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Lani Diane Rich

@lanidianerich.com
870 followers 446 following 348 posts

novelist. story expert. loud and opinionated. loves goats and polka dots. yearofwritingmagically.substack.com

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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 22/09/2026
When you write about real people, there's a chance they might not like it. That's okay; do a quick integrity test first, and if you pass, you're good to go. Uncle Dan will have to manage his own feelings this time. yearofwritingmagically.substack.com/p/what-if-th...
Close-up of an older man's stern, scowling face against a blue background, wearing a maroon shirt. Bold white text: "LET UNCLE DAN MANAGE HIS OWN FEELINGS."
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 15/09/2026
Writer, when you need to rest... you should rest. Prove to that screaming voice inside that it'll be okay by taking the time off you need. When the world doesn't end, the voice will calm down. Trust me on this. yearofwritingmagically.substack.com/p/everyone-n...
An abandoned railway tunnel mouth, brick arch overgrown with ferns and vines, rusted tracks running into total darkness. Large text over the image reads: NO WAY OUT BUT THROUGH.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 27/08/2026
So you haven't written in a decade? No one's read your work yet? You haven't made a dime? I don't care. You're still a writer. f.mtr.cool/u7gdwbmryi
Overhead shot of a coral notepad and a rainbow-checkered pen on a coral background with green leaves at the top, overlaid in pale pink block letters: "Yes, Pinocchio, you are a real writer."
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 26/08/2026
Vintage photo of a smiling Dolly Parton in a bandana headband, hoop earrings, and denim jacket, with text reading: "I didn't know her personally. Never went to a concert. Never visited Dollywood. But my time on this planet got to overlap with hers for a while. I think, as far as blessings go, I'll take it."
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 14/08/2026
"Is it normal to hate everything I write?" Oh, sweet summer child. Sit down. yearofwritingmagically.substack.com/p/the-sisyph... #amwriting
A wooden artist's mannequin pushes a large crumpled ball of yellow paper up a rising chalk-drawn slope on a black chalkboard background, evoking Sisyphus. Bold gray text at the top reads "IS IT NORMAL" and text at the bottom reads "to hate everything I write?"
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 14/05/2026
A writing teacher said you suck. A workshop shredded your confidence. Some rando with Opinions thought they knew your worth. This week's essay is for you. bit.ly/4d0dnfx
Crumpled balls of paper scattered across an orange surface beside an overturned metal trash can. Large bold white text reads "DON'T QUIT*" with smaller text below reading "*because of some rando douchebag."
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 12/05/2026
Hank is a writing teacher who discourages every student he thinks doesn't have "it." Hank is a douchebag. This week's essay is about how writing teachers fail to do their one real job; to make sure your spark doesn't go out on their watch. Low bar. And yet... there's Hank. bit.ly/4d0dnfx
A man in glasses looks shocked and confused, holding a stack of papers, against a bright blue background. Large bold text reads "HANK is WRONG."
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 28/04/2026
I used to give my book to my best writer friends and say "beat the shit out of me." As an act of love. Bananas. Here's what works better. open.substack.com/pub/yearofwriting…
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 08/04/2026
Names have been changed to protect the innocent, and the douchebag. Timeline has been altered to help me hit my deadline. Otherwise… entirely true story.
Quote graphic from Lani Diane Rich’s Substack, Year of Writing Magically: “You think about the next poor sucker who’s going to get conned into sitting for this douchebag, and you start writing this guide. You feel a little bad about it, but then you remember what Anne Lamott said. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better. You keep writing.” Attributed to the essay “So you’re thinking about petsitting for Winnie.” Background is a blurred photo of colorful dog toys on a pink background.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 14/06/2025
#Boulder #NoKings
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 14/06/2025
Ha! I saw you there! Loved the sign!
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 14/06/2025
So, what did you do today?
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 21/01/2025
lanidianerich.kit.com/betterthanso...
A photograph of an airplane flying through a clear blue sky. White text is overlaid on the image, reading: 'They say this is not an airport, and you don’t have to announce your departure... but I’m a writer, and I love a dramatic exit. So, here’s mine: I’m blowing this popsicle stand. If you want to receive personal letters from me, along with writing advice and general thoughtful shit, you can sign up for my newsletter at lanidianerich.com. Hope to see you there.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 17/12/2024
This is a story about how a random comment from a 12-year-old changed me forever as a writer. #amwriting #fictionwriting 🧵
A white index card clipped with a wooden clothespin features handwritten text that reads, “How a random comment from a 12-year-old changed me forever as a writer.” The card is placed on a bright blue background with white flowers nearby. The bottom of the image includes the text “YearOfWritingMagically.com” written in a playful style.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 03/12/2024
Historical. Romantic. French. Two struggling women, separated by time but connected through letters. Available December 10! Pre-order through Bookshop.org! #booksky bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Champagne Letters by Kate MacIntosh with a bottle of champagne and some glasses
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 28/11/2024
If you haven't been able to write your novel, it may not be about the book. It might be about your fears, your belief that you're lazy, that it's time and not energy that's holding you back. All of those things are changeable. You can change them. #writers #writing buff.ly/4hJArPI
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 22/11/2024
If you haven't been able to write your novel, it may not be about the book. It might be about your fears, your belief that you're lazy, that it's time and not energy that's holding you back. All of those things are changeable. You can change them. #WriterThreads buff.ly/3UOBxQF
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 18/11/2024
The Year of Writing Magically is based in writing community, and it makes such a difference to have a group of people writing alongside you... including me, a multi-published, NYT bestselling author who is not just leading the workshop, but taking it as well. buff.ly/3UOBxQF #writing
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 18/11/2024
The Year of Writing Magically made writing so much easier for me, because it's based in community, and designed to focus on you as a writer, so you can focus on your story. buff.ly/3UOBxQF #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 16/11/2024
So many writers come to the Year of Writing Magically worried that they're not good enough. They always are. So are you. buff.ly/3UOBxQF #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity #WriterThreads
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 16/11/2024
Sometimes it's more fun to have written than to do the writing. That's okay. The version of you that exists one year from now will be really glad you took the chance and signed up for a year of magical writing. buff.ly/3UOBxQF #writing #amwriting #writingcommunity
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 13/11/2024
If you haven't been able to write your novel, it may not be about the book. It might be about your fears, your belief that you're lazy, that it's time and not energy that's holding you back. All of those things are changeable. You can change them. #writers #writing buff.ly/4hJArPI
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 26/07/2024
"Look, the whole point of this thing is not to tell you how to do your thing, but to show you how your thing needs to be your North Star on this adventure." #writingtips #writingadvice #amwriting runningofthewips.substack.com/p/pants-on-p...
blurred background image with the text: Look, the whole point of this thing is not to tell you how to do your thing, but to show you how your thing needs to be your North Star on this adventure. You need to build your writing practice around you, and that means honoring who you are and how you write.

running of the WIPs dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 01/07/2024
It’s Community Week at the Running of the WIPs, and we’re going to learn about how the actual magic that is community can significantly reduce the friction in your writing process. #writingtips #writingadvice #amwriting runningofthewips.substack.com/p/light-as-a...
Blurred image with text: "The Running of the WIPs is an encouraging space; literally, we give each other courage. We encourage each other to be creative, to have fun, to write our stories. That’s the tone here. We are lifting each other up, and being lifted up in return." --Lani Diane Rich, running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 29/06/2024
What does the voice inside telling you you’re not good enough have to do with healing from trauma? A lot. Actually. runningofthewips.substack.com/p/the-spiral...
Blurred image with text: "Because believe it or not, the day you stop telling yourself you’re just being lazy is the same day you, your work, and your productivity get so much better." --Lani Diane Rich, running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 27/06/2024
You may think your biggest challenge as a writer is plotting, or procrastination, or innate talent. It’s not. Your biggest challeng is how you talk to yourself. #writingtips #writingadvice #amwriting runningofthewips.substack.com/p/your-bigge...
Blurred image with text: "Writer culture is steeped in Quit your whining and write. It tells you that writer’s block isn’t real, you’re just a lazy good-for-nothing, and you should stop even trying. You’re mediocre at best, anyway.The subtext there being, Slink away if you can’t take it; no one will miss you. And this is why I start every workshop with mindset work." --Lani Diane Rich, running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 24/06/2024
If you’re a writer, there is one part of being a writer that often gets ignored, and it’s the mindset with which we approach our writing. Change that, change your life. And today on the Running of the WIPs, that’s what we’re talking about. #amwriting open.substack.com/pub/runningo...
Blurred image with text: "If you identify with the thought, How am I going to become a better writer if I don’t hold myself to the fire? then the Running of the WIPs is going to be a life-changing experience for you… but it’s also going to be incredibly challenging." --Lani Diane Rich, running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 21/06/2024
Today on the Running of the WIPs (free writing advice all summer before we start a guided writing challenge this fall), I'm talking about frogs and process. #writingtips #writingadvice #amwriting open.substack.com/pub/runningo...
Blurred image with text: "As soon as you switch your writing advice mindset from “Do this thing,” to “Try this thing,” you’re 90% of the way there. Think of a process like kissing frogs; one of them could be a prince at any time, but you have to kiss it first to find out." --Lani Diane Rich, running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 19/06/2024
Today at the Running of the WIPs warm-up blog (free writing tips, instruction, and advice all summer), I'm talking about the difference between fixed and shifting processes. #amwriting #authors #writingtips #writingadvice runningofthewips.substack.com/p/fixed-and-...
Blurred image with text: For example, when I was writing a Little Night Magic, I was struggling hard. I'm traditionally a write-in-order kind of writer, but I just keep getting stuck. I was on deadline, and desperate to get this in on time, so I started writing the scenes I was most excited about first, and then filled in the in-between stuff later." --Lani Diane Rich, running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 18/06/2024
Over the course of ten months, I will walk you through everything you need to do to write a book... a lot of which is the mindset work you need to do before you write. runningofthewips.substack.com/p/the-runnin...
a papercraft typewriter image with the running of the wips on the paper
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 17/06/2024
This week on the Running of the WIPs, as we warm up to start writing together in the fall, we need to start by shifting our focus from the writing, to the writer. We start with process. runningofthewips.substack.com/p/lets-talk-...
An image with the quote "process is not about what you write, it's about how you write. The problem with most writing advice is that one writer finds a process that works for them, and they tell other writers, and then those writers try it and it doesn't work, and they think they're failures. They're not. - Lani Diane Rich, What is Process, Anyway? running of the wips dot substack dot com
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 15/06/2024
My thoughts on whether authors should read reader reviews. TL;DR: It's complicated. dearwriter.substack.com/p/why-author... #writing #writer #writerslife #storytelling #stories #authors #authorlife #writingtips #writingadvice
Image of the following quote: So read the gushes. Snack on them between meals. Print them out and tack them to your walls. Make cross-stitch art out of them.

They are your north star, and you should treat them as such.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 30/04/2024
We are in drafting for the Year of Writing Magically Workshop, and each day (well... most days) I pull a Tarot card to give people a random shot of meaning should they need something to get started. On the first day... I drew The Fool. IYKYK.
Xander walking through the graveyard with a mace over his shoulder like it's a bindle
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 10/02/2024
Am thrilled to find all this research that supports the things I instinctively threw into my workshop last year. I mean... I could have done that same research, but I went with the "this feels right" approach and huzzah! I was right! www.amazon.com/Feel-Good-Pr...
Cover of Ali Abdaal's Feel Good Productivity: How To Do More of What Matters to You
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 22/01/2024
Today on Dear Writer... that phase of writing where your only job is to not write a word...⁠ open.substack.com/pub/dearwrit...
Image with quote: that's the fermenting, the releasing of gases that are proving the dough of the book as I make the conscious and confounding effort to do nothing.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 11/12/2023
On today's Dear Writer, when thinking about your resolutions for the New Year, remember that nothing is always an option. dearwriter.substack.com
Image with text: Our future has always been a series of possibilities, a shared Google Sheet of research and dreams.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 05/12/2023
You got into writing for dragons and adventure and romance. But you need conflict, structure, and character to make it all work. The simplest guide to get you through the craft and back to the magic is on sale, this week, for $1.99. amzn.to/39gcOAd
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 27/11/2023
Authors: Don’t play small. It benefits someone, maybe, but that someone is not you. #writing #amwriting #fictionwriting
A designed card that says, "Claim your awesome"
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 13/11/2023
In today's Dear Writer, I explain why there is no Dear Writer today. open.substack.com/pub/dearwrit...
A preview image of the newsletter.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 06/11/2023
If you're a writer, be a magpie. Hell, even if you're not a writer, make a magpie journal and just go to it when you're feeling down. There are worse ways to spend your time.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 06/11/2023
Then, when your story feels dry or a character feels like they're lacking personality, dig into that journal, find something delightful, and weave it into that story beat or character to give it life.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 06/11/2023
Here's what I want you to do: create a magpie journal somewhere on your phone. When you see something cool out in the world--a turn of phrase that you like, a quirk of personality that delights you--open your phone and jot it down.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 06/11/2023
The legend goes that magpies fly out into the world, hunt for shiny things, and then bring them back to decorate their nest. Is that biologically true? I don't know, and it doesn't matter, because we're talking about fiction writing. Take your Well Actually elsewhere.
A cartoon baby saying love you bye bye
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 06/11/2023
If you get lost in the story beats and structure and character design to the point where you read back what you wrote and it feels dry... ...I have a mindset for you: Be a magpie. #writing #amwriting #fictionwriting #beamagpie
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 07/09/2023
And so begins revision... The working title is "Nothing Is Ever Always" and there is SO much work to do. It's the first new book I've written in 9 years, and it never would have happened without the Year of Writing Magically workshop.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 23/06/2023
I always feel more at home on any social media when @sarahdbunting.bsky.social shows up.
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Lani Diane Rich @lanidianerich.com · 20/06/2023
i want an entire show that is just louis canning and elsbeth tascioni please someone tell me which tv god to pray to for this to happen kthx
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