This quote from William Stafford unlocked something in me. It relieved the heavy weight that hindered my writing. I hope you will listen. Perhaps it will open up something for you too.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Good Writing is produced by Cy.press Studios, a project of the Cypress Writers Workshop. We are a non-profit literary art institute striving to preserve and advance our cultural tradition of writing. We depend on supporters like you to continue in this work. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The music in this episode "Ghosts - Campfire Version" by The National Parks / musicbed.com.

“It Hurts” is a kind of vignette of personal memoir Bret Lott shares on rejection. I think you’ll find it touches a deep place. Perhaps you will also hear an example of what it takes to keep at your craft, listening to rejection and receiving it as an essential form of instruction.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Good Writing is produced by Cy.press Studios, a project of the Cypress Writers Workshop. We are a non-profit literary art institute striving to preserve and advance our cultural tradition of writing. We depend on supporters like you to continue in this work. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The music in this episode “A View of His Own Choosing” by Kerry Muzzey / Musicbed.com.

We write to express in words what we feel so deeply and want to share. But are we willing to face what is required to find a home for our work? Are we willing to get rejected? Bret Lott shares a quote from a rejection letter he received, just one of the 629 rejections he has accumulated over a long writing life.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠On Good Writing⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The music in this episode is " Never Stop" by Tyler Brown Williams / Musicbed.com.

This week, Bret Lott invites us to consider the mysterious process of creating in the face of self-doubt. He quotes the 20th century artist, Alberto Giacometti.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠⁠⁠⁠On Good Writing⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The music in this episode is " The Bible Belt" by John Lucas /Musicbed.com.

Welcome to On Good Writing, hosted by Bret Lott, a pocket podcast on what it means to make good and true and beautiful writing. A quote by Annie Dillard is up this week.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠⁠⁠On Good Writing⁠⁠⁠ is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠⁠⁠.

The music in this episode is "Yellowstone" by Astro Diver/Musicbed.com.

Welcome to On Good Writing, a pocket podcast where we touch on writers and artists about what it means to make true and good and beautiful work. This week we have a quote from the American poet, Richard Hugo.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠⁠On Good Writing⁠⁠ is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠⁠.

The music in this episode is "Closer to the Flame" by John Lucas/Musicbed.com.

Welcome to On Good Writing, a pocket podcast where we touch on writers and artists about what it means to make true and good and beautiful work. This week we have a quote from the great American writer, Eudora Welty.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠⁠Ancient Highway⁠⁠, ⁠⁠The Hunt Club⁠⁠, ⁠⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠Jewel⁠⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠⁠The Southern Review⁠⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

⁠On Good Writing⁠ is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠⁠cy.press⁠⁠.

The music in this episode is "Turning Page" by Cathedral/Musicbed.com.

Welcome to On Good Writing, a kind of pocket podcast on the writing life. Each week, host Bret Lott offers a quote and a few thoughts to carry with us into the work of writing or any good endeavor that occupies our waking hours. We like to think of this as the start of a conversation on writing and art and what it means to pay attention to the preciousness of life. This week, we hear a quote from Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize recipient and author of Beloved, a Pulitzer Prize winner.

Return to On Good Writing next week to hear a quote from Eudora Welty.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠Ancient Highway⁠, ⁠The Hunt Club⁠, ⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠, and ⁠Jewel⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠The Southern Review⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

On Good Writing is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠cy.press⁠.

The music in this episode is "Stories" by Judah Earl/Musicbed.com.

“Stories and novels are makeshift things,” says Richard Ford. “And there is nothing wrong with that.” This week, host Bret Lott shares a longer quote from Ford and reflects on what it has to say to us about the messy process that is writing.

Return to On Good Writing next week to hear a quote from Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize recipient and the Pulitzer Prize winning author of Beloved.

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels ⁠Ancient Highway⁠, ⁠The Hunt Club⁠, ⁠A Song I Knew by Heart⁠, and ⁠Jewel⁠ (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of ⁠The Southern Review⁠, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

On Good Writing is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at ⁠cy.press⁠.

The music in this episode is Drifter Hymn by Lane King / Musicbed.com.

In this first episode of On Good Writing, Bret Lott quotes Walker Evans, 20th century American photographer. He invites us to see that a writer or an artist or anyone who wants to make something true and good and beautiful is someone who stares and stares, trying to understand what’s going on, instead of assuming you know. “Assuming shuts down discovery and smothers it,” Bret Lott says, “which will kill a book or a story before the first sentence is ever written.”

Bret Lott is the bestselling author of fifteen books, including the novels Ancient Highway, The Hunt Club, A Song I Knew by Heart, and Jewel (an Oprah’s Book Club selection). Formerly editor of The Southern Review, Lott was appointed to the National Council on the Arts in 2006. He taught creative writing for nearly forty years at the College of Charleston. He and his wife, Melanie, live in the country outside Charleston, South Carolina.

On Good Writing is a Cy.press Studios production. Cy.press Studios is a project of the Cypress Writers’ Workshop, a creative writing program supporting writers who seek to master their craft and cultivate the unity between art and reverence. Learn more at cy.press.

The music in this episode is Birds in The Clover - Instrumental by Thomas LaVine / Musicbed.com.