Today, we are celebrating one of our incredible Book Magic mentors and her brand-new book, Write with Intention: A Mindful Journey to Writing Your Book. Charlotte Chipperfield is a book coach and editing guide inside Book Magic, and she is also the founder of Her Narrative. ✍🏼
Whether you’re deep in your own writing process or you’re still dreaming about your book idea, I know this conversation will inspire you to trust that your story matters and that this journey is doable for you as well.
Click play to listen to this conversation or keep scrolling to read the highlights:
Can you please share a little bit about your new book and who it's for?
I am Charlotte Chipperfield. I consider myself a story strategist, so I really love looking at what makes a story really good and how it can be really impactful, and helping writers shape their stories into that structure that people are gonna love to read.
I am a certified developmental editor and book coach, and the founder of Her Narrative, a creative development company that bridges creativity and story strategy to help authors and leaders craft stories that inspire action and meaningful change. Because I feel that is really what stories can do: bring us closer together, connect communities, and inspire individuals or communities to take that next step in their lives and make the world a better place.
I help authors and writers take their ideas and structure them in a way that has the maximum reader impact and really helps them create a roadmap through that writing process.
My book, Write with Intention: A Mindful Journey to Writing your Book is for anyone who has that quiet calling or maybe not so quiet calling to write a book, but doesn't know where to start.
Maybe they’ve started writing or started to kind of lose their way a little bit, or are unsure of whether it’s gonna make sense or if it’s the direction they wanna go in. Or, I have 19 tangents I wanna go on. How do I contain all of my ideas in one place?
I’d say this book is part guidebook and part mindset companion designed to help writers connect to their larger “why” for writing a book and then finding meaning in that creative process.
It's not just about the finished product of having a book and saying you've written a book. It's really about the journey that you're going on and how you are expanding as a person as you are bringing forward a book.
I think there’s a lot of misconception that writing a book is easy or writing a book can happen in just a weekend, and I really wish that were the case, and maybe for a couple of people, you can get your ideas out or frame them in a weekend, but I think there is so much more to the process.
It is not a linear process, and so that’s definitely what this book works to address and to discuss that it’s kind of all over the place, and it’s not as linear as we would like it to be all the time.
What inspired you to write this book in the first place?
I was really inspired to write this book, not only because it encapsulates the framework for how I work with authors, but it’s been percolating in the back of my mind for a while. And as you mentioned, being a mentor in this community, I was putting together some of the curriculum, specifically around how to outline your book. And I needed an example. So I sat down and ultimately outlined this book as an example, and it just flowed out.
For me, that was really a sign of like, okay, this book is not only gonna be an example for writers within the community, but it’s time to actually write the book. Because I was able to put it together in a way that felt really cohesive and had purpose, and had really been what had been nudging at me to put on the page.
I’d say the core inspiration for the book also came from countless conversations I have with authors and writers, and they’re always saying something along the lines of, “I’ve always wanted to write a book, but… [fill in whatever reason].” So I think it was those two that really combined it.
I realized that there's so many talented and really thoughtful voices that are not being brought forward or they're maybe even silencing themselves because of perfectionism or fear or just confusion about, "Where do I start? What's my next step? What does it really look like to bring a book forward into the world?" And not just in the writing process, but also through the publishing process as well.
So, Write with Intention was my answer to that hesitation. I wanted to help provide a little more structure and guidance, as well as compassion, as writers dive into the writing process.
It’s not just about writing a book; it’s also about giving yourself permission to tell your story and become who you need to become in order to have that book in the world.
What was the writing process like for you? Being someone who is knowledgeable about what it's like for other authors and being in it yourself? What did you learn about yourself along the way?
It was both a grounding process and a confronting one. I had to practice what I teach, and so I was thinking, “How do I show up consistently for this? How do I continue to trust my voice throughout the process?” And really just allow the writing to evolve instead of forcing it.
While the outline and ideas flowed, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s exactly where the book lands. In fact, I think 50% of it moved around, and you know, there were definitely days where I was just like, “Is this worth doing?” I could do other things…
And then I just kept coming back to my why and really why it mattered. That’s something I also discuss in the book. Because that can become the North Star for like, okay, I’m still very invested in that “why” and “why it matters to me” and then “why it’s gonna matter to the reader”.
Once I kept connecting back to that, especially on those weeks where I was like, I just don’t feel like writing, I really felt that I had more of the roadmap for that writing process when I connected back to that.
I mentioned in the book that writing a book is hard, and I don't like to sugarcoat that. It doesn't mean it's impossible, but it does mean that we have to work with those ebbs and flows. You're not necessarily going to write every day or every week, but it does mean that you need to consistently show up as much as you can to continue making progress, even when it doesn't look like a lot.
There were weeks where I was stuck thinking, “Well, how do I explore this topic? Or how do I expand on this?” So it was, again, coming back to, “Why am I doing this? Why does this matter?” And really tapping into that for inspiration and to keep going.
And then, you know, for me it’s really just knowing that doing hard things is possible. I think it was a great reminder that I learned that about myself is just that it is possible to do hard things.
The more that I was able to let go of trying to make it be perfect, that's when more of the authentic and really resonant pieces of content came through. It was just about allowing, you know, letting go of that expectation.
When I sat down to write, it was just about focusing on, “This is the one topic we’re gonna focus on. Write a hundred words on it,” and then, of course, that a hundred words would become the whole chapter. It was about taking a little bit of what I teach and also allowing the space for the writing to evolve and be what it needs to be.
Instead of putting so much pressure on myself in each session that it needs to be perfect, or I need to say “X, Y, Z,” it was really just about honoring that creative process.
I feel like so much of this process is about letting yourself flow and just letting your brain share what's already inside of you. It's already inside of you! You're just letting it out in a stream-of-consciousness manner and then editing it at some point.
One thing I really like from your book is that you mentioned putting your "why" on a post-it note and taping it to your computer to remind yourself what the reason is, "why" you're writing the book, to keep you going.
Yes, and I did that. I think it’s so important. The more you can see that and engage with it initially, it can be super powerful. To your point, too, it was already in my mind, and I already knew how to speak on these topics, and so it was about trying not to censor myself and not editing myself as I was writing. Because the editing process comes next.
So it was about, again, reminding myself, just get the words on the page, and then you have something to work with and to mold, versus trying to censor and edit as you’re trying to get the words on the page.
If your readers could walk away with one feeling or message from your book, what would it be?
I’m hoping that readers walk away feeling seen and also feel very capable. The writing process is very overwhelming, but when you approach it with intention and you know why you’re writing and why it matters for the reader, it becomes a very empowering and transformative experience.
The one message is that your story matters, and that you don’t have to wait for that perfect time or version of yourself to share it. It’s really being able to show up for your story because it does matter.
I feel like you've mentioned this already a little bit, but how has being part of the Book Magic community as a mentor impacted your journey as an author?
This community is so inspiring – being tapped into it and just understanding why everyone is writing their books, too. It’s full of writers who are deeply committed to telling very meaningful stories.
As a mentor, I’ve been reminded again and again that there’s no two writing journeys that look the same, and that’s truly the beauty of it.
As I mentioned earlier, I’m not sure that this book would’ve existed without the community needing a direct example, which really pushed me to put my ideas on paper.
Being in this space has really inspired me and grounded me in what I do and in that belief of the power of story and how it can heal, connect, and transform us all. Not just for the readers, but I think as writers, as we are writing these stories as well.
You've mentioned how writing a book is hard and it's such a long process, so why would we want to put ourselves through all of that?
Because it’s so worth it. I think there’s that sense of our own accomplishment of doing something that is hard. But then also there is this moment that happens, and I know this has happened for me and a couple of other authors I’ve worked with, that there’s a moment where the content is no longer yours.
You've put your heart and soul into it, and it now becomes the readers'. The readers now get to have that experience, like you got to have that beautiful experience while writing it.
Now that the readers get to have this beautiful experience, it’s out of your control. But it is this beautiful invitation for the readers to be entertained or be inspired. That is something that is also very motivating. It can be terrifying as well to be like, “Oh my god, people are gonna read my book!” But I think being able to have that impact is just another reason.
And it’s also about leaving your legacy. What is the story you want to leave with the world?
How does it feel for you now being able to hold your finished book in your hands? And tell us, also, what's next for you?
I’d say it’s a deeply surreal feeling. So much work goes into it, and it sat in a Word document on my computer for so long, and it’s just kind of like, Oh my gosh, now it’s transformed into this book that I can hold!
So I’d say it’s definitely surreal, but it’s also deeply satisfying. I’ve always wanted to write many, many books, and so now I’m even more addicted to writing more books.
And I talk a lot, with authors that I coach, that there is this magical moment in the writing process where you finally see that light at the end of the tunnel, and realize that readers will get to enjoy it as much as you’ve enjoyed the writing process.
Being able to hold something that's tangible and really acknowledge that the time and energy and the heart that you put into something now exists for other people, I think is just such a powerful, powerful moment.
What’s next for me? Uh, many more books. I am now going to switch over to fiction. I have three novels that are outlined and half-written, but one I’m currently focusing on is a women’s fiction book. I love writing in that genre, and it’s about a character whose career and love life have fallen apart, and so she travels to England to reconnect with family and ultimately herself.
I think fiction is a whole other challenge. It’ so much more layered than nonfiction because you have to create this entire world and these characters. So, it’s a fun challenge, and I think that, alongside this, is continuing to be a mentor for Book Magic and expand Her Narrative, as well as supporting authors in bringing their books to life through coaching, editing, and teaching.
📖 Grab your copy of Write with Intention @ https://amzn.to/3L6Eji5
📲 Follow along with Charlotte on Instagram @ https://instagram.com/hernarrative_
Work with us to write & publish your book @ www.bookmagic.co/mastermind