Women Creating Writerly Lives with Scribbling Woman Nancy Rue

We’ve reignited our passion and reconnected with our writerly lives. We’ve grown in that process, which means that some aspects of that creative life may need some remodeling. In this episode, we envision an updated “creative house,” and explore its five “rooms”—why, who, what, how, and when/where to see what needs some tweaking, if not an all out redo.

Listening to other people tell us the “rules” for living a writerly life is like waiting for permission to ugly-cry or snort-laugh. Before we can write—and live—authentically and creatively, we first need to release the “commandments” that limit us. In this episode we explore three areas that could do with some pondering. Prepare to feel—and be—free.

It’s one thing to feel the passion for writing stir again, and another to know how to move forward with it. This second in a series of episodes focused on the writerly REs offers four steps for REconnecting with the writerly life we grew apart from—and making it even more delicious.

Has your passion for writing flagged or even flatlined? It happens to all of us, and it’s essential that we REvive it. This first in a series of episodes focused on the writerly REs offers four steps in bringing back the passion that makes the best creativity possible.

We writers need a certain amount of solitude, but when that turns to loneliness or isolation, our creative work suffers. In this episode, we talk about why we need other writers in our lives, how to find them, and how to balance community and that much-needed space to be with ourselves. Introvert or extrovert, this one’s for you. You are not alone.

Writers who hang out on the more Intentional end of the Writing Process Ribbon always know where they’re going… until the caution flags indicate it’s time to slow down and play a little. In this episode, we talk about how to do that, without abandoning your authentic approach.

Intuitive Writers (formerly known as “Pantsers”) create freely and magically… until they hit the inevitable speed bumps. In this episode we talk about how to let those slow-downs work FOR you, without losing your authentic writerly self.

Knowing our own personal writerly whys—why we keep writing, why we quit from time to time, why we’re crazy people—is essential. So is answering them. Because then we get to ask the why nots—and that’s where the fun begins.

Are you as weary as I am of (if not downright ticked off by) having holes poked into your creativity by social media pressures and random trends and even other aspiring authors? Those things are and always have been challenges for writers. We can meet those challenges by once more falling in love with our writerly lives and nurturing the romance. Take 5 stepping stones to reclaim what you love about being a writer. It will make you a better one.

Y’know that voice that chirps in your head, telling you that this new idea is way better than the one you’re currently working on? Sometimes that serves us writers well, and sometimes it’s a TIWE, Tiny Imp Who Entices. In this episode we talk about how to tell the difference, and what to do with the TIWEs so we don’t completely lose their magic.

Raise your hand if you have ever asked your writerly self, “Am I bad at this?” All of you? It’s natural to question yourself, but when those doubts interfere with your creative process—and even paralyze you—they need to be dealt with. That’s what we’re about in this episode, in concrete, doable ways, so that your answer can be an unequivocal “No! I am NOT!”

Writerly intentions are essential. Writers gotta have them. But, then, what do we DO? In this episode we continue Building From Where We are by going through the process of discovering our next stepping stones—the two or three moves we can make without pulling a creative hamstring. Steps. Checklist. And an offer for free one-on-one help.

Goals are for fitness and finance. Intentions are for writers. Not the kind the road to hell is paved with. The kind that define how we need to be in order to fulfill the why of what we do. Sound complicated? Nah. Deep? Yes. Let’s go there.

As we start any new season, whether it's January, March, or the end of a blistering August, let’s forget resolutions and goals. We need writerly intentions when we begin again, and those arise from one writerly word. In this episode we’ll talk about the qualities of such a word, how to discover ours, and what NOT to listen to as they take shape within our creative selves. In a word, this is writer-changing. Okay, that’s two. But there’s a hyphen…

The ability to write is a gift from our Creator. When we look at that gift and consider it to be not enough or not as good a somebody else’s, we insult the Creator and do immense damage to our own work. In this episode, we’ll unwrap our writerly gifts and focus on specific ways to appreciate them and use them to the max--without berating the places where we struggle.. Prepare to ooh and aah over your sweet self!

Episode 42 brings us to a topic that has paralyzed many an author, and sometimes permanently: unmet expectations. But unlike the infamous Miss Havisham created by Charles Dickens, we writers don’t have to be thwarted by the fizzling of hopes we counted on. Here we talk about what kinds of expectations to let go of, what false beliefs we need to detach from, and how to set healthy intentions based on honesty and our true values, ones that will help us stretch and grow rather than makes us want to throw our laptops off the nearest bridge. Expect the unexpected from this episode!

In this interview with the Southeast Sales Manager for Penguin Random House, Jessica Pearson brings us not only specific advice for selling our work, both to edits/agents and to readers, but invaluable tips on seeing ourselves as writers and remaining committed to this creative work we do. Besides that, she’s delightful! Grab a cuppa and join us.

“Good reading comes from damned hard writing,” said Nathaniel Hawthorne. Even if we don’t see it as “damned hard”, we’re usually at least a little depleted when we finish a project. So why do we jump immediately into the next one? Because we don’t want to “get behind,” have to “catch up” to everybody who’s “ahead?” What the Sam Hill? Art isn’t a competition! We need space between those projects—and in this episode we’ll look at how we can embrace that space without feeling like we’re “doing nothing.”

If you haven’t been there as a writer you probably will be at some point—the funky place where the old way no longer fits and the past ideas don’t resonate any more. Fear not! You’re not “done!” You’re simply between writerly seasons, and that liminal space has much to show you before you once again find your passion. Join me as we imagine ourselves as trapeze artists—flying between swings.

Scriptwriter and budding novelist Sarah Greek joins me in introducing our series on Writing In Between. We talk about those life circumstances (and we’re all there at some point) in which there simply IS no time to sit down and produce a complete work. Sarah contends that keeping our creativity alive during a pausing season is essential—and tells us how that works so that we don’t shove it to the back of our lives.

In the third and final episode in our series on going deep with our writing and our writerly lives, we dispel the mistaken belief that going deep means going dark. Instead, we’re talking about digging for treasure as we write. And finding it. And knowing that it is the heart of our story. The heart of us.

In this second episode in our series on Developing Depth In Our Writerly Lives, we ponder the question: How do we go deep in our writing? The answer lies in doing a deep dive into ourselves. Into the wounds and the struggles, as well as the vision of healing and the obstacles to be overcome—by ourselves and by our characters. For our readers. We talk about five approaches that make going deep, well, deeply satisfying.

In this first of five episodes in our series on Developing Depth In Our Writerly Lives, we ponder the questions: Is it time to go deep? What does that mean? How do we know when it’s time? How can we prepare ourselves? Never fear! This is not a downer! We’re talking about a meaningful, satisfying writerly journey. One you’re ready to take, fellow Scribblie.

In this last episode of our series on Cultivating Writerly Delight, we talk about what to do when that delight flatlines. There’s nothing for it but to get the creative defibrillator and not only revive but create a healthier writerly lifestyle going forward. Delight restored!

In this fifth episode of our series on cultivating delight in our writerly lives, we’re going to discover how to do research that gets us away from Google and AI and out where we can get some it on us. Experience the world of our characters as closely as we can. Smell, taste, feel and sweat. And open up our own worlds as we play.

You know that whole solitary writer thing? Yeah, that’s only partly true. Even the most introverted among us benefits from having at least one writerly pal. Not a critique partner—unless that’s what you want—but someone who takes as much delight in the writerly life as you do. Who’s not right for that role? What do we look for in a creative kindred spirit? And where do we find these fellow Scribblies? That’s what we’re about in this fourth episode of our series on cultivating delight in our writerly lives.

In this third episode of our series on rediscovering the joy that brought us to the writerly life in the first place, we find out how to learn what we need to know in the time-honored tradition of Sesame Street. Whether you resonate with Ernie or Big Bird or Oscar The Grouch, you’ll see four ways to make improving your craft and your writerly life as delightful as it was back when learning was fun.

In this second episode of our series on rediscovering the joy that brought us to the writerly life in the first place, we go in search of our writerly playground. Get your play clothes on as we explore our world, our souls, and our writing spaces for all that we need so we can, well, play games!

This episode kicks off our series of rediscovering the joy that brought us to the writerly life in the first place. We’ll check for signs that you might just be joy-sapped and apply some CPR to get you ready for all the recovery methods we’ll explore in the next seven weeks. Discard your Serious Writer mask. We’re going to play.

At the end of our series on respecting ourselves as writers, we have everything we need to pursue our writing with confidence. All we have to do is trust ourselves. Ah, and that’s where we get into the kind of trouble that makes us stick the manuscript in the drawer and go order a double crust pizza and eat the whole thing. So in this episode we talk about five concrete ways to build writerly trust. We are, after all, Scribbling Women.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of shaping our own writerly vocabulary, one that describes our creative life so that we can respect ourselves as authors. We offer (accurate) replacements for jargon that has come to us from the business world, the publishing world, and people who don’t know what the Sam Hill they’re talking about. You’ll emerge with ideas for your own writerly glossary.

We’ve all been told to “write what we know,” and that is good advice… as far as it goes. In this episode we delve into all the ways we can bring knowledge to the page.

Gone are the days when publishing with a traditional house is the only way to get our work out there. Being an Independent Author entails more than simply self-publishing, so guest Cheri LaSota, founder and CEO of Authors Assembler, helps us look at all aspects of going Indie, and most important of all, shows us that we can respect that choice. (Our apologies for a few technical glitches)

Writing can be hard work, but not ALL the time. In this episode, we compare our relationship with our writing to a friendship. If we treat our work the way we do a BFF—if we experience with that work in progress what we experience with a close pal—if we don’t do to our writing what we wouldn’t do to a kindred spirit… all of us benefit: our art, our audience, and ourselves.

As we revisit the BOHOs (Big Ol' Hairy obstacles), we discover that if we are clear on our own individual roles as writers right NOW, what those false voices have to say simply doesn't apply. What, then, is a "role" as a writer and how do we discover ours for this season, this time, this us? Four questions lead to BOHO-silencing answers.

We're throwing out the rather judgy terms Planner, Pantser, and Plantser as names for the creative process and instead going with a new lexicon, which describes a continuum from Intentional to Intuitive. In this episode we'll pose 6 questions which can lead each of us to the discovery our own approach to our writing. We'll find that our individual processes are beautiful--no matter how ugly they may look to someone else!

Even when we’re absolutely in love with our writerly intentions and the projects that arise from them, getting started can seem like you’re standing at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. With the help of speaker, life coach, author, and mountain climber Jonathan Mearns O.B.E., we apply the six stages of his mountain metaphor to the sometimes daunting task of pursuing those beautiful intentions.

If we’re earnest writers, we really want our readers to pick up what we’re puttin’ down. Sometimes that results in over-explaining IN our writing and ABOUT our writing—and in terms of whether we SHOULD be writing. In this episode we explore three areas in which resisting the urge to explain can enhance our authentic work and our delicious writerly lives.

THIS IS NOT A SPIRITUAL MUGGING! No, in this episode we simply talk about a power greater than ourselves that calls us, inspires us, and allows us to enter the world we write about--no matter what each of us want to name it.. We explore three ways to loosen our grip and allow the spirit to move the pen.

In order to allow our beautiful writerly intentions to unfold, we would do well to let go of the things we're holding onto that are holding US back. Since completely booting them out all in one go is impossible for most of us, we talk in this episode about loosening our grip one knuckle at a time. Five nudges to ponder. Three areas to focus on. And a three-pronged approach to beginning the process.

In this delightful interview with author, radio script writer, and podcaster A.R. "Abigail" Geiger, we continue our series on setting and committing to our writing intentions even in the face of disturbing societal and publishing events. Abigail talks about going through the disappointments and set-backs that make our creative dreams seem unattainable and offers both practical and spiritual encouragement to any struggling Scribblie.

In Part Two of our series on setting and developing our writing intentions, guest author Joanna Davidson Politano shares how the meaning inherent in her novels is her motivation for writing them--and how she expresses that meaning without preaching, teaching, or spiritually mugging!

Rather than make New Year's Resolutions that we abandon or forget by the official Quitting Day, January 10, we as writerly women are better served by setting intentions that come from the deep longings of our souls. That's what we're about in this episode: discovering our intentions and keeping them alive. Beyond January 10th.

Budding author Haylee Phillips joins me as we begin Season Three of the podcast, in which we'll ponder shaping a writerly life in a challenging publishing climate. As a writer just starting out, Haylee is the perfect guest in discussing what shapes us, when we know we're ready, and how we might take those first steps. She is, to use her own words, a truth crystal in a time when the path of a writer can look dark..

Susan Miner, author of Jewels of Kidron, joins me to explore the role of setting in our work. Having created both a contemporary and a fantasy setting in her YA novel, Susan is highly qualified to offer insights into imagining, detailing, and immersing oneself into the fictional world. Bonus: she talks about chickens too!

After addressing the question: what is the point of creative writing in these disturbing times?, we explore the power of real characters who express what we have to share with a troubled world. The Scribbling Nudges help us each figure out how to get to know those folks, just as we get acquainted with real people who fascinate us. As always, the means are unique to each writerly life. CAUTION: Be ready for some woo-woo!

Three Fellow Scribblies -- authors Kay Day, Barbara Haley, and Christine Virgin -- join me to talk about the delightful discovering of the writing process. We toss out the planner/pantser/plantser labels and provide some thoughts on finding out what works for each individual writer. Belly laughs included.

We're taking a slightly different approach in this episode as we talk about capturing those elusive ideas you've dreamed up so you can shape them into creative projects. You'll hear 5 Scribbling Nudges, prompts to help you nudge your own "butterfly net" into being. After each, you'll have a chance to pause the recording and answer those prompts, so that by the end of the session you'll be on your way to yet another part of your writerly life that is unique to you.

Every writer reaches a point where the dreams she has for her writerly life aren't quite panning out, and usually through no fault of her own. Do we just give it up? Or do we see that disappointment as an opportunity to re-imagine, re-think, re-dream with new texture? In this episode we talk about choosing to pivot. Because for Scribbling Women, there is no such thing as failure.

Wonderful, quirky author Joyce Magnin joins me for a one-of-a-kind discussion of writing voice: what it is and what it means to come upon it. As always, this is not a how-to but a doorway to finding your OWN unique voice in your own unique way.