Editor Leslie Watts talks to Rebecca about what it takes to build an author career, starting with giving yourself permission to figure out your own process. She talks about creating a writing practice and the importance of reading what you write so you can get curious and play in those spaces that light you up. Leslie gives Rebecca about lengthening her story and talks about what works and what doesn't. Leslie Watts is a Story Grid Certified Editor, writer, and podcaster based in Austin, Texas. She’s been writing for as long as she can remember—from her sixth-grade magazine about cats to writing practice while drafting opinions for an appellate court judge. As an editor, Leslie helps fiction and nonfiction clients write epic stories that matter. She believes writers become better storytellers through study and practice and that editors owe a duty of care to help writers with specific and supportive guidance. You can find her online at Writership.com. Things Leslie and I mention in the episode: Some of these links (marked with an *) are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you click on and make a purchase from them. Your price doesn't change either way. The Story Grid Roundtable Podcast Natalie Goldberg and her concept that we must study and accept our own minds Big Magic* by Elizabeth Gilbert Dorothea Brand's Becoming a Writer* If You Want To Write* Morning pages from Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way* Neil Gaiman Joyce Carol Oats: [on how to know when a story is done/how long it should be] when you can see the ending and you know where it’s going Myer’s Briggs Don't Feed The Monkey Mind* Cassandra The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time* Ocean at the End of the Lane* Jenny Shih