A Review of a YouTube Channel for Writers

by Lynn H. Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn

When I first started writing for The Write Conversation, I typically shared reviews of various books on writing. And I still enjoy doing that. But today I want to give you a brief review of a YouTube channel.

Hey—It’s 2022! I have to keep up with the times! LOL!
I have a writer friend, Deborah Clack, to thank for pointing me to The Quitcast from Becca Syme and the Better-Faster community. I’m not sure if I would have heard of it otherwise for two reasons: It isn’t geared toward writers of faith, and it leans heavily into advice for indie authors.

Now, let’s have a brief chat about both of these.

First: I am a writer who writes about my faith and my faith is integral to the way I write and what I write. For me, writing is an act of obedience and worship. With that said, there is a lot of amazing information and wisdom out there from secular sources. It is my personal opinion that while we should use discernment, we shouldn’t be afraid to learn from authors and teachers who may or may not share our beliefs or who may choose not to be open about their faith in their professional space.

Second: I’m a traditionally published author and very happy to be one. But there are many phenomenal authors who have gone indie, either from the beginning or later in their career, and frequently they have incredible insights into topics that impact all of us—burnout, writer’s block, writing styles, and how to craft a career that you can sustain over the long haul.

Which leads us back to Becca Syme and The Quitcast.

Becca Syme is a certified Clifton Strengths Coach, an indie author, and the head of the Better-Faster community. One of her frequent taglines is that her goal is to help writers understand what to keep, what to quit, and what to question.

My first exposure to Becca was The Quitcast, her YouTube channel that is currently in its fourth season.

Because I’m a nerd, I went to the first episode and started there. But there’s no reason you couldn’t jump in anywhere that looks interesting to you. I found her episodes on energy pennies, plate size, questioning the premise, and writer’s block to be particularly informative.

Most recently, she did a series of episodes on what it’s like to be an intuitive writer. So for those of you who resonated with my post from last month, you may find those to be appealing.

If you’re an indie author, you may be interested in her episodes on marketing, and I’ve never met a writer who didn’t need advice on what to do when they get stuck, so I truly believe there’s something for everyone here.

One thing to note: Because Becca is a Gallup certified CliftonStrengths Coach, there are numerous references to how our strengths play a role in our writing life. But you don’t have to know or understand strengths to benefit from the episodes.

With that said, after listening to a bunch of episodes, I did the strengths assessment last fall, and it blew my mind. I’m still processing and learning. Eventually I’ll write a post on it because it’s changing how I write and how I perceive my writing, but I’m not quite to the point where I can articulate it. :)

If you decide to check out the Quitcast, let me know what you think!

Grace and peace,
Lynn

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Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she's a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she's sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

Unknown Threat, the first book in her Defend and Protect series, was a 2021 Christy Award finalist and her previous titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Malicious Intent, the second book in the series, released March 2022.

She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. You can follow her real life happily ever after by signing up for her newsletter at LYNNHBLACKBURN.COMand @LynnHBlackburn on BOOKBUB, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, PINTEREST, and INSTAGRAM.