And how to overcome them with Writer's Life OS
A free workshop with author and writing coach Paulette Perhach
Saturday, November 14 | 12–1 p.m. Eastern
Optional co-working and Q&A from 1–2 p.m.
Sign up below to save your free seat:
5 Habits Keeping You From Being the Essayist You Want to Be
You've taken the classes. You've read the books. So where are your published essays?
Here's something I've learned from 20 years as a professional writer and years of coaching other writers:
Getting better at writing and getting better at being a writer are two different things.
You can spend years studying scene, dialogue, structure, and the art of the perfect ending, then sit down at your desk and have absolutely no idea which of your 37 half-finished essays you should work on.
You can write a brilliant essay and then let it rot in Google Drive because you never got around to researching where to send it.
And you can have the world's most amazing idea on a walk, only to lose it forever somewhere between unlocking your front door and feeding the cat.
Pfft.
The problem isn't always your writing. Sometimes it's how you're managing your writing life.
I've spent years figuring out how to do this better, both for myself and for the writers I coach. I've learned that the habits surrounding your writing are just as important as the ones you practice on the page.
So I built a tool to help.
It's called Writer's Life OS, and I'd like to give it to you for free.
I'm also hosting a workshop to teach you five habits that can make a serious difference in your progress as an essayist, and how to use the software to put them into practice.
Here are the 5 habits we'll tackle:
1. You're always working on your writing, but never on your writing life.
When was the last time you sat down and thought seriously about where you want to be as a writer in five years? Or even one?
Most writers spend their time at the execution level: writing, revising, taking classes, writing some more. But there's a whole other level of work involved in building a writing life: vision, planning, executing, and replanning.
We'll talk about how to move between these levels, use the Writer's Refresh to think through your writing life, and put your biggest goals where you can actually see them.
2. Your writing is scattered all over the place.
You've got an essay in Google Docs, another in Word, a third on your laptop desktop, and seventeen ideas in a notebook that has somehow disappeared.
It's hard to manage a body of work when you can't see what you've got.
I'll show you how to create a catalog of your writing in Writer's Life OS, including what you're working on, what's finished, and what deserves another look.
3. You're letting your best ideas disappear.
Your brain is not a filing cabinet. Especially if, like me, you have ADHD.
A writing career depends on having ideas, and a lot of those ideas will arrive at spectacularly inconvenient times.
You need a system for catching them.
I'll show you how to text your ideas directly into Writer's Life OS so they're there when you finally sit down to write.
4. You're trying to work on everything at once.
One of the hardest parts of being a writer is deciding what not to work on.
Every new idea is exciting. Every unfinished essay feels like unfinished business. And that memoir you've been working on for six years is still sitting there, giving you the stink eye.
We'll talk about how to choose the projects that deserve your attention right now, and how to keep those priorities front and center in Writer's Life OS.
5. You're trying to do this whole writing thing alone.
Writing is solitary. Being a writer doesn't have to be.
The writers I know who are making serious progress have other writers in their lives. They trade feedback, share opportunities, celebrate acceptances, complain about rejections, and remind one another that this business is completely bonkers.
We'll talk about the different kinds of people you need in your writing life and how to start building those relationships.
And we're going to put this stuff into practice.
For each habit, I'll explain the principle, demonstrate the related Writer's Life OS feature, and give you a chance to try it yourself.
By the end of the workshop, you'll have started setting up a system to manage your writing life.
And because I know how easy it is to attend a workshop, feel wildly inspired, and then immediately return to your regularly scheduled chaos, I'm offering an optional second hour.
1–2 p.m. Eastern: Co-working and Q&A
I'll stick around to answer questions while you work on your Writer's Refresh, organize your essays, and get your software set up.
The whole thing is free, including the software.
Hi, I'm Paulette Perhach.
I'm a writer, writing coach, and author of Welcome to the Writer's Life, which was named one of Poets & Writers' Best Books for Writers.
I've published more than 100 pieces in publications including The New York Times, Vox, ELLE, and Slate.
I've also spent a truly embarrassing amount of time developing organizational systems, abandoning them, and developing new ones.
As a writer with ADHD, I've learned that relying on my brain to remember everything is a terrible business strategy.
That's part of why I created Writer's Life OS: to have one place for the ideas, projects, goals, and submissions that make up a writing career.
I now use what I've learned to help other writers finish work they're proud of and get it into the world.
I'd love to help you do the same.
What exactly is Writer's Life OS?
It's software for managing your writing career.
You can use it to:
Keep track of your essays, drafts, and other creative projects.
Save ideas before they disappear into the ether.
Set goals and decide what to work on next.
Organize your publishing opportunities and submissions.
Keep the various moving parts of your writing life in one place.
It's not where you write your essays. It's where you manage the work of being a writer.
And you can start using it for free.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope. I'll show you around. I recommend creating your free account before the workshop so you can follow along.
Do I need to know how to use Writer's Life OS already?
1
Your laptop and a few writing projects or ideas you'd like to organize.
2
What should I bring?
No. The workshop is one hour. The second hour is optional, for anyone who wants help getting things set up or would enjoy working alongside other writers.
3
Do I have to stay for 2 hours?
Register anyway. I'll send out the recording.
4
What if I can’t make it live?
Please do! I'm offering this workshop and the software free because I want more writers to have the tools they need to get their work into the world.
Can I invite my students or writing group?
5
Let's get your writing life together.
Your essays aren't going to organize, finish, and submit themselves. (Very rude of them, frankly.)
Come spend an hour learning how to manage the work surrounding your writing, so you can spend more time on the writing itself.
Saturday, November 14, 2026
12–1 p.m. Eastern | 9–10 a.m. Pacific
Optional co-working and questions until 2 p.m. Eastern.