Welcome to Episode 6 – How Darin Strauss Writes!

Over the first month of publishing this podcast, I’ve learned that so many of the authors I’ve interviewed have taken their life story and fused it with the stories they put down on the page. This combination of real and imagined creates something powerful and timeless. I think this combination is what we love in the best of stories; the part of the storytelling that breaks from pure entertainment and into something deeper, more human.

That was the thought I was left with as I prepared to publish this interview with Darin. Darin and I discuss a tragic car accident that happened when he was 18, and how that event has rippled through his life. He writes about this event directly in his memoir “Half a Life,” but we also discuss how this event has woven itself into all of his fiction. If I had to describe this interview with Darin in a single, inarticulate sentence, it’d be to “write from your emotional core.”

But, like always, we also cover off on Darin’s working habits, on how he learned to write, and so much more.

This is a fun episode for me because Darin was my thesis advisor for my MFA at NYU. This is the first of what is coincidently shaping up to be NYU month. The next two interviews after Darin are all NYU faculty that I met in the program that I deeply admire.

Thank you so much to Darin for hosting me at his office in the NYU Creative Writing Townhouse in Greenwich Village. If you are in the New York area, there are always readings and public events at the townhouse that I could not recommend more. It is a place for writers. Through and through.

Okay, without any further ado, here is the interview with Darin Strauss!

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There are a couple of big buckets to think about when setting a writing goal for this coming year. If you didn’t catch the webinar I hosted last week, I’ll be releasing the content really really soon, but in the meantime, let’s talk about what level of excitement to use when setting your writing goals in the new year.

Now, I know you’ve heard it said a million times that it is best to set “realistic” goals. I’m putting realistic in air quotes over here. But, let me tell you right now, that the last thing a goal needs is reality. 

A goal is a dream put into action, and dreams are not meant to be rooted in reality. If your reality was your dream, by definition it would cease being a dream. That is what makes goal setting and dreaming so powerful. It takes you out of your current realistic reality, and it places you into the sphere of possibility. The place where anything can happen.

People say that we should set realistic goals because our dreams are so good, and sometimes so huge, that we fear the goal. We pre-emptively cap our possibilities, because sometimes it is safer not to believe that thing we dream about is not even possible.  To accept a realistic dream is to accept a limiter on our life. It is saying the future we see when we close our eyes and dream is too good for us.  

I say... Fuck. That. 

Your future is not determined. It isn’t set in stone. The future isn’t even real yet, and so your goals shouldn’t reflect a realistic future. You only sell yourself short with realistic goals. We don’t know what is realistic. We don’t know what is possible. Think about it. What could you do with a big dream and a plan and a few years of insane work?

Instead, as we come into the New Year, set a goal that sets you on fire. Set a goal that sends crazy electrical energy through your body, a goal that is so so good, so truly aligned to your heart and soul that to achieve it will forever change your life. A pillar of your goal should be that it makes you feel so excited that you can’t help but move. You can’t help but work on it. But, don’t fall into the trap of making the amount you work on your goal the goal itself. So, don’t set a goal to write for two hours. Writing for two hours is a measurement, and you could crush that goal next year and maybe be no closer to what you really, really want. 

I believe goals are powerful, and if you are planning to set a goal in 2020, make it something to amazing, so exciting, that to achieve it would be a dream. And then design a plan against it and get to work.

Thank you for joining me on this Monday. I hope you have an incredible week of writing. 

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 Welcome to Episode 5 – How Brian Platzer Writes 

As I’m sure you can see, my goal in these first interviews is to show how authors have worked through the ups and downs of life to create. Everyone has a story to tell. Everyone’s journey is unique and at times challenging and at times wonderful; but, the goal for writers is to write through all of it. This interview with Brian spans the distance of challenge, joy, and so much in between.

I spent a few hours with Brian in his home office and we discussed the writing life, but also about working through challenges. Brian has an undiagnosed neurological disorder which limits the amount he can write, but he has responsibilities like a family, job, and a second job, and yet Brian still finds time to write and tell his story. 

Some things I really loved from this interview is Brian’s candid humor. I found myself laughing through so much of the interview. The topic—and I see now how this has come up on the past few interviews—of writing current events, especially from outside perspectives, just organically came into the conversation. Brian shares his techniques to do research and understand people’s stories, there is just so much to learn from Brian in this interview.

Thank you to Brian for his time and for hosting me. And now here is the interview with Brian Platzer.

Thank you for listening!  

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Welcome to Monday Motivation – Maximize Your Energy

Have you heard it said that “Time is your most valuable asset?” I won’t argue that maximizing your time on this Earth is critical, but I wouldn’t say that time is the most valuable. You have all the time in the world, but if you don’t have the energy to write, if you are physically, emotionally, and creatively depleted, you’ll show up to the desk with nothing to give.  

As we come into the holiday season, I want to share a framework of how you can maximize your writing energy. Self-care, when there are parties, family obligations, and work, is so critically important. In your self-care toolkit, balancing your energy is one of the most powerful tools. 

What do I mean by balancing your energy? First, let’s define energy as usable power. It is the vitality and resources you bring to writing. We use and replenish energy. An easy example is sleep. You wake up in the morning (hopefully) feeling awake and full of physical energy, and then by the end of the day, you are tired and need to replenish that energy bucket. There is a constant flow of energy. We use energy, and then we need to add that energy back. 

When you are writing, I believe there are five energy centers: physical energy, emotional energy, creative energy, intellectual energy, and spiritual energy. Let’s unpack this a little bit more.

Physical Energy is the backbone of your energy buckets. Without physical energy, you can’t do your work, because you are not awake enough to focus and feel as if you need to nap or rest. When you are low on physical energy, you feel slugging and tired. When you are filled with physical energy you feel alive, vital, and full of excitement. 

Emotional Energy is the balance between positive and negative feelings in relation to your work. Positive emotional energy powers your work. You feel as if your writing has purpose and meaning, whereas negative emotional energy leaves you feeling as if you either cannot complete your work or if you do, it won’t be important. 

Creative Energy is the source you draw upon to power your imaginary worlds. When you are full of creative energy, you find creative inspiration in your life. You are full of ideas. The universe speaks to you with story direction. 

Intellectual Energy is used to focus and do the “thinking work” of writing, such as ironing out character details, heavy research, or intense plotting. The brain-intensive work of writing. 

Spiritual Energy is the belief that your work fits within a broader tapestry of art. When you are filled with spiritual energy, you see yourself as a vessel for art. While Emotional Energy is cultivated within the self, Spiritual Energy exists outside of the self.

We use all five of these energy buckets when we write, and yet we don’t always intentionally fill them up. What happens? When one of these buckets is empty, we get to the page and feel exhausted and we need to fill it up.

The motivation this week is to take care of yourself by taking care of your energy. I’ve built a tool to help with this. I call it an energy audit—side note, if you can think of a better name, please send it across—but the audit is a way to evaluate your current energy level, and identify ways to fill your energy buckets when they get low. The audit has a key question to ask to query your energy level—such as with your physical energy, “Am I physically and mentally alert when I sit down to do my work?” a scoring on how much energy you have, how it feels, and a place to brainstorm ways to fill up each energy bucket when it gets low.

But, even if you don’t download the energy audit, focus on keeping those energy stores balanced. If you are feeling physically drained and you don’t ha

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Before we get started, have you signed up for the free webinar this evening, November 21st on how to crush your 2020 writing goals? If not, it isn’t too late. The webinar is at 7:30 pm ET tonight, and I will run through how you can set meaningful writing goals in 2020, how to stay motivated, and how to love your work along the way. I also have a few templates to download along with the webinar. Registration is open! Go to www.howwriterswrite.com/crush2020 to reserve your spot.

I love this interview with Omar. He is such a wealth of knowledge, he is so encouraging, and down to Earth. We met digitally over a video conference and Omar shares his insights into the writing life. This interview is packed, but here are a few of the things that stuck out to me.

1.       Omar describes how he overcame shelving three novels. We dig into this point because as you know, writing one novel takes a lot. But I wanted to know how he shelved three novels before American War and didn’t quit or pull out all of his hair. There are some incredible lessons he shares for anyone in the middle of the writing journey. 

2.       Omar also details how he wrote American War while he was working as a journalist while covering stories about the Arab Spring, Black Lives Matter, and Guantanamo Bay. 

3.       Last, Omar talks about how he worked through the ups and downs of the writing life. My favorite quote from this section is “don’t rage delete your manuscript.” I’ve been there, and Omar offers some wonderful writing advice on how to work through it.

Thank you to Omar for his time and for sharing so much insight. 

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Today, I’m inspired by a few pages of “Oh the places you’ll go!” by Dr. Suess. Anyone with at least one child has this book on their shelf. 

I’ll read the pages… 

You can get so confused

That you’ll start in to race

Down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

And grind on for miles across weirdish wild space

Headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The waiting place…

… for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go

Or a bus to come, or a plane to go

Or the mail to come, or the rain to go

Or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow

Or waiting around for a Yes or No

Or waiting for their hair to grow.

Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite

Or waiting for wind to fly a kite

Or waiting around for a Friday night

Or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake

Or a pot to boil, or a better break

Or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants

Or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.

Everyone is just waiting.

 ------------------------------------

Six months ago, I read these pages to my daughters. At the time, I was in the waiting place. I wanted to jump out of my corporate life and into this project, but I was waiting for more money, I was waiting for more experience speaking into a microphone, waiting to get the right skills. I was waiting for something, and if you would have asked me at the time, I doubt I could have even told you what I was waiting for. 

The waiting place felt like I owed someone a debt that could I never repay; but until I paid in full, I’d never get out. I was convinced. CONVINCED! That there was a good reason why I should just keep waiting. 

There wasn’t.

I was waiting because I was afraid. Of course I was. I was afraid of failure. Maybe of success. I was afraid of losing more time, of making a complete and total fool of myself in public. I was afraid of financial collapse and having to again, for the third time as an adult, live in a relative’s basement. I was afraid that what I didn’t know would cripple me. I was in the waiting place, and the waiting place felt safe. It is warm. I was in a line with people in front and behind me, and it felt good to know I was in line. The line was going somewhere important. It would end somewhere. 

Who else is waiting for more time to write? Or waiting to learn how to write? OR how to plot, for a writing group, for more inspiration, for a little more energy? 

So many times we want to write when the time is perfect, and so we wait for perfection. But, to move forward, you have to write through the imperfection of your life. You will have imperfect time, imperfect skill. You will make mistakes. 

But, your imperfection is what the work needs. Writing doesn’t need perfect, writing needs human. It needs fear and hope and disappointment and hurt. It needs things you have, not the things you think you need to get started. Your story is not perfect. Your writing life won’t be either. 

What are you waiting for? What are the things you think you need to write? 99% of the time, the things we are waiting for are just excuses. They are the sanction word for excuses- pragmatism. But, pragmatism is just fear in disguise. 

Take a step today. It can be anything. You can write for 15 minutes. You can share your dream with a loved one. You can edit that manuscript that has sat in your desk for years.  

But do something. Step out of the line, because that line doesn’t

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Hello and welcome to Episode #3– How Michel Stone Writes! I am your host Brian, and If you’ve ever thought about giving up, just throwing the towel in, this Michel Stone interview is for you. 

But, before we get to the interview, I want to talk about setting writing goals. Those who know me will confirm that I am a big goal setter, especially my writing goals, especially in fall. Wasn’t it Fitzgerald who said, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall?” It is just the perfect time to reevaluate what has worked, what didn’t work, and what I’m aiming for in the coming year. As fun as that is for me each year, I thought, why not ask a bunch of people to join me?  

So, I am going to host a free webinar on how to crush your 2020 writing goals next Thursday, November 21st at 7:30 pm ET. It’ll work like this: I’ll run through how you can set meaningful writing goals in 2020, how to stay motivated, and just love your work along the way. I also have a few templates to download along with the webinar. Registration is open! Go to www.howwriterswrite.com/crush2020 to reserve your spot. If you can’t make the webinar, I’ll make all of the content available afterward for a small fee, but If you attend live, the content will be free to you forever. One more time… next Thursday at 7:30 pm ET. To register, go to www.howwriterswrite.com/crush2020. I hope to see you there!

Now, for an interview that is going to pump grade-A inspiration straight into your writing veins. Michel Stone shares the playbook for thriving as a writer. From how to survive enough rejection letters to paper a few walls in a bathroom to how to interview people from other backgrounds and experiences. I felt as if I could have spoken with Michel all day about writing and life. There is just so much in this interview.

With that said, I want to take a quick moment to thank Michel for her time. If you haven’t checked them out yet, Border Child and The Iguana Tree are stunning books that are beautifully written and highly relevant to our time.

Okay, here is the interview with Michel.  

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Have you read the story Ming Lo Moves a Mountain by Arnold Lobel? The story goes like this… 

Ming Lo and his wife live in a shack right next to a mountain. The roof has holes from falling rocks from the mountain, vegetables don’t grow because the mountain is always blocking the sun. One day his wife has finally had enough, and she tells Ming Lo to go to a wise man and ask him how to move the mountain. The wise man tells Ming Lo and his wife to try all kinds of things, like ramming a tree into the side of the mountain, banging pots and pans to scare it, and finally bringing cakes up to the spirit who lives on the top of the mountain. Nothing works. 

So finally, after Ming Lo has tried to push the mountain, scare the mountain, and ask/bribe the mountain to move, the wise man tells Ming Lo to do the special mountain dance. Pack up your house stick by stick, and all your possessions, the wise man says, and then close your eyes and then put one foot forward, and then take two steps back. Do this for many hours without opening your eyes. 

Ming Lo and his wife immediately pack up their shack and follow the special mountain dance for many hours. When they open their eyes, they are in a beautiful valley with warm sunshine. The mountain is far, far away.

What are the mountains in your writing life? The things that no matter what you throw at them, they will never ever move? 

The Stoic philosophers understood mountains to be anything outside of our inner lives. The things that happen in the external world and therefore completely out of our control.

Oftentimes, the mountain in the writing life is the validation we seek from other people...

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I am soooooo excited to share some news! 

This week, the How Writers Write Podcast broke into the top 50 Fiction Podcasts on iTunes! We hit as high as #26! We are closing in on 1000 listens in just a few short days. Thank you to everyone who is supporting this podcast. I am out of my mind excited! But, I still need your help. If you haven't yet, be sure to rate, subscribe, and share this podcast. We're just getting started!

Today's interview is with an author who I have admired and widely read, Victor LaValle. 

As I was preparing for this intro, I found it so hard to pick a few highlights from this episode. Victor is a wealth of knowledge and a model of what it is to be a writer. This guy is a true professional. I loved my time with him and before we go any further, I want to send a huge thanks to Victor for his time. 

That said, here are a few things that really stuck out to me. 

At the beginning of our talk, Victor details his development as a writer, and how he started writing stories. There are so many moments of wisdom in this section. I actually had to edit out all of my “yups and uh-huhs” because I was lost in what he was saying.

We also discussed how his writing life changed with the birth of his first child, and how that changed his routine and focus. You know, I think a lot of times we see the addition of big responsibilities like a child as a negative to the freedom we want to write, but Victor shares how he learned to be more productive and write EVEN MORE after he became a father. 

Victor and I also dive into what it means to write thought the emotional pain of our lives. We both shared personal stories about how writing has allowed us to engage with the hurt we’ve experienced. There is so much insight that Victor shares about getting your heart onto the page and loving your work. 

There is so much in this episode. I know you’ll love listening as much as I loved spending time with Victor.

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Hello and welcome, this is Show #1! TODAY IS LAUNCH DAY!! Huzzah! I am so excited and thrilled and out of my mind.

I’m kicking off the podcast with a really special interview. I spent the afternoon recording with the one and only Ann Hood in her Greenwich Village apartment. From the moment I met Ann, her warmth was so apparent. Ann has had times of great joy and great sadness in her life, and we talk about all of it in this interview. 

We dive into Ann’s working habits. How she wakes up. When she writes. How she comes up with ideas for her work. Ann’s written 14 novels. She is just a true powerhouse. And she just drops so much wisdom.

Ann also discusses her research method that left me nearly speechless. It seems as if the more authors I interview, the more I see how unique each writing process is to the writer.

We talk about Ann’s journey after the death of her five-year-old daughter, and how it impacted her writing. I was so moved by her story and her deep courage to share it with me.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed speaking with Ann.

Okay, without any further ado, here is episode one with Ann Hood. 

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