What is it like to get from dreamer to published novelist? When do you feel like a "real" writer? What does it feel like when it's going well?

Sara here... Even after almost thirty years of friendship, Tes and I still find each other very interesting. So we both came to today's recording wanting to interview the other about what their writing life was like! Tes won this time, so here is a getting-to-know-you post about my journey from writing-in-my-downtime-at-work to book-in-the-bookstore, about process, advice I would give my younger self, and many other things.

Bonus--it turns out Tes is a really good interviewer! Not surprising given all her research and coaching experience, but it was fun for me to get to see it in action, and I think you'll enjoy it too.

As mentioned in the show, here are a few of my favorite novel-writing craft books:

The Modern Library Writers Workshop by Stephen Koch

Anatomy of Story by John Truby

Bird by Bird by Anne Lammott

Building Great Sentences by Brooks Landon

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody

The Breakout Novelist by Donald Maass

On Being Stuck by Laraine Herring

Tes and Sara discuss—from a place of upheaval and regrouping—what it looks like to continue doing your creative work when things around you are turbulent and hard.

Tes and Sara examine the question, “What is the hardest part of the process, or the hardest thing to write?” First drafts? Job cover letters? Pitches for your story or your research? Everyone has some particular part of the process that’s hard. We discuss how to look at that not as a problem, but as a sign that you’re doing it right. And how it’s important to have writer friends.

In this first episode, novelist Sara Read and academic editor and coach Tes Slominski talk about how No Time to Write Club emerged from nearly 30 years of friendship and collaboration. We describe how the club’s synchronous and asynchronous writing sprints work and discuss the meanings behind the club’s logo.

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