Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Delancey Stewart. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Delancey, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I believe that the craft of writing – like any other art form – isn’t something you learn once to then apply forever. Learning an art is an ongoing process, and even if there are specific skills you’ve learned to apply, most creatives will find that their understanding of those skills evolves over time.

That said, I began learning as a child when I discovered how much I loved stories. Learning then (and now!) involved reading as much as I could get my hands on, figuring out the different ways stories are told and understanding which approaches resonated with me. After that, a degree in literature helped me become more critical as I understood the terminology for the various devices I’d seen employed. I learned about POV, pacing, characterization, plot structure. And then, as a working writer, I have taken courses on each of those things and so many more, to really learn all the ways to use the various tools available to me every time I sit down to tell a story.

Delancey, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I began working with words as a copywriter in the marketing department of a big publishing house. Eventually, I moved to editorial freelancing, working as a proofreader and then as a line editor. I launched my own editing company, Evident Ink, around the same time that I created my pen name – Delancey Stewart. I spent more than a decade working for other authors as a line/copy editor and then a story coach and consultant, taught classes about various aspects of craft and marketing, and published more than 40 books as Delancey Stewart in the small town romcom genre.

In recent years, I launched a second pen name for cozy mystery – Nancy Stewart – and began coaching exclusively, dropping the time consuming work of line editing. Today I publish under both names and work with authors one on one to help them develop story ideas, strengthen plots and structure, and provide feedback. I’m a character-driven writer, so that is where my coaching also begins. I believe that developing characters with a story in mind is the best way to build the story.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Being a creative has changed with the accessibility brought to fans via the internet. I grew up thinking of authors like movie stars – distant and unreachable except maybe at some fancy event. But today, I interact with my readers across a variety of platforms, and with authors I admire. I consider many of my idols friends at this point, having shared conversations and gotten to know them as people.

Given this increase in accessibility, I think there’s a real opportunity for fans to support the artists they love by buying their products directly, cutting out the third party vendor platforms that hold back a percentage of every sale. When artists and authors sell their own products, they keep all the proceeds, enabling them to continue creating the things their fans love. It’s a bit more work for fans, but it’s worth it to figure out how to buy direct from your favorite creators.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

There are a million. As an indie author, you’re not just writing and publishing books, you’re running a business. From creation to formatting to uploading, marketing, advertising, and interacting, you’re doing it all. The tools I’ve discovered over the past decade that I could not live without:
– Scrivener – for writing. Much more nimble than Word and allows so many different ways of manipulating your work.
– Google Docs – for collaborating on writing.
– Vellum – for formatting books for print and ebooks.
– Bookfunnel – for delivering ebooks and audio to readers across various platforms like email and shopify.
– Scribecount – for managing sales across multiple platforms and giving a daily view of income, ad tracking, and expenses
– Canva – for helping non-designers create graphics and posts for social media, etc.

There are certainly more, but these are the must-haves that come to mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.delanceystewart.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/delanceystewart
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/delancey.stewart