Gene Ellis is a fiction and poetry writer, five-time NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) participant, soon-to-be-published author, performer, and did I mention, husband and father of two. Though Gene and I met in the theatre world, in this episode we talked about writing, the road through novel-writing and getting his publishing deal, the myth of life balance, gaining confidence in yourself, and finding support from others.

Here’s what we talked about:

• How his love for writing stemmed from a group project in school, not from a very young age
• What it felt like on Day 1 of writing a novel in a month
• Scheduling time for creativity and putting in the work
• Letting your art take up space in your mind
• Finding support and confidence from family, friends, and Facebook groups
• Redefining how you think about yourself - finding the confidence to say “I am a writer / (Insert your art form)”