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Explore every episode of the podcast Slow Writing: Create at Your Own Pace

Dive into the complete episode list for Slow Writing: Create at Your Own Pace. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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1–50 of 69

TitlePub. DateDuration
67. Fiction Has Nowhere to Hide with Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay31 May 202600:53:26

Rajendrani Mukhopadhyay “put away the call of her soul” to become a scientist, earning a PhD. in biochemistry and cellular and molecular biology. But after two decades as a science writer, feeling grateful for her career wasn’t enough. Her debut novel, Chitra Demands to Go Home, was drafted in the car during her youngest kid’s tennis practice, and Raj proceeded to encounter the sheer vulnerability of fiction where you can’t hide behind rules, facts, or data. 

Episode Highlights

  • Unique ways science storytelling prepared Raj for fiction

  • Moments of generosity that led to writing (and finishing) her novel

  • What happened when she accidentally showed up to an open mic night with nothing to read

  • First draft strategies: writing in the car and using a distraction-free typewriter

  • Navigating a story through ambiguity

  • How an ordinary conversation with her mom planted the seed of her novel idea

  • Writing the realistic yet mythological mother/son relationship in Bengali culture

  • The surprising reaction from her LinkedIn community after announcing her book

  • The vulnerability of publication after a lifetime of meeting external expectations

Links + Mentions

Let’s Connect

66. Creative Flow in Menopause with Vanessa Novissimo Wright14 May 202600:47:00

For Part 3 of our cycle series, I’m in conversation with Vanessa Novissimo Wright, a creative communications strategist, writer, and certified life coach for midlife creatives. Before she was fully tapped into her midlife joy and authenticity, Vanessa had a pretty rough perimenopause experience. She generously shares the low points in her journey, which led her to develop a self-care method that keeps her connected to herself and her creative well. If you’re struggling to make sense of this life stage and in need of some wisdom from someone who’s been through it, you don’t want to miss this one.

Episode Highlights

  • How her perimenopause symptoms forced her into deep relationship with herself

  • The daily practice of surrender 

  • The FLOW method that keeps her grounded

  • Vanessa’s “self-care-bag” and how she made her car a creative cocoon when her kids were young

  • How a “planting seeds” approach to pave the way for embracing creativity in menopause

  • Essential practices when you’re experiencing fatigue, brain fog, and can’t string sentences together

  • The creative permission slips she’s giving to midlife folks she coaches

  • Releasing perfectionism around journaling

  • The necessity of fun, whimsy, and joy on the journey

Meet Vanessa

Vanessa Novissimo Wright is a creative communications strategist, writer, and certified life coach for midlife creatives. She helps them navigate menopause with creativity and joy so they can show up vibrantly for their community. Using her FLOW self-care method, Vanessa guides clients to embrace this age and stage of life with clarity, creativity, and curiosity. Follow her on Instagram and Substack.

+ Go to the show notes for links and resources mentioned in the episode

+ Sign up for my encouraging newsletter

+ Curl up with one of my books: WILD WORDS and EAT THIS POEM

Slow Writing Trailer21 Dec 202500:03:35

🎙️🐌 Big news, listeners! 

Wild Words is now… Slow Writing. 

After a year and a half hiatus, we're back with a new name, new cover art, and new episodes coming your way in January 2026. 

This show might be freshened up on the outside, but we’ll still dig into all the same topics—seasonal creative living, separating our worth from productivity culture, untangling from social media, the relationship between writing and our bodies, and more.

Tune in for a preview of what’s on the horizon!

57. Searching for White Space (Rerun)10 Jun 202400:41:24

Closing out this batch of episodes and heading into summer, I'm re-releasing one of my most popular shows from last year: Searching for White Space.

Because we’re conditioned to link our productivity to self-worth, we’re not always practiced in the art of releasing and slowing down, so I wanted to share my own experience in an effort to help you find your own white space in whatever season you need it.

Episode Highlights:

  • White space on the page vs. the white space in our creative lives
  • Nature isn’t productive 24/7 and we shouldn’t be easier
  • How we can struggle with resistance when taking time to rest
  • A 4-step process you can implement to cultivate white space if you need it

Let’s Connect

56. The Best Questions I've Been Asked on Book Tour03 Jun 202400:22:11

Seven years ago this spring, I was in Brooklyn on book tour for my literary cookbook, Eat This Poem. I was there for a live radio spot and a bookstore event, and had time to find the cutest coffee shop where I parked myself for three hours to write the draft of my proposal for Wild Words, which came out a couple of years later.

When starting to work on episodes for this season of the podcast, I came across an old draft called “Notes from the Road.” This document was filled with questions I was asked at events—the kinds of questions that were so good I wanted to share them with everyone who wasn’t there in person.

Questions We Discuss

  • If you have 3 kids and 20 minutes of free time, what should you work on first?

  • How do you get back to writing if you haven’t done it in a while?

  • Does your writing process change with each book?

  • What’s the secret of balancing writing with everything else?

  • Have you ever been afraid of success?

  • When you do have a margin, how do you avoid just scrolling through Instagram?

  • How do you reconcile wanting to write for yourself, but also the desire to get affirmation for your work? 

  • How do you be content with just being a writer, and not being the next Ann Patchett? 

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

55. Are We Ever Really Finished?20 May 202400:23:52

Today I’m answering a listener question: How do you know when you’re done? It seems straightforward on the surface—you’re done when the essay is published, when the book comes out, or when the workshop is over. But not every writing project has defined edges. In fact, this episode argues that when we’re wondering if we’re done with something, we’re actually asking the wrong question. 

Conversation Starters

“When something is finished, it might mean something is true. It could mean someone will read your words. It means you now need to relate to this part of your life differently. You need to tell a new story about what happened to yourself. None of these things are bad, but when we're habituated to the old narratives, change is always hard.”

Episode Highlights

  • Understanding completion as a phased experience

  • Questions to ask yourself to gauge where you are in the process

  • Examples of finishing—from blogging to Facebook groups

  • The advice MFK Fisher gave Ruth Reichel that changed the course of her career (and her relationship to finishing)

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

54. A Cyclical Approach to Social Media13 May 202400:24:40

Because of social media’s shape-shifting nature (hello, algorithms) it’s useful to check in a few times a year to see if it’s still serving you, and if there’s anything you’d like to change about how you’re using it. This episode is less about whether or not you should be on these platforms in the first place, and more about how to be in relationship to our visibility and the internet at large in ways that are inspired by nature and our bodies. 

Conversation Starters

“It might seem strange to give this much thought to how we’re using apps like Instagram, but I think it’s really important, especially because as Annie Dillard once wrote, “how we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” 

Episode Highlights

  • A framework for social media use based on your body’s inner seasons, the lunar calendar, and nature’s shifts

  • Prioritizing our needs within the framework of a larger digital ecosystem

  • 5 suggestions for using social media based on your menstrual cycle

  • 6 ways to play with the cyclical energy of your choosing (and still benefit from Instagram)

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

53. Let's Plan a Writing Retreat! 06 May 202400:38:32

If you’re ready to give yourself the gift of space, time, and rest, this episode is for you. I’m sharing the highs and lows of a recent writing retreat I took with a friend, plus lots of takeaways to help you plan your own DIY getaway.

Episode Highlights

  • Why even one night away is always worth it (and how to make the most of a short trip)

  • Thinking through the when, where, and how—logistics are covered

  • The pros and cons of solo vs. group retreats

  • The value of meal planning (including my favorite sparkling water and a tip for when you return home)

  • Seeing the momentum before and after a retreat as adding to the overall experience

  • How to capture retreat magic at home

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

52. Micro-Shifts to Prioritize Writing23 Apr 202400:16:08

Writing in the margins isn’t just the actual time captured, it’s also the belief that these micro-moments add up to something. In Part 1 of our liminal space series, we discussed the “sacred pause,” Part 2 covered how to approach liminal seasons as a vacation from writing, and today we explore re-entry. What happens after we’ve moved through a pause, a break, or liminal season but also find the same schedules and demands waiting for us? 

Conversation Starters

“Big shifts are harder to achieve and make sustainable long-term, so pick one, maybe two things to start with and see what happens when you prioritize your writing again with both your energy AND your time.”

Episode Highlights

  • How I moved through creative liminal space in 2023

  • Experiments to reconnect to your writing practice

  • Why writing magazines can help you feel connected

  • What’s happened since making micro-shifts to prioritize writing

Let’s Connect

51. How to Take a Vacation from Writing16 Apr 202400:20:32

After spending three weeks away from home this winter (more on why in the episode), it got me thinking about how we spend time off from our writing routines, and how to approach it when we do. This episode is full of real-time insights on preparing for a break, including suggestions for mindfully setting expectations and cultivating curiosity along the way. 

Episode Highlights

  • What *not* to do when you’re preparing for a break or vacation

  • How to set realistic expectations

  • 6 things to try when you’re out of your regular writing routine

  • My biggest takeaways from three weeks away from home

Let’s Connect

50. “Make Space, Not Time” and Other Insights from the Sacred Pause09 Apr 202400:20:00

In a world driven by doing, pausing can feel lazy, inaccessible, and scary. Most of us know that rest is important, but often find ourselves caught between what our bodies are telling us and the cultural expectations we’re pushing up against. It’s a lot to navigate, and takes time to soften into. In Part 1 of a 3-part series on liminal space and creative pauses, hear the wisdom from three writers who have approached this in different ways, plus a handful of practical suggestions for embracing this energy in daily life. 

Conversation Starters

“I had intentionally brought no distractions: no email, no books, no articles to read, no doing-things, no podcasts, no small or big work tasks, no lists, no organizing intentions, nothing. That was it. It sounds easy. It wasn’t.” —author Molly Caro May on her recent sabbatical 

Episode Highlights

  • 3 authors on how pausing has impacted their creativity

  • Reflections from book burnout, starting a brand new book, and planned sabbaticals

  • The attachment between worth and productivity

  • Practical suggestions for embracing the pause in daily life

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

49. Seasonal Reflection Ritual: Spring 202402 Apr 202400:19:30

Welcome to a new season of Wild Words! I’ve recently completed my seasonal reflection ritual, and am sharing my process to support your writing practice too. We’re covering what came up in winter, the books I’m looking forward to reading, what my writing life looks right now, plus a few podcast updates. 

Episode Highlights

  • How a reflection ritual supports your writing practice

  • Why wintering doesn’t always mean not writing

  • The books I’m excited to read this spring

  • 8 questions to ask yourself as you head into a new season

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

65. Perimenopause Will Change Your Writing Life01 May 202600:31:06

Perimenopause, over a period of many years, is a radical recalibration of brain and body. As Lisa Mosconi writes in her book THE MENOPAUSE BRAIN, “it’s not just brain energy that changes during menopause but that the brain’s structure, regional connectivity, and overall chemistry are also impacted.” We feel these changes physically, mentally, spiritually, and also creatively. This episode explores the tangible ways perimenopause symptoms require us to reimagine our writing life, and practical suggestions for navigating the sometimes choppy waters. 

Episode Highlights

  • Physical, mental, and spiritual symptoms of perimenopause

  • Reframing this transition as a creative rebirth

  • The moment Roxane Gay understood writer’s block as a menopause symptom and not a moral failure. 

  • Honest reflections from my own perimenopause journey

  • Learning to move at the pace of fluctuating energy levels 

  • 3 perimenopause and menopause books to read

+ Go to the show notes for links and resources mentioned in the episode

+ Sign up for my encouraging newsletter

+ Curl up with one of my books: WILD WORDS and EAT THIS POEM

48. 6 Ways to Soothe Your Nervous System14 Nov 202300:27:17

Learning what makes your brain and body feel supported and safe is an act of self-love. With a spirit of experimentation, this episode offers a variety of ways to soothe your nervous system, tune in to what feels good, and prioritize rest on a daily basis.

Episode Highlights

  • Why experimentation is a key to understanding your nervous system

  • The easiest type of breathwork to try

  • Which types of books are the most relaxing to read

  • Why rewatching old sitcoms can help your body integrate

  • A pitch for touching trees

  • The essential oils I can’t live without

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

47. Starting Over as a Writer on the Internet07 Nov 202300:21:56

Surprise! After a year of consideration, I’ve officially moved my newsletter to Substack and this episode is the audio version of my first official post. From my brief history in the entrepreneurial world (hello, burnout) to the slow and methodical steps I’ve taken to simplify how I show up (and where), we’re talking about what it means to be a writer online today.

Episode Highlights

  • The mistakes I made when pursuing and online business

  • 4 reasons it took me so long to stop doing all the things

  • How Substack supports my decision to embrace ease

  • Why paying for a newsletter service was less about the money and more about keeping my body in survival mode

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

46. Experiments with NaNoWriMo24 Oct 202300:17:50

Every November, writers from around the world commit to writing daily for 30 days, with the goal of generating  50,000 words of a new novel. National Novel Writing Month has enormous potential for helping us make progress, but not everyone feels comfortable with the parameters. If you have a new project you’re itching to make progress on, the concept of NaNoWriMo can be useful, but it’s not one size fits all.

Episode Highlights

  • The benefits of participating in NaNoWriMo

  • Why poets and memoirists (not just novelists) should consider it as a tool

  • How to customize the experience to work for your current season

  • Why writing 1,600 words per day doesn’t work for everyone (and what to try instead)

  • Public and private accountability ideas

  • Schedule tweaks that fit into your day

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

45. Preparing Your Nervous System for Publication with Tiffany Clarke Harrison17 Oct 202301:07:25

My guest today is Tiffany Clarke Harrison and we’re talking about the shadow side of publication—something many writers experience but rarely discuss publicly. While it’s normal to experience self-doubt, comparison, anxiety, and feeling like you want to crawl into a hole a couple of weeks before your book comes out, we often meet ourselves with shame, believing that we should simply be grateful for the opportunity. But what we really need is to offer tender compassion, and get in the habit of expanding our capacity for joy long before launch day. 

Episode Highlights

  • Why paying attention to how our body feels in different situations is the first step to preparing yourself for publication

  • Recognizing and avoiding the shame spiral of “I should be grateful” in the midst of “this also feels scary”

  • A 7-word mantra we can use during publication (or anytime!) you’re heading into a visible season

  • The importance of expanding our capacity for joy long before books are released

  • The play-by-play experience of finding out Obama chose her book for his summer reading list (and why she was ready to experience it)

  • Why choosing presence is a gift to yourself and your nervous system

  • The difference between bragging and celebrating your work

Meet Tiffany

Tiffany Clarke Harrison is an author, author mentor/book coach, and intuitive introvert whose blood runs thick with feelings and beauty and purpose: writing stories that reflect what it means to be human, and guiding authors of literary fiction to do the same. She writes about feelings: the ones that feel good, the ones that don’t, and definitely the ones you don’t want anyone to know. She graduated from Queens University of Charlotte with her MFA in fiction, and her novel, Blue Hour, was listed as one of the best books of 2023 by Vulture and made Barack Obama’s 2023 summer reading list. 

Links:

Conversation Starters

“When you have wanted something for so long and it’s arrived, or it’s about to land, your body goes ‘I don’t know what to do with this. We know how to *not* have this, but we don’t know how to have this.’”

“We really don’t celebrate enough. I tell this to clients all the time. Even if it’s ‘I just wrote a page,’ or ‘I just got this sentence out that really scared me,’ what are you going to do to celebrate? Because celebrating stretches that nervous system to receive more of it.”

“Let’s just lean forward. We’re just gonna breathe. For a while I just sat there… I don’t feel like a real person, but we’re gonna try and breathe and be really excited and also, I realized you have been building up to this moment right here.”

“People want to feel joy. They want to feel good. Will some people be annoyed? Sure. That’s fine. There are so many more people who want to experience joy even when it is through someone else’s excitement.”

Let’s Connect:

44. Should Writers Be on Substack?03 Oct 202300:34:05

Ever since Substack came on the scene, writers have flocked to the platform which claims to be a social media alternative that supports writers getting paid for their work. But is it something all authors should use? If you’re Substack curious, trying to decide whether or not to host your newsletter there, or just want some thoughtful ways to think through the decision, don’t miss this episode.

Episode Highlights:

  • What Substack is (and isn’t)

  • Pros and cons of using the platform

  • Deciding when to turn on paid subscriptions

  • Soulful questions to mull over as you decide where to show up online

  • How running a paid Substack is impacting my decision to use it now

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect:

43. Why Writers Need Rest with Ximena Vengoechea26 Sep 202300:58:00

In her new book, Rest Easy, Ximena Vengoechea describes rest as “a state of being in which nothing is required of us. It’s a time where we can just be.” For writers who are typing away in addition to holding down a day job and parenting, rest can feel illusive, but as it turns out, rest is an essential tool of any creative practice. In our modern world, accessing restorative rest requires awareness and intention alongside a healthy spirit of experimentation, which is exactly what we’re talking about in this practical and empowering episode.

Meet Ximena: Ximena Vengoechea is a user researcher, writer, and illustrator whose work on personal and professional development has been published in Inc., The Washington Post, Newsweek, Forbes, and Huffington Post. She is the author of the new book, Rest Easy: Discover Calm and Abundance through the Radical Power of Rest. Her previous book is Listen Like You Mean it: Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection (Penguin Random House). Ximena is a contributor at Fast Company and The Muse, and writes Letters from Ximena, a newsletter about staying curious, getting creative, and living well. She is also the creator of the popular project The Life Audit. Ximena is a keynote speaker on topics such as empathetic and inclusive listening, navigating difficult conversations, and preventing burnout. She previously worked at Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter, and currently advises select startups and executives on user research, executive communication, and resting well. 

A few highlights:

  • The 3 types of rest (it’s not just napping)

  • Undoing the relationship between productivity and self-worth

  • The unseen work of writing and how it informs our rest practice

  • The false promise of multitasking 

  • What happens to our brain when we take breaks

  • How reading outside your genre can be restful

  • 6 rest tips informed by the writer’s life

42. Rituals for Transitioning from Summer to Fall12 Sep 202300:21:07

With a new season upon us, the time is ripe for considering new routines. On this episode we’re talking about the transition from summer to fall, including why it can feel more intense (especially for sensitive souls). I’m sharing six categories of routine I’m currently thinking about—including beverages and literary journal submissions—to give you ideas to play with and inspiration to take with you into the cooler days ahead.

Episode Highlights

  • Why fall can bring up lots of big feelings

  • An essential question to ask during this transition time

  • 6 ways to embrace the new season

  • The calm that comes from cleaning

  • The one ritual I recommend to everyone (and it only takes 10 minutes a day)

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

41. The Discomfort of White Space05 Sep 202300:15:49

As much as we long for time to rest and afternoons to daydream, the reality can sometimes be… uncomfortable. After taking the summer to pause, I’m sharing four lessons I came away with, including why I almost thought this experiment was a bad idea, the project I dusted off and completed in a single weekend, and more.


Episode Highlights

  • On creating pauses any time of year

  • What to do when new ideas come rushing through

  • How much work it really takes to create white space

  • Why white space can feel uncomfortable 

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect:

40. Searching for White Space02 Jun 202300:39:51

Nature expands and contracts, and so do we. It’s normal to experience periods of needing more rest, longing for time off after completing a big project, or craving the freedom to write in our journals without worrying about what the words might (or should) become. But because we’re conditioned to link our productivity to self-worth, we’re not always practiced in the art of releasing.  Join me as we explore what it looks like to offer ourselves more spaciousness, how to take intentional pauses, and why it’s essential to honor our personal and creative needs in any season. 


Episode Highlights

  • White space on the page vs. white space in our creative lives

  • A personal update on why my life was put on pause this spring

  • Why nature isn’t productive 24/7 (and we shouldn’t be either)

  • Struggling with resistance when taking time to rest

  • My 4-step process for cultivating white space in any season

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect

39. The Poetry of Shame & Self-Forgiveness with Cheryl Wilder17 Apr 202300:39:34

Cheryl Wilder and I met four years ago at a writing conference, and I'm so excited to share our conversation to celebrate National Poetry Month! Cheryl’s collection, Anything That Happens, centers around the aftermath of a car crash that she caused in her early twenties. From spending the night in jail to becoming a mother, these poems explore relationships in all their forms—with parents, friends, and ourselves—through the backdrop of shame, self-worth, and forgiveness. We’ve all had moments in life when we’ve made a mistake or wish something turned out differently, and this conversation proves it’s possible to move from the depths of shame to the redemption of self-forgiveness. 

Episode Highlights:

  • How a set of car keys changed the trajectory of her life

  • Why she didn’t feel she deserved to write for 7 years (and how she found her way back)

  • How writing a memoir first became another step in the writing and healing process

  • A writing mantra she lives by

  • The both/and of denying herself joy while simultaneously wanting to help others

  • The decision to shift from writing a memoir to crafting a collection of poetry

  • How her body informs her daily writing practice

  • The secret to writing while raising young children

Meet Cheryl:

Cheryl Wilder’s book Anything That Happens, a Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection (Press 53, 2021), received Second Finalist in the 2022 Poetry Society of Virginia North American Poetry Book Award and Honorable Mention in the Brockman-Campbell Book Award. Her chapbook, What Binds Us, was published in 2017 by Finishing Line Press. Co-founder of Waterwheel Review and president of the Burlington Writers Club, Cheryl received a 2023 North Carolina Arts Council Artist Support Grant.

Links:

Conversation Starters

“I made the decision I wouldn’t write because I didn’t deserve anything that brought me happiness. At the same time, I held a thought that I wanted to help people, to share my story at some point in some way so that I could help somebody not get in the car in the first place, or help someone who’s been in that situation, on either side.”

“I’m an optimist. Part of me believed when I read wise writers or philosophers that I did deserve happiness. There was always that beacon of other people’s stories that one day you can find peace and you deserve it. But I had to work towards that.”

“Desmond Tutu talks about how shame hides. By bringing shame into the room, it resonates with people because people feel shame throughout their lives for one thing or another. The allowance of that emotion is huge.”

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect:

64. The Wise Cycles of Nature & Our Bodies17 Apr 202600:30:54

Welcome to Part 1 of a new 3-part series on cycles. (👀Coming up next? Perimenopause and menopause.) Even though the linear, Gregorian calendar has us celebrating the new year in the darkness of winter, nature and our bodies know the truth: cycles and seasons flow in their own time. But how can we embrace cyclical rhythms in a world designed to suppress or ignore them? It starts with noticing what’s available to us, and making subtle shifts in the direction of our inner knowing. Think of this episode like a buffet—there are myriad ways to engage with the cycles and seasons in our lives and creative practices.

Episode Highlights

  • A grounding ritual to try anytime you drink coffee or tea

  • The main difference between cycles and seasons

  • The history of the Gregorian calendar and understanding “clock time”

  • Why “New Year, New You” energy doesn’t always feel aligned with our bodies

  • 6 types of cycles available to us

  • How to choose which cycles and seasons to engage with 

More Ways to Connect

+ Go to the show notes for links and resources mentioned in the episode

+ Sign up for my encouraging newsletter

+ Curl up with one of my books: WILD WORDS and EAT THIS POEM

38. The Highly Sensitive Writer 28 Mar 202300:23:57

High sensitivity is a term coined by Elaine Aron who wrote The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You, and refers to how deeply you perceive and respond to the world, both your physical and emotional environments. The more deeply your brain processes information, the more sensitive you are. Sensitivity is a fundamental human trait (we’re all sensitive to some degree), but those with a higher degree of sensitivity experience and process the world differently. As creatives, this can be powerful, but it also means we need extra tending, rest, and recovery time. Tune in to learn more about thriving as an HSP writer, and how to support yourself along the way. 

Episode Highlights:

  • The acronym that makes it easier to understand the HSP trait

  • How much of your sensitivity is genetic vs. the environment you were raised in

  • 8 signs you might be an HSP

  • My personal journey to embracing sensitivity

  • 5 ways you might encounter sensitivity in your writing life (and how to work with it)

Linkable Mentions:

Let’s Connect:

37. Somatic Journaling with Jennifer Arnspiger07 Mar 202300:51:31

Anger. Disgust. Shame. Envy. These are the kinds of shadow emotions that today’s guest, Jennifer Arnspiger, loves to explore through the embodied practice of somatic journaling. As she shares in the episode, “so many sensitive people grow up feeling faulty somehow, or like they’re broken” when in fact, the opposite is true. This is the kind of journaling practice that helps you write your way back to worthiness, peel back layers of buried feelings, and release them from your body so you can relate to the stories you’ve told yourself about them in new ways. At its core, somatic journaling is a practice that helps cultivate self-trust and self-love, and break the cycle of self-abandonment that exists when we deny ourselves the truth of our experience.

Episode Highlights

  • How a lifelong love affair with words (and ending a narcissistic relationship) led Jennifer to discover the power of somatic journaling
  • The connection between high sensitivity and somatic journaling
  • The difference between somatic writing (that comes from behind your belly button) versus cerebral writing (that comes from the brain)
  • Suggestions for titrating between different types of writing styles when working with trauma, and recommendations for getting the most out of the experience
  • Why you never need to be afraid of what you’ll find when you start journaling
  • Metaphors involving lobsters, swimming pools, and onions
  • How somatic journaling helps unravel our shame stories and cultivates self-trust
  • 4 prompts to get you started with somatic journaling today

Meet Jennifer:

Jennifer Arnspiger is the author of the memoir Dark Pretty, short story collection Pretty Piece of Flesh and @highlysensitivehealing, the thriving Instagram community for the intense and sensitive. She specializes in helping deeply sensitive women resolve old trauma stories so they can find their peace and their power. A somatic journaling coach, shadow worker and writer, she is the creator of Body Story, a self-paced shadow journaling program that helps sensitive women liberate repressed emotions and resolve old trauma energy so they can finally feel peace inside their skin. She dreams of living in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Links:

Conversation Starters

“Somatic writing isn’t supposed to be polished. It’s supposed to come out the way it’s living in your body.”

“There is something to be said for the thing that you don’t want to write about, or the thing that you don’t want to say, is actually what’s going to serve you to lean in and say at some point.”

“If you lean into what feels ugly in you, you will find what is actually beautiful about you in a really embodied way that you don’t lose once you have it.”

Let’s Connect:

36. The Roots of Decision Fatigue21 Feb 202300:34:42

It’s estimated that we make approximately 226 decisions every day on food alone, and the average adult makes 35,000 decisions daily. So what’s a writer to do when she has 30 minutes to herself and fourteen different ideas, or she’s too tired to focus on any of it? Today we’re exploring a listener question about decision fatigue and how to be responsive to your life and energy without undermining the work you hope to do.

Episode Highlights

  • The relationship between decision fatigue, indecisiveness, and burnout
  • 1 simple question to help clarify your writing priorities
  • How larger systems around productivity, time, and urgency influence decision fatigue
  • My favorite exercise for getting to the heart of where to put my time and energy
  • Getting back to basics in our writing life

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect:

35. What Worked in 202231 Jan 202300:25:14

Do you use December 31 as a deadline for planning your hopes and dreams in the new year? Me too. But I didn't get to it over the holidays, so instead of being hard on myself, I'm believing that my reflections are right on time. Plus, instead of focusing on what didn’t work in 2022, I’m sharing what did. Turns out, New Year’s Eve is entirely arbitrary and rituals like this one can happen anytime.

Episode Highlights

  • 9 things that worked for me in 2022
  • Why I made specific choices around my newsletter, my weekly planner, and even my library holds
  • The movement that makes me feel grounded and energized
  • How to do this reflection practice yourself (it only takes 5 minutes)

Linkable Mentions

Let’s Connect:

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34. The Necessity of Winter with Rebecca Magee17 Jan 202300:49:33

“It’s helpful to remember that I can look to the natural world at any moment, on any day, and see that nature doesn’t skip any phase, any season, any step of the cycle—and that I have permission to do the same.” Winter is the season we’re most likely to resist, yet it’s an essential part of the creative process. Whether you’re tracking your menstrual cycle, following the earth’s seasons, or turning towards the phases of the moon, winter is all about rest, integration, and slowing down. In today’s conversation, Sister Seasons founder Rebecca Magee shares how embracing winter can help heal yourself (and the world).

Meet Rebecca:

Rebecca Magee is a creative entrepreneur, facilitator, and teacher focused on the intersection of gender equity and climate justice. Her background blends the study of women’s leadership and health with an extensive career in environmental sustainability, social impact, and philanthropy. As founder of Sister Seasons, Rebecca guides women and menstruators to restore their well-being and our planet’s through cycle awareness practices, and partners with organizations seeking to empower menstruators to lead on climate without burning out.

Conversation Starters

“If we want to live in a future that honors people’s well-being and that also supports the well-being of our planet, when we practice these rhythms we’re actually embodying and creating and laying the foundation for that future to exist. So if people are feeling like it’s selfish to do—no!—your joy is actually helping us to feel what that future would be like and to create it now. So say yes to rest, because it’s bigger than just your rest.”

“We believe that if anything is going to come into existence that’s worthy, you have to effort it into being. And the truth is, things can be incubating on your mental back burner and they will let you know when they need to be worked on … When I follow that and trust that, I’m not abandoning myself anymore.”

Episode Highlights

  • What’s happening in our bodies, with the moon, and the earth’s seasons during winter
  • How shifting from setting goals to setting intentions can help you embrace winter more mindfully
  • Why Rebecca doesn’t commit to a word for the year on January 1st, and what she does instead
  • How we both navigate winter seasons, including writing projects and cycle rituals
  • The counter-cultural way Rebecca’s launching the next iteration of her business

Linkable Mentions

Let's Connect

33. Welcome to Season 4, Plus a Gift for Writers10 Jan 202300:14:36

Welcome to Season 4! We’re starting the new year with conversations that embrace rest, winter, and taking it slow. 

Episode Highlights

  • How I’m producing the podcast differently this season
  • An update on my memoir project (including why I cried and laughed at the same time)
  • How I’m embracing flow even though I resist it
  • Themes we’ll be exploring in Season 4
  • Five words to remember as we start the new year

Linkable Mentions

Let's Connect

32. Floating in the Messy Middle08 Aug 202200:12:00

In our very last episode of Season 3, I’m actually combining two seasons: The Season of Beginnings and The Season of Finishing. The reason I mashed these two together is because I’ve noticed that in the pandemic, beginnings and endings have been a fluid, permeable experience. The lines aren’t as defined, and in order to get from the beginning to the end of a project, it requires a lot of time floating in the messy middle, which is mostly what we’ll be talking about today.

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

Show notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/32

Episode Highlights

  • How beginnings and endings invite us to honor transitions
  • Curiosity as a way to manage self-doubt
  • Why you might feel tired after a writing session
  • Finding comfort in the convergence of seasons

Linkable Mentions

31. Virtual Book Tours, Zoom Energy & Pacing Yourself01 Aug 202200:17:24

There’s a real difference energetically between what’s required to do the work of writing and what’s required to share and expand that work. Today we’re talking about The Season of Visibility not only in the most obvious ways (like pitching your novel to an agent or spending time on social media) but also more subtle variations. Plus, what it’s been like to watch authors promote their books on Zoom for a year and a half.

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

Show notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/31

Episode Highlights

  • Pros & cons of bookstore Zoom events
  • 2 ways I experimented with visibility energy this spring
  • Why you should take it slow when returning to this season

Linkable Mentions

30. A Post-Pandemic Relationship With Social Media25 Jul 202200:19:23

We’re continuing our exploration of the creative seasons viewed through the lens of the pandemic. The Season of Retreating has been an interesting season one to both observe and experience throughout the last couple of years, in part because there are a variety of permutations and ways to interpret what retreating means. Today, we’re chatting (mostly) about social media.

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

Show notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/30

Episode Highlights

  • My social media pandemic journey
  • Why quick fixes + short breaks don’t work
  • 10 questions to ask before or during a social media break
  • On reserving the right to change your mind
  • My 4-step approach to evaluating Instagram use

Linkable Mentions

29. How the Nervous System Impacts Your Writing Life18 Jul 202200:28:14

At the beginning of the pandemic, many of us bought home gym equipment and doubled down on exercise as a way to minimize stress. The Season of Listening to Your Body showed up in big ways, but beneath the surface, our nervous systems were on overdrive. This episode explores how the nervous system impacts your writing life and how to partner with it in new ways.

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

Show notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/29

Episode Highlights

  • Benefits of a “body first” approach to creativity
  • Our need to complete stress cycles
  • A new definition of anxiety
  • Nervous System 101: all the scientific basics
  • How writing can help move us into regulation
  • Polyvagal theory and the vagus nerve

Linkable Mentions

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63. Refining Our Raw Material with Allison Mei-Li01 Apr 202600:59:59

Every piece of writing starts the same way—as raw material. Fragmented lines in a notebook, messy, typed pages, and printed drafts that need the swipe of a colored pen. And once we have our start, there are so many craft choices to make along the way. Today’s guest, Allison Mei-Li, breaks down how to do it with intention, how to consider your reader’s experience, and above all, ways to care for yourself while working through difficult material.

Episode Highlights

  • How the process of oysters creating pearls mirrors the writer’s life

  • Why becoming a mother motivated Allison to finally share her writing 

  • The family emergency that caused her to question her path to publication, and how Allison wrote her way through a dark season of liminal space

  • Creating ceremony around writing sessions, and how the yogic principle of saucha supports her practice

  • Utilizing hermit crab essay principles in poetry (or anytime you need another way in)

  • Sequencing choices that orient the reader, especially when you’re not writing chronologically 

  • The value of including cultural commentary and levity alongside difficult personal moments

  • Editing and arranging philosophies, including the value of giving it time and the necessity of getting to know your own work

  • Publication fatigue and how adrenaline masks the exhaustion underneath

  • The visceral reaction Allison had when her poem was torn apart on Reddit, our negativity bias, and how she didn’t let it stop her from publishing

Meet Allison

Allison Mei-Li is an author, poet, and mother based in Ventura County, CA. Known for her tender and honest writing style, Allison views poetry as a way to “go first,” offering language for the universal experiences we often carry quietly. She is a poetry reader at The Turning Leaf Journal and hosts creative gatherings for women both on and offline. Her work has been featured in Rust & Moth, Coffee + Crumbs, MER Literary, and others. Allison’s debut collection, A History of Holding, is now available.

More Ways to Connect

+ Go to the show notes for links and resources mentioned in the episode

+ Sign up for my encouraging newsletter

+ Curl up with one of my books: WILD WORDS and EAT THIS POEM

28. Thrown Down the Well & Making Space for Grief11 Jul 202200:19:19

Today’s conversation explores The Season of Liminal Space. It’s a vast topic, and in the context of the pandemic, I’m sharing four elements of the season I’ve noticed most profoundly in the past two years:

  1. Recognizing and making space for grief
  2. Adopting new schedules and routines
  3. Being comfortable with discomfort (or at least trying to be)
  4. Re-Entry and considering a post-liminal space experience

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

SHOW NOTES: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/28

Episode Highlights

  • 4 ways to think about liminal space during a pandemic
  • Understanding anticipatory grief
  • The mistake I made when closing my Facebook group
  • How compassion can support our sense of safety
  • A simple way to restore creativity

Linkable Mentions

27. How to Write a Book During a Pandemic04 Jul 202200:19:54

If you’d told me I’d be writing a memoir during a global pandemic, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that’s what happened. I had big plans at the beginning of 2020, and then we all know what happened. Today we’re talking about The Season of Going Back in Time, which can take on different shapes depending on where you are in your writing life. Today we’re talking about how my original understanding of this season shifted during the pandemic, and how to thoughtfully approach memoir.

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

Episode Highlights

  • How the original purpose of this season shifted during the pandemic
  • What my writing process has looked like recently
  • 3 ways to thoughtfully approach a memoir project
  • Making your own #NaNoWriMo rules

Linkable Mentions

*SHOW NOTES: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/27

26. Cultivating Trust in the Writer's Life27 Jun 202200:19:14

Every writer is intimately acquainted with The Season of Self-Doubt, and one of its biggest triggers is comparison. We’re so good at comparing our writing journeys, our book sales, our successes, and turning our own narrative into one of not doing enough. This self-induced shame cycle is perpetuated, in part, by social media, but what if this shadow side has something to teach us? Today I’m sharing my own experience with this season, the benefits of understanding your creative process (plus ideas for how to get started), as well as a favorite exercise for cultivating self-trust.

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Follow along on Instagram: @nicolegulotta.author

Episode Highlights

  • My (many) self-doubt moments during the pandemic
  • The intimate relationship between doubt and trust
  • How to understand your creative process (and why it matters)
  • A favorite exercise for cultivating self-trust (including prompts)

Linkable Mentions

Show Notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/26

25. Surviving Creative Burnout20 Jun 202200:26:22

Our exploration of seasonal creative living through the lens of the pandemic begins, so it feels appropriate to start with The Season of Discontent. Writers can arrive here anytime, but the covid era is perhaps the most obvious manifestation of how discontent—marked by one defining trait: blaming outside forces for your inability to create—can impact our writing life. Today we’re talking about what the season of discontent is, how to move through it, and ways to support yourself when experiencing creative burnout.

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Episode Highlights

  • How to recognize you’re in the Season of Discontent
  • My first experience recognizing discontent (and how I got myself out of it)
  • Why haiku helped me process the pandemic
  • The 3 components of creative burnout
  • 5 ways to support yourself when experiencing creative burnout

Linkable Mentions

Show Notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/25

24. Low Hanging Fruit12 Jun 202200:21:30

The Wild Words Podcast is back! After a two-year pause, today’s episode serves as an introduction to Season 3’s theme: seasonal creative living through the lens of the global pandemic. We're discussing how a routine doctor’s appointment reminded me why it's important to tell our pandemic stories and what the film Under the Tuscan Sun has to do with reviving the podcast. Plus, I’m sharing four important boundaries I implemented that allowed me to produce the show again.

Sign up for my newsletter, Over Tea, for creative encouragement sent to your inbox.

Episode Highlights
  • What the film Under the Tuscan Sun has to do with reviving the podcast
  • How a routine doctor’s appointment time reminded me of the importance of sharing our pandemic stories
  • 4 essential boundaries that allowed me to produce the show again

Show notes: nicolemgulotta.com/podcast/24

Season 3 Trailer19 May 202200:01:54

Welcome back to the Wild Words podcast! In Season 3, we're exploring the seasons of a writer's life through the lens of the global pandemic. 

It’s not an understatement to say that the past two years have changed everything. Most writers I know, myself included, had to make drastic changes to their routines and expectations, and most of us are still trying to find a way back to ourselves and our work. 

I’ll be sharing insights from my own writing life these past couple of years, as well as observations from the collective, plus encouragement for navigating the ebbs and flows of creativity with plenty of self-compassion along the way.

Subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, or your favorite listening app.

Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to hear updates: nicolemgulotta.com/newsletter

23. Navigating Creativity and Coronavirus 10 Apr 202000:26:18

I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to record this episode, but I snuck in some time to share my thoughts about how to navigate creativity during coronavirus. Spoiler (although it’ll be no big surprise if you’ve been around long enough): my suggestions include doing a lot less, releasing expectations, wrapping up projects, and clearing the decks. This is all temporary, but we have to support ourselves in *this moment*.

If you’re a blogger, can you blog less frequently? Sending a weekly newsletter? Make it every other week (or monthly!). Producing a podcast? Maybe end the season early. Drafting your novel? Keep going, but remove the pressure. Writing 1,000 words per day? Try 250.

Basically, it’s time for a radical reorganization of our time and energy. Some of this will force our hand in ways that are endlessly frustrating. We won’t be able to meet the page as frequently, or give our characters undivided attention. Yet within these daily discomforts, we might have the opportunity to feel out what we truly need, step away from a piece, only to return with fresh eyes, make way for something new we might not have expected.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • An update on what’s working for me (and what’s not)
  • Three important questions to ask yourself right now
  • Which creative seasons are most present in this period
  • Why I decided to end Season 2 of the podcast early
LINKABLE MENTIONS
22: Closing a Business and Opening to Writing with Sonia Ruyts 03 Apr 202001:06:13

What happens when you achieve a dream, then want to change your life? Writer Sonia Ruyts answered this question—and waded through liminal space—when she decided to close her brick-and-mortar yarn shop to pursue writing. On today’s episode she shares fresh ideas for establishing consistency in your writing practice, how she navigates self-doubt, the exercise she always starts her writing day with, and the intersection between slow fashion and creativity.

MEET SONIA

Sonia Ruyts holds a BA in Theatre from the College of Idaho. She is a former pastry chef and yarn shop owner who has returned to her first love: writing. Sonia explores themes of identity, loss, and transformation in her nonfiction writing and is currently at work on her first collection of essays. Sonia lives with her wife and two children—and their ever-expanding collection of pets—in the Pacific Northwest.

Connect:

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • How to navigate a cocktail of grief and shame
  • The foolproof way Sonia starts almost every writing session
  • Why studying English in college intimidated her (and the major she chose instead)
  • How she pivoted from pastry chef to yarn shop owner
  • The moment Sonia realized she wanted to close the store by the time she turned 40, and how she navigated the transition that followed
  • Avoiding and procrastinating vs. needing true rest
  • How choosing certain clothing items can help us connect with others, give us confidence, and help us feel comfortable during uncomfortable situations like readings, workshops, and more
LINKABLE MENTIONS
21: Growing a Garden (and a Writing Life) with Kate Spring27 Mar 202000:45:21

Did you know what you wanted to do after college? Neither did writer Kate Spring. My guest today took a winding path to becoming a farmer in Vermont, and today she’s running a farm, raising a family, and figuring out (through trial and error) the grounding practices that make it possible for her to return to the soil and the page year after year.

MEET KATE

Kate Spring is a writer and organic farmer at Good Heart Farmstead.  She’s here to help you grow the organic farm or garden you dream of, and cultivate a flourishing creative practice.  Because creativity is as essential as food.

Connect:

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • Journaling as a conversation with the world
  • The book that inspired Kate to change her relationship to food
  • How a bad breakup and a summer internship set her on the path to farming
  • What “mud season” in Vermont teaches her about getting out of life’s ruts
  • The hardest parts about running a farm, and how burnout led to making some big shifts
  • Why Kate and her husband schedule writing retreats, rock climbing trips, and other self-care practices in advance
  • Reframing what “productive work” means, and why taking care of herself lays the foundation for all the other productive work
  • The power of starting the day with silence, tea, candles, and meditation
LINKABLE MENTIONS
20: The Magic, Mystery, and Business of Children's Publishing with Heidi Fiedler 20 Mar 202000:50:40

Have you ever wanted to write a children’s book? Heidi Fiedler has worked on more than 300 titles, and she’s an approachable and insightful resource on both the magical and business elements of writing for children. In our chat, Heidi shares the unique relationship between stories and illustrations that you only find in children’s books, the most important practice to build into your writing process that will help you grow (besides writing, of course), and how she quiets her inner editor.

MEET HEIDI

Heidi Fiedler does the deep thinking that’s needed to transform ideas into children’s books. She makes picture books, chapter books, and nonfiction for kids with curious minds and kind hearts. She believes books have the power to make us all feel a little less alone, and the best ones leave room for the reader's imagination. Whether it's a poetic picture book, a zippy early reader, or a kid-friendly take on the physics of time travel, her books are philosophical and filled with quirky tidbits, playful language, and lots of heart. It's been her pleasure to work on more than 300 titles for clients ranging from Target to Barnes & Noble. Her credits include 180 nonfiction books in partnership with Time for Kids, 90 picture books, chapter books, and middle-grade novels, plus a wide variety of activity books, and art and craft books. After working in publishing for nearly 15 years, she’s so excited to see her own picture books and chapter books making their way into the world.

Connect:

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • Why she hesitated going into publishing (even though everyone around her suggested it)
  • Her trajectory from a book seller to a book buyer to a book editor (and why her brain is wired for children’s publishing
  • Heidi’s dream for children’s books to have more “crazy/strange/weird” stuff…
  • Reading a children’s book? You’re actually reading two stories.
  • The unique relationship between stories and illustrations that you only find in children’s books
  • The tell tale sign you need to narrow down your story idea
  • The book Heidi feels is the holy grail of children’s book writing craft
  • The most important practice to build into your writing process that will help you grow (besides writing, of course)
  • All about “The Idea Sanctuary” and a “Nebula Notebook”
  • How the liminal space of waiting to adopt helped make space to build her freelance business
  • Heidi’s strategies for navigating being a writer, editor, mom, and business owner
  • How she quiets her inner editor
  • Editing strategies that don’t involve a computer
  • The subtle ways she knows it’s time to return to a project that’s been set asideHow she shifted from being a writer who didn’t always enjoy writing, to a writer who takes joy and pleasure in it
LINKABLE MENTIONS
62. How to Plan a Writing Retreat (Rerun)19 Mar 202600:39:40

In honor of spring break, we're revisiting a popular episode from 2024. If you’re ready to give yourself the gift of space, time, and rest, this episode is for you. I’m sharing the highs and lows of writing retreat I took with a friend, plus lots of takeaways to help you plan your own DIY getaway.

Episode Highlights

  • Why even one night away is always worth it (and how to make the most of a short trip)

  • Thinking through the when, where, and how—logistics are covered

  • The pros and cons of solo vs. group retreats

  • The value of meal planning (including my favorite sparkling water and a tip for when you return home)

  • Seeing the momentum before and after a retreat as adding the overall experience

  • How to capture retreat magic at home

More Ways to Connect

19: 3 Mistakes Writers Make When Starting a Newsletter13 Mar 202000:14:04

How do we build a community around our work? For writers seeking long-term support for their craft, this is an essential question and one I believe can be answered, in part, with newsletters. It’s an intimate, direct channel to readers who are eager to hear from you, and one of the best ways I know to build relationships that stand the test of time. I started back in 2013 with no strategy and no plan and really just winged it for a year before I got my act together. In January I surveyed 100 writers about newsletters and most responded with comments like: I don’t know where to start. I’m waiting until I finish my book. I don’t have anything to share right now. I’m afraid people will unsubscribe. They (81%) also said they’d either written a book or wanted to write a book, which begs the question: Who will read it? People who know you. People who you’ve invited into your world. People who have followed your journey. The truth is, we need to build trust and nurture relationships long before we have something to sell or promote, and on today’s episode, I’m sharing 3 mistakes writers make when starting a newsletter + announcing my free masterclass to help: Nurture Your Newsletter.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • What I would do differently If I started a newsletter today
  • The essential mindset shift to make before you begin
  • Why you should start a newsletter now—even if you don’t have a book yet
18: Essentialism for Writers 06 Mar 202000:21:47

We’re conditioned to do more—more blogging, more guest posting, more podcasting, more newsletter writing, more publishing, more speaking—but what if there was another way to get where we want to go? In 2016, a stack of sticky notes and an empty wall helped me decide what to do next creatively. Today I’m walking you through this simple exercise, and sharing how an essentialist mindset (aka “less but better”) can improve your writing life.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • How a stack of sticky notes and an empty wall helped me decide which creative project to pursue next
  • An exercise to get clarity on what to write (and why)
  • Why the popular  question “Where do you see yourself in five years?” is the wrong approach for navigating your writing life
LINKABLE MENTIONS
17: 3 Things Your Writing Life Needs to Thrive with DIY MFA's Gabriela Pereira 28 Feb 202000:51:21

Do you really need an MFA? No, but you do need a framework for making progress. DIY MFA is a book and community created by author, speaker, and entrepreneur Gabriela Pereira. We chat about the key pillars—write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community—and tackle topics like self-doubt, guilt, and how to survive conferences as an introvert.

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and speaks at college campuses and national conferences. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

Connect:

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • Why necessity inspired Gabriela to start DIY MFA
  • How to use an “Angst Jar” to help overcome with The difference between reading for pleasure and reading for purpose
  • How to build a writing community (and why you should)
  • The 10% rule for creating achievable writing goals
  • Why you need a personalized reading plan (and how to create one)
  • How to survive conferences and events as an introvert
  • Why she plans tomorrow today
LINKABLE MENTIONS
16: FOMO, Choosing Small, and Navigating Self-Doubt21 Feb 202000:15:39

Big dreams are popular these days. Write the bestseller! Speak in front of thousands! Get 1 million downloads! How about we take a hard pass and focus on our inner knowing instead? The fear of missing out (aka FOMO) is a powerful force in our creative lives, but when we intentionally choose small (like serving the audience we already have) and focus on staying present, it’s a lot easier to weather self-doubt when it arrives.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
  • Two writing dreams of mine that have never materialized (and why I’m OK with it)
  • A quick exercise to figure out what you really want
  • The self-doubt spiral I experienced a few months before Wild Words was published
LINKABLE MENTIONS
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