This Creative Life With Sara Zarr

In which we don't write a novel in a month, and look to the seasons to inspire our writing focus. Special thanks to Joni Sensel. Get Wildly Inspired! The Writers Circle Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

Many thanks to my guest Jasminne Paulino for sharing the story of how her debut novel, The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez, came to be, how the pandemic led her to decide to pursue her MFA, and how a late-life diagnosis informs her writing.  Find Jasminne on Instagram @jasminne.notes, and at her website Find her book and all my guests' books at our Bookshop Shop The Writers Circle Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

Sorry about the unplanned hiatus! In this episode I talk about my break from online as my default environment, what that has to do with Our Times, and I guess I'm still learning how to pronounce "authoritarianism."  The Writers Circle Celery Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com

From childhood journals to Pitch Wars to the Morris Award Honor to the National Book Award Longlist, Hannah V. Sawyerr has been on a journey! I so enjoyed this conversation and I know you will, too. Truth Is comes out September 23rd everywhere books are sold. Truth Is at Bookshop Hannah's website & social links Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com

Expanding on the first episode of this season, we ask what does "reality-based" mean when it comes to goals? The Writers Circle Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

Finally, another interview episode! This conversation with Thomas Torrey is exactly what I've been craving, and maybe you have, too. We talk about artistic despair and the freeing realization that we're not special. Also the ways in which his film, Long December, could be thought of as This Creative Life: the Movie. Bad Theology Pictures Long December The Writers Circle Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

The Writers Circle is a community for support, connection, and education for writers at all levels, across genres and categories. Check it out: The Writers Circle Coupons! EARLYBIRD10 for 10% off any membership (expires 9/2) FOREVER21 for 21% off a Forever membership (expires 9/2) Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

Podcast home page Take a peek at the Writers Circle The Inbox Variations Quarterly Newsletter Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

When your word count is down but you've got lots of dishes to do. Writers Circle waitlist Angel Down by Daniel Kraus E Lockhart on TCL back in 2015 Incubation and the creative process And preparing for incubation! (point 6)   Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com  

This week I go over five of the most common pieces of feedback I give on student and client manuscripts.  Got a writing question for a future episode? Email me! Podcast home page Writers Circle waitlist Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

Podcast home page Help for writers and Writers Circle waitlist Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com  

In the first interview episode of TCL 3.0, we bring back an old friend with a new book. Andrew DeYoung's new domestic thriller, Stay Away From Him, is out this week. We talk about Andrew's path from YA to speculative to thrillers, the pleasures of writing genre fiction, and how he gets it done. Also, why is everything in publishing so slow? Get Stay Away from Him Help for writers and Writers Circle waitlist Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com    

In this episode, I go over five common reasons we're not writing even though we want to, and offer some ways to change our thinking. Share it with a friend who needs to hear it! Podcast home page Help for writers and Writers Circle waitlist On Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande (and other writing books I like) Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www.sarazarr.com

Subscribe to this podcast wherever you like to listen, including Apple, Overcast, Spotify, Podbean, and more. Help for Writers and Community Waitlist  Podcast Home Page Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! www.sarazarr.com  

I know you’ve been waiting a long time on a wish and a promise for this final episode in the Pivots, Comebacks, and Reinventions series. I appreciate your patience while I went and figured out myself and my own potential pivots and reinventions! The wait is over and I present to you my conversation with Ashley C. Ford, bestselling author of Somebody’s Daughterand lots more. I’m so grateful to Ashley for her time and generosity in this conversation. I know you’re going to love it as much as I did. Ashley’s web site Somebody’s Daughter The Reformatory by Tananarive Due Pre-order Kyra, Just for Today Get the This Creative Life book Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music. www.sarazarr.com

This is the audio version of the most recent newsletter PLUS some thoughts about what's next for the pod. Get the newsletter version of this post Get the book Get The Inbox Variations www.sarazarr.com  

In late 2016, Melissa Walker was working on her 10th novel when she went to a holiday party and heard then Senator Daniel Squadron talk about the importance of state-level politics—even for the national landscape. She was inspired to take action. That action eventually grew into a pivot from full-time writing to full-time work with The States Project. This conversation is everything I wanted from the Pivots, Comebacks and Reinventions series. It’s a great example of how passion and purpose can realign for a season or a reason, while the writing is still always there. It got surprisingly emotional for both of us; I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. (This conversation is explicitly political in places, which may or may not be your jam!) Selected Links: The States Project - get involved Melissa's books Get the show notes / newsletter Get the book Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music. www.sarazarr.com

The audio version of this week's newsletter on living with the uncertainty of writing. Get the newsletter version of this post Get the book! www.sarazarr.com

From the supply chain issues that started the year, to the conversation about AI that's ending it, I talk through the year in publishing with Michael Bourret of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. Also, we answer listener questions! This will be the last episode for the year, and the last one before a break during which I'll go off to Boston to teach and maybe even revise my novel. I'll be back (most likely in February) to pick up the Pivots, Comebacks, and Reinventions series.  Get the show notes / newsletter Get the book (holiday pricing good through 12/21) Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music Happy Holidays! www.sarazarr.com

What do you do when you've established a writing career and then it's not giving you what you came for? What does it look like to be a person who writes but whose entire identity isn't wrapped up in Being a Writer? Is there life on the other side, if you can just let go? Bennett Madison joins me for the first time since 2013 to talk about the work of deprofessionalizing his writing life to pivot to joy in creative work--and a steady paycheck doing something else. Get the show notes / newsletter Get the book Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! www.sarazarr.com