The Writing Pool Podcast: Recent Episodes
melissa Clark
Join host, writer, and writing coach Melissa Clark on this weekly podcast as she walks you through tips and tricks to help you start and finish your creative project.
Melissa is the creator of the animated television series, ”Braceface,” which ran for 5 seasons and starred the voices of Alicia Silverstone and Michael Cera. She’s also the author of three novels, two scripted kid’s podcasts (Becoming Mother Nature and Grandma For President), and has written on multiple kid’s TV shows.
Melissa taught at an art college in Los Angeles for 11 years, and has taught writing workshops at book festivals and conferences around the country.
The Writing Pool Podcast is a culmination of her experiences in and outside of the classroom. If you’re enjoying this pod, please rate and review it, and share with your friends.
Reach Melissa at www.melissaclarkwrites.com, or on Instagram @thewritingpool
thewritingpool.substack.com
It's up to you to find the time to write!
If you're interested in joining WORD WEEK, an online writing workshop where we meet for an hour a day 12/11-12/15, please register here:
https://buy.stripe.com/28o4if8pc9ICbUkcMS
Or check out my website for more information: https://melissaclarkwrites.com/coaching-2/
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
On today's episode, I suggest 5 simple ways to enhance your storytelling skills. Take a listen! And then tell a story!
www.melissaclarkwrites.com for more information on coaching.
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
You never know what will trigger your memories, so if you're considering writing a memoir, don't clean out your closet! Sort of. In this episode, I talk about memoir writing, and give a fun writing exercise to get you started on yours.
Insta: @thewritingpool
Contact me: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, I outline 5 ways to write through distracting times. And boy are we living through distracting times...
Follow me on Insta @thewritingpool
Interested in coaching? Get in touch:
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
In this short but sweet episode, I talk about the power of "Once Upon a Time" and how you can use it to kickstart the beginning of whatever it is you're working on.
I'm offering a free video recording on Beginnings. If you're interested, just go to my website www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to CONTACT. Fill out your contact info, writing "Once Upon a Time" in the subject line. I'll email you a recording intended to inspire and engage.
Enjoying this pod? Please consider rating and reviewing in your podcast app! I thank you!
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
You have a protagonist. You have an antagonist. Who else do you have? On today's episode, I discuss characters and offer a writing exercise to help you get to know your character(s).
If you value what you're hearing, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast on your podcast app. Thank you!
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
Welcome to season 3 of The Writing Pool Podcast where I'll be teaching mini-writing courses with copious writing exercises. Today, an exercise for my memoirists in the audience. Get inspired by Anton Chekhov as you move forward with your own work. Also, a miraculous story about my missing Kindle device!
www.melissaclarkwrites.com for more info about coaching.
Follow me on Insta: @thewritingpool
Get full access to Melissa’s Substack at thewritingpool.substack.com/subscribe
In this final episode of the season, I talk about tipping points, using Taylor Swift as an example. What does TayTay have to do with writing? Or meeting your goals? Take a listen to find out. Next season, I'll be giving actionable items for you to work on your craft, so tune in in September for a whole new vibe.
Like what you're hearing? Please consider rating and reviewing on your podcast app.
I'm on Insta @thewritingpool
Info on writing coaching can be found here: www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigating to the coaching tab.
It's fricking hot out! But the meltdown I'm talking about in this episode is the creative kind. Do you know that feeling? That meltdown feeling? In today's episode, I discuss the icky part of the writing process, and share tools you can use to lift yourself out of the meltdown mess.
Like what you're hearing? Please rate and review this podcast in your podcast app. And share it with a creative friend!
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Instagram: @thewritingpool
My Kindle is either having an airborne adventure right now, or has settled in with a new owner. Some thoughts on the Kindle device, inspired by my forgetfulness on a recent flight to New Jersey.
Hey, if you're listening, won't you rate and review this pod in your app? Kisses.
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
I believe we should all have more ideas than we have time for. In this episode, I offer 5 ways to generate ideas. They may not all see the light, but ideas beget more ideas, and you never know which ones will stick, and when.
I discuss Mind-mapping in this episode, and you can find more about it here: https://www.mindmapping.com/
Give me a follow on Insta: @thewritingpool
Or reach out: mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
I recently returned from a trip to NYC, and am happy to report that stories are alive and well on Broadway. In this episode, I recap the theater I saw.
Enjoying this podcast? Why not give it a review in your podcast app! I would appreciate it so much!
Give a follow on Instagram @thewritingpool
In this episode, I talk about memoirs, and how identifying themes can help your words connect with your readers, rather than burdening them with a therapy session.
I discuss a few memoirs including:
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
Fairyland; a Memoir of my Father by Alysia Abbot
Darkness Visible; a Memoir of Madness by William Styron
The offer stands -- if you're working on a memoir and want some book recommendations, shoot me an email at mac@melissaclarkwrites.com. Just write "Memoir" in the subject line, and let me know what you're writing about.
Finally, if you're enjoying this pod, please consider rating and reviewing it in your podcast app! Thank you so much.
Did you know that you don't have to consider yourself a writer to write? Because some people don't know that. But I'm here to tell you: take the pressure off. Write because you want to, because you want to try, because you want to experiment. In this episode, I talk about the pure joy of writing - not to become a writer, but just to write!
If you're enjoying this pod, please consider rating and reviewing it in your podcast app. Thanks a million!
Follow on Instagram @thewritingpool
Hello! I'm back after skipping a week, or rather, I skipped a beat. Speaking of beats... In today's episode, I talk about using the beat sheet to organize your novel. It is a tool I used in writing for animation, but I now use it for novel writing, too. Take a listen, try it out.
If you enjoy this pod, please rate and review it in your podcast app. I appreciate the effort!
Interested in coaching? Go to www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to the Writing Coaching tab. Let's hop on a free call to see what you're working on, and if coaching is the right fit for you.
I'm headed back to the college where I taught for eleven years, teaching for the Animation Department. In today's episode, I talk about the fundamentals of storytelling, which is also the name of the course I'm teaching.
Like what you're hearing? Please consider rating and reviewing in your podcast app. And give me a follow on the insta:
@thewritingpool
Why do you want to write a book? There are so many reasons to embark on this thrilling, harrowing, electrifying journey. In this episode, I discuss the myriad reasons why you might consider doing so. What is your why? Let me know!
mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
Find me on Insta, too: @thewritingpool
Are you? I bet the answer is no. In today's episode, EPISODE 50! I talk about the importance of celebrating the little wins in your writing practice. Getting to THE END is a milestone, but there are many mini-milestones along the way!
DM me on insta and let me know your latest wins: @thewritingpool
Or get in touch via email: mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
In today's episode, I talk about artificial intelligence. Just how intelligent is it? Just how artificial is it? And why is it a striking point for the Writer's Guild? I'd love to hear your take on this wave of the future. Please email me your thoughts at:
mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
Interested in coaching? With words that came from your brain and not a computer? Reach out and we can have a free, 20-minute consult call to discuss your work and your goals. For more information go to:
www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to the writing coaching tab.
In this episode, I talk about the Kate DiCamillo quote from the L.A. Times Festival of Books I attended the other week. It really resonated for me, and I hope it does for you, too. Do you trust that your story is smarter than you are?
Interested in a free, 20-minute Zoom chat to discuss your work-in-progress? Just reach out through my website:
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
In today's episode, I'm still riding the literary high of the L.A. Times Festival of Books. I also discuss other wonderful festivals, fairs and conferences that I've attended as speaker and participant. Have you been to any writing festivals? Would love to hear about it. Get in touch at:
mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
Interested in writing coaching? Reach out for a free, 20-minute consultation: www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to the coaching tab.
In this episode, I talk about how arguing for your limitations is a futile exercise and yet we all do or have done it. So what's a writer to do? Flip the script!
Insta: @thewritingpool
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Hello! Hear me out... I don't believe in writer's block, but I DO believe in fear - a very powerful emotion. Take a listen! See what you think.
Interested in coaching past your fears? Reach out at: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Give me a follow on Insta @thewritingpool
In today's episode, I talk about different kinds of characters and how to best incorporate them into your story. Who's in your cast? I'm also back with a fun writing exercise.
Follow @thewritingpool on Instagram
Or get in touch via my website: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Please consider rating and reviewing this podcast in your podcast app. I thank you!
Okay, I'm a little tipsy on this episode, but I wanted to post because last week I was feeling overwhelmed and discouraged about my novel, but with some time and attention I am back on track with my work-in-progress. I'm also packing up to move out for a few days while my home gets fumigated for termites, thus the wine.
What are you working on? Do you find the process like a roller-coaster, too?
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Halt! All was going swimmingly with my new novel until I realized it's not "there" yet. So, now my self-imposed deadline that was solely an illusion, is now REALLY an illusion. Can you relate? In this shorty-short episode, I talk honestly about the messy middle.
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Give me a follow on Insta @thewritingpool
In this episode, I walk you through my experience of the book I'm currently writing. I love hearing about other people's processes, and I thought maybe you would, too. This new book was born as soon as I found an old yearbook from the school I attended for a semester in Montreal.
Follow me on Instagram @thewritingpool - may post a pic of my 13-year-old self from said yearbook.
Interested in coaching? Reach out and receive a free, 20-minute consultation. mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
Episode 40! Woop-Woop! In this episode, I talk about the intangible benefits of writing... we all know the tangible ones, so let's focus on the less-spoken of ones. Essentially, writing is good for you personally and professionally.
Give me a follow on insta @thewritingpool. You can find out more about private and group coaching. The April-June Accelerator group coaching program is enrolling now. Earlybird pricing available until 3/10.
And hey, if you're feeling up to it, please rate and review this podcast in your app! That would be a very tangible way to make this podcaster happy! Thank you!
In episode 39, I talk about SO MANY THINGS, including the NEW Writing Accelerator, launching in April, my sister's missing dog, my missing dog, hail, snow, rain, momentum and consistency in your writing practice, and the like... At 8-minutes, this is one of my longer episodes!
Please consider rating and reviewing this podcast in your podcast app, and sharing with your writerly or wannabe-writely friends.
Check out my instagram @thewritingpool
In this episode, I talk about ways to make the act of writing a more social experience. You don't have to go at it alone!
Enjoying the pod? Please consider rating and reviewing in your podcast app. I thank you very much.
Please go to my Instagram, @thewritingpool to see pictures of the missing dog, and if you're in the L.A. area (Santa Monica/W. L.A.) please keep your eyes peeled for her. I thank you for this, too.
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
The term "heavy lifting" is everywhere these days. In this episode, I talk about why writing never has to be a "heavy lift". It's all about your thoughts. Also, fun fact, I allegedly attended a school in Montreal the same year Kamala Harris attended the same school.
If you're enjoying this podcast, please consider rating and reviewing it on your podcast app. And follow me at Insta @thewritingpool
www.melissaclarkwrites.com for more info.
Last chance to join the 3-Month Writing Accelerator, online starting 2/12/23 10am Pacific Time. Join in the fun and get it done!
Today, I'm talking about the concept of buffering. This is what you do when you don't do what you should be doing. Say what?
How do you buffer? How will you stop? In this episode, I discuss it all.
Give me a follow on Insta @thewritingpool
Welcome to episode 35 of The Writing Pool Podcast! P-lease pardon the sound quality on this one! Not sure what happened or why, but it was too late to rerecord!
Today's episode is all about archetypes. I hope it gives you food for thought when creating your characters.
Last few weeks to signup for the 3-Month Writing Accelerator now starting Sunday, Feb. 12th. Go to www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to the writing coaching tab for more info.
Find me on insta @thewritingpool.
Questions, comments about archetypes? Send me an email mac@melissaclarkwrites.com
Someone recently asked me what the most memorable editing/coaching project was that I worked on. In this episode, I answer that question!
Link to the project: https://www.amazon.com/Screw-Cancer-Becoming-Molly-Kochan/dp/0578743086/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5TLNX9U4SGQF&keywords=Screw+Cancer+book&qid=1674511481&sprefix=screw+cancer+book%2Caps%2C297&sr=8-1
Podcast mentioned: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dying-for-sex/id1495392900
Interested in coaching? Get in touch: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Let's bond on Insta: @melissaclark30
Ghosting is all the rage, but please don't do it to yourself! Your idea was born for a reason so at least TRY to see it through. In this episode, we talk about reasons your brain gives you to give up, and why you shouldn't listen!
For more information on the group coaching program starting Feb. 4th, 2023 please go here: https://melissaclarkwrites.com/coaching-2/
Follow me on instagram @thewritingpool
It's Wednesday again! Hello! Are you looking for a teacher or a coach? In this episode, I talk about the differences between the two, and how both apply to my writing coaching programs.
Follow me on insta @thewritingpool, or find me online at: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
It's 2023! Do you know your audacious goals yet? In this episode, I encourage you to dream BIG. Help your mind stretch and grow so it can reach the goals you plant. Happy listening, and Happy New Year.
Connect with me on insta @thewritingpool
Group and private coaching available, just ask!
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
In this episode I discuss structure, using the movie "The Hangover" as an example. Not exactly a holiday movie, I watched it recently and was struck by its structural cleverness!
Enjoying this podcast? Please consider rating and reviewing it in your podcast app. I thank you!
Interested in writing coaching? Reach out! I have private and group coaching programs available. www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to the coaching tab.
Instagram: @thewritingpool
In which I sing a little ditty from Devo, and discuss the ever-annoying feeling of decision fatigue, and ways to overcome it - not necessarily in that order.
Come join my 3-month Writing Accelerator Program. (Feb-April) Together, over Zoom, we'll get your words to where they need to be - ON THE PAGE. Start 2023 with a commitment to yourself. More information and to sign up: www.melissaclarkwrites.com under COACHING tab.
Happy Wednesday! In today's episode I talk about the concept of the Hammer Halo, and how to make it work FOR you instead of AGAINST you. Give me a follow on Insta @thewritingpool
If you're writing, you MUST be reading. In this episode, I discuss the how's and why's of consuming more books, and why I consider myself an "EOR".
Find me on Instagram @thewritingpool
Welcome to Season 2 of The Writing Pool Podcast!
Ideas are wonderful, but it is not enough just to have an idea. Seeing your project to fruition takes grit and determination and draft after draft after draft... and if that's not exhausting enough, then there's trying to SELL it. In this episode, I discuss it all and explain why you owe it to yourself and society to see your idea through!
If you are enjoying this pod, please subscribe and rate. It takes listeners like you to help get it into the algorithm.
Visit my website at www.melissaclarkwrites.com
In the Season One closer, I talk about the joy of accruing a body of work. The Writing Pool Podcast will be on hiatus until late November while I accrue more podcast episodes! Coaching is currently closed, but please reach out if you are interested in one-on-one writing coaching, and I'll put you on a waitlist. I'll have 1 spot opening in mid-Oct., and 2 spots in November.
The author mentioned in today's episode is Jean Hanff Korelitz: https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Hanff-Korelitz/e/B001HCV342?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1664377413&sr=8-2
Please follow me on Instagram @thewritingpool
Thanks for listening, and see ya in late November for Season Two!
www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Writing for audio is different than writing for other mediums. In this episode, I talk about the specific skills required to write for audio, and walk you through an exercise to practice those skills.
Like what you're hearing? Please rate and review this podcast on your app. I can be reached on Instagram @thewritingpool, and through my website: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
The flow state, or "the zone", is an enviable one. In this episode, I share ways in which you can prepare yourself to access this state, where words flow and time ceases. Your writing will thank you.
Find me on Instagram @thewritingpool
It's easy to feel jaded when working on a writing project. In this episode, I talk about the Buddhist concept of "Beginner's Mind," and ways to inhabit it while going forward with your work.
Follow The Writing Pool on Instagram: @thewritingpool
Today on the pod, we talk endings: circular, elliptical, and imagistic. Give them a try!
Connect on Instagram: @thewritingpool, or through my website: www.melissaclarkwrites.com
I offer free, 20-minute calls to see if coaching is a good fit for you and your project.
What is voice? And how do you find yours? Today on the pod, I talk about the connection between acting and voice, and give you permission to study others' to find your own.
Like what you're hearing? Please rate and review on your podcast app. It helps other people find the show.
Want to talk about coaching? Get in touch at www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Where to start? Beginnings are crucial to any writing project, but you won't really know your beginning until you write to your end. In this episode, I read various beginnings/first lines of iconic works and discuss what they establish for the rest of the story.
Need help beginning your writing project? Reach out for a free, 20-minute call. I help writers start and finish their creative projects. www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Enjoying this pod? Please rate and review it on your podcast app. Thank you!
Truths are in fiction, and fiction is in memoir... so how do you know which genre best suits your story? In this episode, I explore the thin line between fiction and memoir, and discuss the infamous James Frey debacle regarding his book, "A Million Little Pieces."
Please rate and review this podcast if you're enjoying it! Please, and thank you. And come find me on Instagram: @thewritingpool
Rejection is part of the writing process, and it sucks, but there are ways to deal with it. In this episode, I explore this painful part of a writer's life, and give you hope for that one, perfect, beautiful YES.
Follow me on Insta @thewritingpool
Please rate and review this pod so others can find it, too. Thank you!
So many people, so many opinions. Who do you listen to? How do you know? In this episode, I talk about how to navigate feedback about your work, and I connect the whole process to a game of Jenga. Like what you're hearing? Please consider rating and reviewing in your podcast app. And if you're looking for coaching, please reach out for a free, 20-minute consult call which you can schedule by going to: http://www.melissaclarkwrites.com/coaching-2/
Let's discuss what's holding you back. Is it one of the feelings listed in the title? In today's episode, I explore what's keeping you from starting or finishing your beloved project, and offer actional items to help you get going. It's not going to write itself!
Reach out if you're interested in coaching: www.melissaclarkwrites.com, or if you have an idea for a future episode: mac@melissaclarkwrites.
If you're enjoying the pod, please consider rating and reviewing it on your podcast app. Thank you!
In today's episode, I make the connection between Pad Thai, the choreographer Twyla Tharp, and writing. For more information on writing coaching, check out my website: www.melissaclarkwrites.com/coaching
Books mentioned in today's episode: https://www.amazon.com/Creative-Habit-Learn-Use-Life/dp/0743235274/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1657723903&sr=8-3
Amy Tan's Ted Talk: Where Does Creativity Hide?
https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_tan_where_does_creativity_hide?language=en
A little more about cook Rachel Khoo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Khoo
With technology and world events, it's getting harder and harder to focus out there - especially on your writing. Here are 5 helpful ways to turn down the noise, and turn up the volume on your writing practice. Thoughts, comments, question? Reach me at mac@melissaclarkwrites.com. And please consider rating and reviewing the pod so others can find it! Thank you.
Stories are everywhere! In this episode, I talk about the concept of "found poetry", and then explore ways in which you can find a story.
Like what you hear? Please rate and review so others can find this pod, too!
FInd me online at www.melissaclarkwrites.com, or on Instagram @thewritingpool
Please allow me this mini-rant about the other C-word. Or, depending on what you think the C-word is, the other, OTHER C-word. In any case, thanks for listening.
To schedule a free, 20-minute consultation go to www.melissaclarkwrites.com and navigate to the COACHING tab (Not the C-word I'm ranting about).
Find me on Insta @thewritingpool
When writing, do you meticulously plot things out? Or do you fly by the seat of your pants? In this episode, I talk about these ways of creating and explore the pros and cons of each.
If you're enjoying this podcast, please rate and review to help other listeners find it. And come say hi on Instagram: @thewritingpool
Though it's definitely a thrill, publishing (creating) doesn't necessarily solve all your problems. What are some deeper reasons why you're even attempting this goal in the first place? In this episode, I encourage you to investigate those reasons, because addressing them will make the process that much sweeter.
Reach me at www.melissaclarkwrites.com, or on Insta: @thewritingpool
In this episode, I talk about the HBOmax series, "The Staircase" as an example of interesting storytelling. I also talk about the rules of structure, and have you identify the structural beats in your own story.
Like what you're hearing? Please rate and review.
Interested in writing coaching? Get in touch at www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Are you watching "The Staircase"? What do you think? Let me know!
The title says it all. Part of the writing process is not writing. In this episode, learn how to "bathe in the pause."
Interested in exploring writing coaching? Get in touch! www.melissaclarkwrites.com, or contact me on Instagram @thewritingpool
In this episode, Melissa discusses the similarities between dogs and writing. If you like what you're hearing, don't forget to subscribe, rate and review. And if you're interested in coaching, reach out for a free, 20-minute session at www.melissaclarkwrites.com.
In this episode, I discuss the cost of not creating. I also discuss examples of not giving up. I recorded this episode weeks before Fred Savage was removed from his current television show for misconduct, but I do mention him in relation to a project of mine. Please listen and enjoy.
I listen to most podcasts on 1 1/2x speed. Inspired by that, I offer five ways to 1 1/2x your words.
In this episode, I encourage you to do what it takes to get the job done... even if it means getting lost in fantasy. I also encourage you to set actionable items.
Follow me on Instagram @thewritingpool, or reach out on my website: http://www.melissaclarkwrites.com
Like what you're hearing? Please rate and review to help others find this podcast. Thank you! Have a great week.
What are some excuses you're using for NOT starting or finishing your project? In today's episode, Melissa identifies some popular excuses and helps with tips to manage them.
You can reach Melissa at http://www.melissaclarkwrites.com, or on Instagram @thewritingpool
In the future, shows will drop every Wednesday.
Welcome to The Writing Pool podcast with host Melissa Clark, a writer across many mediums, including television, novels, and podcasts. I have worked as a writing coach for over 5-years. Here you'll get tips, tricks, and coaching for all your creative projects.
In this episode, I introduce myself and describe my relationship with the other Melissa Clark, the NY Times Bestselling Food Author. We'll talk about what's holding you back, and how to move forward.