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Danika Bloom
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Donna Barker
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Scrappy Rough Draft: Use Science to Strategically Motivate Yourself & Finish Writing Your Book Kindle Edition

by Donna Barker (Author), Danika Bloom (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 193 ratings

Turn your dream of writing a book into a reality with science-backed strategies to conquer self-doubt, procrastination, and perfectionism.

Millions of people dream of writing a book, but only a fraction ever finish their manuscript. Why? It’s not about talent—it’s about mindset. In Scrappy Rough Draft, Donna Barker (aka Danika Bloom) combines behavioral science with practical exercises to help you overcome the mental barriers that keep you from completing your book.

Whether you’re struggling with negative self-talk, finding time to write, or battling writer’s block, this book offers actionable tools to:

  • Build confidence in your writing abilities.
  • Develop sustainable writing habits tailored to your lifestyle.
  • Silence your inner critic and embrace the imperfections of your first draft.
  • Create a supportive writing community to keep you motivated.

Packed with relatable anecdotes, proven techniques, and empowering insights, Scrappy Rough Draft is your guide to transforming your idea into a finished manuscript—no matter if it’s your first book or your fiftieth. Start today and take the first step toward becoming the author you’ve always wanted to be!

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  1. Print length
    214 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    May 29, 2024
  5. File size
    1.6 MB
  6. Page Flip
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  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

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book review by John Mavin

book review by Jen Sommersby

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Barker's terrifically satisfying book ... offers strategies to bust through whatever's holding you back from finishing that scrappy first draft. I've not read its equal in my many years of reading how-tos and guidebooks around the craft of writing."
~Jennifer Sommersby, author of Sleight

"Filled with research-backed insights and relavatory exercises, Scrappy Rough Draft is a motivational gem that will fill your first drafts with promise, fight, and fire."
~John Mavin, author of Rage

About the Author

Donna Barker is a career, technical ghost-writer and workshop presenter. At age forty she decided she'd like to be a published author and after ten years of arguing with her inner critic, she achieved that goal.

Her debut novel, Mother Teresa's Advice for Jilted Lovers, won the Chanticleer Book Reviews award for best Mystery/Suspense Women's Fiction and was a nominee in the prestigious Whistler Independent Book Awards.

Now she works with other writers to pick up the pace on their own paths to publication and to finish the books they've been thinking, dreaming and talking about for years. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CZT8HRCH
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Fire Lily Press
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 29, 2024
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.6 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 214 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1998143061
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 193 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Danika Bloom

    Danika Bloom

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    *Please click FOLLOW if you'd like to be updated about latest releases.*

    Danika Bloom is a USA Today bestselling author who always wanted to be the mom in The Partridge Family or The Brady Bunch, but since she only had one child, she lives out her mom-of-many fantasies in her rom-com series about bands of brothers.

    EDITOR'S NOTE: Danika, that's kind of creepy when you think about it. Moms writing steamy rom-com about their sons ... you might want to rethink this bio.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Donna Barker

    Donna Barker

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Donna Barker is a career non-fiction ghostwriter and curriculum creator whose work has won national awards (which other people get to show on their shelves). She has also written award-winning fiction and earned her USA Today bestseller status under the pen name Danika Bloom.

    Donna (as Danika) is the founder of Author Ever After, a membership community for pre-published and early career romance authors.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
193 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book to be a great motivator, with one review highlighting its exercises that help reframe thinking. The book receives positive feedback for its readability, with customers describing it as an excellent read.

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10 customers mention "Motivation"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great motivator, providing excellent insights and fantastic advice. One customer specifically mentions the exercises that help reframe thinking, while another notes how fascinating it is about the workings of the mind.

"...writing habits to get words on the page and exercises to help you reframe your thinking so you spend less time feeling guilty and anxious about your..." Read more

"If you want an exceptional, meaning inspiring, encouraging, and most of all, empowering book to read. This is one of them." Read more

"Lots of good info on how to motivate yourself to write. Worth the money. However, I would hope liked more about the mechanics of a draft." Read more

"...It was however, fascinating about how our mind works when it comes to us sitting down to write...." Read more

3 customers mention "Readability"3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book excellent to read.

"If you want an exceptional, meaning inspiring, encouraging, and most of all, empowering book to read. This is one of them." Read more

"...Very well done... There are definitely some tricks and nuances that I intend to use... You should be proud of this masterpiece...." Read more

"Excellent read...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Lori Puma, Fiction Editor
    5.0 out of 5 stars Encouraging, Practical, and Specific
    Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    This book is full of helpful advice on the emotional and practical challenges all writers face. Some of my favorite sections of the book cover these topics.

    + The steps to writing a first draft
    + Reframing how you think about the time you spend writing, the time you spend not writing, and your process in general so it’s not an endless source of guilt and frustration
    + Multiple methods to help you transform what your inner critic tells you about your writing into something kinder and more positive.
    + How to procrastinate productively - using your non-writing activities to help you be more effective during your writing time
    + Directional planning as an alternative to goal-setting
    + Turning your purpose into motivation

    In short, Barker outlines practical steps to help you establish writing habits to get words on the page and exercises to help you reframe your thinking so you spend less time feeling guilty and anxious about your writing and more time enjoying it.

    Recommended for any writer looking to expand their toolkit for managing the emotional highs and lows of a writing life as well as anyone who is trying to create, understand, or strengthen their writing habits.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Johnothan Rears (Technocrates), Alchemist
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insights
    Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    If you want an exceptional, meaning inspiring, encouraging, and most of all, empowering book to read. This is one of them.
    Helpful
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  • Johanna Haas
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great motivator
    Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Lots of good info on how to motivate yourself to write. Worth the money. However, I would hope liked more about the mechanics of a draft.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Tara St John
    5.0 out of 5 stars I'm very grateful for this book!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    At thirty years old I finally decided to become a writer, which is something I've wanted to do for years but never had the self-confidence. I've read tons of books about writing novels and this speaks to me on sooo many levels!! I was feeling hopeless and stuck, but with this book I can now get myself out of the hole and start writing the novel series that has been in my head for months in confidence that my first few tries may not be publishable but with time and perseverance and by utilizing some of the strategies in the book, I'm confident I'll write a series I can be proud of!

    I highlighted chunks I resonated with so I can re-read them on a regular basis and I think my favorite highlight is a short sentence: "I will at best be a planster since I cannot see where I'm going until I'm already on the path." I was so ecstatic when I read this and almost everything else in this chapter because I've desperately tried various methods of outlining and planning in advance because I want to write as a main source of income and that felt like the only way, but while I can come up with cool ideas by planning, my brain just cannot figure out the path until I write a few scenes and look over them, then bingo I know how I want the story to progress for a bit and/or I know what is or isn't working. Stuff I can't figure out from outlining or planning, because the emotions aren't there I think.

    And I liked how in the same chapter, she said it was okay to rewrite scenes in my rough draft. Many other books will say to just keep pushing up that word count and to not backtrack at all in the rough draft, but that's not how my brain works. If a scene isn't working, if I need to cut or change a character or a piece of plot, where's the sense in leaving it? Because those aspects are going to play an important part later in the story and I'm not going to be at all happy with how the later scenes play out.

    I know I'm rambling, just buy the book if you're stuck like I was. Even if you don't relate to or even agree with this review that I'm writing in the spur of the moment, because she touches on so many different points that you're bound to find at least some things to be helpful!
    19 people found this helpful
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  • Hobby From Home
    5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected, but an amazing read with lots of insight.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I thought this book was going to be about outlining, and I was wrong about that. It was however, fascinating about how our mind works when it comes to us sitting down to write. Very well done... There are definitely some tricks and nuances that I intend to use... You should be proud of this masterpiece....
    One person found this helpful
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  • John H. Miller
    3.0 out of 5 stars practical tips to help with creative writing
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2021
    this was a good summary book for those writers who've never taken a formal writing class, workshop or attended a writers retreat. it reminded me of things covered in my writing classes. quick & short chapters written with tips/ideas & exercises to help you start that book you've always wanted to write or help those who've gotten stuck.

    it's mostly to help you w/your writing process in order to finish your first draft.
    chapters such as:  
    Interruptions and how to get around them 
    If you don't know where/how to start 
    What are the steps in writing a first draft 
    The science of self-talk 
    The science of the inner-critic 
    How to schedule time for writing

    The best exercise which helped me was the chapter entitled "Yes..but.."
    Basically you write down your negative thoughts about your writing and then add to the end of the sentence..yes..but and turn that negative into a positive. 
    For exs. I have no experience as a writer..                 
    yes..but..i have a great idea for a story and a new point of view to bring to the table.

    For me, the main point the author was making was to analyze the writing process/what's happening and adjust your techniques to what works for you.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • Michelle Cornish
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great book for shifting your writing mindset!
    Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    While I've heard some of this advice before, there were many new tidbits as well. I especially liked how the author tied in brain science - fascinating! I also love the concept the book is built around - changing our mindset so our first drafts become scrappy (or whatever word you choose) instead of the other "s" word. Can't wait to read more books in this series.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Kayla T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mindset Shift!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you're struggling with getting words onto the page. This way of approaching rough drafts was super helpful to get my mind wrapped around the daunting task of the first draft.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • squintywitch
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Great book, most of all for letting the struggling writer know they're not alone, and for giving you permission to write an imperfect first draft.
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  • JL nash
    5.0 out of 5 stars super for the scared writer
    Reviewed in Australia on December 13, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Scared of writing that first draft? Not able to get Down to it? Not only will this book help you write it but you will learn to love your first draft and finish it.

    Great little book for wannabe or stuck writers. Very useful
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  • BodhiBob
    5.0 out of 5 stars great read
    Reviewed in Canada on October 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Found it to be very helpful. Enjoyed the way other authors quotes were used to express the pony about to be addressed in every chapter. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
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  • Pamazon
    4.0 out of 5 stars Friendly tone, easy to read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    The author encourages you to find an adjective (e.g. scrappy) to describe your first draft. This adjective has connotations for you (e.g. in this case the small but fearless Scrappy Doo). Consequently, the name both extinguishes overly-high expectations and gives your book a character (e.g. here, a fighting spirit). A twist on Ann Lemot’s idea that works a whole lot better because it’s tailored to you.
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  • M E Powell
    5.0 out of 5 stars Positive, upbeat advice throughout
    Reviewed in Canada on February 1, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent motivational book for beginning and established writers. I know Donna Barker through the Creative Academy, and her positive, upbeat voice shines through the chapters of this book. She offers motivational advice and some important new insights into the craft of writing. Highly recommended.
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