Megan Sunstrum (Episode 3/3)

Ease Lessons for Writers

About today's conversation:
This is my third conversation with Megan Sunstrum who is writing a memoir about depression, anxiety, being a badass and moving across the country during a pandemic to start a new life. She has a wild imagination, a knack for story-telling, and a deep love of talking to strangers, green things and also furry things. She lives in rural Nova Scotia with her husband and beautiful menace of a cat.
Thank you, Megan, for this conversation.
A note to the listener that this episode contains multiple references to anxiety and depression as these issues are central to Megan’s memoir. I am not a therapist so I am not coaching Megan through these issues and, as always, I encourage people to seek out a therapist for support with their mental health.
Megan's homework from Episode 2:

1. Read another memoir(s):

• Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage by Dani Shapiro
• Expecting Adam: A True Story of Birth, Rebirth, and Everyday Magic by Martha Beck
• These Precious Days: Essays by Ann Patchett
• This Messy Magnificent Life: A Field Guide by Geneen Roth
• A Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss and Laughter by Rachael Herron

2. Write a love letter from (or to) your younger Bad Ass Self

3. Would you like a Guardian Angel of some kind for your process? A small altar?

4. Think about where the four points of your plot might be so we can discuss them at the beginning of Conversation 3.

5. Listen to this Creative Penn podcast episode with Gail Carriger about the Heroine's Journey here. The interview begins at 22:05.

*****
About Ease Lessons:
Music: “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license
Editor: Damien Pitter
Host: Monna McDiarmid (pronounced Mona McDermid) | Coach, Writer and Counselor
Website: MonnaMcDiarmid.com
Newsletter: The Sunday Reader
Patreon: where I share monthly excerpts from my writing memoir in progress
Instagram: @monnamcdiarmid