What if the key to growing your writing platform isn’t striving harder… but linking arms with other writers?

In this episode of The Writers’ Bloc Podcast, I sit down with author and speaker Becky Beresford to talk about the power of Christian collaboration — how community, encouragement, and shared kingdom work can open doors you never expected.

Becky shares:

• How writing became a form of discipleship during a difficult season of motherhood

• The story behind her Brave Woman series and how it connected nearly 200 women writers

• Practical ways writers can collaborate without feeling overwhelmed

• Why the enemy wants writers isolated — and how community helps us persevere

• How collaboration helped her grow her platform, land an agent, and launch her book

This conversation is full of wisdom, encouragement, and practical ideas for Christian writers who want to build meaningful relationships while staying rooted in Christ.

✨ “We don’t have to do it alone. We’re not supposed to.” — Becky Beresford

If you’ve ever felt discouraged, isolated, or intimidated by the writing journey, this episode will encourage you to take the next faithful step.

👇 Tell us in the comments:

What’s one small way you could collaborate with another writer this month?

To connect with Becky, visit: www.beckyberesford.com

To join the Writers' Bloc and access Becky's other teaching and our library of 100s of teachings, visit: www.mywritersbloc.com

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What if building your writer platform didn’t have to feel fake, forced, or exhausting?

In this conversation with Kimberley Grabas, we talk about: • Why most writers approach platform-building backward • The difference between platform, branding, marketing, and tactics • How to identify your ideal reader • Why “niching down” can feel impossible for creative people • How to market your work without becoming pushy or performative • and why the best brands are built from authenticity, not imitation

One of my favorite moments was when Kimberley said creative people naturally resist being squeezed into “a tiny little box.” Instead of flattening your personality, a healthy platform helps you clarify what threads already run through your work.

This episode will especially encourage writers who feel overwhelmed by social media, unsure of their message, or afraid they have “too many interests.”

Watch now and let us know in the comments: What part of building a writer platform feels hardest for you right now?

To connect with Kimberely about how to position your writer platform, visit her at: https://yourwriterplatform.com/

If you want to become a better writer…

Read more.

Not just to produce something. Not just to “get content.”

But because over time, it builds something inside you.

A kind of file cabinet in your mind—

filled with ideas, illustrations, and insights you didn’t even know you’d need.

And when it’s time to write…

you’re not starting from empty.

You’re drawing from a life that’s been paying attention.

🎙️ Listen to Habits of a Prolific Writer with Cara Ray & Trevin Wax on The Writers’ Bloc podcast

➡️ Join a community of writers growing in both craft and calling!

What does it really take to write, edit, and launch your first book while juggling real life, family, and faith? In this special episode of The Writers’ Bloc, the tables are turned as Cara Ray is interviewed by writer and educator Keri Willis about her debut book, The Pursuit of Holy Leisure: Enjoying God in Everyday Places. Together, they pull back the curtain on the real journey of writing a book from the first spark of an idea to the long road of proposals, rejection, revision, and ultimately, publication. This is not a highlight reel; it’s an honest, behind-the-scenes conversation about faith, perseverance, and the quiet work God does in the process. ✨ In this episode, you’ll discover: How the concept of holy leisure transformed Cara’s relationship with God What surprised her most about the writing and publishing process The realities of book proposals, rejection, and finding the right publisher How to navigate the “messy middle” of writing The role of community, prayer, and obedience in finishing a book What Cara wishes she had known before launching Cara also shares how this message grew out of her own struggle wanting to enjoy time with God, but feeling like she was constantly falling short and how a simple phrase changed everything. Whether you’re dreaming of writing your first book, stuck in the middle of one, or simply longing for a deeper, more joyful walk with God, this conversation will encourage and equip you. 📘 Get the Book: The Pursuit of Holy Leisure: Enjoying God in Everyday Places (Available April 14 – preorder now!) 🌿 Join The Writers’ Bloc Community: Mywritersbloc.com

What if fruitfulness in your creative life isn’t about producing more but about cultivating a deeper life with God?

In this conversation, Cara Ray welcomes prophetic artist, writer, and speaker Bette Dickinson to explore the surprising parallels between vineyards, creativity, and the spiritual life. Drawing from the rich imagery of John 15, Bette shares how learning from a real-life vine dresser reshaped her understanding of seasons, fruitfulness, and abiding in Christ.

Together, they discuss how writers and creators can move from a productivity-driven mindset to a flourishing approach, learning to embrace seasons of dormancy, pruning, growth, and harvest. If you’ve ever felt pressure to constantly produce, this conversation will encourage you to slow down, remain connected to Christ, and trust the deeper work God is doing beneath the surface.

You’ll discover how creativity, spiritual formation, and the rhythms of creation intersect—and why the health of the vine matters far more than the quantity of the fruit.

Whether you're a writer, artist, or creative believer seeking direction, this conversation will help you recognize your current season and learn to cultivate a life of abiding, creativity, and faithful growth.

What You'll Learn in This Episode:

• Why do vine dressers focus on the health of the vine, not the fruit
• The four creative seasons: dormancy, pruning, growth, and harvest
• How abiding in Christ shapes your creative life
• The difference between productivity and flourishing
• Why creative “winter seasons” are necessary for deeper fruitfulness
• How writing and art become tools of spiritual formation

Connect with Bette Dickinson:

🌿 Website: bettedickinson.com

🌿 The Art of Vine Making: theartofvinemaking.com

About The Writers’ Bloc Podcast:

Hosted by Cara Ray, The Writers’ Bloc podcast equips Christian writers and creators to grow in their craft, deepen their faith, and build meaningful creative work that serves others.

Is Cozy Fantasy the Genre We’ve Been Missing? A Conversation with Deborah Pettit

What exactly is cozy fantasy, and why is it suddenly everywhere?

In this episode of The Writers’ Bloc Podcast, Cara sits down with children’s fantasy author Deborah Pettit (author of The Heroes of Tuduma Forest series) to explore the rise of cozy fantasy, what sets it apart from epic fantasy, and why this genre may be filling a deeper cultural and spiritual need than we realize.

Deborah shares her personal journey through depression, how Scripture reshaped her thinking, and how that transformation now informs the character-driven stories she writes for young readers. Together, we discuss:

• What cozy fantasy actually is (and what it isn’t)
• The difference between epic fantasy and cozy fantasy
• Why many modern fantasy books leave Christian parents uneasy
• How classic stories like The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and The Little Prince fit into today’s evolving definitions
• Writing moral, clean fantasy without relying on occult themes
• Why character arcs matter more than plot in cozy storytelling
• The spiritual hunger beneath the popularity of this genre

Whether you’re a fiction writer, nonfiction writer, homeschool parent, or simply someone who cares about the stories shaping the next generation, this conversation will help you think more critically about imagination, storytelling, and truth.

👉 Deborah will go deeper into the spiritual themes behind cozy fantasy in her extended teaching inside the Writers’ Bloc community.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Positive Trait Thesaurus and The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
• Deborah Pettit’s Heroes of Tuduma Forest series

If this episode encouraged you, be sure to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a writer who needs to hear it.

If you’re a writer who’d rather hide behind your laptop than step on a stage… this interview is for you. 🙌 Join me for this fun and informative conversation with Robyn Dykstra—a national Christian speaker and bestselling author. We talk about one of the most overlooked (and most powerful) ways writers can grow their platform: ✨ Turning your book message into a signature talk. In this interview, we talk about: 📌 Why writers can’t afford to stay invisible anymore 📌 How speaking builds trust faster than almost anything else 📌 How to stop viewing speaking as performance—and start seeing it as an offering 📌 The difference between a signature talk and “teaching your whole book” 📌 How speakers sell books effectively without being salesy If you’ve ever felt nervous, unqualified, or intimidated by public speaking—this conversation will give you courage, clarity, and practical next steps. 🎧 Watch now and get ready to take your message from page… to stage. Don't forget to hit Subscribe 🔔for more great content from the Writers' Bloc! To learn more about Robyn's speaking training, visit: https://robyndykstra.com/inspirational-speaker-training/

Why do ministry creatives — writers, teachers, and leaders — need intentional retreat time? In this conversation, Cara welcomes Bible teacher, pastor, author, and podcaster Angie Baughman back to The Writers’ Bloc to talk about the spiritual and practical value of creative retreats. Together they explore how getting away — even briefly — can bring clarity, peace, deeper listening to God, and more sustainable creative output. Angie shares from decades of ministry experience how structured retreat rhythms helped her plan, discern, and avoid burnout — and how writers and ministry leaders today can build simple, realistic retreat practices into busy lives. They discuss resistance, guilt, budget options, spiritual formation, rest vs. recovery, and practical retreat planning from food prep to scheduling. If you’re a writer, ministry creative, or Bible teacher feeling stretched thin, this episode will help you reframe retreat as obedience and investment — not indulgence. Guest: Angie Baughman — licensed pastor, Bible teacher, author, podcaster, and founder of Steady On Ministries. Creator of the Step-by-Step Bible Study Method and Study On University.