LESLIE BRADFORD-SCOTT
Writer’s Resources
Advice from someone who built a business from chaos, wrote winning screenplays on Post-it notes, and turned family secrets into a memoir.
In other words: someone who has seen things.
These aren’t “inspirational quotes.” These are the real tools that keep the words flowing when life isn’t cooperating (which is... most of the time).
Use the Pomodoro Method
Write for 20–30 minutes, then get up and move for ten.
Your brain needs the break, and your spine will thank you.
Nail the Hook Before You Write the Book
One or two sentences that sell the entire story.
The reader should hear it and instantly picture the world you’re building.
If the hook doesn’t make someone say, “Oh, I need to read that,” it’s not ready.
You won’t sell a book to a publisher, or a reader, without a strong hook.
People skim the hook before they buy anything.
Know What You’re Writing Tomorrow
Decide the night before.
If you wake up with clarity, your fingers will move the moment you sit down.
Use an Idea Dump document to capture every thought the second it pops up.
Write on a Large Monitor
Plug your laptop into something that doesn’t require you to curl yourself into a croissant.
Hunching kills your productivity, strains your eyes, and wrecks your posture.
Wondering if You’re “Good Enough”?
You can’t know.
Almost no one is objective about their own work, and only the top one or two percent of manuscripts land traditional book deals each year.
Friends and family are either too gentle or too uninformed to judge your writing.
They’re not tracking trends or reading the market reports.
Hire a Professional Editor (if you can)
Look for a freelancer who works with major publishers to review your synopsis and first ten pages, they'll give you the truth.
If that’s not in your budget, enter legitimate contests.
If you long-list, you’ve got the skill set to keep going.
If you don’t, level up:
Courses, craft books, practice, stubborn belief.
Most of us aren’t born ready for the top two percent.
We get there with persistence. It took me 22 years.
More Resources Coming Soon
Leslie is building a growing toolbox for emerging writers, including:
How to structure a memoir
Turning chaos into narrative
Writing traumatic or emotional material safely
Query letter templates
Recommended books on craft
Notes from her writing desk
Join the newsletter to get new resources as they’re released.
(Plus a few behind-the-scenes stories that did not make it into the memoir.)