The Secret Library Podcast

I must confess: I was dying to post this episode the second we finished recording it.

Many of you have heard me recommend Helen's helpful YouTube videos as well as her encouraging online presence overall. I loved these videos and suggestions so much this year, and they were a delight to my audience as well.

And yet, there was a price to pay to create at the pace Helen was setting. This week, we look at the pros and cons of maintaining a prolific online presence alongside your writing practice. Helen shares generously about her thought process and the results of experimenting with stepping back from the online world for a time.

As we get closer and closer to the holidays, the boundaries we choose to set around being online are ever more important. How visible to we want to be, and at what cost to our creativity? The need for rest and recuperation is so important, and we explore all of the pressures and benefits we gain as writers from sharing our journey.

I so look forward to the conversation that I expect this episode will generate- these questions don't get answered in a day, but we can all benefit by reflecting on them together.

Visit this episode's blog post here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/helen-redfern-s3-ep12 

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This summer, I started challenging writers to get out the fancy notebook they've been saving and start writing in it. We called it #fancynotebookchallenge, and it felt like a fun and silly way to make writing a special occasion. But as I dug further, as has been the case with many topics this season, there was a lot more to it.

Mark + Fold has long been one of my favorite stationers, and their diary is how I plan my week, every week. When I found out Amy would be celebrating 5 years of Mark + Fold this week, I knew we had to get into the deeper levels of the tools we use to write. From the sustainability of the product to the value we place on ourselves and our writing, taking your tools seriously is a profound act of nourishment for your writing. Let's get into every writer's favorite topic: stationery! Enjoy- this was a blast to record and create for you.

Visit today's blog post here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/amy-cooper-wright-s3-ep11 

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Amie McNee has been speaking up about the creative process for years.

She's boosted many of us with her gentle-yet-fierce handwritten messages on instagram, where she shares as @inspiredtowrite. I adore Amie's work, and when she put out an episode debunking hustle culture on her podcast, Unpublished, I knew she was a must for this season.

Amie and I could have done a whole season rather than just one episode. It was such joy to chat with her about the approach to creativity we both promote, that of taking smaller steps more regularly. Being kind with yourself and not asking so much that you feel doomed to fail. Her approach is to believe success is not only permitted, but inevitable if you keep moving forward.

We also look at the importance of journaling, something she has used to transform her entire relationship to creativity, letting go of stories that told her that her dreams weren't possible. This episode is a huge shot of motivation, but on your own terms.

Have been busting to share this ever since we recorded. Enjoy!

Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/amie-mcnee-s3-ep10 

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Has there been another title this fitting to the moment released this year?

I doubt it. And how perfect that it was decided years in advance, as a favorite saying of Jacqueline's father's during the hard times after the second world war. Reading this memoir, and discussing it with Jacqueline, was a wonderful reminder that we can get through so much more than we think.

As a fan of the Maisie Dobbs series, reading this memoir felt like a tour of the author's life, seeing all the events that inspired plot lines in her novels. It is satisfying to spy them as you read. But this is also an extraordinary story of a childhood that spanned huge changes in society and a family grappling with the world lurching ahead. It was the perfect read for this year.

And once again, what a treat to speak to Jacqueline, a woman who dreamed of being a writer all her life, but didn't publish her first book until her forties- obviously that's a story after my own heart... happy listening!

Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/jacqueline-winspear-s3-ep9 

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I'm so grateful to welcome Greta Solomon back to the show. With her bright approach to life and incredible insight into the writing process, I always love to have writers who also teach and coach on the show.

Greta and I had such an exciting conversation about taking good care of ourselves and how to stay connected and inspired as part of my Write Free course this past summer, and it didn't feel fair to keep that insight just in the class. Greta and I caught up again this fall to debunk the myth of "the real writer," share what nourishes us, and to talk about what is needed to stay inspired.

She's the bright spot we need right now, and her advice is the best I can imagine sharing this week. Happy listening!

Visit this episode's blog post here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/greta-solomon-s3-ep8 

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It's entirely possible that I've recommended Emily and Amelia Nagoski's book Burnout to every student I've had in the last 18 months. 

As someone who's experienced burnout in a number of contexts, I was no stranger to the topic, but this book was an excellent resource for anyone finding it hard to separate from writing after a tough scene, writing about painful subjects, or struggling creatively in general. 

Now that we're headed toward the end of the year we've had, I was happy dancing around the house to be able to speak to Emily directly about the subjects in the book and how they apply to writing and the madness that has been 2020. 

This is essential listening, just as the book is essential listening. Get ready, because Emily Nagoski has insight that can transform your life, but not in the way you might expect. 

Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/emily-nagoski-s3-ep7

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Tana French finished her last book in February 2020

As we discussed, this was a brilliant stroke of luck, finishing right before everything turned upside down. However, this isn't the first time she's written through challenging times. Her challenge has also been dealing with the darker aspects of human nature through each of her novels, so we got down to specifics about how she writes dark stories without getting dragged down.

Character is a central part of her process, so those thinking about character development at the moment will want to put this episode at the top of their queue. She's an absolute delight, and I can't wait for you to hear this episode. Enjoy! 

Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/tana-french-s3-ep6  

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If we want to write, we must learn to ask for what we need.

Thankfully today's guest, Kemi Nekvapil, has written a beautiful book called The Gift of Asking to help us with this often challenging task. In addition to learning how to speak up, how to choose ourselves, and to ask for what will allow us to write, Kemi shared generously in this episode from inside the experience of working on her third book. We explored the role of both fear and vulnerability, and how to take care of ourselves when sharing very personal material.

This was one of the hardest episodes to wrap up that I've ever had — I would have happily kept talking with Kemi for many more hours. Enjoy this very special episode, once I hope inspires you to ask for what you need so that you can feel nourished as you write.

Visit this episode's blog post here for additional resources: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/kemi-nekvapil-s3-sp5 

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Earlier this year, Rachael Stephen taught a workshop called The Story Toolkit

In this presentation, she thoughtfully did away with one of the biggest hassles most writers face: how do I keep track of my ideas? Sometimes being a nourished writer isn't just about what you take in, it's about how you store what you put out.

Rachael is also an expert in The Plot Embryo, an outlining method that I've fallen in love with through her teaching. In this episode, we explore the various containers our work exists inside of, including our minds.

We go deep into how to save our brainpower for the most important tasks, why brainstorming is the answer to almost everything and how to let a project go when it isn't serving you anymore.

If you've ever searched frantically for that little note you wrote that one time all over your house, this is your episode. Happy listening!

Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/rachael-stephen-s3-ep4 

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Esmé Weijun Wang was the second-ever guest on this podcast.

Her novel, Border of Paradise, had recently come out to great acclaim and we had a delicious discussion about fiction and taboo.

In the years since, she‘s written an equally lauded book of essays, The Collected Schizophrenias, which explores the complex constellation of this illness and her relationship to it.

Esmé has also worked to build community and courses for those writers who are, as she puts it „ambitious with limitations.“ I’ve had many people write in asking about achieving writing goals when health is a factor. I knew immediately who I wanted to speak to.

I hope that this conversation supports anyone currently living with limitations and that you feel as nourished as I did, speaking with Esmé.

Visit this episode's show notes page here: https://www.secretlibrarypodcast.com/episodes/esme-weijun-wang-s3-ep3 

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