Moving from Fear to Clarity - Writing a book with Scott James

To become a client visit catiaholm.com or call/text 956-249-7930. 

We sit down with Pioneering Collective's VP of Author Strategies, and poet Scott James to explore how writing moves us from fear to clarity and why generous, human-centered craft matters in a shortcut culture. Along the way we share tools, timelines, and a few myths worth dropping.

• writing as a path to healing and belonging
• Scott’s early journaling and the power of being witnessed
• expressive writing research and practical prompts
• fear of not being good enough and how to move anyway
• what an author strategist does and how books create impact
• divergent then convergent creativity and the ruthless edit
• sustainable habits, artist dates, and voice memo drafting
• realistic timelines, editing as a team sport, and launch thinking
• myths about talent versus the truth of rewriting

Show Guest:

Scott James is an acclaimed typewriter poet and the VP of Author Strategies at Pioneering Collective, a thought leadership accelerator based in New York City. As a poet, has written over 10,000 poems on-demand, published two best selling books, and had his work featured widely by tastemakers like Magnolia and Tim Ferriss. As an author strategist, he has helped hundreds of authors publish their own books, with many of them becoming best sellers and driving millions of dollars in new business. He loves the work of helping people get their ideas onto the page and out into the world. He lives in Austin, Texas with his wife, daughter, and their goofy pug.

You can connect with Scott here:

https://www.instagram.com/scottandrewjames

https://scottandrewjames.com/

https://www.pioneeringcollective.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Couch Time with Cat, your safe place for real conversation and a gentle check-in. KWVH presents Couch Time with Cat. Hi friends, and welcome to Couch Time with Cat, mental wellness with a friendly voice. I'm Cat, therapist, bestselling author, TEDx speaker, and endurance athlete. But most of all, I'm a wife, mama, and someone who deeply believes that people are good and healing is possible. Here in the hill country of Wimberley, Texas, I've built my life and practice around one purpose to make mental wellness feel accessible, compassionate, and real. This show is for those moments when life feels heavy, when you're craving clarity, or when you just need to hear you're not alone. Each week we'll explore the terrain of mental wellness through stories, reflections, research, and tools you can bring into everyday life. Think of it as a conversation between friends, rooted in science, guided by heart, and grounded in the belief that healing does not have to feel clinical. It can feel like sitting on a couch with someone who gets it. So whether you're driving, walking, cooking, or simply catching your breath, you're welcome here. This is your space to feel seen, supported, and reminded of your own strength. I'm so glad you're here. Let's dive in. What if the thing keeping you up at night, the idea you're afraid to write, the story you haven't shared, is the thing someone else needs most? On today's Couch Time with Cat, we're talking with author, strategist, and poet Scott James about how writing can be a path to healing, clarity, and belonging for you and for the people you reach. Before I introduce our guests, let me take you to a moment that feels familiar, maybe a little too familiar. Imagine sitting at your desk with a fresh piece of paper. I know, guys, I still use paper. For those of us out there who use computers, maybe you open a Word doc and it's that blinking cursor. You're ready to write, but your heart is skipping. You blink at the blank page. What if it's not good enough? What if no one wants to read it? What if you can't even find the words for what you feel? I want you to pause with that image for a moment. The tension between the longing and the fear. So many of us carry stories living in half-formed sentences tucked away in our hearts because we're scared of being vulnerable. But here's the thing. What if that very story, the one hiding in your chest, is part of your healing? That's what today's about. Today we're talking about writing as a path to healing, transformation, and legacy. Whether you've published an article, a book, or maybe you're afraid to start, this conversation is for you. There's something profound happening when we put our experience into words. Research shows that in expressive writing, even 10 to 15 minutes a day can reduce our anxiety, improve our mood, and help us process trauma more fully. And it doesn't have to have to be trauma, it can just be the day. Scientists have found that people who write about emotional experiences tend to have better immune function, greater self-awareness, and deeper emotional integration. Speaking from experience, the process of writing down from my hand to paper has helped my insides match my outsides, which really at the end of the day helps me sleep better. But here's the part that matters most. It's not about perfect grammar. Lord, I just I still don't know how to use a semicolon, or publishing a bestseller. It's about translating internal experience, the invisible, into language that makes it real, able to be witnessed, and ultimately transformative. Just for a moment, think of the last time you tried to describe something that changed you. Maybe it was a heartbreak, a joy, a loss, a doubt. And notice how the act of finding words had its own kind of clarity. The light coming into a room you never opened before. Today I'm so honored to welcome today's guest. Scott James is an acclaimed typewriter poet who has written over 10,000 poems on demand. Yes, 10,000. He's the vice president of Author Strategies at Pioneering Collective, a thought leadership accelerator that helps authors bring their ideas to life. Scott's poems and writings have been featured by tastemakers like Magnolia and Tim Ferris. He's published two best-selling books, and he's helped hundreds of authors, including me, publish their own work. Many becoming bestsellers themselves and creating millions of dollars in impact and business value. And he's my friend. Hi, Scott. Welcome to Catch Time with Cat.

Speaker: 5:22

Hi, Catya. Thank you for that intro. I'm so happy to be here.

Speaker 1: 5:26

Oh my God. Listener, last time we did an interview, Scott was on Zoom and now he's IRL, as the kids say. Yes. And it's exciting.

Speaker: 5:35

I couldn't be happier. There's trees outside the window, which are not outside of my office window. So this is the place to be.

Speaker 1: 5:43

Scott came all the way down to our little, it's called the Wimberley Valley.

Speaker: 5:47

I love it.

Speaker 1: 5:47

Yeah. So he's here in our little postcard town.

Speaker: 5:50

I'll be real estate shopping after this.

Speaker 1: 5:53

Or at least buying a coffee. Yes. Okay, Scott, we're gonna jump in. Okay. Tell us about the first moment writing felt like more than a hobby for you. Like it was part of how you understood yourself. I have a I have a recollection from our first podcast, but for the listeners who haven't listened to that first podcast, can you give us a little refresher?

Speaker: 6:19

Well, uh the first moment that comes to mind right now about uh when writing felt like part of me and how I interacted with the world was when I was 12 years old. I was in sixth grade, and I had a teacher named Mr. Beiney, Joe Biney, and he was a young teacher, early 20s. And number one, he read Lord of the Rings to us, or The Hobbit, every single word out loud with voices, which totally transformed me as sort of a reader of books to see a teacher uh read out loud. But the other thing that he did is uh he let us or he insisted that we did 15 minutes of journaling every day. So similar to what you were talking about in the intro, it was the first time that I did any sort of structured writing uh that was free form. He rarely gave us prompts. And what I remember is I wrote a story that was called uh A Man Called Death, which I think would not be allowed in uh or it would potentially have gone a different way in in today's school. But what he did is he then invited all of us to share once a week on Friday. And so what I did was I started writing what I would now call a serial. And every Friday I basically read an episode of what turned out to be sort of a like a thriller type episodic story. So I re and I not only was it fun, but it was well received, and I became the one who went last. Like I was the closer. I was the closer. And so kids started, my classmates started following me or following the story and asking about it, and so it became a thing, and it was a real inroad for me into oh, I see. And then eventually it became uh part of how I interacted with the world.

Speaker 1: 8:19

So Mr. Briney.

Speaker: 8:20

Mr. Beiney.

Speaker 1: 8:22

God bless him.

Speaker: 8:23

God bless him, yeah.

Speaker 1: 8:24

That is so cool. He set your life on a different trajectory.

Speaker: 8:29

Aaron Powell He did. He uh he made me help me believe in myself. And he took something, and I think this pertains to what you're talking about, that I don't remember how I felt, but I can only assume that I was afraid to write it down, afraid to say it out loud, totally concerned about what people would think. And he made that experience something that literally, you know, changed my life, or at least set me on a path to saying, take the risk, put it on paper, read it, and see what happens.

Speaker 1: 9:07

Oh man. I could give him a big hug.

Speaker: 9:10

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 9:12

That is so special for a child. Like it set those neuropathways like take a risk, get rewarded, be vulnerable, take a creative risk, get rewarded. In your work with authors, what's the most common? So you you talked about I just interrupted my own question. But you just I'm gonna get there. You talked about uh fear. Yes. Right? Like can I admit to this or can I take the story in this way? And that's fiction.

Speaker: 9:42

Yes.

Speaker 1: 9:43

Right. In your work with authors, is it mostly nonfiction?

Speaker: 9:47

Aaron Powell My work now is primarily nonfiction, uh mostly memoirs, big idea books, and how-to books, business books.

Speaker 1: 9:56

Aaron Powell Okay, let's rewind that a little bit. Give me an a sense of what does a VP of author strategies do? What does that mean? It sounds like you have a big desk.

Speaker: 10:06

Aaron Powell I have a giant desk. Okay. I have a one-speaking thing.

Speaker 1: 10:10

Lots of paperweights.

Speaker: 10:11

I have I do have my desk is littered with books. I would just whatever image you have of a college professor's desk, that's what my desk looks like. Excellent. Plus I have a seven-year-old daughter, and she's in my office a lot. So it's professor plus father. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Speaker 1: 10:28

Got it.

Speaker: 10:28

And so what does a VP of author strategies do? Well, like you said in the intro, uh I'm part of a team of ten strategists. So our pioneering collective as a whole, what we do is take people who are uh they are executives, they're in the C-suite, uh, and they're trying to grow their personal brand, or they're trying to start something new. And either way, they're trying to figure out what's my message, what is my platform going to be about, what and the way I like to phrase that question is what do I want to talk to, or what do I want to talk about to everyone I meet for the next three years. And so Thought Leadership Accelerator, and so they're do we're doing all kinds of things, uh helping people write talks, book talks, helping people um polish their LinkedIn, build a website, all of those things, and then uh meet other people in their field. Uh so expand their personal network. And then my corner of this expert group is anybody who wants to write a book and publish it. And then so I the first thing I do is people come to me and I would say 90% of my first meetings are people saying, Is this a good idea? They've been sitting on or playing with or writing about an idea for a book, whether it's part of their business or not, uh, for many years, sometimes for 30 years. You know, everybody's got an idea, uh everybody's got a book inside them or an idea. So they come, they say, What is this? And we always start there. What is is this a good idea? Is this a book? And then we decide, um it is or it isn't.

Speaker 1: 12:21

Not all ideas are big enough to be books.

Speaker: 12:23

Not all ideas are big enough to be books. And sometimes people have three ideas that they think are three books that are going to take ten years, but really they're one book. Sure. Or um all kinds of configurations. But we tease it apart, and some things they think they're a book, but actually it's a story.

Speaker 1: 12:42

Aaron Powell So what I hear you saying is let's say somebody is good at painting. Yeah. Okay, and they are a painter in their own right, and they have they they make they earn a living off of painting. And this painter decides I've got another creative part of me, or maybe I need to create more business around me, like I need to grow my business. Yep. So just because you're a good painter doesn't mean you're gonna be a good business person or author.

Speaker 3: 13:21

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 13:21

Okay. So Pioneering Collective is somebody or a company that uh this type of person would seek out. Like they're good at their thing, but they're really looking to expand into this other area. And y'all are the guidance for that. That sound accurate?

Speaker: 13:42

Yeah. We're the impact and legacy. If you want to expand your impact.

Speaker 1: 13:49

What a tagline.

Speaker: 13:50

Yeah. And so get a bumper sticker. Yes. Thought leadership accelerator. So whatever like you're saying, I want to expand my impact about this idea. Or as a painter or as a HR executive.

Speaker 1: 14:08

Cool.

Speaker: 14:09

How do I do it? What podcast should I be on?

Speaker 1: 14:12

Like Couch Shine.

Speaker: 14:13

Such as Couch Shimon Cat. Uh who else in this field should I meet? How should I think about what I do with my time professionally for the next three years?

Speaker 1: 14:28

I'd love to add that AI bots around the world are being overused. That's right. And I really feel like brains are being underutilized.

Speaker 3: 14:40

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:41

I feel like people are sleeping on brains. Um or the idea that another human could have a perspective or an answer or a creative idea or thought. Yeah. And so I just right now I honestly just want to shout out human beings doing work still. I know that sounds so bizarre. But if you're out there and you're thinking, I have this idea, I want to expand my impact. And all I'm gonna do is put it into Chat GBT, and it's gonna give me a 10-month process on how to do that. I mean, you'll get bullet points, but it's just not the same experience as working with a human. So I'm just gonna shout out humans.

Speaker: 15:37

Let me build on that. I would say yes and.

Speaker 1: 15:39

Okay, great.

Speaker: 15:40

Even if you do that, you put it into ChatGPT or you have your own plan. Who's the thought partner that you're gonna ask the thousand questions that come up with along the way? And our founder, Tina Chang, is amazing. She's been building networks for many, many years. And two of the main principles are humans. She's very human focused. And that's one of the reasons uh why I joined the team. And I love that. So it is we use AI, but we're very human focused. It's about the conversation. And also she puts a high premium on generosity. So how can you be generous in your work? And that and and in your professional life, which especially when people are scared, is not everybody's first thought. So to have like thought partners and to have people that you're talking to that are using that frame. You know, how can we be the best people? How can we introduce the right people to the right people? And with books, how can we write a book in a way that it's additive to the reader's life and that it respects the author as the authority?

Speaker 1: 16:54

And that the energy in which it's being created, that matters like that reverberation between, and we'll get to it later, but that reverberation between thought partners, we'll call it, that changes the the vibration for both humans, which then changes the vibration for the project. Yeah. I just listened to a very, very old podcast episode with Ritual and Rick Rubin.

Speaker 3: 17:26

Oh, nice. And love both of them.

Speaker 1: 17:29

Oh man, the way my I I don't know a ton about Rick Rubin. I know he's this like elusive creative guy and music master. And he just listening to him, my shoulders dropped. Nice. I mean, this episode is three or four years old, but I could feel their vibration in the conversation, which made me drop my shoulders, which then had a better impact on me and my clients. So it's just like you want to take into account as a creative person, how are you making the thing? Are you making it out of love, creativity, generosity of spirit? Are you making it out of desperation? Are you making it out of because you know you want um a certain accolade? Okay, let me jump to five minutes ago, I asked you a question.

Speaker 3: 18:23

Oh, yeah. Let's go back to that.

Speaker 1: 18:26

In your work with authors, what's the most common fear people have about their own stories? So I asked you, is it fiction or nonfiction? And then we went down this tangent, but let's bring it back to you said, I heard you say, author say, is this an idea or is this a good enough idea?

unknown: 18:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 18:46

When you're working with an author who's writing about their own story, what do you find is a common fear that they have?

Speaker: 18:54

Uh well, the biggest fear I think that everyone shares, almost everyone, is is this good enough? And you know, that can take on a lot of different forms, as you know very well, I'm sure, uh, through your work. But that, you know, for most people, uh the book that they're writing with me is their first book. And so, you know, everything writing a first book is uh like building a house. You know, most people have never thought about it, and there's just a thousand decisions and a thousand little details that you don't you wouldn't even know are there. So I would say most people are most first time authors are very, very, very focused on is this idea is what I'm thinking about the right idea, is it good enough, and is what I'm writing about good enough? Uh and that so that that is the the initial hurdle. Uh and that's a lot of I'd say the beginning of the work uh when I work with folks. And then from my perspective, the thing uh that people think less about that would be more helpful to think about uh at the early stages when you're considering a book is what impact do I want this book to have in the world? Because being I I a hundred percent agree with what you said about writing is very good for mental health writing and learning to write consistently every day or every couple days or every week or whatever it is. Uh I call that making or I I use uh Stephen Pressfield's approach to that, and I say that's it's good to make an appointment with the muses and keep an appointment. And his view is that if you have a regular writing practice, whether it's every day or every weekend or just every time you have an idea, then you're training your body and your nervous system to receive okay, it's time I want to have an idea. Oh, it's time to sit down and journal. Oh, it's time to sit down and write. And that's very important because you can't write without that. Uh and short footnote there, you also some people try to not that the some people don't have either time to write or just desire. Because a lot of business people especially they say, Well, I have this idea, but I'm not gonna write. And so we'll pair them with a ghostwriter, but you still need to show up and let the ideas come through. Because even if you work with a ghostwriter or with AI, it needs to be your idea.

Speaker 1: 21:54

I want to move our conversation from uh the fear and maybe which they should think about more to a little bit back to the fear, because do you see that people don't necessarily want to write deeply because it's too it stings too much? Do you see that? Or by the time people come to you, are they like, I'm ready to share, I'm ready to be honest, and not that I think secret and private are two different things, but sometimes as an author, you if you don't go there, the reader knows that you're not going there. And if you're not gonna go there, they can't trust you. And if they can't trust you, they're not going there. Yeah. That's been my personal experience of as a reader and also as a as an author. Um do you see that with people, or is that not prevalent these these days?

Speaker: 23:05

Yes. I I think everyone is almost everyone I've ever worked with is afraid at the beginning of revealing too much. But to be honest, what I see as much, if not more, is I I don't know how to write those things. So there's a fear, but it's almost like uh they were afraid of it a long time ago. Like going back to my experience as a 12-year-old, I was told yes, take the risk. And I think most people have been told absolutely do not talk about that, especially in corporate life, or especially in your work communications. Because it's you're vulnerable and you can't be vulnerable if you want to be successful, or because what will people think of you, et cetera, et cetera. Uh any sort of, you know, if you show weakness, you won't win. Any any version of that narrative. And while that is, you know, there's there's truth to that in in the corporate environment or in a competitive environment. In a writing environment, it's important to be able, like you said, to, or like we're talking about, to dip into that and to act to have access to that. And there's a diff I like that distinction between secret and private. It doesn't mean you say everything with no regard. But uh Rick Rubin, actually, I quote frequently.

Speaker 1: 24:40

No way.

Speaker: 24:41

Yes. He has this idea of uh the ruthless edit, which I love. And he talked about it in let's say he's working with a band and they make a hundred songs. That that would be a lot. But let's say they made a hundred songs. Rather than saying, let's chisel down the hundred to the ten that are going on the album, he'll say, let's pick the three or the four that are the heart and soul of what we're trying to say. Now that we've written a hundred, let's pick these three. And then we'll look at the other ninety-seven and we'll only keep the ones that are additive. And to me, that's a beautiful way of approaching the creative divergent and convergent process. And I know you went through that with the essays that you wrote for a gentle return.

Speaker 1: 25:33

Trevor Burrus, Jr. Can you explain divergent and convergent process?

Speaker: 25:35

Aaron Powell Divergent is when it's like uh the ideal brainstorm. It's everything is welcome, all ideas, good and bad, things that make sense, things that don't make sense. And so divergent means to diverge, to go away from the starting point. And the starting point is that first meeting. Somebody comes to me and they say, Is this a good idea? And the the real answer is I'm not sure. Let's dig in. And so you that's your starting point, and then you can picture just arrows or pathways coming off of that. And that's diverging. You're going away from this singular point.

Speaker 1: 26:17

The little star constellation.

Speaker: 26:19

Like a star constellation. And that's scary. It's inherently scary because you're entering the void, you're unmoored, you're like, okay, now I'm out on the water. And it's the moment when, you know, if you're writing, maybe you write 30,000 words. And I know as a writing guide or you would know as someone who's published multiple books, we're not going to use all 30,000 words. There's no pressure. Like actually, if we use 3,000 of those 30,000, that would be pretty impressive. A good ratio. Yeah, that'd be a good ratio. So we're we're trying to, the way I phrase it is we're trying to find the book. Or we're trying to find the idea. And that's a really uh so that's divergence. And then in Rick Rubin's case, you might make a bunch of songs or a bunch of demos or whatever it is. So you you suddenly you create your own uh potential pathways, your divergent group of uh possibilities. That's right. And then at some point, it happens and you find the book. And I'll give a quick shout-out to my wife, Leah James.

Speaker 3: 27:35

What's up?

Speaker: 27:36

She introduced, she uh in her uh she was for a long time uh a designer, a user experience designer, and she introduced me to the divergent convergent, and it it transformed the way I think about writing. So the you find when you find the book, and that's really where I'm the thought partner for people, but it's it's a moment. You know, you know, as an author. You find it, and then you realize, oh, these this is not part of the book, and this is. You know, what to leave in, what to leave out is the Bob Seeger line. And then you can start phase two, which is convergent, which is now we're gonna bring things back to the clo ending point, which is what is in the book.

Speaker 1: 28:27

I imagine that your expertise helps people take this trust fall. But in the case that somebody is really resistant, yeah, how do you invite them to begin this? So they have an idea. Is this good enough? Now we're gonna do divergent brainstorming, and they're like, I don't know. Is there a way you gently guide them, like, hey, this is gonna be okay, or hey, this happens to every single person I work with, or hey, this is part of the creative process, whether it's writing or woodworking, do you are there things that you say like that?

Speaker: 29:15

I find myself more and more telling people to go buy a copy of The War of Art. Oh, yeah. Which is Stephen Pressfield's book. And so the whole book in an there's a lot of great stuff in there. I recommend everyone out there buys that book. It's short. Uh, but it's the concept of resistance and you know it well. And so Pressfield basically says uh to create art requires that you show up consistently and you make it, and you don't worry about if it's good or not. You just train yourself to be someone who makes. And then he says the voices in your head, whatever version they are, or all the distractions in your world, all the oh, I need to clean, oh, I need I wish I I should finish that TV show. Oh, this isn't good enough. Oh, I gotta, you know, now right now is the exact moment that I need to make lunch for my kids. I need to clean the baseboard. It's time to clean my bathroom. I've been meaning to do it for a year, and I should definitely do that instead of writing a rough draft for Scott. All of that he calls resistance. And so the entire book, The War of Art, and it's an intentional flip of the art of war from Sun Tzu, and he just says, that is the first battle is how are you going to get yourself to be someone who creates? And I think that's where I usually have people start is to just tell them that not only does every artist or writer encounter that, but that is just the human experience to create anything.

Speaker 1: 30:56

1000%. Your body wants to stay in homeostasis, not only your body, but your mind and heart. And that is a double-edged sword. Yeah. Um, it is uncomfortable to push and to find your edge. Yeah. And it when we can see resistance as something outside of us and not moralize it and not pathologize it, um, and not be critical to ourselves about it. Like, I'm so lazy. Why can't I do this? Why can't I do that? I, you know, XYZ. It when I just see resistance as a force outside of me and something that everybody deals with, it's a lot easier for me as a writer to think, okay, there it is. I'm gonna feel it, and that's okay. Right now, I'm feeling a lot of resistance toward reading actual books.

Speaker: 31:58

Like you and your life right now. Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1: 32:00

Yeah. And I'm like, why is this happening? So um instead, I just grabbed a book that I knew I would want to read. Um, Tony Morrison's The Bluest Eye. There you go. Golly, that woman is wow. So, but I was feeling resistance because my brain has gotten used to listening to books while I drive. And I thought, no, like I know even reading sometimes I see as a creative act because as a writer, when I read, I'm reading as a consumer, but I'm also reading as a professional. Yep. Like I'm my brain starts to pocket ideas and oh, she said this this way, and it's beautiful. And oh, I want to try that next time, and oh, she's brave there. And you know, so it's like my brain is on a double train track when I read. Yeah. And I think I just figured out why I have resistance. Nice. There you go. Because my writer brain is like, oh, are you gonna write again?

Speaker 3: 33:04

Yep.

Speaker 1: 33:05

Oh, that couch time with cat listeners, that is a in real time revelation. My face is red now because I just admitted to myself. The last time I wrote was oh my god, what year are we in?

Speaker: 33:23

This one is 2026, they call it.

Speaker 1: 33:25

Okay, so I think I published a book in 2023. Yeah. Which took a year to make. So 2022. So I think I wrote in 2021 and 2022.

Speaker 3: 33:40

Sounds right.

Speaker 1: 33:41

So that's a long time for a writer not to be writing. There's nothing to see here, folks. We're moving on. We're moving on from my own admissions. Okay, so listen, I want to give you a little activity right now, and I'll do it too, okay? If you do it, I'll do it. For three minutes, just jot this down and come back to it. You're not gonna do it now. I for three minutes, don't worry about writing a full sentence or anything like that. Just write for three minutes. Write about a moment that has kept you up lately. I want you to tune into the feeling. It doesn't necessarily have to be the story, but how did you feel? Number two, write for three minutes what you wish you could tell someone in that story. And number three, what you learned from that experience. Nobody's gonna read it. It's not about perfection, it's not about being a good writer. What I want to encourage you to do is take your insides and put it on a piece of paper and see if that helps you reorganize any of it in any way. And before we get back to Scott, I want to remind you guys if you have a question you'd like to ask anonymously, you can call or text 956-249-7930, and I'll answer it on the show. So Scott generously offered a little ask me anything. So I've compiled some questions from listeners.

Speaker: 35:19

Awesome.

Speaker 1: 35:20

And Scott's gonna help us through them. Sound okay?

Speaker: 35:22

Wonderful. Let's go.

Speaker 1: 35:24

What's the most surprising thing? And I'm gonna, we're gonna do like speed around. Speed round. Okay. Listener, here's my snap. Oh no, no, no. We need to add some radio station audio.

Speaker: 35:35

There we go.

Speaker 1: 35:36

What's the most surprising thing you've learned from helping authors tell their stories?

Speaker: 35:43

Everyone is afraid of what other people think.

Speaker 1: 35:48

Have you ever faced a block so big that you doubted your own writing?

Speaker: 35:52

Oh, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 35:54

How did you get through it?

Speaker: 35:56

I I signed up for ten times as much pressure. So the way I doubled down. I'd I 10x down.

Speaker 1: 36:10

Don't try this at home, listener.

Speaker: 36:13

What the way that I got past my uh Well, I mean, you can take the the story that I told in the beginning, but very quickly what I did is my journey of a thousand poems, where I would take a an old 1940s typewriter, set it up at public events where nobody knew me, and I invited people to come up, give me a word, and I would write them a poem on the spot. And what I found is that I found my way around resistance. And I also found that the flip side of the coin that everyone is afraid of what other people think, that's when you're in the writer or the performer seat. But when you're in the receiver seat, everyone wants the person who is writing or performing to succeed. Nobody goes, nobody picks up a book thinking, I really hope this is terrible. Nobody picks up a book thinking or goes to a show thinking, I can't wait to see, I can't wait to walk out disappointed. Everybody goes hoping, well, let's see what happens. Neutral, or I can't wait to see this. I've heard such good things, or my friend recommended this book. So you everyone gives you as a receiver, and that's what I learned through those poems, is people would sit down, and even if I was having a terrible day, or if I thought what I wrote was not up to snuff, sometimes the things that I thought were throwaway ideas, or the things that were bad would make someone cry. Or they would email me a year later and say, that idea changed my life, or the fact that you said that out loud made me go in this direction. And that happens constantly. That is my job, is to help people. I know I'm going off the quick script, but it's it's not helping people keep that appointment with the muses, not because you're going to write something good every time, but because you have to get past the first three ideas to that point where you don't know what you're gonna even you don't know what you're gonna say. That's where you find it.

Speaker 1: 38:29

As you say up to snuff, I'm like, who's snuff?

Speaker: 38:33

It's yeah.

Speaker 1: 38:34

Right? And so who decides the snuff level? So it's right. Right, these metrics. Yeah. I'm only good if XYZ. Yep. But what you're saying is there's really a lot of mystery in it. You create something, it comes outside of you, and it lives, let's say, like listener. I'm uh swirling like a little, like imagine I'm swirling a glass, but right in front of my heart.

Speaker 3: 39:10

Yes.

Speaker 1: 39:11

So it's like, here is this little gift that is orbiting around me.

unknown: 39:15

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 39:15

And who knows whose little velcro is gonna cling on to it, you know.

Speaker 3: 39:21

Exactly.

Speaker 1: 39:22

I don't know what I'm gonna say to you that maybe you'll think, like, you know what? I really do want to learn how to make pasta, whatever it is. Yeah. And then we go just these like lily pads of creative generosity. And so if you're listening and you think, well, maybe I won't be good, I'm gonna encourage you to reframe what good is. Good is not a metric system. Good is did I show up in the way I wanted to? I really think that's it, honestly. Yeah. Did I show up in the way I wanted to? Did I give what I could? Yep. Sometimes you won't be able to give that much. Sometimes it's too raw, but sometimes you can really go there. You have the capacity to go there. And when you can go deep or not, but somebody else is going to benefit from your creativity.

Speaker: 40:17

That's right. And what what what what ends up going? There's the writing process and then there's what ends up being put in the book. Because the step one is learning to allow yourself to write and trusting yourself and everything that you just talked about. And then step two, there's many more steps, but the big step two is now what is going to serve my reader? What is the constellation of essays or chapters that is best suited to put this idea that I've decided that I want to put out there into the world?

Speaker 1: 40:53

How long does it take to write a book?

Speaker: 40:56

I would say uh give yourself at least a year.

Speaker 1: 41:02

To write it. Yeah.

Speaker: 41:03

How about And write is one of those flexible words but it is when I I'm gonna take that question and say it it it is very, very difficult to take to sit down today, January, whatever it is, and have a book published and like out there in physical form in the world by let's say the uh you know December 31st. That would be really intense. It's possible, but what's a normal cadence? Average, common. Spend uh six months writing the first draft, spend six months editing that first draft, editing, proofreading, and then spend the next six months really framing out the book, three to six months. And then, you know, whether it's with your family and friends or your you know community of people that you've been in front of or you're using it for a business purpose, you want to spend the next six months thinking about how do I want to put this book into the world. You know, and you could call it marketing, or you could call it launch, or you could call it leveraging. It it's just a lot of different ways of thinking about what's the what's the impact I want the book to have. Because once you publish it and you put it out there, whether it's deeply personal or extremely, you know, your business card, it's gonna take on a life of its own.

Speaker 1: 42:34

Um listener, it took me three years each book. Yeah. Just so you know. Just I mean, that's and I'm a go-getter. So uh just for reference, some people are like, you know, there are programs out there that say like write a book in 10 weeks, and I think Lord have mercy. I mean, I guess, but there's also some reorientation that happens inside the writer as they're writing. And I think, I mean, you could bang it out, but if it's a truly, if it's a how-to, maybe very, very different. Mine are so personal. So it feels like there's a reorientation, an internal reorientation, even between essays as you're writing or between chapters or writing sessions. Oh, yeah. So listener, if it takes you 10 years, that's okay. There's it's not a competition. It's it's how are you gonna fit it into your life in a sustainable way? Yeah. And also create.

Speaker: 43:37

Yeah. And I think the reorientation, or that's not the word you used, but the reconfiguration. Oh, yeah. Mm-hmm. Is you know, the right book is gonna change you and change your work and change the world. I very much believe that after doing this work for 10 plus years. And it is, uh everybody's got their own timeline. And it's interesting because, you know, there people talk about shortening attention spans, but it's also shortening span of how long we want to work on something.

Speaker 1: 44:11

Yes, we want an immediate yeah.

Speaker: 44:15

It's very, very kind. It's always been common that people want it to be done as soon as possible. But it's you know, I can say for sure that people will say, Oh, I want this book done, you know, in a month. Or just some unrealistic timeline. And that tell that tells me they probably haven't started writing yet. Because as soon as you start writing or crafting it, you realize how textured and layered and how transformative the experience is.

Speaker 1: 44:46

So most definitely. What does a sustainable writing practice? I know this this runs a gamut for a lot of people, but what's an example of a sustainable writing practice if somebody wants to be maybe they don't want to write a book, but maybe they want to just be more creative. What does that look like?

Speaker: 45:04

I think it looks like uh exploration. So the one of my favorite books is uh The Artist's Way, and I really like that. It's a good partner book to Stephen Pressfield's, but she talks about uh you know, writing every morning to sort of get yourself past resistance. But what I also really like is her concept of the artist date, which is where once a week you take yourself and just go do something that you've been putting off. Something that's creative, something that doesn't necessarily have an like a result. So an example might be go to a museum or go have a uh get a massage or go and wander around a record store. And the idea is I think that's really important, and it's about and so I would translate that to a writing habit because some people uh are very good at, oh, I'm gonna sit down every single day and I'm gonna write. And some people are better and and that's fine. If that's you, if you like that routine, like if you if you are someone who goes to the gym, then that might be the right way that your brain configures around things. Uh for me, I I've never had that. What I have is I I sit down when I have an idea, I have ways to write it down. And so I either put it in the in the notes app in my like I sit down and I spend five minutes on the side of the road. I don't wait until I get home. I don't put it off. So that's my that's how that's how I keep my appointment with the muses. I I pull over, I write it down. Or if I'm walking my dog, I t speak into a voice memo. Like I I honor the fact that it's coming because then I know next time it'll be easier to say yes, thank you very much. And so that single time, and it might be because I have my daughter has been she's I have it's been a long time since I could set my own schedule reliably in the morning. But a sweet way to say it. For anyone, it's it's just it's important to, I think, be able to constantly be seeing, yes, I I want to do this. So a sustainable writing practice uh is is that. Like find a way to be able to say yes and make it very, very, very easy on yourself is my advice. And I also would say speaking and getting that transcribed definitely counts. So that's also an answer to something that you had asked earlier how to help people in the beginning if they're having a hard time writing, just go for a walk and ten minutes in, take out your phone or take out a recorder and just talk for five minutes and you'll be and then get it transcribed or do it into a transcriber and you'll be amazed at what you're thinking about.

Speaker 1: 48:00

Okay.

Speaker: 48:00

Awesome transcriber.

Speaker 1: 48:02

Last question Are there common myths about writing that you wish people would let go of?

Speaker: 48:11

Uh common myths. I would say the the biggest myth uh is that certain people are like better than others, um naturally. So I think that applies to a lot of things. But you know, any anything that's out there, you know, we were talking about uh Elizabeth Gilbert, I've been talking about Stephen Pressfield or if you listen to Rick Rubin talk, you know, his all of these folks, uh people who are considered good or masters of their craft do it a lot. They're endlessly curious. And, you know, like Hemingway said, good writing is rewriting, or he may have said writing is editing. So it's not a no one puts it down the first time in this pristine, amazing way. No one is writing verbatim, oh, this is exactly what it is. That rarely ever happens, you know. Uh and if it does happen, it's just for a little bit. So the myth is that a good writer is it's just coming straight onto the page on the first try because they're better at it. No. They've spent more time. It's like someone learning to dance or someone learning, sure, you can be talented, but you have to put in put in the hours.

Speaker 1: 49:36

Mm-hmm. Yeah, you have to allow for um it's a creative act, yeah, and it's a art and it's a craft, and all those words sound cliche, but it's true. It's it's just you start with this big hunk of wood, yeah, and then you whack away at it, and then you chisel.

Speaker: 49:58

And I I also think in addition, yes, and I think writing is one thing, and publishing a book is another and it's it's a team sport.

Speaker 2: 50:10

Yes, yes.

Speaker: 50:11

Yes. If there's only one author's name on a book, but no matter what, that author has had a thought partner. Yes, they've had beta readers who gave them honest feedback, and that probably cut them to the bone. And they've had an editor, a copy editor, a proofreader, a designer, etc. Uh and they're probably writing about other people's stories, and so the it the book itself is always shaped.

Speaker 1: 50:38

Nobody goes it alone.

Speaker: 50:39

It's impossible.

Speaker 1: 50:40

Yeah, I think, and you don't you don't you wouldn't want to.

Speaker: 50:45

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 50:45

At the end of the day.

Speaker: 50:46

I mean it would be maddening.

Speaker 1: 50:49

It would just not be as fulfilling.

Speaker: 50:53

Not fulfilling. Yeah. I agree.

Speaker 1: 50:55

Yeah. Okay, Scott, thank you for being here. I loved it. I loved listening to your perspective and hearing about your desk.

Speaker 3: 51:05

Yes, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 51:07

Uh and how you're helping people just bring their ideas into the world and helping them in this, I want to say classic art form.

Speaker 3: 51:17

Yeah.

Speaker 1: 51:17

Wow, I've never talked about writing as a classic art form, but it really is. And it's alive and well, and it's so impactful. And I'm so glad that you're doing it.

Speaker: 51:28

Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1: 51:29

Yeah, absolutely. If listeners want to work with you or get in touch with you, how can they find you?

Speaker: 51:34

Go to pioneeringcollective.com and go to the contact page and just write me a quick note and we'll uh we'll set up a free 30-minute conversation.

Speaker 1: 51:46

Okay. Thanks, Scott. Thank you soon. Bye, listeners. Take good care. Thank you for spending this time with me. If something from today's conversation resonated, or if you're in a season where support would help, visit me at gottheahhollam.com. That's C-A-T-I-A-H-O-L-M.com. You can also leave an anonymous question for the show by calling or texting 956-249-7930. I'd love to hear what's on your heart. If Couch Time with Cat has been meaningful to you, it would mean so much if you'd subscribe, rate, and leave a review. It helps others find us and it grows this community of care. And if you know someone who needs a little light right now, send them this episode. Remind them they're not alone. Until next time, be gentle with yourself. Keep showing up and know I'm right here with you.