Your Best Writing Life

What did you think of this episode?
Has life interrupted your writing? Or has a disappointment made it harder than you expected to return to the page?
Edie Melson joins Linda Goldfarb on Your Best Writing Life to discuss how to jump-start your creativity after a lull. We talk about beginning again, finding a writing rhythm that fits your current season, and pitfalls to watch for along the way.
Edie also shares how fun field trips can feed your creativity. Sometimes stepping away from your desk helps you notice something fresh and enjoy writing again.
Download both free handouts: Jump-Start Your Creativity After a Lull and Fun Field Trips to Feed Your Creativity. You’ll find a simple restart plan and 34 ideas for creative outings.
Welcome
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life! I’m Linda Goldfarb. Are life’s interruptions wreaking havoc on your writing? Maybe you’re ready to begin again, but the words aren’t coming. Edie Melson is back to help us take that next faithful step—and share some fun ways to feed our creativity away from the desk.
Guest Bio
Edie Melson is an author, speaker, and photographer who encourages others to recognize and follow their God-sized calling. Through her blog, The Write Conversation, she offers encouragement and practical help for writers. Find her at EdieMelson.com.
Episode Content
Sometimes life disrupts our writing routine. Sometimes writing itself brings disappointment. Returning to the page can take more than clearing a space on the calendar.
Edie and I talk about restarting creativity and finding fresh inspiration through experiences outside our usual routine.
Our conversation includes:
·       Why creativity may need a restart.
·       Returning to writing after an interruption or disappointment.
·       Ways to get your creative juices flowing.
·       Warnings and pitfalls to watch for as you begin again.
·       Fun field trips that help you observe, explore, and gather ideas.
Edie’s handouts help you carry the conversation into your week. Her restart plan offers questions to help you choose a manageable writing step. Her field-trip guide includes 34 outings and activities to enjoy alone or with friends.
We also highlight her book, Soul Care for Writers.
Free Listener Handouts
Jump-Start Your Creativity After a Lull
Fun Field Trips to Feed Your Creativity
Soul Care for Writers 
Connect with Edie
EdieMelson.com
Your Next Step
Choose one idea from Edie’s handouts and make room for it this week.

Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

What did you think of this episode?
Have you waited so long to publish that you wonder whether you’ve missed your opportunity?
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life! Award-winning author and illustrator Nancy Haack joins Linda Goldfarb on Your Best Writing Life to share the story behind her children’s picture book, In the Night Watch. Nancy’s dream of illustrating children’s books began in college and took decades to see the light of day.
We talk about waiting on God’s timing, recognizing preparation, and following an opportunity that feels beyond your abilities. Nancy also shares how her book became part of a mission trip to Peru—and what that experience taught her about success as a Christian writer.
If you’re discouraged by your publishing timeline, this conversation offers encouragement and practical questions to consider before your next step.
Have you ever looked at your publishing timeline and wondered, “Did I miss it?” My guest, Nancy Haack, knows what it’s like to carry a writing dream for years. Today, we’re talking about the waiting—and what happened when it was time to move forward.
Guest Bio
AWSA Golden Scroll Award winner Nancy Haack lives in upstate New York with her husband and dog, Henry. She enjoys her grandchildren, volunteers with teens at church, and pursues her lifelong dream of writing and illustrating children’s books and writing romance novels.
Episode Content
Nancy studied children’s book illustration in college, but her path to creating books took longer than she expected. Along the way, she continued developing her craft and working with children.
In this Story Behind the Story conversation, Nancy takes us behind In the Night Watch, an encouraging children’s bedtime picture book. We explore how her earlier experiences shaped the work and how a mission trip to Peru opened an unexpected opportunity to share it.
Our conversation includes:
What waiting can feel like when you dream of publishing.
Recognizing how earlier work and experiences prepare you.
How to discern which writing is meant to be shared publicly.
Responding to an opportunity that stretches your confidence.
Considering what faithfulness and success mean in your writing life.
Nancy also answers our signature question: What’s one thing you can do this week to move toward your best writing life?
Connect with Nancy
Website: writingbynancy.com
Instagram: @writingbynancy
Facebook: Nancy E Haack
Look for In the Night Watch and Nancy’s other books through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Spanish editions of her children’s books are also available.
Share This Episode
Know a writer who’s wondering whether the waiting has been wasted? Share this episode with them.
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

What did you think of this episode?
What if Facebook limited the links you can share as a writer? Would you have to pay to reach readers—or could a better conversation do more than another link ever did? Today, Edie Melson helps us sort through Meta One, check what actually applies to our accounts, and make it easier for interested readers to find us. 
Edie Melson is an author, speaker, and photographer. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers and has been recognized among Writer’s Digest’s Top 101 Sites for Writers since 2017. She’s also the executive director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and serves on the board of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Edie, welcome to Your Best Writing Life! 
Questions we cover:
When writers see a post saying Facebook is becoming “pay to play,” what should they understand before they panic or purchase a subscription? 
In your post, you distinguish Facebook Pages and Professional Mode profiles from ordinary personal profiles. What should a listener check on her own account, and what remains uncertain? Are groups part of the same reported test? 
What is happening with external links on Facebook, as far as you can verify today? If a writer sees a limit, does it affect posts, comments, or both on her particular account?
Your response was “I’m not panicking.” What have you been teaching writers about social media that helps you stay calm?
Walk us through a real example from The Write Conversation. How do you turn an article into a Facebook post that invites conversation and stands on its own?
You have often placed the link in the first comment. Does that still work for you? Why might a listener need a backup route if comments are restricted on her account?
You wrote that writers must watch their focus because “it’s never all about me.” How can we tell whether a post offers something useful to the reader or merely asks for a click?
You call social media “rented property.” For the writer who has never built a link hub, what is it, and why might a links page on her own website be useful? 
Read Edie's post on Meta One here
Edie Melson
Contact Edie Melson
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

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Writing a devotional is not for sissies! Gretchen Huesmann shares her story and offers great tips to help you on your creative journey.
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. It’s great to have you listening in. In this episode, we explore the story behind It’s a Good Day to Be a Teacher.
Our guest is Gretchen Huesmann. Gretchen has taught in private and public schools across seven states. Today, she mentors and encourages educators, ministry workers, and writers. Her book, It’s a Good Day to Be a Teacher, speaks to the teacher’s heart and soul. Her picture book, A Time for Everything, will be released in 2027.
We all want to know the story behind It’s a Good Day to Be a Teacher: 52 Devotions to Equip and Encourage Educators – give us some background.
I was a teacher before I became a pastor’s wife. The Lord called my husband to 5 churches over 35 years, during which I taught, substituted, and tutored. Each time, we left friends, our church family, and my job. Now I understand God was preparing me.
After a particularly difficult ministry shift­, I became frustrated and a bit angry at God. I mourned the loss of another fantastic teaching job and speaking career in the upper Midwest. Then COVID hit. Conferences were offered for free and online. With a bit of a “cold shoulder” toward God, I “decided” to pursue my dream of writing children’s picture books.
One closed door after another followed. God and I “made-up” and I continued learning, listening, and seeking direction from my Savior. Eventually, He didn’t just open doors; He swung them wide with neon signs.
Writer’s tips.
Know our Father’s good plan for us began long before we typed one word.
Believe that if He planted the seed (the dream), it will sprout and grow in His timing.
Trust Him with every open and closed door.
 
What Listeners Will Gain – 
Writers who want to write devotionals will need to study comparables and look for special elements, such as my “Live the Lesson” and “Extra Credit” portions, that will set their book apart.
Readers will find encouragement in any workplace. My topics address issues with bosses, coworkers, and more. Although the introductory narratives are placed in school settings, the concepts apply to all of us.
 
Book: https://www.gretchenhuesmann.com/book/ There, you can find links to Amazon, or, if readers prefer to avoid Amazon, you can order it directly from the publisher, Iron Stream Media.
A Time for Everything - Picture Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Everything-Paraphrase-Ecclesiastes-Children/dp/1640705554/ Publisher is Our Daily Bread.
Giveaway - Our Dreams His Plans: A Bite-Sized Bible Study for Writers
 
SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: GretchenHuesmann.com
https://www.facebook.com/gretchen.huesmann
https://www.facebook.com/gretchenhuesmannwrites/
https://www.instagram.com/gretchenhuesmann/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-huesmann-60313751/
 
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast

What did you think of this episode?
Did you know AI can help protect you from scammers trying to steal your digital identity?  Today’s guest shares how AI can be a helpful second set of eyes.
Welcome to Your Best Writing Life, an extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of NC. I’m your host, Linda Goldfarb. Each week, I bring tips and strategies from writing and publishing industry experts to help you excel in your craft. In this episode, you’ll learn how to stay safer online against scams. 
My industry expert is one of our favorite guests, Edie Melson. 
Edie is an author, speaker, and photographer. Her blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands and has been on the Writer’s Digest Top 101 Sites for Writers since 2017. Her passion is to help others define their God-sized calling and follow that path. She’s the executive director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference and a board member of the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association. Find her at EdieMelson.com 
5 Red Flags, 5 Simple AI Prompts, Edie’s 3-Question Rule 

LINKS
Stay Safer Online Handout
Edie Melson 
The Write Conversation 
Visit Your Best Writing Life website.
Join our Facebook group, Your Best Writing Life
Your host - Linda Goldfarb
#4 Podcast 2026 "Million Podcasts Top 30 Christian Writers Podcasts"
#1 Podcast 2024 "Top 50+ Must-Have Tools and Resources for Christian Writers.
Awarded the Spark Media 2023 Fan Favorites Best Solo Podcast
Awarded the Spark Media 2022 Most Binge-Worthy Podcast