You're the Expert of Your Voice

Thoughtfully Curated Books, Workshops and Essays to Help Navigate Your Writing Seasons

Imagine feeling at peace with wherever your writing is today.

Imagine not fussing over whether you’re a real writer or not.

Imagine what could transform if you could say, “Today I told a story,” and then you kept moving from a place of accepting relaxation.

The Writing Seasons framework emerged last year as a way to examine how every season of writing and creativity can be productive — whether in a moment of momentum or in a phase of indecision.

→ I developed this approach after editing and coaching others for 15 years and as a personal philosophy. It reflects a lot of my own journey as an autistic person and endless questions about what it means to create magic with your voice.

Not a box to put you inside, the Writing Seasons help recognize where you are, so you can work with your creative rhythms productively, confidently and compassionately.

Today I’m here to remind you that you are the expert of your voice — no matter how many accolades, readers or degrees another person has, you know what you’re here to say.

Many thanks to this month’s co-curator

I’m honored to co-curate this Writing Seasons Digest with my friend,

Antonia Malchik

, publisher of On the Commons, whose thoughtful recommendations add a beautiful layer of depth.

📚 Together, we’ve gathered books, workshops and essays to support you, no matter which Writing Season you find yourself in. (Note: I added Nia’s book to the recommended reading list.) 😊

How to use the digest: If you’ve taken the Writing Seasons quiz, start with the section that reflects your current season:

Craft Resources | Musing Resources | Tending Resources | Rest Resources

If you haven’t yet discovered your current writing season, I warmly invite you to take the quiz or simply explore and see what resonates with your writing journey in this moment.

Let’s continue to grow together, embracing each season as it comes.

Take care,
Amanda

P.S. While the Writing Seasons Digest is a fresh expression of my philosophy on creativity, my broader work as a strategist and guide continues through The Editing Spectrum.

Season of Craft

See the Season of Craft Book Recommendations here.

Featured Book Authors:

Jeannine Ouellette

, Natalie Goldberg, Charles Finn, William Strunk and E.B. White, Jr. and Mary Oliver (The strange, purple non-cover book is one of Amanda’s go-to resources for editing/working intentionally with poetry).

Workshops

The Unexpected Shape Writing Academy by

Esmé Weijun Wang

Essays

Things to do when you’re stuck by

Katherine May

Patience (and Which Reader to Trust) by

George Saunders

Writing from your gut and creating with confidence by

Christin Thieme

(an interview with Amanda Hinton)

Season of Musing

See the Season of Musing Book Recommendations here.

Featured Book Authors:

Tom Cox

,

Elizabeth Gilbert

,

Beth Kempton

, Antonia Malchik and Richard Wagamese.

Workshops

SneakyArt Hangout hosted by

Nishant Jain

(It’s free!)

Essays

10. On Writing with Children by

Elin Petronella

feeling stagnant? try THIS… by

Kate Eskuri, DNP

Happy Doggo by

Niall Harbison

Season of Tending

See the Season of Tending Book Recommendations here.

Featured Book Authors: Robert Cialdini,

Courtney Maum

, Robert T. Kiyosaki, Joseph Sugarman and

Lucy Werner

.

Workshops

Audit Your Substack Data Like a Strategist by Amanda Hinton

Essays

I changed my mind about pricing by Lucy Werner

The 5-Step WITD Method That Helped Get This Writer Into The NYT. She Calls It "A Total Game Changer." And You Can Use It, Too by Jeannine Ouellette

9 Things I’ve Learned About Growth & Self-Promotion (From Someone Who Would Rather Just Write) by

Caroline Cala Donofrio

, as a guest post on

David McIlroy

’s newsletter, How to Write for a Living

Season of Rest

See the Season of Rest Books Recommendations here.

Featured Book Authors: Camille T. Dungy, Pema Chodron and Mary Oliver.

Workshops

make sacred space – november hosted by

Sebene Selassie

Essays

Self Love through Sewing, with Sarahbeth Larrimore by

Sara Tasker - Me & Orla

You Are Okay by Dr.

Kelly Flanagan

When Prioritizing Your Mental Health Means Leaving the U.S. by

Kirsten Powers

For the Burned Out, Fried, and Exhausted | Emily & Amelia Nagoski – a relevant podcast episode from Dec 2023 via

Dan Harris

Thank you for reading the first Writing Seasons Digest!