Ease Lessons for Writers
In your writing life, no matter how hard you work or how well you plan, things won't always unfold the way you'd hoped. In Ease Lessons for Writers, we explore what gets in the way of our writing, why that happens, and why it matters. Together we learn how to make our writing easier and more joyful. I'm your host, Monna McDiarmid, a writer and coach based in Japan and Nova Scotia. Website: monnamcdiarmid.com/ | Newsletter: monnamcdiarmid.com/subscribe/ | Instagram: @monnamcdiarmidwrites/ | Patreon: @MonnaMcDiarmid
Ease Lessons for Writers
31. Michelle (Season 3, Episode 1/3)
TODAY'S GUEST: MICHELLE
Today's episode is my first conversation with Michelle, a mom of two and an attorney who prefers storytelling to legalese, as well as an open heart over the analytical mind. She believes that when her heart and mind work as one, that's where the magic happens, and she has been on a lifelong journey to connect them both. She received her first tarot card deck at age thirteen and Reiki certifications at age sixteen. After that she earned certification after certification in Astrology, Spiritual Bathing, Life Coaching and Mindfulness Education amongst many others. Meanwhile, Michelle never believed she was “special enough” to be an author, and instead worked as Senior Associate at the largest employment law firm in the world for over ten years. In February, she left her law career and is finally learning to just be. She plans to self publish her first spiritual fiction novel in 2022 under a pen name.
Thanks for this conversation, Michelle.
HOMEWORK INVITATIONS FROM OUR FIRST CONVERSATION:
1. Community | Think about your community of writers. Choose two or three people you like, trust and respect. Reach out to them and invite this group to a zoom call in which you get their support as a writer. It’s also important that they have a chance to congratulate you on the amazing progress you’ve already made.
2. Thank You Letter | Imagine the experience of a person who is going through infidelity in their relationship. They search online for some resources and find your book. After they finished reading it, they reached out to you to thank you. What do they write? Please write this letter.
3. Pen Name | As you have already created a pen name for your book, devise an opportunity to try it out. You might write a piece that is connected to your novel's theme of infidelity and publish it on the website you’ve created, as an Instagram post, or on a platform like Medium. How does it feel to have a piece of your writing associated with this pen name?
4. Freedom and Shame | Write about the relationship between freedom and shame.
READ ABOUT MICHELLE AND HER BOOK:
Website: www.violetdeluna.com
Medium: My husband cheated on me 8 years ago, when I was pregnant and after I gave birth
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ABOUT EASE LESSONS:
Music: “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license
Editor: Damien Pitter
Host: Monna McDiarmid (pronounced Mona McDermid) | Writer, Coach and Counselor
Website: MonnaMcDiarmid.com
Newsletter: The Sunday Reader
Patreon: where I share monthly excerpts from my writing memoir in progress
Instagram: @monnamcdiarmid
