Episode – Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn

Mark interviews Joanna Penn about her new book Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words, then associated Kickstarter she launched for it, plans she has to window its release, and much more.

Prior to the main content, Mark thanks Patrons of the Stark Reflections Podcast.

In their conversation, Mark and Joanna talk about:

How it has been a while since Joanna has been on Mark’s podcast (she was in episode 212)The number of years Joanna has been podcasting under The Creative Penn brand (March 2009)How sometimes there’s a book that you really want to write that you’re not ready to write yetThe way we can often push the “shadows” down and repress themThe importance of writing the things that fascinate youWhat happens when you push a balloon down underwater and try to hold it therePlato’s Chariot and the White and Dark horses and getting them to run together in harmonyThe value of addressing what we’re repressing and bringing it into the light particularly in your writingHow critical it is for successful fiction to have conflict, which is often derived from the shadowThe common themes in Joanna’s writing about helping or saving the family or saving the worldThe only way we’re going to be able to stand out as human in a crowded market, and, in particular, a market with emerging AI-generated contentHow Writing the Shadow and Pilgrimage are “mid-life” books for Joanna as she is addressing that part of her existence and Mememto Mori in those memoir-style booksExploring how you’re being held back by some of those things that you’ve allowed to be repressedThe shadows in both self-publishing and traditional publishingHow you don’t need to be afraid to look into the shadow and perhaps find the gold in that shadowThe Kickstarter that Joanna has launched for Writing the ShadowThe way authors have long focused on the retail websites for sales but how that has slowly shifted into a new phase of direct selling and windowing strategiesJoanna’s launch strategy for Writing the Shadow which starts with Kickstarter, migrates to direct selling on her personal websites, and then moves into broader retail and library distributionThe value of standing out as an author, particularly todayHow Writing the Shadow is an optimistic book despite the topic and themes explored in itBuilding a new author ecosystem and training existing and new readers to engage in that realmThe importance of remembering how the business model will keep changing but what doesn’t change is writing the books of your heart and the books that will help you and othersGifts of the shadow, finding the gold, and the idea of “after the curse comes the gift”The spiral bound workbookHow thecreativepenn.com/shadowbook will redirect either to the Kickstarter or wherever the books are available in the futureThe horror themed storybundle that Mark and Joanna are both inAnd more…

After the interview Mark reflects on a few things from the conversation, announces a bonus for his patrons related to a reward from Joanna’s Kickstarter, and invites listeners to share their own reflections on this topic.

Links of Interest:

Joanna Penn’s Main Website: The Creative Penn
Writing the ShadowHalloween/Horror Storybundle (Ends after Oct 31, 2023)Joanna’s Previous guest appearances on this podcast:EP 002 – Living the Healthy Writer’s Life with Joanna PennEP 148 – AI Voice Double Conversation with Joanna PennEP 212 – A Conversation with Joanna Penn about Co-authoring The Relaxed AuthorSELECTED OTHER MENTIONS / AppearancesEP 164 – Reflections on Other Podcasts: The Creative Penn Podcast Episode 517EP 300 – Celebrating 300 Episodes with Guest ReflectionsMark’s YouTube ChannelEP 324 – The Asset of Attention with Joe SolariEP 325 – Reflecting Back: Three Things That Are Wrong With Indie PublishingBuy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark ReflectionsBest Book Ever PodcastLovers Moon PodcastThe Relaxed AuthorBuy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook DirectPublishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark’s Canadian Werewolf BooksThis Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover’s MoonHex and the CityThe Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard

The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0