The Mindset to Write a Book: Gratitude, Risk, and the Courage to Try

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“Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art, be it acting, writing, painting, or living itself, which is the greatest art of all.” – Ray Bradbury

Writing is hard. But that’s not news on WordPress because you all are the ones that are doing to the work to write and post content on a regular basis. But sometimes we forget to pat ourselves on the back for actually doing the work – especially when we are part of a community like this of like-minded others who are doing the same.

So I love this Life of Try podcast conversation when I talk with professor, author, and my friend, Vicki Atkinson about the mindset, support, and creative courage it took to turn a long-held idea into a finished, soon-to-be-published novel.

Vicki’s new novel, Slivers, is set during a single week in the summer of 1973, when a quiet suburban neighborhood begins to crack under the weight of generational secrets—and an otherworldly presence that refuses to be ignored. Along the way, Vicki shares how unexpected family history research helped fuel the story, and why community feedback can be the difference between starting a draft and finishing a book.

  • How gratitude and loss can become creative fuel
  • What helps writers move from intention to action—and from draft to done
  • Why writing fiction requires a different “writer brain” than memoir or academic work
  • How genealogy and family stories can deepen your characters and plot
  • The role of community, readers, and a publisher in staying the course

Here’s a short clip of our conversation that highlights the stats of how hard it is to get a book to the finish line – and Vicki’s great answer:

Pre-order Slivers (link below), and if this episode resonates, share it with a friend who’s been carrying a book idea for far too long.

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this motivating episode:

Pre-order Slivers (link below), and if this episode resonates, share it with a friend who’s been carrying a book idea for far too long.

Encouraging Effort, Not Outcome: The Secret to Helping People Keep Trying – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

What does real support actually look like—especially when someone is struggling, failing, or figuring things out?In this episode of The Life of Try, Wynne Leon explores how to support others without adding pressure, and why focusing on effort instead of outcome can make all the difference.Whether you’re a parent, coach, friend, or teammate, it’s easy to unintentionally turn encouragement into expectations. But research—and stories from figures like John Wooden and Carol Dweck—show that when we shift our focus to effort, persistence, and growth, we help people stay in the process longer and build real resilience.This episode dives into: → Why it’s often harder to watch someone try than to try ourselves → How subtle signals can create pressure without us realizing it → The difference between encouragement and expectation → How to support kids, friends, and colleagues in a way that builds confidence and persistence → Practical ways to reinforce effort, not just resultsIf you’ve ever wondered how to truly support someone you care about—especially when things aren’t going well—this episode offers a powerful reframe.Because sometimes the best support isn’t helping someone succeed……it’s helping them keep going.🌍 Show notes and more inspiration: https://wynneleon.com🔔 Subscribe for more:Subscribe to The Life of Try for more conversations on:personal growth, creativity, reinvention, resilience, writing, and mindset.📌 Subscribe & Stay UpdatedABOUT MEHi, I’m Wynne Leon — host of The Life of Try, a personal growth and self-improvement podcast exploring resilience, reinvention, uncertainty, and the courage to keep trying.Through thoughtful interviews, reflective conversations, and real-life stories, I share insights to help you navigate change, get unstuck, and move forward with more intention.🌍 Website: https://wynneleon.com━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━🎥 Watch Next➡️ Letting Go Of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving➡️ The Courage to Try Something New: Lindsey Goldstein on Growth, Failure and Reinvention➡️ How to Reclaim Fun in Adult Life | Mike Rucker, PhD, on Joy, Burnout and the Fun Habit🔗 CONNECT WITH ME:• Website:→ https://wynneleon.com/• Instagram:→ https://www.instagram.com/wynneleon/• Facebook:→ https://www.facebook.com/wynne.leon/ • Amazon: → https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B002IKWX14
  1. Encouraging Effort, Not Outcome: The Secret to Helping People Keep Trying
  2. How to Celebrate the Try
  3. How to Reclaim Fun in Adult Life; Michael Rucker, PhD on Joy, Burnout, and The Fun Habit
  4. Reinvention, Resilience and The Courage to Try| Lindsey Goldstein on Gap Year
  5. 51: Letting Go of Outcomes: The Mindset That Keeps You Moving

Links for this episode:

Slivers on Eckhartz Press – Order Now!

Vicki’s blog: Victoria Ponders

Transcript for How to Finally Write the Book You’ve Been Meaning to Write with Dr. Victoria Atkinson

83 thoughts on “The Mindset to Write a Book: Gratitude, Risk, and the Courage to Try”

  1. Interesting stats. You both have demonstrated enough about effort and will to write a book about that alone. You are both able and heroic women who don’t give up. I am lucky to know you, Vicki and Wynne. Thanks

    Liked by 4 people

      4. Congratulations to you Vickie on your book. I know the difficulty and joy of such a birthing process.

        Like

  3. Wynne…thank you so much for the opportunity to talk about “Slivers” with you…and for your thoughtful questions! I am so, so grateful to you for your insights, support and enthusiasm.
    Big hugs! ❤️😘❤️

    Liked by 2 people

  4. I think my mind prefers to write nonfiction rather than fiction, and I find fiction writers so creative! Congratulations to Vicki, and all the best. Cheers!

    Liked by 2 people

  9. Yes! I love listening to you two. 😊😊 Thanks for the fun conversation. That is very cool, Vicki that you pulled, in particular, one element from Surviving Sue to place in Slivers. I adore Easter eggs. I thought your point about your writing for mental health is all nouns and verbs, and how you had to discover adjectives for writing fiction was so interesting. I love how your family research PAID off in learning incredible things, and now here you are. Your dream will be in readers’ hands soooo soon. 👏💝👏

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Melllllaaaaaannnnnnieeeeee! Thank you so much for all of that and picking up so many of the elements in “Slivers” that are just left of center…right where we like a good supernatural story to land. 😘 Appreciate you and Wynne for the encouragement and support! Your ‘inside cover’ blurb is so good! Can’t wait for you to see it in print. xo! 💝💝💝

      Liked by 1 person

    2. You are awesome, Melanie!! I love how you highlighted that part about the adjectives — so good, isn’t it? We so appreciate you, your amazing energy and support!! ❤ ❤ ❤

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Haha, I like the shout-out version of my name. I can hear it! Kudos to you for your vision and patience to see it through. You literally beat the odds! (Based on Wynne’s stats.) I can’t wait to read it in book form..and yes, see the excerpt. Thanks for that. 😁💚

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Vicki has won the Olympics of trying—I love that line! I hadn’t ever heard those crazy statistics about how many people actually get to the finish line with the book they’ve always wanted to write. “Pushing yourself to try” is a powerful mindset. I get excited for anyone, regardless of the pursuit, who follows through on any goal. (Can you see my pom poms?) It’s inspirational and instills in others the belief that they can also reach their goals.

    Writing fiction requires a whole new skill set. Surrounding yourself with others who can honestly offer insightful advice and feel comfortable enough to tell you what is working and what is not helps the learning process. Simultaneously, it requires the writer to understand that constructive criticism isn’t a personal attack, but part of the collaborative process to make a story the best it can be.

    Liked by 2 people

  13. I love the insights the two of you share about writing. 💞 Congratulations to Vicki on completion of her novel! Wow those are surprising statistics – “Roughly 80% of people say that they want to write a book. About 15% begin, only 3% finish.” I would have never guessed this, it seems like “everyone” is publishing a book. I feel like a kid playing with mud pies in a world of Top Chefs when it comes to writing… Other people seem to know what readers want, I just write what I like…

    Liked by 2 people

    2. I think our view gets skewed on WordPress because there are so many great writers here. You included, Rose! I love that you write what you like — only way to do it! Thanks for tuning in!

      Liked by 1 person

  14. I love that both of you fought the odds. It’s even cooler Vickie that you’re traveling back down that road. Exciting to see Slivers coming out soon. I know how tough it can get across that finish line. I think you’re right — so much goes into it. I think gratitude and loss play huge parts in it. I suspect life experiences, self-value (confidence, belief), encouragement, and good old writing talent and skills play a role too. I think I’ve mentioned to both of you that I’m always surprised that more of the comms friends I’ve worked with over the years haven’t tried to publish a novel or non-fiction book. I suspect that they know that it’s tough rough to travel and kill off the dream early. I think it’s a strange type of self-fulfilling prophecy. Ha, ha. I can’t wait to listen to the rest of this podcast. You guys are a great team!

    Liked by 2 people

  17. happy to see the dynamic duo together again, and vicki, you rock!! i have ordered my copy and cannot wait to read it ! i’m so impressed that you made it to the finish line, again!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Those statistics blew me away! The two of you have taught me so much –

    Vicki – I am so thrilled for this next chapter in your writing life – Thank you for putting it out there, about how hard it is to write and publish – And moving from memoir to fiction is so impressive- I always think how hard that would be – but maybe the life of TRY, is a good first start – Sending Love 💌

    Liked by 2 people

  19. This was a great episode! The new book sounds very interesting especially with the family history connection/inspiration. Vicki sounds like a seasoned pro talking about her craft and how she made it. 😎 Looking forward to reading it!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Pffft! 😜😜😜Can you hear that? Thanks much for the fab compliment….LOL…seasoned pro? Hilarious. I must be seasoned at SOMETHING at this point! Thanks for the giggle and for your kind words, Todd! 💝😊💝

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Pingback: “Slivers” – Podcast Fun! – Victoria Ponders

  21. Such a creative premise, and that must have be so interesting to research family history. I love it when ideas fall into place. Way to go, Vicki (and Wynne)!

    Liked by 2 people

  22. Wonderfully warm conversation, Wynne and Vicki! Congrats to Vicki for beating the statistical odds and being one of the 1% to start, finish and publish your novel. That’s amazing!

    It’s very interesting to hear Vicki’s take on the difference between a memoir, textbook and fiction. Sending you good vibes for great feedback upon the publication. Look forward to reading it!

    Liked by 2 people

  23. I really enjoyed this video and seeing how the two of you relate, ask and answer questions, reflect on writing and the courage it takes to write much less finish a novel. Good going, Vicki! You two are fun – I’d love to walk into a cafe where you both are conversing about ANYTHING and join in. 🙂

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