Margo Aaron is a splendid writer and even more splendid human being, and Vicky managed to persuade her to come and yell on the podcast. Yay! Tune in to find out what working in mental health has to do with marketing, and what's got Margo (and Vicky) enraged, and what they're doing about it. You'll also get a sneak peek into Margo's upcoming book, which is going to be a must-read for business owners and entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
Key Takeaways:
[1:45] Margo started her career in mental health and accidentally fell into marketing.
[5:20] The people Margo wanted most to help were those who were struggling with self-doubt.
[8:15] Margo was overwhelmed with work that she wasn’t passionate about doing, but it paid really well. How did she get out of this vicious cycle?
[10:45] Margo hates hustle culture. Never seeing your family and constantly ‘grinding’ isn’t healthy.
[12:35] Margo is writing a book! What’s it about?
[16:55] When writing a book, it’s important to trust in the process. You can get worn down or overwhelmed if you think too much about the end-game.
[17:20] Will Margo go through a traditional or independent publisher?
[18:55] What is something about Margo that most people don’t know about?
Mentioned in This Episode:
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Joe does a very passable impression of a Klingon and Vicky marvels at the fact they've been married for TEN YEARS without any frying pan incidents. This week, they go off on some impressive tangents while explaining why tangents are brilliant and you should be fascinated by everything. Including eavesdropping, Titivillus, philately, Japanese, and Dungeons & Dragons. Tune in to discover how you can never run out of things to write about again.
Key Takeaways:
[3:00] Joe recently finished The Fifth Season book.
[4:00] Vicky is currently reading Early Riser by Jasper Fforde.
[6:55] Overnight successes do not exist.
[8:35] Why should you be interested in absolutely everything?
[13:50] Read a lot! It will make you more interesting.
[16:20] Start a collection!
[18:45] Have a weird and nerdy hobby!
[21:00] Don’t be afraid to travel alone.
[22:25] Never stop learning something new!
[24:45] Listen to other people’s stories. Talk to people!
[27:35] Vicky loves people watching at airports.
[28:45] Ask yourself hypothetical questions.
[31:35] Let your mind switch off for a couple of days.
[36:35] Vicky’s book is out! Order it on her website or on Amazon!
Mentioned in This Episode:
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The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin
This week, Vicky is having such a bad hair day that she's wearing a bobble hat – but at least there's less spluttering. She and Joe talk about the books they're currently reading, then dive into why writing an outline isn't as miserable as your teachers made it seem, and how to do it in such a way that writing your book becomes a dream. Or, much easier and quicker, at least. Tune in to find out how you could cut your writing time by a third or more.
Key Takeaways:
[2:10] Joe is currently reading The Wheel of Time series.
[4:40] Vicky shares how she loves N. K. Jemisin’s work.
[6:25] Do you get stuck before you get started?
[7:00] To help you through this, Vicky will be breaking down how to write a detailed outline for your book.
[9:40] Vicky wishes teachers would have explained the importance of writing an outline, and showed her this technique to make writing anything down a lot easier.
[9:55] First things first. Write a recap of why you’re writing this book in the first place.
[10:30] By the way: Vicky’s latest book is available for sale!!
[11:00] What is a book compass?
[12:00] Write down your ideal reader avatar.
[12:15] What is the problem you’re trying to solve with this book?
[13:35] By the time you’re done with this exercise you will have a clearer idea of why you’re writing this book.
[14:00] Write a ‘brain dump’ of sorts to catch all of your ideas on paper that may or may not be related to your book.
[16:05] Write a rough outline of your chapter headings or the main topics you want to talk about. Don’t worry, they might change in the future.
[17:55] With each chapter you’ve created, break down the ‘details’ of what will be in each chapter.
[21:20] Create a nice transition point or flow in your book by summarizing the next chapter.
[21:55] Vicky shares some examples of what this outline will look like.
[25:15] You can outline your entire book in less than a day!
[28:50] Don’t just start by writing a book. You will get lost and frustrated. Write down your ideas, break it down into chunks, and then go from there!
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The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
Vicky has the plague and Joe is left to steer the ship in this week's episode of the 1,000 Authors Show. Between bouts of coughing and spluttering, they explain why many would-be authors struggle to get started – and share the three questions that will get you unstuck. Also, they have an exciting new light which highlights the bags under their eyes. Tune in this week for germs, exploding foreheads, eye-bags, and three useful nuggets of information that'll help you write your book.
Key Takeaways:
[1:25] Vicky is currently sick. It’s such a waste of time!
[3:15] When should you ask for help to write your book?
[5:50] Ask the right questions to help you get over any sort of blocks you might have about your book.
[6:50] Here are three questions that will help put you on the right path.
[7:25] Why do you want to write a book?
[8:50] By the way, Vicky’s book will be officially released on November 19th.
[11:45] What makes you better than your competition?
[13:15] What do you want people to do when they finish reading your book?
[16:15] This podcast is going to be a bit short because Vicky is still sick with the flu.
Mentioned in This Episode:
Vicky and Joe are surrounded by spooks and ghouls in this Hallowe'en edition of the 1000 Authors Show. Listen in, if you dare, to the four lurking horrors that will kill your book... unless you slay them first. There's also silly voices and a cautionary tale about why many high-street shops are failing. It's like they want a disaster...
Key Takeaways:
[2:35] Vicky shares a retail fail story. Some people can’t be helped!
[7:55] What spooky things are lurking in the dark that will destroy your nicely-crafted book?
[13:15] Don’t skimp on the book finishings! It will make your book look and feel cheap if you do.
[18:00] What should you invest in?
[20:15] Get beta readers to read through your book!
[23:15] You need a website for your book!
[25:00] The biggest demon of all is the one that lives inside your head.
[30:15] Pre-order Vicky’s latest book!
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