The Secret Library Podcast

This summer, I started challenging writers to get out the fancy notebook they've been saving and start writing in it. We called it #fancynotebookchallenge, and it felt like a fun and silly way to mak…

Amie McNee has been speaking up about the creative process for years.

She's boosted many of us with her gentle-yet-fierce handwritten messages on instagram, where she shares as @inspiredtowrite. I ado…

Has there been another title this fitting to the moment released this year?

I doubt it. And how perfect that it was decided years in advance, as a favorite saying of Jacqueline's father's during the h…

I'm so grateful to welcome Greta Solomon back to the show. With her bright approach to life and incredible insight into the writing process, I always love to have writers who also teach and coach on …

It's entirely possible that I've recommended Emily and Amelia Nagoski's book Burnout to every student I've had in the last 18 months. 

As someone who's experienced burnout in a number of contexts, I w…

Tana French finished her last book in February 2020

As we discussed, this was a brilliant stroke of luck, finishing right before everything turned upside down. However, this isn't the first time she's…

If we want to write, we must learn to ask for what we need.

Thankfully today's guest, Kemi Nekvapil, has written a beautiful book called The Gift of Asking to help us with this often challenging task.…

Earlier this year, Rachael Stephen taught a workshop called The Story Toolkit

In this presentation, she thoughtfully did away with one of the biggest hassles most writers face: how do I keep track of …

Esmé Weijun Wang was the second-ever guest on this podcast.

Her novel, Border of Paradise, had recently come out to great acclaim and we had a delicious discussion about fiction and taboo.

In the years…

We often avoid talking about money when we talk about writing.

I have loved Sarah Von Bargen for years, as her blog Yes and Yes has been an ongoing source of inspiration and insight around nurturing …

Many people have shared the challenges of transitioning from writing for themselves to writing pieces they hope will find readers and an audience

As I was pondering this delicate balance and the minds…

The Secret Library Podcast Season Three begins September 17th. The theme this season is: The Nourished Writer. In crazy times, I couldn't think of anything more important than taking good care of our…

And so, we come to the end of Season 2.

It has been quite an adventure releasing this season in such a crazy time, but I've never been more grateful to be a podcaster than I am right now. I hope this …

Memoir presents a tricky twist on the revision process: the challenge of memory.

Susannah Conway is back on the show this week to discuss revision and memoir. Writing about real life presents a specia…

Simon Van Booy has been, since late 2018, my editor and mentor for this novel. I first met him when he appeared on the podcast and I knew he understood the sort of book I wanted to write. In this epi…

What a gift to have Sue Monk Kidd on the show.

Even with decades of experience, and numerous bestsellers to her name, Sue Monk Kidd was so intimidated by the idea of writing a novel about the fictiona…

Years ago, Stephanie Scott read a news story about a woman who had been murdered in a case that involved a marriage breakup agent. This industry, and the fact that the marriage breakup agent claimed …

Julie Parker is quite the force: author, podcaster, and creator of the Beautiful You Coaching Academy.

On this episode, we talk about everything from the practical steps she took during revision, to t…

I fell in love with Hannah Dennison the moment I met her.

And I had had to take the Underground, two trains, a taxi, a tiny plane the size of a bathtub and ride in the back of a little trick to get to…

Revise like an editor.

When considering revision, I knew we had to bring in an editor to speak to the nuances of editing vs revision, as well as the places where they overlap. Tasha has been on the sh…