Always Learning

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“A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” – Salvador Dali

One of the best benefits of having a podcast is scheduling time to talk about creativity and writing. It’s a wonderful practice of having intentional conversations that inspire.

The latest episode, Episode 102 Writer’s Lessons, is a great example of this. Vicki Atkinson and I talk with author and blogger, Melanie McGauran about writer lessons. Melanie always inspires us with her curiosity and willingness to learn. She is so generous to be willing to share her lessons with us.

She tells us the story behind her essay Growing Up Fast in 1978. We love the essay for its revealing look at her family dynamics and the complicated path she had to walk to get to go to college.

And then she shares some of the lessons she learned from a class she took with author Marin Sardy. She tells us about the chronological canyon and other pitfalls we can fall into.

Melanie shares some of the back and forth she had with Marin as she absorbed the feedback Marin gave her. We laugh that sometimes it’s hard to listen even if the source is an acclaimed author.

And then she extends the lessons with some wise and practical tidbits she picked up from a writing book by Steven Pressfield.

Melanie reveals his advice that hones in on the reader experience. And she shares some questions he provides to make sure content is relatable:

  • Is it fun?
  • Is it challenging?
  • Is it inventive?
  • Am I giving the reader enough?
  • Are they bored?
  • Are they taking me where I want to lead them?

We’re confident you’ll love the scenic and beautiful places we explore as we share the writer lessons learned that help us improve and extend our storytelling!

We know you’ll love it!

Search (and subscribe!) for Sharing the Heart of the Matter on Apple, Amazon, Spotify or Pocket Casts OR Listen to it from your computer on Anchor: Episode 102: Writer’s Lessons with Melanie McGauran

Episode 102 transcript

AND subscribe to our YouTube channel to see a video clip of each story: @SharingtheHeartoftheMatter.

Links for this Episode:

Growing Up Fast in 1978 by Melanie McGauran

Melanie’s blog: https://leavingthedooropen.com/

Steven Pressfield – writing that inspired Melanie: https://stevenpressfield.com/books/

From the hosts:

Vicki’s book about resilience and love: Surviving Sue; Blog: https://victoriaponders.com/

My book about my beloved father: Finding My Father’s Faith;

(featured photo from Pexels)

35 thoughts on “Always Learning”

  8. Wonderful interview! Vicki made an apt statement when she said, ‘your story is unique, but your pain is not’. This is true. I particularly liked where Melanie pointed out how writers need to make sure they find and bring their own voice, one way to do that is through letter writing. Vicki added, trying to mimic the style of favorite authors may help writing, but you still need to bring yourself into it.

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  9. Thanks so much for your interest and the opportunity to participate in your podcast, Wynne. I loved our back and forth. I’ll just add to the other comments here that I love that quote, too. 🙂 It is new to me.

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  11. Wynne this quote sings to my soul – “A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.” – Salvador Dali. And the list for creating content is so good. Thanks for wearing my favorite pink sweater on your podcast! 💖💖💖

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  12. Wynne, I love the way you segued into this show with that quote by Salvador Dali. You and Vicki always have some great shares about taking advantage of learning opportunities for creativity and writing. It’s so heartbreaking to hear about the passing of Melanie’s father and his addictions. What a way to grow up fast indeed. She turned tragedy into triumph by writing about it. Thanks so much as always for sharing her story my friend. 🥰🙏🏼😍

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  14. I was moved by Melanie’s story of when she was college and in a huge shift in her life. And then how she shared the advice from Steven Pressfield’s book. Fantastic stuff! It’s a great idea to re-read your story with the reader’s perspective in mind. 🌞🙏

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