Around the Writer’s Table

In this episode, Gina, Melody, and KimBoo explore a pivotal stage in Gina's "Creativity Quest" approach to writing, focusing on the theme of "Trusting the Process."

This stage challenges writers to decide whether to persevere or give up when faced with obstacles. Gina shares the apocryphal story of R.U. Darby and his quest for gold, illustrating the importance of resilience and persistence in creative endeavors. KimBoo reflects on ...

This week on Around the Writers Table, we dove deeper into the topic of integrating creative identity and how it relates to the seasons of writing. We shared personal stories about when others first recognized our creativity and how that shaped our development. I reflected on my mother's support despite differences in taste, and struggles claiming my identity while being told I was creative. Gina and Melody also shared childhood me...

Hey everyone, we're here with our latest episode of Around the Writers Table! Today we dove into the next phase of Gina's Creativity Quest model: Integrating and Dedicating. This stage is all about bringing your creative identity out into the open and committing fully to your work.

Gina led us in a discussion about what this stage demands, including honesty, self-review, and resilience in the face of potential criticism. We also co...

This episode delves further into Gina's Creativity Quest stage of verifying and testing. We explored how this process of testing our creative boundaries and sharing our work with others relates to the natural seasons of writing and plant spirit medicine. Melody provided insights on using these paradigms to stay aligned with our creative vision during challenging periods of revision and maturation. For many of us, the fall season of...

In this episode, we continue their exploration of the Creativity Quest, focusing on "Verifying and Testing." As we delve into this stage of the creative journey, we discuss the challenges and opportunities it presents for creative individuals.

Verifying and Testing is a crucial phase where creators begin to test their skills and share their work more openly with the world. It's a time when validation and feedback become essential, ...

This episode focuses on the relationship between authenticity and the seasons of writing! Your lovely hosts Gina, Melody, and KimBoo discuss how inviting authentic existence, one of the guideposts in Gina's Creativity Quest cycle of creativity, applies to all five seasons since authenticity is integral to fully expressing each stage of growth and change.

Melody explains how each season influences authenticity, and we share our expe...

Welcome back, writers! We're here with another episode of Around the Writers' Table. Today, we're picking up where we left off a couple of episodes ago after a side-jaunt where Gina and I talked about subscriptions and serials. But now, let's get back to the heart of the Creativity Quest!

In case you missed it, or you're just joining us, we're delving into the Creativity Quest guideposts, a series of stages that every creative pers...

In this episode, Gina and KimBoo discuss the concept of serials and subscriptions for authors. We provide updates on their own writing projects and discuss the differences between serials and serialized novel and explore the history of serials and how the internet and technology have made them more accessible. We emphasize the creative freedom that serials offer to authors and why they should consider exploring this format!

Takeawa...

In this "extra" episode, we delve into the world of subscription models for authors and their impact on creativity and community building!

KimBoo and Gina share their journeys into the world of subscription-based writing, highlighting its transformative power. KimBoo reflects on her earlier exposure to subscription models in fanfiction communities and how it inspired her creative vision. She emphasizes the appeal of building a comm...

Welcome to another episode of Around the Writer's Table! While Melody is off dealing with a big move (ack!) Gina and I are diving back into the world of the Creativity Quest, a paradigm Gina has been shaping and exploring together with us. As always, this journey isn't linear; it's more like a dance, sometimes two steps forward, one step back.

In this episode, we're focusing on the guidepost, "Inviting Authentic Existence," which i...

Welcome back to Around the Writer's Table, where we are on a creative journey through the seasons. In this episode, we delve into the heart of summer, both in nature and creativity, to explore the theme of "Taking Ownership."

Melody shares insights from her book, "Soul of the Seasons," linking the seasons of life to the writing process. Summer signifies a time of heightened productivity and maturation, emphasizing leadership ground...

Welcome to the next step of our creative journey! In this episode, we're diving into the stage of the Creativity Quest called "Taking Ownership." This is where our creative adventure starts to get really interesting!

So, what is this "Taking Ownership" guidepost all about? Well, it's the stage where our authentic selves get to shine. It's when we step into our creative power and start to truly own our creative identity. At this poi...

In our last episode, we delved into one of the crucial phases of the creative journey, assessing and acknowledging. This stage involves not only evaluating specific pieces of our creative work, but also reflecting on ourselves and our creative lives as a whole. It's about understanding our growth, recognizing areas for improvement, and acknowledging the progress we've made so far. As we explore the different phases of the Creativit...

In this insightful episode, we journey further into the Creativity Quest with Gina Hogan Edwards, diving into the critical stage of assessing and acknowledging. We explore this often-overlooked phase, where the true voices of creative individuals begin to show up and discuss how the Creativity Quest isn't linear and how the stages of assessing and acknowledging lead to a deeper understanding of oneself as a writer. We reflect on ou...

In this ad hoc episode, KimBoo and Melody hold down the fort while Gina is dealing with some unplanned traveling up north (well, "north" for Florida, which in this case means her homeland of North Carolina). Circumstances being what they are, we go into a deep dive on grief, trauma, stress, and (you guessed it!) creativity. We talk about ways of being compassionate to ourselves while also being true to our creative nature. When Mel...

In this episode we dive into the essence of the creative quest - from emulating and mirroring your favorite authors to eventually finding your unique voice as a writer. We discuss how learning from the masters and those we admire is not about copying their work but about absorbing skills and identifying the qualities we desire in our own writing. We also touch on the potential pitfalls of comparison, the fear of never being able to...

In our latest episode titled "The Creativity Quest: Emulating and Mirroring," we dive into the intricacies of the creative journey. This process is far from linear. As artists, we move through various stages, sometimes repeating or skipping others, based on our unique challenges and successes. Our focus for today is the stage of emulating and mirroring.

Have you ever been so profoundly moved by a book that you thought, "I want to w...

In this episode, we dived deeper into the season of fall, which represents a vital stage in the Creativity Quest, in the form of Release (ref. ep 20!) and its significance in both the natural and creative world. The fascinating correlation lies in the necessity of letting go, both in nature's fall, as plants shed their leaves, and in the writing process, as we release unnecessary clutter to allow new ideas to flow. Like trees letti...

In this episode, we deep-dive into the topic of the creative process and the challenges it poses for writers like us. We expand on Gina's Creativity Quest, introducing the next step in the process: the concept of "Releasing," and its impact on our writing journeys.

Gina kicks off the discussion with a description of how the former step, "Carrying Inner Disquiet" (see episode 19) directly leads to "Releasing" in a healthy creative p...