School for Writers® with Lauren Marie Fleming 7 Days Left to Fund our Film! My team and I are making a movie here in San Diego and we need your support to make it happen. Can you help us reach our fundraising goal? Back The Project Dear Reader, In April, the mayor of San Diego proposed cutting all funding to arts and culture from the city's budget. My community and I were devastated. These cuts affected so much of the most vital parts of San Diego for us: Pride Parks and Recreation Balboa...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
School for Writers® with Lauren Marie Fleming 8 Days Left to Fund our Film! My team and I are making a movie here in San Diego and we need your support to make it happen. Can you help us reach our fundraising goal? Back The Project Dear Reader, I am somebody who does things imperfectly all the time, so why do I feel like my tech systems have to be perfect for me to make a movie? I built an online school. I’ve had sales funnels. I’ve launched courses and programs. I’ve made multiple six...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
School for Writers® with Lauren Marie Fleming Dear Reader, I never thought I could write a short film script. Which is a funny thing to say, considering I've written essays, blog posts, magazine blurbs, and short form content for most of the 25+ years of my writing career. Yet, short films – and their cousin short stories – have always intimidated me.Then I took a sketch comedy class at UCLA. In that class, I had to learn to write a script that contained the four beats of sketch comedy and...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
School for Writers with Lauren Marie Fleming When life knocks you off the path A six-step process to come back to yourself and your creative dreams Hey Reader, I don't know about you, but I am not the same person I was two years ago. Heck, I'm not even the same person I was two months ago. Life is changing rapidly right now, and I don't think it's just because I'm in my 40s — although perimenopause is real. (Where are my perimenopause buddies?) I don't think it's just because I had my dream...
4 months ago • 3 min read
School for Writers with Lauren Marie Fleming The benefits of a North Star How one piece of paper can help you make decisions and bring more joy and fun into your life Hey Reader, This week on my Substack, I shared the six-step creative alignment ritual behind my biggest shifts and greatest moments. You can read the whole post here. Today, I wanted to focus on one bit of that process: the North Star. This is not another to-do list item to add to your already overwhelmed life! This is a...
6 months ago • 3 min read
School for Writers with Lauren Marie Fleming What does it take to get a book deal? And how can you make sure you don't lose yourself along the way? Hey Reader, How do you know if the book you're writing is the right one? I get this question all the time – so when Meghan Stevenson asked me to come on her Kind of a Big Book Deal podcast and answer it, I was an immediate yes. More often than not, I see waiting for "the right book" as just another excuse we use to silence voices, including our...
6 months ago • 1 min read
School for Writers with Lauren Marie Fleming A small, supportive practice for overwhelmed brains. I’m offering one of my favorite tools for free. It's gentle and science-backed. Dear Reader, How is your nervous system right now? Everyone I talk with, especially in the USA, is scared, frazzled, and overwhelmed. Understandably so. I wrote on my Substack this week about how I really, truly, don't want to be an activist right now. I want to just be in Mexico writing my next novel. But the state...
7 months ago • 2 min read
School for Writers with Lauren Marie Fleming Why published is better than perfect The myth of "good" writing – and what to aim for instead. Hey Reader, I am the world’s worst writer. No, don’t you go and try to steal that title from me, it’s mine. Okay, fine, we can share. We live in abundance around here after all, there are enough “World’s Worst Writer” awards to go around. 🏆🏆🏆 Years ago, I quit trying to be a good writer. It was way too much pressure. Every time I sat down to write, the...
7 months ago • 3 min read
School for Writers® with Lauren Marie Fleming Free support for your writing life (holiday edition) Because your creativity deserves care — not pressure — this season. Hey Reader, The end of the year can easily feel overwhelming. Schedules get packed. Budgets get tight. Creative energy gets depleted. But it can also be a beautiful moment of slowing down. Time with loved ones. Delicious treats. Feel good songs and movies on repeat. Either way, I've got some great resources to support you. And,...
8 months ago • 2 min read