Around the Writer’s Table

The Three Cs: Critique, Compassion, and Craft! Pt. 1 (ep.12)

It often feels dangerous to offer our work up to others for critique and feedback. It requires a lot of vulnerability, but is a crucial part of the writing process as it is required to improve our work. In this episode, Gina, Melody, and KimBoo talk about letting go at a lot of levels: letting go of attachments to what we write, letting go of words, letting go of expectations, letting go of the creation process, and more. Sometimes that means "kill your darlings," sometimes (if you are KimBoo!) it is about adding and embellishing the story and letting go of impatience. The important part of critiquing is knowing where you are at as a writer, knowing how to take a break, and finding the balance of what works for you.
This episode goes in depth on how to find a supportive critique group, what an alpha reader is, and how to find the right people to help you critique your writing. It is the first part of a series of episodes focused on editing and critiquing, and we start with a look at the early stage of editing, either when a draft is freshly done (or not even quite done yet!).
Visit our website at https://www.aroundthewriterstable.com in order to access the downloadable worksheet(s) referenced in this episode!

Season of Writing: Fall pt. 2 (ep.11)

We're back with part two of our overview of Fall (autumn) as a season for writers. It's a challenging time because even though we're at the point of completion of a project, there is grief to deal with (listen to ep.10 for more on that!) and the mental mindset needed to deal with getting ready to receive. Receive what, you ask? Criticism, feedback, and even new ideas to start spring with!
In this part of our series, we discuss how to declutter your brain and your ego so you can clarify the discernment you need to for the tasks ahead. You will need to be ready to decide what to keep and what to let go off, and learn to value your own authority over your stories. It's a challenging time but the Writer's Table Collective is here to help you out!

Season of Writing: Fall pt. 1 (ep.10)

Welcome to Fall! Here where we live in Florida it's just barely dipping down below 70°F degrees, but that's cool enough for us! In this episode we start to talk about Fall as a "season for writers," symbolic of the emotions, triumphs and hurdles we experience working on our stories. 
This is the first of a two-part series where we cover the balances and imbalances of the Fall season (see our worksheet on our website for a full list!) and discuss the core emotion of this season: grief. It usually manifests in the writing process as we let go of our work, either for editing or publishing, and not just the story itself but the process of creating it. It's not all grim and terrible, in fact it is necessary as you move into a place of finding and nurturing the "seeds" for your next story project!

Seasons of Writing: Harvest (ep.09)

In this episode, Melody, Gina, and KimBoo really dig deep into what it means to be in the writing season of "Harvest." Coming off of several episodes focusing on burnout, this time we talk about the feelings that rise to surface when we have "harvested" all of our hard work. It's a time of rough drafts, beta readers, early feedback and...insecurities!
What does a balanced harvest season for writers look like? How can we practice self-care when our worries are driving the bus? Can we share our excitement without slamming the door on our creativity?
Join us as we talk about "writers who aren't writing," healthy ways to rest from writing, and ways to nurture the creativity we both love and, sometimes, fear!
Be sure to visit our website to download a helpful worksheet that provides more information and an empowering creative exercise!
 

Bournout and Balance, part 2

The second part of our exploration of burnout covers a lot of ground, but is focused on ways to find balance in your creative life in order to combat (or simply avoid!) burnout. Melody, A Scout continues her exploration of the season of Summer as a metaphor and spiritual tool for finding that balance, while Gina Hogan Edwards delves into how such things as perfectionism and imposter syndrome contribute to creative burnout. KimBoo talks about the importance of community as she has experienced it in fanfiction circles. 
Whatever your current situation is, we hope this episode will give you some guidance or at least will help you feel less alone in your creative journey! 
Please visit our website to find the downloadable worksheets mentioned in the podcast.

Burnout and Balance, Part 1 (007)

Burnout turned out to be such a huge topic that we had to break it into two parts! This podcast is focused on what burnout is and is not, how we recognize it, and how it affects our lives.
Gina is back from a social media “diet” and self-styled retreat she gifted herself in July, and talks with Melody about how this fits into the “summer” modality of the Five Seasons of Writing (based on Melody’s book about five element theory, Soul of the Seasons). Meanwhile KimBoo grapples with not being able to write, and how that can lead to shame and frustration.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed and are having trouble connecting with your creativity, we invite you to listen to this episode! We go deep but laugh at our own follies and hopefully can make you feel less alone!
Please visit out website for the downloadable worksheet mentioned in the podcast!
Resources mention:
Sketchbook Skool

Seasons of Writing: Summer (ep.06)

Melody, Gina, and KimBoo return to the Five Spirit Medicine paradigm from Melody's book, Soul of the Seasons, with an look at what it means for writers and other creatives to be feeling the heat of summer! (We live in Florida, we're allowed to make jokes about how hot it is!)
Summer as a creative experience can happen anytime during the calendrical year, and represents a specific time in the cycle of creation. In summer, visions are brought to fruition, we work on developing and maturing projects we've started, we prune here and feed there as we commit to finishing what we are working on. It is a time of revision and reaching out to our community for support and encouragement. 
We cover a lot of ground in this episode, and invite you to join us in exploring what it means to come up against what KimBoo has labeled "The Two Chapter Problem." 
Links and Resources:Hot Mic with Houston and Hogan podcast (Spotify link)Summer Worksheet (downloadable at our podcast website)
Transcripts available at our website. 

Boundaries as Self-Care for Creatives (ep.05)

Writers (and other creatives) often think of boundaries as negative things — restrictions that hold us back from actualizing our creative visions! But that is not always true, and in fact is often the opposite of true. 
In this episode, Gina, Melody, and KimBoo talk about the good and the bad of setting boundaries, and the different kinds of boundaries a writer sets sometimes without even realizing it! Is an outline a boundary? Yes! Is setting aside writing time and telling your family not to disturb you a boundary? Yes! Is using specific writing tools a boundary? YES! 
You will be surprised to discover the boundaries you already use as a writer, and might even find some new ones that help you explore your creativity in new ways! 
Thanks for joining us Around the Writer's Table!
Please visit this podcast's page at our website and leave us a comment, ask a question, or suggest ideas for future podcasts!

Seasons of Writing: Spring (ep.04)

This episode starts our new series, Seasons of Writing! We will be exploring the writing process through the lens of the Five Seasons matrix as taught by Melody, A Scout in her book, Soul of the Seasons. 
Our first stop is spring, a time to find or remember our visions, define healthy boundaries, and make quality decisions about moving forward with our writing projects!
More than just a simple metaphor, the five seasons teach us about the value of attuning to our own natural rhythms and life cycles as well as the world around us:
“The seasons of the earth are a matrix that connects every living thing on our planet. These seasons reveal to us the story of true community, where each element and living being shares an intimate connection to each other and, in turn, is our connection with the world. Time and time again, evidence reveals that changing just one element of a system, even a tiny one, changes the entire system. So, this is the essence of community: That which affects one, affects all."
Visit the Around the Writer's Table website for downloadable worksheets that you can use to help illuminate your own writing process!

An Interview with Melody, a Scout

This episode is the final entry in our "meet your hosts!" triptych, featuring an interview with Melody, a Scout, who is the author of the book, Soul of the Seasons: Creating Balance, Resilience, and Connection by Tapping the Wisdom of the Natural World. She took nine years to write and edit this book, which she started during her time training with her plant spirit teacher, Eliot Cowan. 
Melody shares with us a bit of her journey to becoming a published author and a lot about how the concepts of the five seasons and plant medicine intertwine with learning to live a creative live. 
"Expectations are premeditated resentments." ~ Robert Ohotto 
 
[Transcript available on our website, Around the Writer's Table]