Pen Pals

Keep Fishing: How to Build Confidence as a Writer


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Krisserin's fighting off sickness while crushing her revision goals, and Kelton's Rewilding class just sold out. So why do they both feel like frauds? This week, they tackle the tricky bitch that is confidence—how to build it, maintain it, and why it's so much harder for women to claim it publicly.

Kelton reflects on a childhood spent being told she couldn't do things (seriously, fuck you, John from high school), and how that "no you can't" turned into rocket fuel. Krisserin shares how the world beat down her fearless younger self, and why the scary moments—the public readings, the vulnerable asks—are exactly when we grow the most. They discuss the double bind of being a woman: too humble and you're annoying, too confident and you're full of yourself.

The conversation gets practical about what actually builds confidence: doing the work, over-preparing until you can perform, separating your worth from your work, and finding the ease in what you do. Krisserin reveals she's been actively writing for nearly 20 years—a realization that hits different when you say it out loud. Kelton admits she walks through the woods rehearsing podcast interviews where she talks about making $100,000 in a month, just to make it sound normal to herself.

But the real confidence builder? Community. Whether it's Kelton's coven from doing The Artist's Way together or Krisserin's classmates from Harvard Extension who celebrated her agent news, having people who fan your flame makes all the difference. They challenge listeners to find their person, take a class, join a group—because your dream will die in the dark if you don't tell anyone about it.

Plus: Why successful women need to stop being so humble already, the importance of "casting a line" even when you'll probably get rejected, and Kelton's direct plea to actually rate the damn podcast.

Write to us:
[email protected]

Follow us:
Instagram: @penpalspod
TikTok: @penpalspod
YouTube: @PenPalsPod

Follow Krisserin and Kelton:
TikTok: @krisserin, @keltonkin
Kelton's Substack: Shangrilogs
Krisserin's Substack: krisserin.substack.com
The Rewilding

Music by Golden Hour Oasis Studios

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Pen PalsBy Kelton Wright and Krisserin Canary

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