Now That's A Great Story

Sonya and I chat with Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer, who co-wrote Mr. Nice Guy, a novel about two sex columnists who sleep with each other and critique their performance in competing publications. Mannnnn, our conversation is as fun as their book.  We talk a ton about craft and if you wanna learn even more? Check out this free workshop on the secrets of longform storytelling Sonya and I put together. It's 100% free. You just gotta enter your email: https://www.becomethestorytellingyouworkshops.com/workshop-2/

Are you stressed? Stretched too thin? Stymied by your writing projects? Give this episode a listen. I talk with Rebecca Pacheco, the author of Still Life: The Myths and Magic of Mindful Living. That book, and my discussion with Rebecca, has helped to transform how I see the world. It's one of the best episodes we've done.  If you want a similar transformation in your writing life, I've got a free workshop out now, and available for 10 days, on how to unlocks the secrets of storytelling, the internal mechanisms that allow great stories to endure. Just enter your email to get the workshop: https://www.becomethestorytellingyouworkshops.com/workshop1/  

We're back! Today we've got a special guest, Joe Keohane, author of The Power of Strangers. Sonya and I loved the book and, from within The Salon, we talked with Joe about why you need not only friends but strangers to enrich your life and improve your health. To talk with a stranger is a lot like interviewing someone as a journalist, and Joe and I discuss the practical things you can do to improve your own interviewing techniques. Hit me up with your feedback at paulkixnewsletter.com. 

From within The Salon I talk with Noah Lefevre, the creator of the YouTube channel, Polyphonic, which to date has over 84 million views. Noah and I talk about how and why he started his music- and storytelling obsessed channel, the flow state that every creative type knows, entrepreneurship, and blowing up in your early 20s.  The Salon's doors are open for a short time. Head to paulkix.com/subscribe to apply for membership. 

Sonya and I talk about the travel I plan to do next month and what that means for today, which is nothing, which is rest. We discuss how I've tried in the past to deal with these lulls in the schedule. And about our schedule: We'll be back in a month's time. To stay in touch, reach me through the newsletter at paulkixnewsletter.com. 

Sonya and I discuss how I'm fully vaccinated and ready to travel—but the archives aren't open. And if the archives aren't open now, what will happen if they never open? This episode, like the last, is less about the physical world than our mental states. There are also practical tips on when you should stop your book research. Best way to stay in touch is through the newsletter. Sign up at paulkixnewsletter.com. 

Sonya and I talk about the depressive funk that came over me last week: what caused it, why certain thoughts worsened it, and how I overcame it (for now). If you're a writer who deals with your own depression and anxiety—in other words: calling all writers!—give this episode a listen. To stay in touch, reach me through the newsletter. Sign up at paulkixnewsletter.com. 

I talk with Jody Avirgan in this bonus episode. Jody basically created ESPN's 30 for 30 serialized podcasts, and now host his own podcast while executive producing, among others, Death at the Wing, hosted by Academy Award Winner Adam McKay. Jody and I discuss the differences between a great "talk" podcast and a great narrative one. Our conversation occurs within The Salon, the private membership forum I run, of which Jody is a member.  Salon membership is normally closed to newcomers, but I'm opening it for a brief window of time. If you'd like to join our community, head to paulkix.com/subscribe. 

In this bonus episode I talk to the great John Lee Dumas, the entrepreneur and podcaster whose new book, The Common Path to Uncommon Success, inspired me. JLD's been inspiring me for years now. He's one of the reasons I decided to break out on my own. The two of us discuss how the life and career you want are never as far away as you imagine. If you like this episode, best way to stay in touch is through the newsletter, paulkixnewsletter.com. 

Think about the people who make stuff up for a living—especially if you're writing a nonfiction book. Sonya and I discuss why nonfiction authors should be inspired by novelists when structuring their books. We also talk about some of the novels that have inspired me. If you like this episode, best way to stay in touch is paulkixnewsletter.com.    

It's true! Sonya and I have found it to be the case in our own lives and especially—especially!—when doing book research. We talk about how you should schedule your day to incorporate more downtime, and what that downtime has meant for us and our family and how I had a come-to-Jesus after my last book was published. I needed to be there more for my kids. If you want to stay in touch, best way is through the newsletter: paulkixnewsletter.com. 

If you're gonna write a book, you've got to create a business to support it. You've got to turn yourself into an LLC. Sonya and I talk about all the benefits—fiscal but mostly psychological—working within an LLC has provided us. We give some tips to avoid some of the mistakes we made along the way. To stay in touch with me, hit me up at paulkixnewsletter.com. 

The answer is not: scroll Twitter. It's instead a certain technique I learned a few years ago and have had to apply this week, when working through an absolute deluge of old research files. Sonya and I talk about this technique, and what works for her. If you like this episode, the best way to stay in touch is through the newsletter: paulkixnewsletter.com.  

Sonya and I talk about meeting, marrying, and having kids as an interracial couple. We've each learned a lot from each other and our experiences, me probably more than Sonya. I see the world now with new eyes because I am the father of Black children and the head of a Black household. We talk about how my education in the Black experience is akin to Prince Harry's. To stay in touch with me, head to paulkixnewsletter.com.

Sonya and I talk about a quote from Ralph Abernathy's memoir: How the problems he and MLK faced in Birmingham were, he believed, God guiding them to the solution they needed. I read that passage at just the right time in my own book research. We talk about what happens when you hit insurmountable obstacles, and how they can guide you to the solution you need. If you like this episode, sign up for the newsletter: paulkixnewsletter.com. There I talk even more about what it takes to live the life of a storyteller. 

Sonya and I talk about the way to report or write a book while holding a full-time job. The first step is to—you ready for this?—listen to your body. We explain what we mean and also share stories of how to steal time out of your day...even at that full-time job.  Season Two: The Process. If you like what you hear, reach me via email at paulkixnewsletter.com. It's free to sign up. 

Where to go to do your book research is easy. When to travel is the question to ask, and one we learned the hard way. Tons of stories here and tons of tips to avoid the mistakes Sonya and I made. For more stories like this head to paulkixnewsletter.com and sign up for my newsletter.

The evolution of our marriage is also the evolution of how I learned to take, with Sonya's guidance, ever better notes. We talk about the various systems we adopted and discarded to arrive at something, with my book on Birmingham, is truly efficient, and in no-small part awesome. The better a writer's notes system, the less frustration he encounters in writing a book.

Sonya and I talk about the mistakes I made with my first book and how I've tried to correct those mistakes in the early going of the research phase with my second book. You may think book research is reading as widely as possible. It is actually reading as deeply as possible. Learn from my mistakes. To keep up with what I'm doing, connect with me via email. Sign up for the newsletter (it's free) at paulkixnewsletter.com.

This week Sonya and I break down how to find an agent if you don't have one. We cover what you should be looking for in an agent and how to identify the traits that will best help you. We also talk about what happens when you're book goes to market, and all the stress and joy that comes with it. If you like what you hear, rate and review the podcast. Best way to stay in touch is through https://www.paulkixnewsletter.com/.