This is K.M. Wyland and you are listening to the 420th episode of the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast.

I feel like I'm coming to the end of my winter season of writing, which obviously I am since it's now windy old March.

I'm taking a trip to visit family later this week, which seems like a big punctuation mark at the end of winter,

signaling the beginning of the new chapter of spring.

I've just finished the midpoint on my portal fantasy sequel Dreambreaker, which feels like

the huge landmark it is.

Finishing that now, before my trip, is perfect timing since I'll be able to dive into a refresh my memory

edit of the whole thing when I get back. I also finished my final major

content edit in preparing my superhero historical wayfarer for a publication later

this year.

Now I can dive full on into the final copy edit when I get home, and then it's full on into

the flurry of spring work.

And now I hope you enjoyed this week's podcast how to spot and avoid self-indulgent

writing. As writers we have the opportunity to live lives of creativity in which we get

to craft whole worlds that conform to our every win. Whether you're writing your first book or your 30th,

it's always going to be a heady experience.

But this comes with certain inherent pitfalls.

Sometimes all this power can... with certain inherent pitfalls.

Sometimes all this power can go to our heads

and lead us into the dark waters of self-indulgent writing. A few weeks ago, we talked about how you need to be writing to an audience of one, which is yourself.

The idea is that you should be writing to yourself as your ideal reader, write the kind of stories, characters, themes, and

narrative you like to read, rather than trying to anticipate the preferences of a market full

...