book, The Indie Author. 

We talk about things like: 

- "What drew you to writing?"   
- Lynnda + Ritu share their writing process for their books, Trusting the Currents and The Empath's Journey   
- Indie publishing as a way to write from an authentic place, rather than writing for a particular genre   
- What 'marketing' has looked like for Ritu and Lynnda 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

This is the second of 3 fireside conversations to celebrate the forthcoming release of The Indie Author eBook, with Anja Schüler-Renner & John Davis.   

We talk about things like: 

- how Anja & John navigate both 'writing' and 'making money'  
- writing for yourself *and* for an audience / the 1000 True Fans concept  
- "How do you do marketing?"  
- "How do you do your editing?"

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

In today's diary entry, I’m speaking with Andy Mort.

In Andy’s own words… he is a songwriter, creativity coach, and founder of The Haven, where he helps gentle rebels (introverted and deeply sensitive souls) move at a pace and rhythm that suits them so they can nurture more creative play in their lives and share their voice with the world.

During our conversation, we talk about things like: Andy’s experiences as a drummer and singer in a band at school, Andy’s teenage and university life, the jobs Andy has had, and how he ended up spending 6 years as an undertaker, Andy’s first website and how it developed as a music blog and podcast, how Andy’s blog and podcast became about not just one thing (but a blend of things like music, personality type and creativity), how Andy realised that these parts could come together (rather than having to choose a niche), how Andy manages his energy flow and processes his emotions, how Andy has navigated working a day-job alongside working on a creative business, what a day and week in the life of Andy looks like (and why he does things that might seem counter-productive), and the feelings Andy felt before and after delivering his TEDx talk (as well as what he has taken away from that experience). 

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi spent years researching 'flow', inspired by artists who would lose themselves in their work and reach so-called states ‘optimal experience’ whilst they did so. 

In this episode I break down his findings on 'flow', and some of its key ingredients. 

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by Jas Hothi (with music by Porter)

In this diary entry, I take the opportunity to more formally introduce the Diary of an Indie Writer podcast.
I share my story + why this podcast exists, how I became a 'writer' and an 'independent writer' (and how I define those two things), and why we are living in the best time there has ever been to make money - or a career - from writing.

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narrated by Jas Hothi, with music by Porter

Are you currently writing a book, or is this the year you’re finally going to get started on your story?

In this episode I break down two different approaches you can use to get your first draft written, and share the pros and cons of each. 

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by Jas Hothi (with music by Porter)