Ep 40: How to Finally Make Progress on Your Novel (Without Overwhelm)

About this episode

In this episode, Josee Smith shares strategies for busy moms to make progress on their novels without feeling overwhelmed.

If you’ve ever told yourself, “I just don’t have time to write,” this episode is for you. Today, I’m giving you a peek behind the curtain into my coaching process and sharing what I’ve learned from working with busy moms who want to write, but feel stuck. Often, it’s not actually a time problem. It’s an overwhelm problem. Writing a novel feels huge and undefined, so your brain doesn’t know where to start… and nothing happens. In this episode, I walk you through how we turn “write a book” into small, concrete steps that actually fit into real life, and how finding tiny pockets of time that already exist can make steady progress possible. Finishing a novel isn’t about having more hours. It’s about knowing what your next brick is. If this resonated, this is exactly the kind of work I do with my clients. Book a free consultation to find your next small step: https://calendly.com/joseesmith/book

People in this episode

Host: Josee Smith

Topics covered

• writing
• novel progress
• time management
• coaching
• overwhelm
• busy moms

Keywords

• writing tips
• novel writing
• time for writing
• overcoming overwhelm
• coaching for writers
• small steps
• busy moms writing

More episodes of The Writing Mom Podcast

• Ep 53: Why You Keep Starting Over With Your Novel (And How to Stop) · June 10, 2026 · 15 min
• Ep 52: The Biggest Mistakes I See Mom Writers Make · June 3, 2026 · 17 min
• Ep 51: Everything I’d Tell You If You Were Starting Your Novel Today · May 27, 2026 · 18 min
• Ep 50: 5 Truths About Writing a Novel as a Busy Mom (After 50 Episodes of the Podcast) · May 20, 2026 · 22 min
• Ep 49: The Hidden Cost of Writing Your Novel Alone · May 13, 2026 · 16 min
• Ep 48: What to Expect on a Consultation Call (And Why It Might Be the Turning Point for Your Novel) · May 6, 2026 · 24 min