Words to Write by Podcast

After countless episodes complaining that writing advice books skimp on examples, we may have finally found one with too many. Chapter 2 of Sandra Scofield's The Scene Book shows how to build a scene through action and how to make that action mean something. Scofield packs the chapter with examples but leaves most of the...

There's something about a new craft book and all its promise. Renee is so happy that she's worried she won't do anything but gush over the first chapter of Sandra Scofield's The Scene Book. We'll find out in today's episode. We start with what makes a scene powerful, both in general and in specifics —...

We're saying goodbye to The Artist's Way — and honestly, good riddance. We're recapping our favorite quotes, the insights that actually landed, and the many, many reasons this was the most frustrating craft book we've covered on this show. Would we recommend it? Hard no. Curious about Morning Pages? Google it — someone's written a...

Week 10 of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way finally tackles the elephant in every writer's room: creative block. And Cameron's fix isn't the standard “butt in chair, write daily” gospel (morning pages notwithstanding). No, she goes bigger, blaming workaholism, distraction, fame-chasing, and our need to compare ourselves to everyone else. Classic Cameron: heavy on the...

f you listen to this podcast, you probably dream of becoming a successful writer. But what happens when you actually get there—and find yourself flailing and blocked anyway? Sounds like a best-selling-author problem, the kind that shouldn't have a place in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist's Way. And yet as we take a closer look...

What causes writer's block? According to Julia Cameron, it's not laziness—it's fear. This week's chapter of The Artist's Way goes deep on identifying what keeps writers from writing, even if the solutions are a little thin on the ground. Cameron argues that blocked writers don't need more discipline; they need more enthusiasm and to treat...

A funny thing happened while we were reading the latest chapter of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. She actually had some good advice. That line about how making art is less about “thinking it up than getting it down” that’s simple, but completely true. And her description of perfectionism as “an expensive illusion of safety”...

Making art can hurt — even when you're fully bought into The Artist's Way. This week Cameron tackles criticism and toxic teachers, and we suspect she's drawing from some personal experience. Her descriptions of creative wounds ring painfully true; her solutions, less so. We dig into her motives, push back on her advice, and have...

The starving artist isn't a cliché for nothing — we've long assumed that art requires sacrifice, usually financial. But according to Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way, a little pampering is actually good for the artist's soul. And while we won't disagree that small luxuries like fresh raspberries, high-grade butter, and the occasional thrift store impulse...

What gives? We hate this book but love talking about it. Week 5 of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way returns to her insistence that belief in a Great Creator unlocks opportunities and success—which we're still not buying. But it does spark a conversation about self-belief: that unshakeable certainty successful artists have that their work matters...