159: Using Writing as an Escape Through Tough Times with Alison Macor

There's a ton of challenges that go into writing a book. It involves a lot of research and travel, plus juggling that with your personal life and everything that's going on. Such is the determination it takes to be able to get a book done, especially as a single mom. In today's episode, Alison Macor shares her journey through writing and motherhood. Imagine a mom whose parents were both ill at that time so she had to fly back and forth from Austin, where she lives, to her parents in New Jersey to help with the care, while flying to Los Angeles for her book.  Alison Macor received a Public Scholars grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her forthcoming book "Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation" (University of Texas Press, 2022), about the 1946 blockbuster that influenced the way we talk about PTSD. She is also the author of "Rewrite Man: The Life and Career of Screenwriter Warren Skaaren" (UT Press, 2017) and "Chainsaws, Slackers, and Spy Kids: Thirty Years of Filmmaking in Austin, Texas," which won the 2012 Peter C. Rollins Book of the Year Award. She holds a Ph.D. in film history and taught for more than 20 years at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas State University, Austin Community College, and the Austin Museum of Art. A former film critic, Alison currently works as a freelance writer and ghostwriter and lives in Austin with her husband and son. A lot of moms out there have to make different major decisions in life – and there is no perfect path. There are always going to be moments when you have to re-establishes stages in your life and have different approaches to motherhood and a writing career depending on the season of your life and your kid's life. In this episode, you will hear: How some moms have made different career choices and the doubts that pop-up About the juggle of traveling for interviews as a mom while caring for aging parents The beauty of handling weekly writing deadlines as the ultimate productivity hack How career dreams do evolve once the reality of motherhood surfaces What is it like to be a woman in academia? What about a mom? How writing and work can be a useful escape through terrible times What was it about 1946? It's a Wonderful Life and The Best Years both came out in the same year  How women have been portrayed in movies and whether it's changed much through the years? The answer Alison shares is surprising. Should we adjust our lives to our kids or should the kids fit into our lives? Alison's baby and book birth story and how it wasn't planned that way A perfect metaphor for what being a mom and writer really looks like  A positive way to escape from the idea of workaholism SHARE this episode with a mom who enjoys reading nonfiction and/or is writing her own.  Similar Episodes: Melissa On Why I'm Pivoting An Interview With Melissa Llarena, Episode 146 https://www.melissallarena.com/melissa-on-why-im-pivoting-an-interview-with-melissa-llarena-episode-146/  Q&A Tuesday – How Can Writing Improve Your Self-Esteem, Self-Love, or Self-Care For A Mom?, Episode 154 https://www.melissallarena.com/qa-tuesday-how-can-writing-improve-your-self-esteem-self-love-or-self-care-for-a-mom-episode-154/  Supporting Resources: Shop the book: Making The Best Years of Our Lives: The Hollywood Classic That Inspired a Nation Website: www.alisonmacor.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisonmacor Twitter: https://twitter.com/agmacor  Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for moms who read and want to write a nonfiction book? I'd love for you to subscribe if you haven't yet.  I'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.  Grab a Free Chapter of My Personal Development Book for Moms entitled: Mom Needs A Lift: Stop Self-Doubt, Uncover What Lights You Up, And Imagine Yourself Going For It! Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist if you would like some answers tackling these questions: How can you get back to that time when you were free, fun, and energized? What if your kid/s hold the key to this? How can you start your journey from feeling zapped to uncapped in your own level of playfulness?  It's time you uncover just how under your nose the answers to these questions are! Grab the chapter here www.melissallarena.com/waitlist and use the ideas presented in this quick read.  Meanwhile, check out what moms like you have to say about this chapter and my upcoming book overall! Get your free chapter today! Don't you want to feel alive again? You know who raises happy kids? Happy moms. So here is what other moms have to say… "This book is about getting in touch with your creative, playful, imaginative side. The part of yourself that perhaps felt freer before you became a parent, before you chose your identity and had a lot of responsibilities weighing you down. In helping you get in touch with your more playful, creative self, it not only helps you on a path toward greater happiness and fulfillment, but it also helps you to feel more fulfilled as a parent." - Mom/Librarian "The words: imagination, play and fun are not the usual things we as mothers think of when wondering how to get a grip back on our career and I believe it provides a really fresh take and lots of food for thought for mothers reading it. I think that the tone is so energetic and fresh that is why I would pick it up." - Mom/Positive Psychology Coach Go to www.melissallarena.com/waitlist   You are invited to send me a DM. What did you uncover from this episode? I'd love to know. https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/