Just because we don’t know where a writing project is going, doesn’t mean we can’t work on it with intent. 

Rona Maynard didn’t set out with the intent to write a memoir. In fact, what is now her latest book Starter Dog started as a series of Facebook posts, then grew into so much more. 

But those posts wouldn’t have existed if Rona hadn’t been looking for something to write—and if she hadn’t experienced a change in her perspective. 

Writing a Memoir in Essays, with Rona Maynard

Listen to learn:

• About writing memoir in essays 
• How to create structure for memoir in essays 
• How to turn something that isn’t a book into a book 
• How being grounded in our senses can help our writing

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode…

[03:04] I just wanted to figure out this great, big, complicated problem. And I thought it was all going to happen in my head.

[10:48] There are the ones...

There’s appeal to getting your MFA—but should you do it? 

An MFA isn’t for everybody, and for some, it’s not even achievable. 

That’s part of the reason why Gabriela Pereira, this week’s guest on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, founded DIY MFA and its accompanying podcast, DIY MFA Radio. 

Gabriela dreamed of a MFA that was more accessible and more affordable, and then took steps to make it happen. And now she shares that with other creatives, encouraging them to take an entrepreneurial approach to not only their education, but also their professional growth. 

MFA Pros & Cons (and your other options!)

Listen to learn: 

• About the barriers you might face in trying to get an MFA
• Why you may not need an MFA to achieve your goal
• About the creation of DIY MFA
• How to take care of your mental health as a writer

Here’s a sneak peek of today’s episode… 

[04:11] And somewhere along the lines,...

As writers, we are driven by inspiration. But a common question we face, both from ourselves and those around us, is, “where does the inspiration come from?” 

There are a million ways to answer this question, because the answer is different for all of us. But inspiration isn’t enough for just anyone to create a project unlike any other. 

Anita Lahey, poet and nonfiction writer, found that hers was enough. But she didn’t create her new graphic novel in verse alone—as she’ll tell you in this week’s episode. 

Listen to learn:

• Where Anita’s writing inspiration comes from 
• What it’s like to work with the same editor for multiple projects
• What it’s like to collaborate with another artist on a book
• The perennial question of what makes a good poem 

Here’s a sneak peek of this episode: 

[10:26] It was really fun, and I don't really know what the end result means, but people seem to like...

Our own lives are great sources of inspiration. There may even be experiences from our past that aren’t just enough to inspire a scene, but an entire novel!

Take The Ghost Keeper, written by Natalie Morrill, which came from a memory she wasn’t even sure she remembered right. 

But that memory, some research, and a submission to the HarperCollins UBC Prize for Best New Fiction, was enough to help Natalie rise from her MFA to become a published novelist.

Writing Historical Fiction, with Natalie Morrill

Listen to learn: 

• How to write a book in a perspective you haven’t lived yourself
• The stakes involved in writing historical fiction
• About the path to publishing via winning contests
• How you don’t have to travel to do research on your novel setting

Here's a sneak peek of today's episode...

[04:30 ] And it sort of came to me then that if I were to look back on my life, say, 20 years from then, what would I regret not doing? I just kind of...

Feedback. This word might make you jump for joy, or it might make you stash your manuscript in the back of the closet, away from prying eyes. 

Regardless of how getting feedback makes you feel, it’s important for writers to know that there is such a thing as a “wrong” time to get feedback. 

In fact, it’s possible that getting feedback at the wrong time can land a critical blow—one that may cause you to put your draft down indefinitely. 

In this week’s episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, host Rhonda Douglas will go over when the right time to get feedback is, and how we may seek feedback when we’re actually looking for something else entirely. 

How to Get Useful Feedback on Your Writing

Listen to learn: 

• What you need to have done before seeking feedback
• Why you don’t need to send your beta readers a perfect first draft
• What you are actually looking for when you ask for feedback too early ...

Self-publishing gives authors a lot of freedom, but it can also leave us with a lot of questions. There is so much to this process, especially when it comes to the marketing aspect. 

We have to know how to advertise ourselves and our books to attract the right readers and get some books sold—which, for many of us, is a daunting task. 

In today’s episode, guest Shelby Leigh, a bestselling poet and book marketing strategist, is here to talk about her own self-publishing journey, and how she discovered the best way to market her books on social media. 

Listen to learn: 

• The importance of marketing to your specific audience
• How to market your books when self-publishing
• How to use BookTok (that’s “Book TikTok”) for marketing
• Why confidence in your story is important for marketing 

Here’s a sneak peek: 

[03:15] I didn't really know at the time that it was helping me, it was just something...

As writers, we can get swept up in the plot and subplot(s) of our stories and books. So much so that we might forget to check and make sure that all our plots and subplots actually have beginnings and endings that make sense. 

And of course, the last thing we want is to leave things hanging—so we have to go back and fix them. 

But that can make our revision process a long one that requires a lot of metaphorical heavy lifting. 

That's where the three act structure comes in! It's a classic structure, but as Rhonda Douglas tells us in this episode to kick off Season 2 of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, it’s not one that should be dismissed. Using the 3-Act structure can ensure our stories are complete AND save us more work in the revision process. Can we get an Amen?

Listen to learn:

• The essential elements of the three act structure 
• The benefits of keeping your novel outline simple 
• How to use the three act structure to write an...

While writing, you may have had questions like this race through your head:

What if nobody likes it?

What if I can’t get published?

How can I write something I’ve never written before? 

If you have, you’re not alone. All creatives experience creative anxiety. And that’s exactly what causes these thoughts!

Creative anxiety is a barrier that keeps us from writing, but it doesn’t have to be. In today’s episode, host Rhonda Douglas walks us through the process of recognizing and managing our creative anxiety so we can finally finish. 

Listen to learn: 

• How uncertainty affects us as writers
• The importance of normalizing experiencing creative anxiety

• Techniques for managing it in the moment 
• Techniques for managing it in the long-term

Of course, the techniques alone aren’t enough—we also have to want to make the change.

Here’s a sneak-peek of today’s episode… 

[03:34] Our brain has...

Writing as play is something we need as authors. It’s fun, it’s freeing, and most of all, it can be the kind of thing that helps us reach new heights in our writing and publishing journeys.  

Our guest on this week’s episode is best-selling author Gail Anderson-Dargatz. Gail’s written several novels, and her thriller The Almost Wife that became a Canadian bestseller in 2021. And as she’ll tell you, Gail wrote a thriller so she could play. 

But that’s not all we need for writing success. Gail’s learned plenty of tricks over the years that have changed the way she goes about her writing, from mashing-up genres to streamlining the writing process. 

Listen to learn: 

• The value of being both a panster and a plotter
• How to use narrative structures as tools in your brainstorming
• Tips for shortening novel-writing time 
• How to avoid a passive protagonist

Of course, you’ll have to tune in to hear about the...