Wrangling the Doubt Monster with Amy L. Bernstein

Amy L. Bernstein is a multi-genre novelist, award-winning journalist, speechwriter, playwright, poet, and nonfiction book coach. Her new book is Wrangling the Doubt Monster: Fighting Fears, Finding Inspiration. Amy teaches a variety of writing workshops and is a frequent guest on podcasts to discuss writing, publishing, and creativity. Amy joins me to talk about the difference between writing for hire and writing for yourself, the pros and cons of MFA programs, how deadlines can work for or against us, the universality of self-doubt and how it keeps us stuck, and a lot more. Episode breakdown:   00:00 Introduction 01:14 Creative childhood and family influence. 02:14 Societal expectations and practicality pressures. 06:13 Navigating challenging career paths and personal fulfillment. 09:44 Shift from writing for others to personal projects. 14:25 Distinction between work and personal writing. 18:29 Importance of passion and creative drive. 21:37 Challenges of balancing work and creative pursuits. 25:43 Creativity hindered by productivity culture. 26:58 Thinking as part of the creative process. 31:09 Using local settings in novels and plays. 33:03 Introduction to Wrangling the Doubt Monster. 36:17 Universal nature of self-doubt in creativity. 44:06 Utilizing deadlines in different contexts. 48:39 Self-criticism and perfectionism in creativity. 50:55 The impact of upbringing on creative work. 54:35 Amy’s current projects and book coaching.   Want more? Here's a handy playlist with all my previous interviews with guests in writing.   Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it’s really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you’ll share it with a friend.