Bestselling author Jessica Brody will show you the 15-point “Beat Sheet” that functions as your road map for writing a novel and what to do when you’re overwhelmed by how much ground you have to cover in your book.
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This week, I have the honor of sharing my interview with poet and editor, Charnell Peters.
Charnell Peters is the author of the poetry chapbook Un-Becoming from 30 West Publishing House. Her previous work has appeared in Foundry, Hippocampus, Crab Creek Review, and elsewhere. She is the editor of Ruminate Magazine’s online publication The Waking.
I love our conversation here because we got to go deep into a discussion around craft plus very practical tips for poets and writers to overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and imposter syndrome.
In this interview, we touch on a few things like:
How to honor whatever emotional state you're in and write anyway
A brilliant and simple strategy for poets to outwit perfectionism, which I'm going to start using myself
How to think like a poet in daily life when you're out in the world
How new writers can manage the pressure of “creating a brand” and be content in the present moment, wherever they are in the process
Plus, Charnell shares a lovely poetry reading with us at the end, so be sure to watch all the way through
Author Sophfronia Scott's latest novel is Unforgivable Love, a vivid reimagining of the French classic Les Liaisons Dangereuses. She’s also the author of an essay collection, Love’s Long Line, from Ohio State University Press’s Mad Creek Books and a memoir, This Child of Faith: Raising a Spiritual Child in a Secular World, co-written with her son Tain, from Paraclete Press.
Her essays, short stories, and articles have appeared in Killens Review of Arts & Letters, Saranac Review, Ruminate, Barnstorm Literary Journal, Sleet Magazine, NewYorkTimes.com, and O, The Oprah Magazine. Her essay “Why I Didn’t Go to the Firehouse” is listed among the Notables in Best American Essays 2017.
It was so cool to talk to her about the importance of taking our work seriously, because, as you'll see in this interview, there's a lot at stake when you're called to creative work.
Sophfronia is a paragon of consistency and devotion to her craft as a writer. It was so cool to talk to her about the importance of taking our work seriously, because, as you'll see in this interview, there's a lot at stake when you're called to creative work.
In this interview, we talk about:
what to do when essay or story ideas come to you in the shower
how to breathe new life into a classic tale
steps you can take to honor your writing life
the importance of non-writing writing and what she calls "creativity play dates"
how being a "project-oriented" writer can ease overwhelm so you can show up and do the work
Plus, Sophfronia offers a kick-in-the-butt pep-talk for writers at the very end, so you'll want to watch all the way through.
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Melissa Reeser Poulin is the author of Rupture, Light from Finishing Line Press and co-editor of the anthology Winged: New Writing on Bees. Her poems and essays can be found in Relief Journal, Entropy Magazine, Writers Resist, Ruminate Magazine, Hip Mama, Coffee + Crumbs, among other journals. She writes a newsletter and blogs at melissareeserpoulin.com.
For any of you who have struggled to integrate your writing life into daily life, family life, and your other creative interests, this interview is for YOU. Melissa Reeser Poulin is one of the most curious, creative, and nurturing people I know, and you'll see from this interview she has a lot more going on than just writing poems. She is the epitome of a life-long learner––diving into biology, acupuncture, community development––and it all informs her creative process. In this interview, we talk about
How it's okay to "write less" and let go of the guilt of not writing "enough."
How we writers need to ditch our "should" and be kinder to ourselves.
We talked about how she deleted ALL of her social media accounts while remaining a fierce advocate for the benefits of community.
And you'll learn how to create a narrative arch out of a collection of poems
And so much more!
“One of my proudest achievements is the fact that I finished a first draft.”
Are you struggling to develop a consistent writing schedule? Maybe you're having trouble sticking to your dedicated writing time? Perfectionism? Imposter syndrome? Maybe you feel frozen when you sit down to write. My friend, today's LitHabits Alumni Spotlight interview is just for you. My workshop student Christal Mancari is a speculative fiction writer, and she had all of those same doubts and fears. She moved through them and finished the first draft of her novel using the strategies she learned in my workshop. Watch the full interview and learn how she did it.
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