Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing - EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn

EP 327 - Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn

10/10/23 • 60 min

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Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing

Mark interviews Joanna Penn about her new book Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words, then associated Kickstarter she launched for it, plans she has to window its release, and much more.

Prior to the main content, Mark thanks Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Joanna talk about:

How it has been a while since Joanna has been on Mark's podcast (she was in episode 212)
The number of years Joanna has been podcasting under The Creative Penn brand (March 2009)
How sometimes there's a book that you really want to write that you're not ready to write yet
The way we can often push the "shadows" down and repress them
The importance of writing the things that fascinate you
What happens when you push a balloon down underwater and try to hold it there
Plato's Chariot and the White and Dark horses and getting them to run together in harmony
The value of addressing what we're repressing and bringing it into the light particularly in your writing
How critical it is for successful fiction to have conflict, which is often derived from the shadow
The common themes in Joanna's writing about helping or saving the family or saving the world
The only way we're going to be able to stand out as human in a crowded market, and, in particular, a market with emerging AI-generated content
How Writing the Shadow and Pilgrimage are "mid-life" books for Joanna as she is addressing that part of her existence and Mememto Mori in those memoir-style books
Exploring how you're being held back by some of those things that you've allowed to be repressed
The shadows in both self-publishing and traditional publishing
How you don't need to be afraid to look into the shadow and perhaps find the gold in that shadow
The Kickstarter that Joanna has launched for Writing the Shadow
The way authors have long focused on the retail websites for sales but how that has slowly shifted into a new phase of direct selling and windowing strategies
Joanna's launch strategy for Writing the Shadow which starts with Kickstarter, migrates to direct selling on her personal websites, and then moves into broader retail and library distribution
The value of standing out as an author, particularly today
How Writing the Shadow is an optimistic book despite the topic and themes explored in it
Building a new author ecosystem and training existing and new readers to engage in that realm
The importance of remembering how the business model will keep changing but what doesn't change is writing the books of your heart and the books that will help you and others
Gifts of the shadow, finding the gold, and the idea of "after the curse comes the gift"
The spiral bound workbook
How thecreativepenn.com/shadowbook will redirect either to the Kickstarter or wherever the books are available in the future
The horror themed storybundle that Mark and Joanna are both in
And more...

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things from the conversation, announces a bonus for his patrons related to a reward from Joanna's Kickstarter, and invites listeners to share their own reflections on this topic.

Links of Interest:

Joanna Penn's Main Website: The Creative Penn
- Writing the Shadow
Halloween/Horror Storybundle (Ends after Oct 31, 2023)
Joanna's Previous guest appearances on this podcast:
- EP 002 - Living the Healthy Writer's Life with Joanna Penn
- EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn
- EP 212 - A Conversation with Joanna Penn about Co-authoring The Relaxed Author
- SELECTED OTHER MENTIONS / Appearances
  - EP 164 - Reflections on Other Podcasts: The Creative Penn...

Prior to the main content, Mark thanks Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Joanna talk about:

How it has been a while since Joanna has been on Mark's podcast (she was in episode 212)
The number of years Joanna has been podcasting under The Creative Penn brand (March 2009)
How sometimes there's a book that you really want to write that you're not ready to write yet
The way we can often push the "shadows" down and repress them
The importance of writing the things that fascinate you
What happens when you push a balloon down underwater and try to hold it there
Plato's Chariot and the White and Dark horses and getting them to run together in harmony
The value of addressing what we're repressing and bringing it into the light particularly in your writing
How critical it is for successful fiction to have conflict, which is often derived from the shadow
The common themes in Joanna's writing about helping or saving the family or saving the world
The only way we're going to be able to stand out as human in a crowded market, and, in particular, a market with emerging AI-generated content
How Writing the Shadow and Pilgrimage are "mid-life" books for Joanna as she is addressing that part of her existence and Mememto Mori in those memoir-style books
Exploring how you're being held back by some of those things that you've allowed to be repressed
The shadows in both self-publishing and traditional publishing
How you don't need to be afraid to look into the shadow and perhaps find the gold in that shadow
The Kickstarter that Joanna has launched for Writing the Shadow
The way authors have long focused on the retail websites for sales but how that has slowly shifted into a new phase of direct selling and windowing strategies
Joanna's launch strategy for Writing the Shadow which starts with Kickstarter, migrates to direct selling on her personal websites, and then moves into broader retail and library distribution
The value of standing out as an author, particularly today
How Writing the Shadow is an optimistic book despite the topic and themes explored in it
Building a new author ecosystem and training existing and new readers to engage in that realm
The importance of remembering how the business model will keep changing but what doesn't change is writing the books of your heart and the books that will help you and others
Gifts of the shadow, finding the gold, and the idea of "after the curse comes the gift"
The spiral bound workbook
How thecreativepenn.com/shadowbook will redirect either to the Kickstarter or wherever the books are available in the future
The horror themed storybundle that Mark and Joanna are both in
And more...

Links of Interest:

Joanna Penn's Main Website: The Creative Penn
- Writing the Shadow
Halloween/Horror Storybundle (Ends after Oct 31, 2023)
Joanna's Previous guest appearances on this podcast:
- EP 002 - Living the Healthy Writer's Life with Joanna Penn
- EP 148 - AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna Penn
- EP 212 - A Conversation with Joanna Penn about Co-authoring The Relaxed Author
- SELECTED OTHER MENTIONS / Appearances
  - EP 164 - Reflections on Other Podcasts: The Creative Penn...

Previous Episode

EP 326 - Rebranding and Relaunching with E.L. Williams

Mark interviews author E.L. Williams about her writing life, about her books, about rebranding one of the books in her series, and more.

Prior to the main content, Mark shares comments from recent episodes a brief personal update, welcomes new patron T. Thorn Coyle, and shares a word about this episode's sponsor.

This episode is sponsored by the Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Emma talk about:

How it took Emma about ten years to write her first book
Getting slightly "bullied" into going to a writer conference from a fellow author
Publishing her first book during Halloween season in 2020
How the global pandemic changed enough things with her day job that allowed her the opportunity to get the book finished and published
The "Murphy's Law" events that piled up with the launch of book two, which led to a signifcant health issue that had to be dealt with
The decision to change the title and cover for book two after realizing it wasn't hitting the market properly
Being a great believer in learning by doing
Rolling back on the unrealistic expectations Emma set herself up with and learning to enjoy the process and take a more relaxed approach
Emma's ideas involving merchandise in relation to her book and how that led to collaborating with Deadweight Brewing
The book "relaunch" party Emma planned out including the beer and book cakes
The social media "long shot" that Emma took on Instagram asking if the beer book branding thing had ever been done before
How social media can be a bit like marmite
Beginning to check out experimenting with TikTok by doing a video a day
Advice Emma has for other writers who haven't taken the plunge yet
And more....

After the interview, Mark reflects back on a couple of things his conversation with Emma made him think about.

Links of Interest:

Next Episode

EP 328 - Reflections on A New Season with Terry Fallis

Mark interviews Terry Fallis about his latest novel, A New Season.

A two-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, Terry Fallis is the author of nine novels, all of them national bestsellers—including six #1 bestsellers—and all published by McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House.

Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, welcomes new Patron Nikki Guerlain, and a word about this episode's sponsor.

You can learn more about how you can get your audiobooks distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.

In their conversation, Mark and Terry talk about:

Terry's latest novel, A NEW SEASON, and the unique approach he took to his latest book
Retiring from his day job as a communications/public affairs consultant in March 2022
Having wanted to write full time since the release of his first novel fifteen years earlier
The precarious reality of the earnings an author is most likely to make, even if they are a successful author who regularly hits the bestseller lists in Canada
How the novel was derived from fears (something Terry was inspired by John Irving to consider), and from events that unfolded during the pandemic, and the way Terry had to evolve his writing from the usual "bend" of humor he employed in his previous books
Casting off the shackles/tyranny of humor
Some of the "trademark" self-depracating humor of Terry's narrators (Jack McMaster in this one, Daniel Addison in his first couple of novels)
Not being able to believe that he's currently 63 and the experience of writing a narrator (Jack) who is closer to Terry's own age
Terry's experiences playing ball hockey every week and how ball hockey can be a bit of a time machine
Writing the scenes from trying to speech French when in Paris from personal experience
Terry's friendship with Jim Cuddy (of Blue Rodeo fame) via his weekly ball-hockey and how the musician allowed Terry to write him into his novel
The examination of make friendship which is an important aspect of this novel
Terry's history of being a "closeted" singer-songwriter, which he's been doing since he was seventeen years old
The song "More Than The Game" which Terry wrote about the comradarie of his ball hockey league
Laying a few of Terry's songs into the audiobook produced by Penguin Random House
The 42-year-old love song that Terry wrote for his University girlfriend (who he has been married to for 36 wonderful years)
The long-time romantic tradition of Terry singing the love song to his wife on Christmas Eve
Terry's personal connection to Paris and how it, like ball hockey, is a kind of time machine
Writing a scene of the novel at the seat of Hemmingway's favorite table at a Paris cafe
Hailing from the "why use 6 words when 12 will do" school of writing
The saga of Constance Stanley's diaries becoming the final piece that Terry needed to complete the story
How the title A NEW SEASON refers to so many different elements from the novel
The next book that Terry has already started to work on, which has even more intrigue and suspense than two of his previous novels
Advice Terry would have for writers who have long wanted to do it, but haven't yet taken that step
And more...

After the interview, Mark reflects on the idea of writing books from passion and intense interest. He then shares the name of the Patron winner of Joanna Penn's Writing the Shadow.

Links of Interest: