In this week’s episode of Author Culture, we’re talking about something invisible, essential, and shockingly easy to overlook: the “air” of modern storytelling.

Yep—we’re diving into gratitude, communication, author discouragement, and the absolute sci-fi-level miracle that lets you write a book in your living room and have someone across the globe read it.

This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt behind, discouraged, or pressured to constantly optimize, grow, expand, and hustle harder—because sometimes, the key to joy in your author life starts with remembering what you already have.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

-Why modern communication is basically superpowers for authors

-Why writing and sharing stories is worth celebrating—even on the quiet days

-Remembering the miracle of reaching even one person

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___Music by: https://bluefoxmusic.com

Author Culture is a reader-supported publication that offers tips for sustainable success for fiction authors like you - plus plenty of fandom joy. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.

In this week’s episode of Author Culture, we’re diving into Jurassic World: Rebirth — why critics were mixed, why audiences still showed up in droves, and how this “popcorn movie” gives us a surprisingly useful lesson in how to use a simple concept to please fans.

Yep, we’re talking dinosaurs, audience expectations, story promises… and the magic of writing a quick proto-blurb to see if your idea actually works.

In this episode, we’ll explore:

-Why predictable “assignment-fulfilling” stories still connect with long-term fans

-What Jurassic World: Rebirth teaches us about delivering on your genre promises

-The power of a proto-blurb for testing your idea (before the outline spiral hits)

PLUS a tiny tease: next week, I’m launching the Blurb Your Story Toolkit, a short, powerful course to help you clarify your concept, pressure-test your story idea, AND figure out your marketing copy - before the book is even written.

Just in time for Black Friday. Wo0t!And if you’re subscribed to Author Culture, then you’ll get access to the toolkit FIRST (along with all my other Black Friday deals).

___Free Resources & Links

Sign up for my newsletter and get a free World Building Check-Up Guide + Social Media Cheat Sheet: Subscribe Here

Grab World Building Made Easy series on Amazon: Get the Series

Get Creative with Weird Writing Prompts: Weird Writing Prompts

___

Connect with me:

Instagram: @janeen_ippolito

Substack: Author Culture

Facebook: Janeen Ippolito Author

YouTube: @JaneenIppolitoMusic by: https://bluefoxmusic.com

In this week’s episode of Author Culture, we’re talking about what happens when writing stops being fun — and how to bring the joy (and curiosity) back to your creative process.

Whether it’s burnout, pressure to “get serious,” or just the grind of expectations, it’s easy for writing to start feeling like drudgery. You start thinking, “well, this is just what professionals do,” and before you know it, you’re approaching your story like it’s a tax form instead of an adventure.

In this episode, we’ll dig into:

-How to spot when you’ve swapped curiosity for cynicism-The subtle mindset shift that reignites your love of storytelling-The role of faith, purpose, and permission in reclaiming your joy

You get to have fun with your words again — even when life’s hard, deadlines loom, and your playlist’s on repeat.

So today, join me for a reminder that your writing doesn’t have to be all grind and grit. You can still choose curiosity, play, and purpose — and your words will thank you for it.

Free Resources & Links

Sign up for my newsletter and get a free World Building Check-Up Guide + Social Media Cheat Sheet → Subscribe Here

Grab the World Building Made Easy series on Amazon → Get the Series

Get creative with Weird Writing Prompts → Weird Writing Prompts on Amazon

Connect with me:

Instagram → @janeen_ippolito

Substack → Author Culture

Facebook → Janeen Ippolito Author

YouTube → @JaneenIppolito

References for this episode: Jon Acuff - One Word to Sextuple Your Success: https://jonacuff.com/atg252

Changing Habits: https://learningcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/changing-habits/The

Psychology of Habit Formation: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3505409/

Music by: https://bluefoxmusic.com