Ellen Frances
Bio
Daily five-minute reads about writing — discipline, doubt, and the reality of taking the work seriously without burning out. https://linktr.ee/ellenfranceswrites
Stories (211)
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Amazon's Algorithm Didn't Promote My Book. Here's What I Should Have Done Instead.
I believed the myth: write a good book, upload it to Amazon, and the algorithm will do the rest. There are millions of readers browsing Amazon, and the platform's sophisticated recommendation system pushes my book to fans of romance fiction (my book's genre). There is this "Customers who bought this also bought…" magic that would introduce my book to the right people.
By Ellen Frances22 days ago in Writers
Stop Telling Writers They Don’t Have Real Jobs
"That's nice that you have a hobby." That's what the lady at the gym, a woman using the adjacent treadmill, said when I told her I was a full-time writer, working for myself at my desk in my spare room. She asked me what I did for work, and I answered honestly.
By Ellen Frances24 days ago in Writers
How to Keep Writing When You Hate Everything You're Producing
I deleted 600 words from my new novel this morning. Not because they were objectively bad, but because I hated them. Every sentence felt forced. Every idea felt obvious. Every word choice felt wrong. As a draft, I couldn't stand to read them back, let alone ferociously turn them into something mildly readable.
By Ellen Frances24 days ago in Writers
How to Know If Your Writing Is Actually Good (When You Can't Tell Anymore)
I reread an article I published last week. I couldn't tell if it was good or garbage. I'd thought it was decent when I hit publish. Now, seven days later, I was reading it as if it were written by a stranger, and I genuinely couldn't assess its quality.
By Ellen Francesabout a month ago in Writers
I Wrote Every Day for 6 Months and Burned Out Completely. Here’s What I Was Doing Wrong.
Six months of writing every single day without a single missed day, and I was proud of that streak. But I was also completely exhausted, resentful, and starting to hate the thing I'd committed to doing.
By Ellen Francesabout a month ago in Writers
I’ve Started 23 Writing Projects. I’ve Finished 2. Here’s Why.
I have a folder on my computer called "Writing Projects." It contains 23 documents. Each one is a project I started with full conviction that this was the one. There is a book that would I would call my masterpiece. And the series that would take off. Most are ideas that were too good not to pursue.
By Ellen Francesabout a month ago in Writers
How to Write When You’re Afraid Your Ex/Boss/Family Will See It
I hover over the "publish" button for three full minutes before I finally click it. I do this every single time. As soon as I publish, my article goes live. What I've written is now searchable, findable, and anyone can read it. I mean, literally anyone.
By Ellen Francesabout a month ago in Writers
If You Write A Book, Don’t Tell Anyone. Top Story - February 2026.
There are days when I’m grateful Amazon doesn’t tell me specifically who has bought my book and who hasn’t. If they did, I would be heartbroken when I read the list and noticed all the important names in my life were not on my list of customers.
By Ellen Francesabout a month ago in Writers
I Had 2 Hours a Week to Write. Here's How I Still Showed Up Daily.
Two hours a week. That's all I had when I was working full-time and trying to build a writing practice on the side. Maybe 15–20 minutes a day if I were lucky. Some days, all I had was literally five minutes before I had to leave for work.
By Ellen Francesabout a month ago in Writers
