Making it as a writer isn’t an easy task, but Linda Sivertsen has found the secret sauce. Known as the best writing coach, agent connector, and Book Mama, Linda has authored and co-authored eleven books, including two New York Times best sellers. Today, she joins us to share her journey to writing, what makes a good writer, and how she found herself sharing the stories of so many New York Times Best Selling Authors!

Plus, did you know that About Your Mother was born while I attended Linda’s writing retreat? What a full-circle moment this interview has created!

“How did I get so lucky? You know how I got lucky? Because I trusted; I trusted what I knew in my gut, which was it didn’t matter that I didn’t have a college degree. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t a PhD. Was I ashamed of those things early on? A little, but I was like, you know what, fuck it. That doesn’t mean I don’t have some kind of innate intelligence that maybe they don’t have. Maybe my intelligence is intuitive. Maybe the mystical sort of spirit connection I have to books is enough to help propel people’s destiny. And I just freaking trusted and I’m so glad that I’m naïve and grandiose enough to have done that, because it’s worked out.”

– Linda Sivertsen 

 

Linda’s Journey from Dog Walker to Author

Linda began her career in her dream job as a dog walker in Beverly Hills. For her, it was the perfect job. What made it so successful for her was that the celebrities weren’t important to her; it was the dogs. Through that love of each dog, she built trust with the animals and the owners.

Therefore, when she was about five years into that career, she had a dream that told her to interview the dog owners about the behind-the-scenes details of their lives. As random as it was, she trusted it—and it happened.

Growing up, she was a fun, athletic child, while her sister was more academic. Despite the fact that she wanted to be a writer as a child, she didn’t pursue it because she didn’t feel smart enough. Ironically, when the calling came to her in a dream, it was fitting that she went after it.

 

Her Mother’s Influence on Her Work

Both of Linda’s parents were very influential in her life. Her mother raised her with an awareness of spirituality and a protectiveness of the environment. Her mother was still alive when Linda had the writing dream which was motivation enough for Linda to pursue a book with the message of environmentalism.

She knew this topic would be a hard sell because no one seemed to care about the environmentalists who were in the trenches and doing the hard work. Still, if she could interview environmental celebrities and combine them with tabloid-esque tales, readers may be interested. This could make a difference.

This was inspired by her mother’s life work, followed by her death, which ultimately drove her to do this very thing.

“Part of what drove me was that I thought, well, I can interview environmental celebrities. People in the trenches who are doing this heroic work to save our natural world, that the press doesn’t give two shits about honestly, at the time, nobody seemed to care. Certainly readers didn’t seem to care. I thought, well, if I combine those environmental details with the tabloid-esque tales that these celebrities are telling me about being incested by the royal family, being bulimic, overcoming drug addiction, and whatever. If I combine their heroic work with the environment with those stories, they’ll be educated through the back door and actually maybe care. Maybe we can make a difference. So I was so motivated by my mother’s life, and then by her death, to continue the work that she never felt like she had fully realized in her life.”

– Linda Sivertsen 

 

Manifestation, Magical Synchronicities, and Writing Her Book

When she decided to write her latest book, she wanted to create something for creatives about the behind-the-scenes of becoming a successful writer. While we see the accomplishments of big names, like Tom Hanks and Elizabeth Gilbert, we don’t see enough of the faceplants they have before success. Linda knew these stories existed, as they’d been shared on her podcast.

If she could share her own story and get big names on board, it would be a powerful message and a really good read.

 

How to Become a Good Writer

Simply put, it starts with desire. If you have the ache to become a writer, that’s all that matters. Most writers have a creative elegance to them, but those who don’t can hire ghostwriters.

You can learn grammar, punctuation, and language, but that desire can’t be taught.

If you want to learn your own voice and how to write, tape yourself and listen. This allows you to create a unique perspective, improve your vocabulary, or explore the world to increase the stories you tell.

 

To hear more from Linda Sivertsen and her story, download and listen to the episode.

 

Bio

Linda Sivertsen, “Book Mama,” is in LOVE with books—reading, writing, and selling them. Her titles have won awards and hit all the lists as an author, co-author, and former magazine editor and ghostwriter. But her driving force has been to publish sustainably.

Naïve and optimistic enough to believe in magic, she’s on a mission to save forests via her role as a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Ambassador.

When she’s not fostering literary love matches on her Beautiful Writers Podcast (a favorite stop for writers on tour), writing, and promoting Beautiful Writers, or midwifing books at her Carmel or virtual writing retreats, Linda can be found on the back of a horse or running with her dogs. She and her husband live on their ranch in Scottsdale, Arizona.

 

Connect with Linda!

Book Mama | Beautiful Writers Podcast | Instagram | Facebook