Around the Writer’s Table

Seasons of Writing: Winter (pt.2)

Winter is coming to an end here in North Florida where the three of us live, but it is a season that can affect writers any time of the year! This second part on winter in our Seasons of Writing series we dive deep into the imbalances that can happen in this part of the cycle, including immobilization, detachment, hyper-criticism, and impulsivity. Gina talks about how immobilization has affected her ability to progress with her author career, while KimBoo recounts how impulsivity and impatience ruined one of her first published books (which has since been pulled, rewritten, and republished!). Melody explains how the element of water is associated with winter and how that relationship of elements can help you balance your own writing life!
Remember to stop by our website to download the worksheet for the season of winter, and please leave us a comment or question while you are there!

Seasons of Writing: Winter (pt.1)

Welcome to Around the Writer's Table 1st Year Anniversary Episode! We started this podcast in February of last year, and the airing of this episode marks a full turn of the seasons! We started with spring and slowly worked our way through the five seasons as explained in Melody's book, Soul of the Seasons, in ways that relate to writers and the creative process.
Rounding out the year, we start with part one of "Winter," a time quiet "underground" creation, conservation, contemplation, and sometimes even grief. We talk about putting stories "under the mattress" and what it means to trust your intuition. Join us for this very special series!
Please visit our website to get access to the downloadable worksheet mentioned in the podcast!

The Three Cs: Critique, Compassion, and Craft! Pt. 2 (ep.13)

The daring trio continue our discussion about critique as an important tool in a writer's toolbox! Once you've gone as far as you can with a manuscript, what do you do next?In this episode we discuss the next step in the process, when you've moved past alpha readers and early critique groups and are ready for beta readers and professional editors. 
If you are wondering how to find and vet beta readers, how to set expectations, and what to do with the feedback you get, then this is the episode for you! This carries on from part 2 in episode 12, which recommend listening to as well. 
Please visit our website at www.aroundthewriterstable.com to access the free download we are offering with this episode as well as a full transcript. 

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.