Own Your Creativity

You want to write but can't figure out how to start and where to get ideas. Check out the memoirsummit.com to kick-start your writing. It's free and happens online November 14 - 16, 2017. Grab your free ticket today at bit.ly/memoirsummit

In today's episode, I introduce Marnie Maguire who interviews Elizabeth Johnston about how to generate ideas for writing. Marnie Maguire is the co-author of Picture Perfect: The Story of Black's Photography published by the oldest independent publishing house in Canada, Goose Lane Editions. An independent spirit herself, her latest work, A Lick of Fire, is a novel in zine art form.

Marnie personal writing style can be described as a combination of magic realism and poetic grunge, but she is equally comfortable with writing more conventional pieces on commission. Synthesizing her writing experience with her doctoral research, Marnie facilitates truly meaningful workshops and memoir consultations for a broad spectrum of aspiring authors, including street youth, teen mothers, corporate professionals, seniors, as well as college and university students.

Have you ever wanted to write about your life? Then join us during the Memoir Summit on November 14 - 16, 2017. Grab your free ticket at bit.ly/memoirsummit An amazing array of best-selling authors and industry experts are gathered together for the Memoir Summit on November 14 - 16, 2017.

As of today there are 19 more days until the Summit begins on November 14th. One of the amazing speakers is Lauri Mackey. Lauri is the proprietor of Lauri’s Lemonade Stand, a Positivity Podcast for Women. And it’s through podcasting that I met Lauri over a year ago. Since then we have been each other’s cheerleader and accountability buddy in getting things done! It’s been a real gift to be able to connect to such a powerhouse of positivity through the miracle of the Internet because Lauri lives in California, and I’m in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

In the context of the memoir summit, I wanted you to meet Lauri and learn from her about how she prepares the way for getting things done with passion and purpose. Lauri studies and teaches The Art of Holiatry which focuses on 3 main points of health and well-being: Physical which includes nourishment and movement, Psychological which includes your mind and spirit, and then how to bring that best self into the third branch of Social Life which is how you show up in your relationships. Lauri’s unique background of struggle through experience has her shouting from the rooftops that if she can come through it, anyone can!

During the interview with Lauri, you’ll learn how to development a writing practice, how to avoid procrastination, how to bypass those negative voices in your head and do what you really want to do so you advance in your writing goals. Lauri's interview entitled "Developing a Writing Practice Using Holiatry" airs on November 15, 2017.

Join us at the free, online memoir writing summit at bit.ly/memoirsummit

Have you ever thought about writing about your life but wonder if you actually have enough “life experience” to warrant writing a book? Hi, I’m Elizabeth Johnston, author, professor and writing coach, and creator of The Memoir Summit, and over the many years of coaching aspiring writers, this doubt comes up frequently. The answer is there is always something you can write about. Everyone has a story to tell but you don’t have to tell it in the same way as everyone else. There are many ways to approaching your story and that is why in the Memoir Summit I’ve invited authors such as Nicole Gulotta who have done things differently.

Nicole Gulotta is a writer, editor, and tea drinker. She’s the author of Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry, and pens a food blog by the same name. Nicole lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and French bulldog.

Countdown to the Memoir Summit on November 14 to 16, 2017. Grab your free ticket at memoirsummit.com

On today's episode, I introduce one of our awesome speakers, Camille DeAngelis. Camille is the author of the novels IMMACULATE HEART, MARY MODERN, PETTY MAGIC, and the Alex Award-winning BONES & ALL, as well as  an original guidebook, MOON IRELAND. Her book of practical philosophy, LIFE WITHOUT ENVY: Ego Management for Creative People, is her most recent, and her debut children's novel, THE BOY FROM TOMORROW, is forthcoming in 2018. Camille is also a certified vegan lifestyle coach and educator. She lives in New England.

Introducing memoir summit speaker,Wendy Reese Hartmann. Wendy is a 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher, mindfulness mentor, author, perspective prophet, clarity connector and host of The Whole Being Zone and Mindfulness Miracles on itunes and Stitcher. Learn more at wholebeinginc.com.

If you’ve ever started a writing project without finishing it, you won’t want to miss Wendy’s talk at the Memoir Summit. During our conversation, Wendy talks about laying the foundations for a consistent writing practice, how to deal with writers’ block and a lot more.

To join us at the summit go to memoirsummit.com to sign up, and

I’ll see you at the summit on November 14 to 16

In today's episode, I talk to Dorie Clark, author of "Reinventing You" (Harvard Business Review Press, 2013) and "Stand Out," which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine. A former presidential campaign spokeswoman, she is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Forbes, and Entrepreneur, and the World Economic Forum blog. Recognized as a "branding expert" by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, Clark is a marketing strategy consultant and speaker for clients including Google, Microsoft, Yale University, Fidelity, and the World Bank. 

Key takeaways for writers:

1. When people ask you what's new, be ready to update them about the milestones in your life, because it's the only way you'll be top of mind for possible networking connections.

Listen to full interview for more from Dorie about the importance of continually reinventing yourself.

To kick-start your writing, join us for the free online weekend writing event happening October 20 - 22nd. It's free and on Facebook. Click here to learn more, or use this link to save your spot.

Unearthing Personal Gold

I’m more interested in the written word than politics, but ever since the turn of events south of the border that hurled the world on its head for many people, I’ve become a regular consumer of CNN and viewer of all the late night talk shows. At times, it seems as though this is all a waste of precious writing time, and of precious fallow time so necessary for the creative writer. On the other hand, I feel as though these new habits of consuming political content has made me even more determined to seek out quality literature that feeds my mind and my soul. So, although I have always favoured reading The New Yorker and Harper’s, I’m doing that even more these days. I feel compelled to do this so as to restore balance to my personal, mental ecosystem. When it feels as though the world has gone crazy, it’s even more imperative that we ground ourselves.

In this episode, I talk about the importance of reading writing that inspires you.

In today’s episode, I’m talking with Karalee Clerk, a woman you did all the conventional things in life, got married, had kids, and a career. Then divorced. And then she ran away from home to become a writer, and it’s because of that chutzpah that I just had to interview her, because who among us don’t secretly wish – at least some of the time – that we could just up stakes and run away with the circus, right?

https://karaleeofnofixedaddress.com/

On today's episode, I talk with entertainment lawyer David Lizerbram. He gives us the scoop on copyright for writers, what to be aware of when writing about living people, and other issues pertaining to creative output.

David Lizerbram, Business Law Strategist and host of Products of the Mind, a #1 ranked podcast about the intersection of business + creativity. Now available on iTunes and at ProductsOfTheMind.net.