This week we're talking about an obstacle, but also a force that you need to get comfortable with in order to take all of the steps that are necessary to build a writing life. This experience, or force, or process is getting comfortable with risks. The experience of doing something without any certainty of the outcome is necessary to look forward, learn, and believe in the possibility of growth. Visit this episode's show notes page here: www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep9 Hosted on Aca...
Nov 18, 2021•29 min
Welcome back, today on episode eight we are going to talk about not writing. This is a somewhat surprising topic, but I think that by the end of the episode you'll see why it's important. Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe...
Nov 11, 2021•20 min
Over the past few weeks of this podcast, I've been able to reflect a lot on my own writing life. Because of that, I've begun to realize I can't talk about making a writing life without including the impact of Coronavirus and the pandemic, so I want to share my story of what happened in 2020 because it illustrates the way many of us have shifted around writing in the past couple of years. Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep7 Hosted on Aca...
Nov 04, 2021•23 min
Welcome back to the Secret Library! Today we'll be covering the relationship between teaching and building your own writing life. Teaching is one of the most frequently suggested jobs for writers, so it deserved its own discussion. There are major advantages for writers who teach, and also quite a few challenges. Let's explore. Visit this episode's show notes page here: www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep6 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public epis...
Oct 28, 2021•26 min
Today I'm bringing in today's theme as a pair: boundaries and burnout. These two obstacles in the creative writing life have a cause and effect relationship. Boundaries can be an obstacle, but are also an essential protector. Visit this episode's show notes page here: www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep5 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.boo...
Oct 21, 2021•28 min
Welcome to episode four, in which we're moving on to the concept of creative fuel. Writing is not so different from driving a car or an athlete running — it'll only continue while there's fuel to burn. Visit this episode's show notes page here: www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep4 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe...
Oct 14, 2021•26 min
Today we're talking about the third obstacle that I faced when constructing a writing life over the past number of years. This one is a little bit less concrete than the ones we've looked at before — it's mindset (the way you think about yourself as a writer and how you think about your writing). This one is difficult to nail down, but it's so important. Visit this episode's show notes page here: http://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/s5-ep3 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...
Oct 07, 2021•24 min
Today on the podcast we're going to talk about one of many obstacles I've faced while trying to put writing at the center of my life. This obstacle is one that I hear the most about from other writers, which is time — managing time, having enough time, spending the time you want on writing. This is the perpetual complaint. My mantra for years and years was, "If only I had more time, I could get more writing done." Let's dive in. Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrar...
Sep 30, 2021•22 min
Welcome to season 5 of The Secret Library Podcast, Making a Writing Life. This season is a little bit different because each episode will be a solo show. In the past, I've wrapped up the seasons with a solo show, and I began to notice that there was more that I wanted to share that I couldn't fit into one episode. So, each episode this season will be a new topic centering on obstacles that we all face as writers and creative when it comes to making time for our writing. I'll share the solutions ...
Sep 23, 2021•30 min
How does visibility change your relationship to writing? How much of your process do you make public? How soon do you share your work after it’s written? We’ve explored these and other questions this season and today I’m wrapping things up with our final solo episode. It’s my continual dream to make this show more visible. If this or any other episode inspires you, please share it with a friend and review a show wherever you listen to podcasts. Thank you, thank you for being a part of The Secret...
Apr 15, 2021•41 min
We didn't expect to share this panel as an episode. But it was so incredible that I couldn't resist.In this heartfelt conversation, I chat with seven writers who completed novel drafts in 2020. We cover all the things that held them back, what they believed was possible for themselves as writers before 2020, and what they see in the future for their writing now. There's laughter and tears, from the panel as well as the audience. I couldn't be more impressed with and inspired by this group. Happy...
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 21 min
Mia P. Manansala won multiple awards for her writing before her first novel sold. She wrote a book she was proud of, found an agent, but that book hasn't yet sold. She persevered, writing a different novel, teamed up with a new agent and happily, Arsenic and Adobo comes out this May. How did she stay motivated through this multi-year process? Community played a huge part. As a 2017 Pitch Wars alum and 2018-20 mentor, Mia hasn't had to go it alone along the way. In this episode, we discuss the ro...
Apr 01, 2021•53 min
What a gift I have for you this week! We began this season by questioning the need to be online in order to be visible, and now we discuss another view. Nikka Karli is a source of powerful inspiration and truth, which she chooses to write about and share online. In this conversation we talk about connecting the magic of your creativity, honoring it, and protecting it from the impulse to work for an algorithm, rather than your own internal knowing. I was totally flying with inspiration after this...
Mar 25, 2021•44 min
While it was a joy to speak with Raynor Winn when she first came on the podcast to discuss The Salt Path, her bestselling memoir, this episode has me even more excited. Why? Because this memoir covers the period after walking the path, and takes us all the way through Raynor’s experience writing the Salt Path, getting it published, ans the often terrifying prospect of having to tell people she was a writer. What a gift to follow this story through the part most writers don’t share, and to discus...
Mar 18, 2021•39 min
Claire Harnett-Mann is a brilliant poet and author, and I couldn't be happier to introduce her to you as the first D2D alum with a publishing deal. in this conversation, we look at how Claire chose the press she went with, her thoughts around getting a Masters in Creative Writing, and what it's like to be able to include "forthcoming" with the title of her novella in her bio. We often hear from those years and years ahead in the process of putting work out in the world. I'm so grateful to hear C...
Mar 04, 2021•43 min
It was such an honor to speak with Natalie Goldberg, whose work I've admired for years. In discussing her most recent book, Three Simple Lines, I was struck again and again how beautiful it was that haiku masters, many writing centuries ago, are still able to touch our lives in the present. Natalie shares her passion for haiku and and how she transformed her love and curiosity about such a revered form of poetry into this book. How beautiful that many choices to make stories visible and share pe...
Feb 25, 2021•35 min
As writers, we often prefer hiding away in our private worlds, but eventually we need to share our work to make the impact we dream of. But... this doesn't look the same for everyone. Since so many writers are taught that visibility in writing = social media, I invited Alexandra Franzen back on. A writer with numerous books to her name, she doesn't participate in any social media, because it doesn't work for her. We'll be asking lots of questions this season, so you can work on becoming visible ...
Feb 18, 2021•1 hr 3 min
Throughout this season, I've been amazed at the depth of these discussions. I originally planned for a less intense season this go-round, given the year we've all had, but this topic refused to stay on the surface of things. Wrapping up another theme, in this final solo episode on The Nourished Writer I share many of the discoveries I've made throughout this wild ride of a year. What's kept me inspired, motivated, and engaged in writing — it's all here. What's the Boat Explosion Principle, you m...
Dec 17, 2020•34 min
I hadn't planned to have Sarah on this season, since we've had so many episodes together, but when it came time to wrap recording, it felt wrong. We came to this episode without notes, without a specific topic other than to explore what was nourishing each of us as writers at this point in time. As we come to the final weeks of the madness that has been 2020, Sarah and I also explore what our goals have been for writing at this point, and how our metrics for success have changed. This is one of ...
Dec 10, 2020•53 min
I must confess: I was dying to post this episode the second we finished recording it. Many of you have heard me recommend Helen's helpful YouTube videos as well as her encouraging online presence overall. I loved these videos and suggestions so much this year, and they were a delight to my audience as well. And yet, there was a price to pay to create at the pace Helen was setting. This week, we look at the pros and cons of maintaining a prolific online presence alongside your writing practice. H...
Dec 03, 2020•43 min
This summer, I started challenging writers to get out the fancy notebook they've been saving and start writing in it. We called it #fancynotebookchallenge, and it felt like a fun and silly way to make writing a special occasion. But as I dug further, as has been the case with many topics this season, there was a lot more to it. Mark + Fold has long been one of my favorite stationers, and their diary is how I plan my week, every week. When I found out Amy would be celebrating 5 years of Mark + Fo...
Nov 26, 2020•51 min
Amie McNee has been speaking up about the creative process for years. She's boosted many of us with her gentle-yet-fierce handwritten messages on instagram, where she shares as @inspiredtowrite. I adore Amie's work, and when she put out an episode debunking hustle culture on her podcast, Unpublished, I knew she was a must for this season. Amie and I could have done a whole season rather than just one episode. It was such joy to chat with her about the approach to creativity we both promote, that...
Nov 19, 2020•43 min
Has there been another title this fitting to the moment released this year? I doubt it. And how perfect that it was decided years in advance, as a favorite saying of Jacqueline's father's during the hard times after the second world war. Reading this memoir, and discussing it with Jacqueline, was a wonderful reminder that we can get through so much more than we think. As a fan of the Maisie Dobbs series, reading this memoir felt like a tour of the author's life, seeing all the events that inspir...
Nov 12, 2020•54 min
I'm so grateful to welcome Greta Solomon back to the show. With her bright approach to life and incredible insight into the writing process, I always love to have writers who also teach and coach on the show. Greta and I had such an exciting conversation about taking good care of ourselves and how to stay connected and inspired as part of my Write Free course this past summer, and it didn't feel fair to keep that insight just in the class. Greta and I caught up again this fall to debunk the myth...
Nov 05, 2020•49 min
It's entirely possible that I've recommended Emily and Amelia Nagoski's book Burnout to every student I've had in the last 18 months. As someone who's experienced burnout in a number of contexts, I was no stranger to the topic, but this book was an excellent resource for anyone finding it hard to separate from writing after a tough scene, writing about painful subjects, or struggling creatively in general. Now that we're headed toward the end of the year we've had, I was happy dancing around the...
Oct 29, 2020•54 min
Tana French finished her last book in February 2020 As we discussed, this was a brilliant stroke of luck, finishing right before everything turned upside down. However, this isn't the first time she's written through challenging times. Her challenge has also been dealing with the darker aspects of human nature through each of her novels, so we got down to specifics about how she writes dark stories without getting dragged down. Character is a central part of her process, so those thinking about ...
Oct 22, 2020•29 min
If we want to write, we must learn to ask for what we need. Thankfully today's guest, Kemi Nekvapil, has written a beautiful book called The Gift of Asking to help us with this often challenging task. In addition to learning how to speak up, how to choose ourselves, and to ask for what will allow us to write, Kemi shared generously in this episode from inside the experience of working on her third book. We explored the role of both fear and vulnerability, and how to take care of ourselves when s...
Oct 15, 2020•49 min
Earlier this year, Rachael Stephen taught a workshop called The Story Toolkit In this presentation, she thoughtfully did away with one of the biggest hassles most writers face: how do I keep track of my ideas? Sometimes being a nourished writer isn't just about what you take in, it's about how you store what you put out. Rachael is also an expert in The Plot Embryo, an outlining method that I've fallen in love with through her teaching. In this episode, we explore the various containers our work...
Oct 08, 2020•50 min
Esmé Weijun Wang was the second-ever guest on this podcast. Her novel, Border of Paradise, had recently come out to great acclaim and we had a delicious discussion about fiction and taboo. In the years since, she‘s written an equally lauded book of essays, The Collected Schizophrenias, which explores the complex constellation of this illness and her relationship to it. Esmé has also worked to build community and courses for those writers who are, as she puts it „ambitious with limitations.“ I’ve...
Oct 01, 2020•50 min
We often avoid talking about money when we talk about writing. I have loved Sarah Von Bargen for years, as her blog Yes and Yes has been an ongoing source of inspiration and insight around nurturing yourself without blowing all your savings. Being a nurtured writer involves introspection that we excavate with gusto this week: what do you really enjoy doing? How can you reward yourself in a way that's meaningful and affordable? What does it take to be happy and fulfilled as a writer? This episode...
Sep 24, 2020•45 min
