Parents Who Write

Marginalized voices need space to speak their truth.
On the show today is Iris Imaginoria, director of a story-based theater camp, performing arts and writing teacher, cancer and mental health survivor, and parent of a gender-fluid teen.
In this episode, we rethink our definitions of success, especially in terms of helping kids, including those who have lost their heroes and others who think they can’t be creative.
She also shares her journey from dramatist to author and what prompted her to write a fictionalized version of her memoir where her younger and older selves have the opportunity to interact.
Iris then shares with us what she wished she had known before self-publishing her first book and what advice she’s received to help her correct course.
⚠️ Content warning: On a deeply personal note, Iris shares how writing has helped her process her struggles with cancer and mental health as well as suicidal thoughts that both she and her teen have struggled with.
What’s more, she reads a touching and inspirational excerpt from her book that encourages all readers to preserver because of what awaits them on the other side.
Get her books and plays:

• Imagine the Key: The Rainbow Path, Book One, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09QT6FD8Q/
• Dramatic Wizardry: Collected Plays, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VWN1FY7/
• The Day Tears Turned to Stone, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5NP9XH3/

Connect with Iris:

• Camp website: http://www.imaginethekey.com
• Links: https://linktr.ee/irisimaginoria
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IrisImaginoria
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IrisImaginoria
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irisimaginoria/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@iris_imaginoria

Books discussed during the show:

• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
• The Wizard of Oz series by L.F. Baum
• Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
• The Nightmare before Christmas by Tim Burton

Send us a text

Feeling stuck in your author journey? As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.
Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.
https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting
Bonus! Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.

Do you struggle to make time to write? Especially because of your never-ending to do list?
In today's episode, I'm going to share 7 ways you can make time for your writing AND thus yourself. We all need a safe space where we can return to being just ourselves. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Topics discussed in this episode:

• Why making time to write is important
• Why mindset is crucial
• Changing the voice in your head
• Reconsidering your schedule with a fresh set of eyes
• Scheduling your writing time
• Identifying the gaps in your schedule
• Creating backup plans to remain flexible
• Prioritizing your writing
• Applying the rock, pebble, sand theory
• How to make your writing easily accessible
• Advocating for yourself
• Scripts to use with family
• Start with steps one and two

About Erin:
Erin P.T. Canning has worked for more than 15 years as a magazine and book editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals.
She always planned to write a book. Then she had kids. While she focused on them, she stopped writing—for six years. Something deep inside was missing. Depression, anxiety, and anger forced her to search for herself, both for her sake and her family’s.
Despite fearing her skills had atrophied, Erin started writing again. One journal entry led to one blog post that led to her creating her podcast, Parents Who Write. Erin’s current role as a podcaster and writing coach enables her to help others pursue their writing dreams.
Finally, she finished writing her own shitty first draft and will release her first novel in 2023. She earned her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and she lives with her husband and their two boys in Maryland.
Connect with Erin:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinptcanning
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinptcanning
• Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite
• Book a free 30-minute consultation call: https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting

Send us a text

Feeling stuck in your author journey? As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.
Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.
https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting
Bonus! Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.

What does editing a book and parenting have in common? A ton, actually!
As an editor, your job is to excavate through what you are given and pull out the best from the author. Same goes with good parenting. Your job is to direct your children, but allow them to have their voice heard where they can still shine.
Your writing and editing skills crossover with parenting more than you would think. You can use the concepts and skills you’ve refined over time to not only guide your children, but to advocate for them as well. Whether that be writing to your local school board or having challenging conversations with policy makers to create positive change in your community.
Having children doesn’t mean you need to stop writing or using your skills. If anything, you can elevate your abilities by having children by getting creative with how you use your skills.
Not to mention, kids’ imaginations are endless, so if you’re ever stuck on a story plot, you can always turn to your little ones for some brilliant inspiration.
Joining us on today’s episode is Emily Popek, a journalist, school communications professional, and mom of one pre-teen. Emily joins us to discuss how parenting and writing can intertwine, as well as how parenting has changed over the years, and how to reframe struggles in parenting and writing into opportunities, and much more!
This is an enlightening conversation with so many nuggets of wisdom that you don’t want to miss.
Tune in to learn more!
Topics discussed in this episode:

• How children are great resources of inspiration
• The concept of a “throwaway book”
• Why Emily started writing a newsletter
• The importance of removing the idea of perfection when writing
• The camaraderie in the writing community
• The direction Emily wants to see her newsletter go
• Struggles in parenting in today’s society
• Just because parenting is hard doesn’t mean it is being done the wrong way
• The power in having challenging conversations in your local communities
• How strong communication skills can make an impact
• How and why Emily became a journalist
• Writing the elusive headline and catchy hooks
• Erin’s joy of editing
• Importance of finding an editor that allows you to showcase your voice
• The crossover between editing and parenting

About Emily:

Emily Popek is a journalist and school communications professional. Her newsletter about the intersections of parenting and education is at thinkofthechildren.substack.com. Emily and her husband are both graduates of Bennington College; they live in upstate New York with their 10-year-old daughter.

Get her newsletter:

• Think of the Children, https://thinkofthechildren.substack.com/

Connect with Emily:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyPopek
• FB page: https://www.facebook.com/EmilyFPopek
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilypopekwriter/

Books discussed during the show:

• Mother Nature: Maternal Instincts and How They Shape the Human Species by Sar

Send us a text

Feeling stuck in your author journey? As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.
Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.
https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting
Bonus! Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.

If you ever thought getting back into writing after a long hiatus is too difficult, you're not alone. It’s easy to fall out of the habit and go years at a time without writing, which can make taking that first step feel incredibly daunting.
The good news is that it’s never too late to get back to your craft and start writing again, no matter how long it has been. Just ask Erin. After years of disregarding her own dreams and focusing on the needs of her family, she finally managed to rebuild her writing habit—and you can too!
In today’s episode, you'll learn seven easy-to-implement steps to help you reanimate those writing muscles, such as pausing your to-do list, creating rituals that get your creative juices flowing, giving yourself permission to experiment, setting SMART goals, and more. The next 30 minutes are jam-packed with actionable tips and advice.
These recommendations are not only based on the experience Erin gained during her 15 years as a professional editor and the classes she took while earning her MA in Writing, but also from her personal experiences when she thought her writing skills had atrophied after she became a parent.
Reclaiming your writing skills may take a bit of effort. But by putting these achievable guidelines in place, you’ll be writing again in no time!
Topics discussed in this episode:

• The importance of mindset and giving yourself permission to write
• Facing parenthood guilt and finding creative outlets
• How to set small daily writing goals
• Using rituals to form regular writing habits
• What to do when you don’t know what to write about
• The power of embracing shitty first drafts!
• Shifting your definition of success using SMART goals
• Why finding good support is invaluable

About Erin:
For 15 years, Erin has worked as a magazine and book editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals. When she became a parent, she set aside her own writing aspirations to focus on her family. As the years passed, she grew increasingly anxious, depressed, and angry until she realized that she had forgotten who she was beyond being a parent.
Despite fearing her writing skills had atrophied, Erin started writing again. She first created her blog, Life Beyond Parenting, and then created the Parents Who Write podcast. Erin’s current role as a podcaster and writing coach enables her to help parents pursue their writing dreams.
She earned her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and she has finished the first draft of a fantasy-romance novel. She lives with her husband and their two young boys in Maryland.
Connect with Erin:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinptcanning
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinptcanning
• Book a free 30-minute discovery call: https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting

Send us a text

Feeling stuck in your author journey? As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.
Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.
https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting
Bonus! Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.

How do we show what we or our characters are feeling so our readers can experience those emotions for themselves as the scene unfolds?
In this episode, you’ll learn eight questions you can ask yourself so you can better visualize what those emotions look and feel like and thus how to show your readers.
Tune in so you can also gain tips on how to identify when you’re telling, instead of showing, and when that’s okay. This episode will not only help you to finish your first draft but also learn another revision technique.
Topics discussed in this episode:

• Erin’s perfectionism while painting stairs
• Capturing a snapshot of emotions during the first draft
• Filling in details during revision
• Identifying when you’re telling emotions
• Questions to prompt showing emotions
• An example of a scene revised based on those question

About Erin:
For 15 years, Erin has worked as a magazine and book editor, encouraging each writer’s individual voice and strengthening their writing goals. When she became a parent, she set aside her own writing aspirations to focus on her family. As the years passed, she grew increasingly anxious, depressed, and angry until she realized that she had forgotten who she was beyond being a parent.
Despite fearing her skills had atrophied, Erin started writing again. She first created her blog, Life Beyond Parenting, and then created the Parents Who Write podcast. Erin’s current role as a podcaster and writing coach enables her to help parents pursue their writing dreams.
She earned her MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and she has finished the first draft of a fantasy-romance novel. She lives with her husband and their two young boys in Maryland.
Connect with Erin:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinptcanning
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/erinptcanning
• Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite
• Book a free 30-minute consultation call: https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting

Send us a text

Feeling stuck in your author journey? As an experienced editor, I specialize in helping writers like you, especially parents juggling family and creativity, finish and publish their books.
Take action on your writing dreams! Book a FREE 30-minute discovery call to discuss how I can help you implement these strategies and finally achieve your author goals.
https://calendly.com/parentswhowrite/30min-meeting
Bonus! Book your call and mention this episode for a free publishing check list.