[Jacquelyn Mitchard, inner stuff]: Cultivating the relationship between author and reader when "every sentence is a struggle" Ep 1144

Finding the Throughline with Kate Hanley

In this second part of my interview with the brilliant and hilarious Jacquelyn Mitchard, we talk about the squishier side of creativity–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you're not fully conscious of it, including:

- The specific reader Jacquelyn imagines as she writes

- Why she's devoted to social media, and why she thinks of it like having a hamster

- How some of her books have 'missed the mark' (but she's not going to tell you which ones)

- The pep talk that gets her through those moments of feeling like a pretender

- The small rewards Jacquelyn uses to congratulate herself for getting another few good sentences down on paper

- The John Prine lyric that sums up her views on aging

- What she learned from growing up on the West side of Chicago (and the viewpoint of her father's that she outright rejects)

This week’s episodes are replays. I’m replaying because Jacquelyn was my first VERY big name guest and honestly I’m reliving the high. Come relive it with me!

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

Thank you for listening!

And thanks to this week’s sponsor, Air Doctor Pro. Visit airdoctorpro.com and use code KATE to save 30% off an amazing indoor air filter *and* receive a free three-year warranty (an $84 value).

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