We have Heidi Heilig on the show with us today!  Heidi is the author of the duology “The Girl From Everywhere” which was listed as a widely-loved and recommended book to read by NPR. The sequel to “The Ship Beyond Time” just released this week and was listed as one of the 35 most anticipated Young Adult novels of the year by Entertainment Weekly!

In today’s episode, we discuss the importance of reading and promoting the work of various authors to encourage diversity, and how to respectfully write about communities outside of your own experience.

Heidi shares the experience of her first heartbreak and how that inspired the themes of romance and time travel in “The Girl From Everywhere”. Further into our conversation, we also touch on mental health stigmas and what we can do to help break down the stereotypes.

For our craft-focused listeners, Heidi shares advice on how to improve your craft, how to find inspiration for your characters, and how to tie multiple historical elements together in your story. We also unpack Heidi’s experience with her editor and how an editor can bring out the best in your writing.

Thank you, Storyteller Tribe, for listening in! If you loved her episode, please let her know on Twitter by clicking here.

For the list of incredible resources mentioned in Heidi's episode, click here!

Xo,

Yin

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PPS. If you enjoyed this episode, I’d really love your support in growing our community by subscribing to us on iTunes, and leaving a rating and review. Those specific steps help to increase our visibility on iTunes which really helps new listeners discover us. A huge heartfelt thank you for your time and support! You can click here to go directly to our iTunes page!

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“No one can tell you what to write and what not to write because everyone is their own person.” -Heidi Heilig (Click to tweet)

“You don’t need an MFA to write a novel. You just need to read a lot and to have the will to practice and the time." -Heidi Heilig (Click to tweet)

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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• How to respectfully write about communities outside of your own experience(s)
• The importance of reading and promoting the work of others to encourage diversity
• How writing inclusively can help you avoid appropriation in your novel
• Heidi walks us through her first heartbreak that inspired the themes of romance and time travel in her writing
• How to find inspiration for your characters
• How we can help to remove mental health stigmas
• The inspiration behind Heidi’s "The Girl from Everywhere"
• How to tie multiple historical elements together in your story
• How an editor can bring out your best writing and help inspire ideas for your stories
• How to improve your craft