The Fearless Writer Podcast with Beth Kempton

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Latest Episodes:

S1 Ep12: LIVING - embracing a flourishing writing life Dec 26, 2022

In today’s episode we are exploring what it means to live a flourishing writing life, practically, emotionally and spiritually. It includes:

- The relationship between money and writing

- My guideposts for the writing path

- PLUS a special message for you

I hope this podcast will help you write fearlessly, and with joy, and build a writing practice that nourishes you for the rest of your life. I’d love to see what writing it inspires – feel free to share by tagging me @bethkempton #fearlesswriterpodcast

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

Click here to download the transcript
The theme music for The Fearless Writer Podcast is The River sung by Danni Nicholls, co-written by Danni Nicholls and me, Beth Kempton. Listen on iTunes / Spotify / Youtube and feel free to add it to your Instagram reels! See here for the lyrics and full credits.

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.
• Calm Christmas and a Happy New Year by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)
•Writing As a Way of Healing by Louise DeSalvo (The Women’s Press) p.73
•Becoming Wise by Krista Tippett (Penguin) p.266
•Benedictus by John O’Donohue (Bantam Press) p.204
• Lifesongs by Steve Thorp p.39

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram

S1 Ep11: HARMONISING - going with the ebb and flow Dec 19, 2022

In today’s episode we are exploring the importance of going with the ebb and flow in a writing life. It includes:
- Embracing seasonal writing
- Why the life lessons we can learn from nature can be a great relief

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here. . US/Canada edition HERE.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Tending the Heart Fire by Shiva Rea (Sounds True)
Of Arcs and Circles by Marc Peter Keane (Stone Bridge Press)
Divine Beauty by John O’Donohue (Bantam)
How to make a Christmas pudding (plum pudding) with Pen Vogler, the author of Christmas with Dickens
The extract from My Father as I Recall Him by Mamie Dickens
Charles Dickens Museum

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram

S1 Ep10: AUTHORING – pitching and writing a book Dec 12, 2022

In today’s episode we are talking all about writing books. This is going to be a rich and juicy session, and you might want to take notes. This includes:

- What I really want you to know about writing books (five books and more than 45 book deals in, I have a few thoughts!)

- Top tips for pitching your idea to a publisher.

- The four questions you need to answer in your book proposal

Even if you don’t have any clue about what kind of book you might want to write, if you have even the tiniest whisper that you might want to write a book, be sure to tune in – this is gold. Grab yourself a cuppa and settle in for a lovely writerly chat. With inspiration from Rachel Boast and Xavier Rudd.

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.

• Shattered in Void Studiesby Rachel Boast (Picador Poetry) p.45

• Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd – find it here on Spotify / iTunes

Resources for getting published

• The Book Proposal Masterclass (taught by Beth Kempton)

• The Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook / Writer’s Market / Poet’s Market

• thecreativepenn.com (for self-publishing)

• CurtisBrownCreative.com / thenovelry.com

• My agent: Hardman & Swainson

More at bethkempton.com /

S1 Ep9: APPRENTICING – learning, always learning Dec 05, 2022

In today’s episode we explore why it is important that as writers we are learning, always learning. I hope this gives you the confidence to allow yourself to be a beginner over and over, whilst recognising and honouring all that you do know and have learnt along the way. This episode includes:

- Thoughts on how a writing life is built

- What to do when you don’t know what to write about

- A peek into my journal so you can see exactly how my thought process unfolds and I get to something juicy

In each episode, I will talk for about fifteen to twenty minutes, and then offer you a timed writing exercise at the end to try, for another ten minutes. Grab yourself a cuppa and settle in for a lovely writerly chat. With inspiration from Shunryu Suzuki and Kobayashi Issa

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.
Zen Mind Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki (Shambhala)
The Spring of My Lifeby Kobayashi Issa, translated by Sam Hamill (Shambhala) p.144

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep8: SHARING – cultivating the courage to share your words Nov 28, 2022

In today’s episode we explore how to cultivate the courage to share your words with other people. This episode includes:

- Reasons for sharing (and not sharing) your work with others

- Reasons why rejection can be a good thing

- How to keep going when it’s hard

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

· The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.

· litrejections.com

· Handling the Truth by Beth Kephart (Gotham)

· I Will Return by Pablo Neruda in Finding The Way Home, edited by Dennis Maloney (White Pine Press)

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep7: SHAPING – developing the discipline of editing Nov 21, 2022

In today’s episode we explore how to go from vague idea, or a spilt page of words, to a polished, shaped piece of writing, how to develop the discipline of editing your own work, and to learn to trust your own opinion, and knowing when it’s time to get support from elsewhere. The episode includes:

- How to know when a piece of writing is ‘done enough’

- The main thing you need to know about editing

- How I turn an idea for a book into the actual book (spoiler: I don’t write a ‘first draft’ until very late in the process) – and how this information might help you and your work

With inspiration from John McPhee, Robert M Pirsig and Julie Cadwallader.

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• FromDraft No.4 by John McPhee (Farrar, Straus & Giroux p.180

• On Quality: An inquiry into excellenceby Robert M Pirsig (Mariner)

• Blackbirds by Julie Cadwallader Staub in Poetry of Presence by Phyllis Cole-Dai & Ruby R Wilson (Eds.) (pub. Grayson Books) p.50
• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.

My recommendations for books that will help you shape your writing: On Writing Well by William Zinssner / Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr & E.B. White / New Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors (Oxford) / The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram

S1 Ep6: FLOWING – experiencing the bliss of deep writing Nov 14, 2022

In this episode we explore the bliss of deep writing, and how to ease ourselves into this experience, where beauty, truth and insight seems to bubble up naturally from the depths of us. The episode includes:

- The wild truth about writing

- How the Prologue of The Way of the Fearless Writer appeared to me

- How access a state of deep writing

- PLUS a powerful visualisation to help you listen deeply and invite inspiration

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.
• Untitled poem by Antonio Machado, translated by Robert Bly in The Enlightened Heart, edited by Stephen Mitchell

• Nine Gates by Jane Hirshfield

• Haruki Murakami interview in the New Yorker

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep5: EXPANDING – discovering the joy of journaling Nov 07, 2022

In this episode we explore the joy of journaling, looking at how it can support our writing practice, what we might like to journal about, and what fun approaches can keep us interested throughout our lives. The episode includes:

- What I discovered when I surveyed over 1000 writers

- Why journaling is so valuable for your writing practice and for your wellbeing

- Why ONLY journaling (and not exploring other kinds of writing) can be limiting, and what to do instead

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

Click here to download the transcript.
The theme music for The Fearless Writer Podcast is The River sung by Danni Nicholls, co-written by Danni Nicholls and me, Beth Kempton. Listen on iTunes / Spotify / Youtube and feel free to add it to your Instagram reels! See here for the lyrics and full credits.

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

· The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.

· Untitled poem by Morgan Harper Nichols in All Along You Were Blooming: Thoughts for boundless living (Zondervan) p.143

· The Forest by Nikita Gill in Where Hope Lives: Poems of resilience, healing and light by Nikita Gill (Trapeze), p.131

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep4: OPENING – choosing the writing path Oct 31, 2022

In today’s episode we explore what it means to choose the writing path, to seek out confirmation that the path is the right one for us, and to take the next step along it with confidence and hope. This episode includes:

- A special message for you

- Insight into what happens as soon as you commit to the writing path

- Assurance that you do not need any particular qualifications to walk this path, and it is never too late to begin (and I share my own story as proof)

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

Click here to download the transcript

The theme music for The Fearless Writer Podcast is The River sung by Danni Nicholls, co-written by Danni Nicholls and me, Beth Kempton. Listen on iTunes / Spotify / Youtube and feel free to add it to your Instagram reels! See here for the lyrics and full credits.

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.

• How Poetry can Change Your Heart by Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley (Chronicle Books) p. 123

• It Is Everywhere by Remi Graves in She is Fierceedited by Ana Sampson (Pan Macmillan) p.121

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep3: PRACTISING – writing, just because Oct 24, 2022

In today’s episode we explore how to get into the mindset of writing, just because. Writing without attaching that writing to a fixed goal. Writing without worrying whether anyone will like it. This simple but profound shift can change everything, my friend. This episode includes:

- The real point of writing practice

- A peek inside my writing space

- Some tips for writing ‘stories’ (not just for fiction!)

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE.

• Several Short Sentences About Writingby Verlyn Klinkenborg (Vintage) p.16

• Bill’s Beans (for William Stafford) by Naomi Shihab Nye in Tender Spot (Bloodaxe) p.67

Books I recommend for diving deep into the art of storytelling: The Situation and the Story by Vivian Gornick /The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr / Story by Robert McKee / The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne / Story Genius by Lisa Cron /Steering the Craftby Ursula K LeGuin / Handling the Truth by Beth Kephart / Smoke Hole by Martin Shaw (how it's done!)

S1 Ep2: RELEASING – shifting blocks and letting go Oct 17, 2022

In today’s episode we explore how to shift blocks and let go, so we can let the words flow. This episode includes:

- One essential thing we need to know in order to release the words we carry inside

- How to solve almost any writing problem

- How breathwork and meditation can help us write

In each episode, I will talk for about fifteen to twenty minutes, and then offer you a timed writing exercise at the end to try, for another ten minutes. This particular episode includes a lovely autumnal visualisation for you, to help you release any burdens you are carrying. Grab yourself a cuppa and settle in for a lovely writerly chat. With inspiration from Mary Reynolds Thompson and Kate Tempest.

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

Click here to download the transcript

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here. US/Canada edition HERE.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• The Way of the Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton (Piatkus)

• Reclaiming the Wild Soul by Mary Reynolds Thompson (Wild Roots Press)

• The Point by Kate Tempest in Poems for a world gone to sh*t (pub. Quercus and edited by Auriol Bishop) p.67

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep1: QUIETENING – making time and space to write Oct 07, 2022

In this episode we are going to explore ways to make time and space to write, and quieten the noise of the world so we can go deep within. This episode includes:

- Practical ways to make time for writing

- My revelation that writing doesn’t have to be done at a desk(!)

- How to deal with any guilt around making time for writing

BethXx

PS Please note there is a chunk of silence in this podcast. It is supposed to be there for the weekly writing exercise!

***Did you know the audiobook version of The Way of the Fearless Writer includes a full meditation album to help get the words flowing? You can get it here.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Daily Rituals by Mason Currey (Picador) p.53

• Untitled by Ryokan (translated by John Stevens) in The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness and Joy by John Brehm (Ed.) (pub. Wisdom) p.113

• Living in the Lightby Shakti Gawain (New World Library) p.27

• The Way of the Fearless Writer: Ancient Eastern wisdom for a flourishing writing life by Beth Kempton (Piatkus). US/Canada edition HERE

More at bethkempton.com / dowhatyouloveforlife.com / Instagram @bethkempton

S1 Ep0: WELCOME! Introduction to The Fearless Writer Podcast Oct 05, 2022

Welcome to Season One of The Fearless Writer Podcast with me, author Beth Kempton. This season is all about freeing the words within. I will be chatting about the things we don’t usually talk about when it comes to writing – including the importance of wildness, surrender, and trust. I hope it will help you write fearlessly, and with joy, and build a writing practice that nourishes you for the rest of your life. Bring a notebook and pen because we have a new writing exercise to do together every week.

Have a listen to this introduction to get a feel for the podcast, and make sure it is for you (I’m pretty sure it is)

Beth Xx

Resources mentioned in this episode: