By Jaime Buckley

I want to tell you something I'm not proud of.

There was a point in my writing career where things were actually working. Books selling. An audience growing. A community of readers who showed up because they genuinely loved the story I was telling.

And I threw it away.

Not in one dramatic moment. Not because of a single bad decision. I threw it away slowly, quietly, one small compromise at a time...until the thing I was writing had almost nothing to do with why I started.

It took me years to understand what happened. Now I think it's one of the most important things a writer can know before they build an audience.

Because if you build one the wrong way, losing it is the best thing that can happen to you.

When the Money Showed Up

Let me back up.

I started writing because I had a story that wouldn't leave me alone.

A character.

A world.

Something I believed kids needed to read.

I wasn't chasing a career.

I wasn't thinking about platforms or algorithms or revenue streams.

I was just trying to get this thing out of my head and into the world.

And it worked.

Readers found me. Tens of thousands of them. I still don't entirely know how. I hadn't done anything clever. I just showed up and told the truth about a boy trying to figure out who he was...and apparently, a lot of people needed that story.

Then I started paying attention to what sold.

Not in an obvious way. I didn't sit down and say, "I'm going to sell out now." That's not how it happens.

It's quieter than that.

You notice what gets the most response. You nudge the next piece in that direction. You make decisions based on what the market seems to want, instead of what the story actually needs.

Before long...it wasn't my story anymore.

The Slow Drift

The hardest part about this kind of drift is that every individual decision seems reasonable.

Bring in a real person as a character...because it'll help sell more copies. Shift the tone here...because readers responded better to this. Change the arc there...because this is what the genre expects.

Each one makes sense in isolation.

Taken together, they add up to a betrayal.

Not of your readers.

Of yourself.

And your readers can feel it, even when they can't name it.

The comments thin out.

The energy shifts.

People who loved your early work start to drift away...and you can't figure out why, because you've been working harder than ever.

Here's why: they came for you. The real you. The honest, unpolished, slightly-weird-and-entirely-genuine you.

The moment you started optimizing, you started disappearing.

I'd sold around 24,000 copies of my first novel. It stayed in the top 20 of its category on Amazon for over three years.

Then I stopped telling the truth.

...and everything started to fall apart.

The Moment It Broke

I won't pretend I saw it coming.

I didn't.

A single person came into my life and told me I couldn't write.

He was calm about it.

Polite, even.

And I believed him.

Weeks later I still couldn't take a full breath without pressure on my chest.

It still hurts to say this out loud…but I pulled everything I'd written offline. Books. Blog posts. Short stories. A decade of work...gone. Because one man's opinion confirmed the fear I'd been carrying for years.

Here's what I know now that I didn't know then.

I was already weakened.

Let me say this again, and listen carefully:

I had already done the damage to myself, slowly, over time.

The slow drift away from truth had left me hollow. I didn't have anything solid to stand on, because I'd spent years building on sand. Chasing what sold, what performed, what pleased...instead of what was real.

The real, original story I'd planned back in 1990.

When you write from truth, criticism lands differently. Sure, it might sting…but it doesn't shatter you, because you know what you made is real. You were there. You put something honest into the world.

When you write for performance...one bad review can take the whole thing down. Because deep down, you already knew it wasn't quite true.

What Truth Actually Costs

Here's the thing nobody tells you about writing honestly.

It's slower.

You can't just produce content. You have to sit with things. You have to be willing to write the part that makes you uncomfortable, not just the part that makes you look good. You have to trust that the reader will meet you there.

That takes patience. And it takes a platform that rewards depth over volume.

That's why Substack changed things for me.

Not because it's magic. Not because it solved the drift problem automatically. But because the model itself asks you to build a direct relationship with real readers who chose to show up for you specifically.

Not an algorithm.

Not a trending topic.

You.

That kind of accountability is uncomfortable...and it's exactly what I needed. It's harder to drift into performance when the person reading your work knows your name and pays for a subscription because they trust your voice.

It keeps you honest.

Start With the True Thing

If you're building a writing practice right now...or trying to rebuild one...here's the only advice that actually helped me.

Start with the true thing.

That's it.

Not the marketable thing.

Not the thing you think people want.

Not the version of you that's been sanded down and optimized for engagement.

The thing that's been sitting in you, a little uncomfortable, that you haven't said yet because you weren't sure anyone needed to hear it.

That's the one.

Write that. Publish that.

Let the readers who need it find it.

The audience you build from that place is durable. They're not there for the trend or the topic or the packaging. They're there because you told them something true...and they recognized themselves in it.

That's the only kind of audience worth having.

The true thing is waiting to be written.

What is your one true thing?

If you want help building your audience, that's exactly what we work on inside Substack for Authors. How to set up your publication the right way, so you can find your true voice, build the right audience, and create a writing practice that doesn't ask you to disappear in the process.

Come find us.

About Jaime

Jaime Buckley is the author of the Chronicles of a Hero series and the founder of LifeofFiction.com on Substack. He teaches writers how to build a sustainable publishing practice at JaimeBuckley.com and through the online course Substack for Authors.

Featured image purchased from DepositPhotos.

Embracing Just-In-Time Learning

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the constant stream of new tools, platforms, and creative trends? Inbox full of more useful articles than you could ever read? You’re not alone. It feels like everyone around you is mastering the latest shiny thing. From book trailers, to dazzling websites, or visual social media magic, they’re powering forward and here we are, thinking, “I want to do that but I don’t even know where to start.”

Sound familiar?

We’re often following out-of-date advice. We’ve been told that knowledge equals preparedness, that learning everything up front is the only way to stay relevant in this fast-paced world. So before we can start, we need to learn the whole process. Right? But here’s the thing we have to accept: in our modern world, it’s exhausting. It’s suffocating. And worst of all, it’s not effective.

Why?

Because modern tools change faster than we can keep up. What you learn today will probably be outdated by tomorrow. Worse yet, trying to cram everything into your brain at once doesn’t just waste time, it smothers your creative spark. You weren’t meant to operate under pressure like that.

So, what if we flipped it? What if instead of chasing every new trend or platform, we learned only what we needed, exactly when we needed it?

This is the power of just-in-time learning.

The Relief of Learning Only What Matters Now

Imagine this: You’re working on a manuscript and suddenly realize you’d love to create a simple book trailer. But instead of spending hours watching tutorials or reading guides about video editing, you ask yourself, “What’s the bare minimum I need right now to make something decent?” Turns out, it might be as simple as creating a slideshow with some basic text and images. No complicated software required.

Or maybe you want to build a website for your writing. Instead of diving into coding or design frameworks, you start small: figure out the absolute essentials (like setting up a home page and an “About” page) using user-friendly platforms. The rest can wait—until you’re ready.

Just-in-time learning doesn’t mean ignoring technology or creative opportunities. It means choosing to learn what matters for your next step, and only that. No more feeling like you need to be a tech whiz or a design genius to create something meaningful. Those new tools that are always changing? You may be surprised at how easy what you want may have become!

Embracing the Overwhelm (And Doing Something About It)

If you’re drowning in industry newsletters, social media groups, and endless “you should be doing this” advice, stop for a second. You don’t need to read it all right now.

Is that newsletter useful? Maybe. Create a folder and throw it and anything else about that topic into that folder. Don’t try to read them right now. Just make sure your folder is well labelled. (If it isn’t useful, unsubscribe!)

The secret is that newsletter overload isn’t all that’s causing overload. The problem is learning to focus on only what’s directly blocking your ability to create right now. So unsubscribing from or archiving those newsletters isn’t an act of laziness. It’s an act of self-care. You can always revisit them later if something truly captures your interest.

Archives are your own curated knowledge. To learn more about how to build your own useful archive of knowledge (that doesn’t eat your time or brain space), you may want to read Building a Second Brain by Tiego Forte.

Taking Action, One Step at a Time

Next time you feel stuck or overwhelmed, ask yourself: What’s the smallest thing I need to learn right now to make progress on my creative goal? Then, tackle just that. Repeat as needed.

For example:

• “I want to try visual social media but I can’t draw.” → Learn how to use a simple graphic design tool or find royalty-free images and templates. Canva or Midjourney could be your new best friend.
• “I’d love to have a website but don’t understand technology.” → Use a no-code platform like Author Websites by BookBub to create a basic site with your writing portfolio. Want something more robust? Take a class focused on just what you need.

Your Creative Tool Kit

Just-in-time learning isn’t just about tools, it’s about reclaiming control. It’s about saying, “I’m not going to let this overwhelm me. I’ll learn what I need when I need it, and that’s okay.”

The next time you’re staring at a new trend or platform, don’t panic. Just take a deep breath and ask yourself: What one thing do I need to know right now to move forward? Then, let go of the rest until you actually need it.

What’s one creative goal you’ve been putting off because it feels too big or overwhelming? Share in the comments. I’d love to hear how you’re embracing just-in-time learning and reclaiming your creative power!

About Lisa

Lisa Norman's passion has been writing since she could hold a pencil. While that is a cliché, she is unique in that her first novel was written on gum wrappers. As a young woman, she learned to program and discovered she has a talent for helping people and computers learn to work together and play nice. When she's not hanging out with her family, writing, or teaching, she can be found wandering the local beaches.

Lisa writes as Deleyna Marr and is the owner of No Stress Writing Academy. She also runs Heart Ally Books, LLC, an indie publishing firm.

Interested in learning more from Lisa? Sign up for her newsletter or check out her school, No Stress Writing Academy, where she teaches social media, organization, technical skills, and marketing for authors!

This article is based on a chapter from her most recent book, The Work of Joy is now available here.

Top image from depositphotos.

by Lisa Miller

One definition of a landmark: Prominent features used for orientation.

Landmarks may mark a boundary. Landmarks often mark locations with historical, cultural, or geographical significance.

How do landmarks relate to a story?

Story Landmarks are events or interactions within a story. They help keep the reader oriented to what has happened so far and what the reader might anticipate coming. Readers expect specific Story Landmarks within each genre.

No love genre can exist without the two main characters meeting and developing a growing attraction.

Police procedurals and mysteries often begin with the discovery of a body and then investigating suspects that may be blamed for the death.

If the writer leaves out even one of these Story Landmarks, especially early in the story, readers may feel unsatisfied and hesitate to read another book from this author.

Four-part structure makes the most sense to me to study and develop stories. I call each of these parts Zones. Each Zone making up approximately ¼ of the story.

Each of those four Zones has elements and situations of character development unique to that part of the story. Those are the Story Landmarks.

Think of this four-zone overlook as having a square story arc shape.

Scenic Overlook of the Four Story Zones With Story Landmarks

Each Zone has its own purpose and personality.

Think geographic or climate zones.

The desert in summer gives us different obstacles and challenges than does a mountain range in winter. We must wear certain types of clothes and carry specific equipment to survive a hike in these two very different ecosystems.

The same is true of the protagonist moving through the four zones of a story. His or her behavior and the obstacles he or she will face will be different in each zone and impact the character’s need to change.

Zones Need to be Connected

What I’ve discovered in all my studying of story breakdowns and analysis is how connected the Zones must be.

You can’t have the needed Reactions in Zone 2 without the Set-up in Zone 1.

Zone 2 is necessary to force the protagonist from reaction behavior and thinking into becoming a Warrior and taking action in Zone 3.

The All is Lost Moment aka the 2^nd Plot Point at the end of Zone 3 thrusts the Protagonist into their lowest point in the story and movement into Zone 4.

Sacrifice and transformation in Zone 4 make the Protagonist ready to face the Climax so that the story and the characters can find a Resolution.

Each Zone needs to prepare the Protagonist and the reader for what is coming next in the story.

The Three Most Important Story Landmarks

These are the non-negotiable Landmarks. Every story must have them.

These are the Landmarks that transition the story from one Zone to the next Zone.

They are the 1^st Plot Point at the end of Zone 1, the Midpoint at the end of Zone 2, and the 2^nd Plot Point at the end of Zone 3.

The 1^st Plot Point is what thrusts the protagonist out of the Ordinary World of Zone 1 and into the Exotic World of Zone 2.

To give that feeling of a big change, I want you to think of that end of Zone 1 as making ready the catapult.

Your character is going to be literally or emotionally catapulted into Zone 2. So, the beginning of Zone 2 is no soft landing, and the Protagonist is likely confused about where he is.

An Example

I’m a practical teacher. I encourage my students to find examples from successful writers or filmmakers. Study what an effective scene or character looks like on the page or in a show. I call these books, shows, or movies Creative Guides.

This Creative Guide example come from Jennifer Estep’s Kill The Queen novel. That story has one of the most literal 1^st Plot Points I’ve read.

Part One of the novel is The Royal Massacre. So, we know right up front this is likely an action, fantasy with lots of death involved.

The main character, teenager/young adult Lady Everleigh, has a low level of magical powers and is relegated to the shadows of the royal court. She’s 17^th in line for the throne.

During a big royal event, her cousin Vasilia, the crown princess, assassinates her own mother, the Queen, and takes the throne by force. All the royal family is being killed in front of Lady Everleigh.

Vasilia turns towards Everleigh, who is standing, horrified, by the wall surrounding the castle. Vasilia throws a deadly bolt of lightning at Everleigh, whose hidden power is her immunity to magic. The bolt of magic doesn’t kill Everleigh, but the force throws her over the wall and down into the wilderness below.

Everleigh literally falls into the Exotic World of Zone 2.

Focusing on the Most Fun Zones

The most worked on parts of a story or novel are usually the beginning and the end. Zones 1 and 4.

But my two favorite Zones to work on with my students are Zones 2 and 3. Often maligned as the Mushy Middle.

In Part 2 of the Story Landmarks blog I’ll dig deeper into the specific Landmarks of Zones 2 and 3 and how they impact a story.

About Lisa

Lisa taught middle-school science and was a certified counselor in Texas for 30 years. Her passion for teaching met her love of writing. After not finding the writing classes she needed, Lisa spent several years on a deep study of story structure. That led her to create a powerful and well-loved online course Story Structure Safari.

She has joined the staff at Deleyna Marr’s No Stress Writing Academy  where she is developing new classes. Her Creating A Constellation of Characters is available there January and June 2027. Story Structure Safari runs every September and April. The next Safari is September 2026.

Top image licensed from Depositphotos.