"How Do You Know When Your Story Is “Finished?” Ask Me Anything with Lisa Cooper Ellison

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to the last episode of Season 2! This second season has been amazing, and I am so grateful for all of the featured guests and all of you listeners. Just as I did last season, I decided to sit behind the microphone and open myself up to answering questions. In this episode, you’ll meet Katie Rouse, a poet, memoirist, and former student in my Camp Structure course. During this episode, we explore the signals that your story is “finished” and ready to marinate. As you listen to our interview, here are some questions to consider: How do you know it's time to let a manuscript rest? Do you resist doing it? What fears do you face? What have you done to cope with them? If you've let your manuscript rest, what tells you it's time to pick it back up? Katie’s Bio: Katie Rouse is a marketing manager, poet, and freelance writer who writes about faith, doubt, and deconstruction. She loves sending out weekly poems to email subscribers, as well as longer monthly letters. Her work has been published in Missive Mag, hyssop + laurel, and The Unmooring. She published her first book of poetry, Psalms of Deconstruction, in Fall 2021, and is working on her first memoir, which will recount her journey of deconstructing her faith while serving as a missionary in India. Resources Mentioned During This Episode Katie’s Poem “Psalm 9” from The Unmooring (See page 38) Episode Highlights 1:15 Finding the “Good Enough” Completion Point 4:55 Completing Your Work 6:15 The Three Types of Rest 10:15 Signals It’s Time to Return to Your Work 12:36 Common Fears Writers Have Around Rest Connect with Katie Website: https://bit.ly/katierousewrites Newsletter: https://bit.ly/katierousewrites_subscribe Instagram: @katie.rose.rouse Building Better Memoir Scenes: https://janefriedman.com/building-better-memoir-scenes-with-lisa-cooper-ellison/ Connect with your host, Lisa: Get Your Free Copy of Ditch Your Inner Critic: https://lisacooperellison.com/subscribe/ Website | Instagram | YouTube | Facebook | LinkedIn Produced by Espresso Podcast Production