A.G. Mayes's Blog

Scrivener is one of my favorite writing tools, but it can be overwhelming because it has so many features. I made a video to share how I use it.

I love to set and track my word count writing goals in Scrivener. It’s also easy to organize and rearrange chapters and scenes. That’s very handy for a disorganized writer like me.

Please share in the comments – what’s your favorite writing program?

New Year with New Goals!

It’s that magical and dangerous time of year when I plan all my goals with the enthusiasm and ambition of a forgetful fish. I believe I can write a thousand books all while filming deeply engaging YouTube videos. Oh, and don’t forget raising my son.

I love the new year and all the possibilities it brings. I love imagining where I’ll be in a year. But it’s also a time when I overcommit and set myself up for failure.

In many ways, this year is no different. I have a lot o...

Last year I had a baby. While he may not be the best for my writing productivity, he is great for inspiration.

I’m lucky that I have the cutest kid in the world. Never mind that he’s a superhuman who doesn’t sleep or that he tries to free solo baby gates. Parenting is an adventure that I (mostly) love.

Every week I meet with my writing group. By the way, if you’re a writer, I highly recommend finding a weekly writing group. It’s a great way to anchor your week and motivate your writing.

On Mond...

I published the third and final book in The Magic Pie Shop series!

This book took a long time to write. Too long. I got in my head, and life got in the way. But in the end, I love the story.

It’s winter in Minnesota, but it’s summer in Hocus Hills.

A magical recipe for summer love…or disaster…

In the small, magical town of Hocus Hills, Susanna Daniels finally found a place that feels like home.

But dwindling tourism threatens the local businesses, including the pie shop where she works with ...

What a year!

My baby is mobile now, and wow, can he move! I don’t think I fully appreciated how peaceful life was when he was stationary. But it’s been a fun adventure.

I’m working on some new projects, including picture books and a middle grade novel. I’ve taken a couple classes from an amazing teacher, Lisa M. Bolt Simons. I highly recommend taking a class with her if you’re interested in writing for kids. You can check out an upcoming one here. It’s through the Loft Literary Center. It meets...

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I used to get up in the morning, make my coffee, and sit down at the computer to write.

Then I had a baby.

Suddenly all illusions of a writing routine (or any routine for that matter) went out the window. He’s two months old now, and even though I’m still in a bit of a sleep-deprived haze, I’m finally feeling the itch to get back to writing.

So now I’m trying to find a loose sense of routine in the chaos. Whether you’ve had a baby or not, there are a lot of things that can stir up your schedule...

Happy 2021!!

After failing to get traction on my goals in 2020, I have a new plan this year!

I love to set big goals, but I struggle to set realistic expectations. What can I say? I write about fairies and magic pie, realistic isn’t my default setting.

Usually, somewhere along the path of setting goals, making a plan, and actually executing them, I wander off track.

This year, I’m focusing on small changes and mindset shifts to reach my goals.

Instead of thinking, “I need to write two chapter...

I’ve been struggling with the book I’m working on, and it has me thinking a lot about my fear of failure. (If you prefer a video version of this post, I talk about my fear of failure here on my YouTube Channel.)

I try to keep my thoughts positive, but it’s not always easy. That fear of failure is pretty strong in me. I’m trying to work through it and get out of my way because it’s definitely not doing me any favors. There’s never been a time when I’ve sat down and thought, “Whew, I’m so glad I d...

As my personal deadlines for this project approach, I decided to mix up my writing routine.

I usually try to hit certain word count goals, but I needed to spend some time figuring out how to make some parts of the story work.

I decided to focus on time spent writing instead.

I stayed in my chair for hour-long chunks (not an easy feat for me).

Check out my video to see how it worked for me!

Do you measure your writing by word count or time spent or neither? Please comment down below!

Ive been struggling with the book Im working on, and it has me thinking a lot about my fear of failure. (If you prefer a video version of this post, I talk about my fear of failure here on my YouTube Channel.)

I try to keep my thoughts positive, but its not always easy. That fear of failure is pretty strong in me. Im trying to work through it and get out of my way because its definitely not doing me any favors. Theres never been a time when Ive sat down and thought, Whew, Im so glad I doubted...