We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Heidi Fiedler a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Heidi, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, let’s imagine that you were advising someone who wanted to start something similar to you and they asked you what you would do differently in the startup-process knowing what you know now. How would you respond?

I’ve worked on hundreds of children’s books. Here’s what I would do differently if I could go back in time and whisper to my past self…

-Take your own preferences and interests seriously. If I like something, someone probably else will too.

-Remember you are a human, not a robot. You need breaks—both so you don’t burn out and so you can live life and grow wise enough to write books!

-Give yourself permission to PLAY and EXPERIMENT. It might not be the most efficient way to make progress but that’s where the good stuff comes through.

-Slow down. Daydream. This isn’t a race. Enjoy the process and you’ll be able to keep going, even when sickness, chaos, and heartbreak strike.

-Yes write the book you can’t find, but also write the book you want to live in. Create a world that you want to spend time in and you’ll be more likely to sneak away to your desk.

-Ask for help. Surround yourself with writers and creatives who inspire and encourage you. Take classes. Find a babysitter. Hire an editor or a coach.

Heidi, 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’ve worked on hundreds of books for clients like Chronicle Books and Bravery Magazine. I specialize in picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction for kids. I also write about creativity and motherhood for sites like Mother Untitled and Literary Mama. I help writers turn their ideas into books through manuscript critiques, coaching, and classes.

I spent years secretly hating writing. I felt discouraged and kept getting stuck. I was trained as an editor and I could think of a million reasons why each book wouldn’t work. I was constantly comparing myself to others and wondering why my writing life didn’t look like theirs. And even when I did manage to make progress writing, it didn’t feel creative. It felt like a slog that I had assigned to myself. I either needed to quit and try to be happy doing something else (tried it, didn’t work) or I needed to find a way to actually enjoy the writing process so I could keep going. I teach other writers how to find ease and joy in the creative process, so they can keep going.

Now I’m a mother, and I have less time than ever, but I’m also doing some of the best work of my life. I’m more ambitious, and creativity is precious to me. I’m excited to see what happens next!

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Five years ago, my son needed surgery and I learned my agent was a fraud. I was burnt out and frustrated. There were so many reasons why it made sense to quit writing. But I didn’t want to. I kind of tried, but I missed writing. I realized the only way to keep going was to stop feeling like writing is something I should do and start seeing it as something I get to do. I needed to find a way to make it fun and easy, so I could enjoy the process, even when I didn’t know what the outcome would be.

I gave myself permission to experiment, write what I wanted to write, make mistakes, go slow, and have no idea what to do next. The result was I fell in love with writing again. That made me a more productive writer, and it also helped me keep going whenever life was messy or hard.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I recently moved my email list from Mailchimp to https://heidifiedler.substack.com/, and it’s been a really easy, organic way to build my community. There is a discoverability factor on Substack that I haven’t seen anywhere else, so my audience has grown without lead magnets or ads. And it actually feels like a community, because readers can comment and get to know each other. I’m interviewing 100 creative mothers for my interview series Mothers Who Make, and it’s given me the chance to meet so many amazing women that I wouldn’t know any other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.helloheidifiedler.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heidifiedler/
• Other: https://heidifiedler.substack.com/ (Please embed the link above in the answer.)

Image Credits
Sarah Crowder