Starting in season four, which is going to kick off in September of 2026, I'm going to be launching a new segment called The Courage Files. And it's all about listener wins. The mission of the Ride It Scared Podcast has always been to give you practical writing tools and mindset support to help you move forward despite doubt. And one of the most powerful tools that we have that we often forget about is each other. Welcome to the Ride It Scared Podcast. I'm your host, Stacy Fraser, a formerly repressed creative soul, turned fiction writer, story editor, and author accelerator certified fiction book coach. At Write It Scared, we tell the truth about why writing a novel is so hard by acknowledging that most writers grapple with two stories: the one they want to put on the page to the best of their ability, and the often subconscious internal story that prevents them from doing it. This show is designed to help you identify and rewrite the internal narrative holding you back while you discover and write the story you want to tell and learn all the tools to help you do that successfully. Join me each week for a new episode where we'll talk about writing to deepen our understanding of the craft and of ourselves as writers. Writing a novel is an inside job that we do not do alone. Welcome to Red It Scared. I'm glad you're here. Let's dive in. Hi, writer. Welcome back to the Write It Scared Podcast. I'm your host, Stacey Fraser, and today is a very special day because we are celebrating a major milestone here on the podcast. This is episode number 100. 100 conversations with writers about writing for writers. 100 episodes about having courage and being scared and showing up and doing the thing anyway. Today is going to be part celebration, part thank you, uh, part vulnerability, as well as a look ahead at what comes next, including a new way for your moments of writing courage, your wins, to become a part of the show. The last couple of years has been such a wild ride, and it has been such a privilege to host the show and provide a platform for writers and industry professionals to share their stories, their experience, their expertise. We writers are amazing humans. Uh at our core, I believe that we are kind and thoughtful, generous people. And I want to say thank you for being here as a listener, because without you, none of this would matter. And to be completely honest, there's been a lot of days in recording this podcast when I felt like maybe it didn't matter. Days when the downloads just seemed a flatline and it kind of felt like I was talking to the void. But those are just feelings. They're not facts. See how I slip that in there? Annoying, isn't it? But effective. The fact is that this podcast does matter. It reaches people, it educates people, it helps writers work through fears and doubts and encourages them to keep going. And truly, that's all I ever hope for. And I do want to take just a quick second to give a special shout out to all the folks who listen over on the YouTube channel. Thank you for your kind and thoughtful comments. I so appreciate knowing that the show makes an impact for you. Now, when I first imagined this podcast, I thought it was one of those really cool ideas. But it was one of those ideas that came with a whopping side of like, who the hell do you think you are? How are you going to pull this off, Stacey? And I I'm just, I had a very loud inner critic, but I'm so glad that I didn't let it run the show all the time. Because I knew that I wanted to create something that I needed to hear and that I felt many other people did too. Not just in the early stages of writing, but at every stage. And I wanted it to be something that would combat that common denominator I feel we all share as creative people. And that common denominator is doubt. And I wanted to offer something in its stead. I wanted to offer hope. Not just positivity or hustle or pressure, but real hope grounded in real experiences. And because of the guests who come on the show and are willing to share the highs and lows of their writing journey, that's what we have today. And just recently, I heard from a listener who sent me an email, which was hilarious as it was heartwarming. And they told me that they're now 60,000 words into their novel. And this is the first novel they've attempted in over a decade. And they contributed much of their success and momentum to an early episode on the podcast that was all about overcoming procrastination. I think it was episode eight. And then another writer recently emailed me to share that they'd pursued traditional publication for the last 20 years and hadn't gotten anywhere, and they'd always avoided live pitching events because they were terrified of them. But after listening to literary agent Amy Nielsen discussing the ins and outs of live pitching in episode 51, they decided to give it a try. And that decision led to signing with an agent. And as of this recording, their book is now on submission. Stories like these are why the podcast exists. And if you are listening right now and you're facing something hard or messy or scary, which I'm sure you are, then you are a part of that. And Write It Scared is built on the simple belief that we can be scared and still be unstoppable when we choose not to do it alone. And that brings me to what I'm really excited to share with you today and how we're going to celebrate 100 episodes, which is a major milestone, yes, but it feels almost more like a beginning. And I want to share with you a way that you can be a part of the show to help spread hope to your fellow writers, but also to help you practice acknowledging your wins. And in general, most of us writers are not good at that. We are not good at recognizing our small but significant gains. So, starting in season four, which is going to kick off in September of 2026, I'm going to be launching a new segment called The Courage Files. And it's all about listener wins. The mission of the Write It Scared podcast has always been to give you practical writing tools and mindset support to help you move forward despite doubt. And one of the most powerful tools that we have that we often forget about is each other. It is in each other that we find hope. And hope means hearing other people's experiences. When we hear what other writers have faced and how they've kept going, something inside of us shifts. We feel less alone, we feel more capable, and we become more willing to try. So I want to invite you to be a part of that. If something in your writing life has shifted, big or small, because of this podcast, or simply because you choose to keep going, I would be honored to hear about it and share it on the podcast. Anonymously or not, that will be your choice. And the wins don't need to be big or dramatic, like finding an agent or publishing a novel. They might be just as simple as you choosing to open your manuscript instead of your social media. It might look like you just decided to start a new project that might have felt too big or intimidating before. Or maybe you finished a chapter or a scene or your outline, or you finally worked through a big plot tangle, or landed on your viewpoint character, or you figured out your character's motivation. Maybe that win looks like you submitting your work for your first time. You letting somebody read your words for the first time. Maybe you reached out for feedback for the first time, or found a beta reader, or maybe you just found a writing rhythm that works for you, or you started writing again after you took a long break, or maybe you found a way to set boundaries to protect your writing time. These small moments matter. Very often, the courage that truly counts is found in these quiet moments that no one sees but you and that you often discount. And these small moments matter because they build into something bigger. So I will put a link in the show notes where you can submit your win, your moment of writing courage to the courage files. And then beginning in season four, I'll randomly select one submission per quarter to receive a free editorial assessment of up to 10 pages of a manuscript and a 30-minute one-on-one coaching session with me. So there's no purchase necessary to be eligible for this. The only action that you need to take is to submit to the courage files. And then with your permission, I'll be sharing some of those on the show. And again, the point will be to inspire other writers because your moment, what you went through, might be exactly what somebody else needs to hear. And you also need to acknowledge your gains. So if you want to participate in the Courage Files, you can find the submission details in the show notes. Okay, so that was my big exciting thing. And now I'm going to get a little vulnerable. It feels uncomfortable to ask for support, but this podcast is literally about doing meaningful things, even when they are uncomfortable, especially when they are uncomfortable. So here I am. If this show has helped you, encouraged you, or simply kept you company while you work on your writing and you'd like to help it continue, one way to do that is by becoming a patron. So for less than the cost of a fancy coffee per month, you can help cover the production costs and keep the show going. There's, of course, absolutely no pressure. The podcast will remain free. But if you've ever wondered how to say thank you in a tangible way, this is one option. But honestly, just listening and sharing and being a part of the community already means so much, more than you could ever know. But I will put a link in the show notes if you want to learn more about becoming a patron and supporting the Right It's Gared podcast. Thank you for being here. Truly. Thank you for writing. Thank you for listening. Thank you for helping make this community what it is. We are 100 episodes in and we are still growing strong. I'll be back next week with a new guest. Until then, take care. Happy writing. Thank you for listening to the Ride It's Gared podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please make sure to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode. And please leave a review. Reviews help other writers like you find the voices and messages they need to hear to continue to write their stories. Let's lift each other up. Remember, you can be scared and still be unstoppable. I'll see you next week.