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Write or Die:

Writertok Roundup Column

Ring in the New Year with the Artist’s Way - January 2023

Write or Die - Writertok Roundup - February 2023

Mini Masterclass - 5 Elements of Fiction - February 2023

Mini Masterclass - Themes, Symbols, Motifs - September 2023

Mini Masterclass: Tone, Mood, Style - October 2023

Should You Finally Do the Artist’s Way? - December 2024

Should You Get on Tiktok to Promote Your Writing? - December 2024

Mini Masterclass - Using Theme and Conflict to Supercharge Romantic Pairings - April 2025

Can Writing be Dangerous? - May 2025

Mini Masterclass: What Prose and Poetry Writers Can Learn from Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, and Chappell Roan - June 2025

Voice and Authority in Sex and the City - July 2025

Classes and Lectures:

Friends of Fletcher - June 2023, Gaylorefest

• Mentioned in cosmo

Write Fiction Like Taylor Swift - December 2023, Write or Die

Write Fiction Like Taylor Swift: Inside the Creative Process of a Tortured Poet - September 2024, Write or Die

Supercharge Your Creative Identity and Get Unblocked - January 2025, Write or Die

A Sharp Pen, a Thin Skin, an Open Heart: Lessons from Taylor Swift’s Creative Process - March 2025, The Forever Workshop

Spring into Summer: Writing Through the Fire and Fertility of Beltane - May 2025, Write or Die

Witchcraft For Writers: 7 Ways to Add a Little Magic to Your Practice - April 2026, The Forever Workshop

Upcoming: Fiction Equations - June 2026, The Forever Workshop

Podcasts, Short Stories and Poetry:

(this poem is called Never) - the Poet Heroic

My short story, Death and Life, featured on Deep Overstock

My short story, The Replica, published on Deep Overstock

My short story, The Replica, Read by Melissa Kerman for the Deep Overstock podcast

My short story, The Replica, discussed by myself on the Deep Overstock podcast

Cheat River Review published my short story The Amazing Shauna Spiegelman (link no longer available)

Santa Clara Review published my poem Venus Flytrap (link no longer available)

Other:

Participated in an AMA for the Forever Workshop, for my expertise in creative process

Editor for Typehouse Magazine in 2021

Participated in a reading for HOCUS in 2021

Poetry Contest Winner, Nassau Community College, 2012

That’s why when your favorite author comes out with a sequel 20 yrs later that happens to coincide with a film release of your original favorite, it feels empty and removed from the initial spark of the initial project.

Or when a singer you usually enjoy puts out an album that seems a bit disconnected and ephemeral compared to their previous/typical work, even if it has merits of its own.

Phoning in art is like faking an orgasm. It might fool some people, but it’s not going to fool everyone. We can always tell when art is inauthentic, half-baked, capitalistic art. It’s like a mass-produced TJ Maxxx Art piece vs a one-of-a-kind.

That’s not to say the intent is always there to phone it in. There can be some really deep pockets of thoughtfulness and sincerity within an unrealized project. Also, some art is misunderstood when it first comes out, and that’s fine, too.

At the end of the day, good art is not reactionary. It has to come from internal alchemy; art is about the artist being transformed and living to tell the tale, and the viewer/listener/audience being moved by the experience of interacting with the art. But there is the secret - the intent cannot be “to move.” The intent is to display the beat of your heart at the moment you were changed, in the best language or medium you can use. Your raw emotions, experiences, and ideas are what make people feel like you’re (to borrow from Roberta Flack) reading the audience’s letters aloud. And that cannot come from centering the audience in your work.

Making the universal specific and the specific universal is a byproduct of sincerity in art, not an ingredient you can purchase and sell.

First of all, thank you for reading, for liking, for sharing, for everything you do that tells me you enjoy what I write here.

I started Straight from the Muse’s Mouth because I am obsessed with the creative process and pop culture. What you may not know is why I’m obsessed with it, and why I made this outlet specifically.

who I am:

My name is Erin and I am a writer and creative process expert. Beyond my Masters in English Literature, I have taught writing and creative process workshops to over 14,000 people all over the world (people from the United States, Canada, Scandinavia, and Europe have attended my classes). I am most known for my class on Taylor Swift’s creative process, which I have updated and taught multiple times between 2022 and 2025. My work on craft and creative process have appeared on Write or Die’s website and substack, The Forever Workshop substack, and I have taught workshops through both platforms.

I have spent the past 20+ years learning about the creative process and pop culture through personal and professional research, and have melded pop culture into my work as a student, a content creator, and a writer. I have written (not published) two novels, both of which heavily deal with creativity as life’s work. I have loved all things pop culture and creativity since I was a child. The first job I ever lusted after was that of “pop star.” Soon after came “writer.”

I was the teenager who spent every waking hour outside of school in her room, reading, listening to music, pouring over interviews, pop culture tv playing in the background.

what I write about and why:

I believe that everyone is creative and writer’s block means you are out of alignment with your creative process. I believe that creativity should be (and is!) a part of daily life even for people who don’t “consider” themselves creative. Science is creative. Math is creative. Crafting is creative. I love showcasing and highlighting unique aspects of creators such as pop stars and musicians, poets, writers, artists, and other public figures, and packaging it in a way that helps you learn about yourself, your desires and goals, your writing or art style, and your life as a whole. I truly believe I have a unique way of breaking down and exploring the creative process and I have helped many people through this blog, my coaching sessions, and my workshops.

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what’s to come in 2026 as far as this space, and other offerings:

I’ll still be happily writing and offering my free posts here on Subtack. That won’t change.

I am expanding the point of view and coverage of this project to provide commentary on the belief systems, lifestyles, and creative practices of the public figures I cover. My deep dives on writers, poets, artists, songwriters, performers and public figures,… will be even deeper, and I will also include posts on cultural phenomenon as it relates to the creative process. I will also have more supplemental posts with critique and commentary on craft and creativity and the zeitgeist. We may circle back around to some of the people we’ve already covered, in addition to the roster that begs to be covered going forward. Over time, smaller posts will build together for larger commentary.

In addition to these, I want to announce a few longform projects I am working on that I hope you may support in the future:

• I am writing a book (a full-length book!) about Taylor Swift. Picture this: the Artist’s Way and Pop Up Video have a baby. It is both a guide on creativity, and a creative biography on Swift, and it’s called: Write Like Taylor Swift: Learn How the Tortured Poet Creates, Executes, and Markets Her Ideas and How You Can Use Her Process as a Blueprint to Discover, Refine, or Create Your Own

• I will be creating 2-3 workshops this year including a new Taylor Swift workshop that will be prewritten and recorded. Once you buy them (if you buy them), you’ll own them forever, and they will include voice and written instruction, and sometimes pdf workbooks.

• I will be offering ways to work with me one-on-one for Creative Process Reboots.

• I plan to write ebooks and digital zines, which will go for sale on my Etsy and other places online. The first one will be a Creative Process Workbook.

• I will begin to offer free and paid worksheet downloads.

• I am brainstorming virtual and in-person events.

Everyone who follows me here will get discounts on all of the above.

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Share straight from the muse’s mouth: an alternative artist’s way

The truth is I am terrified about all of this. I don’t know what would be worse: people purchasing what I’ve made, hating it, and showing up with pitchforks and yelling at me, or people ignoring it all. But my new mantra is “the time will pass anyway.” It’s time to set aside work I thought I was “supposed to” be doing, and start doing the work I desperately want to do.

Please let me know if any of this resonates with you, and what you’d like to see more of on Straight from the Muse’s Mouth.

PS - If you love my work, please like, comment, subscribe, or share with friends.

You can follow me on tiktok too. Starting December 15, I’ll be sharing 45 days of journal prompts for creative writers and artists. I’ll also be talking about my journey writing my Taylor Swift book there, and here.

HAVE A SAFE, WARM, KIND, LOVING HOLIDAY SEASON. Thank you for everything!!!

Skip to after the “subscribe here” button to read today’s post

Don’t forget this upcoming week (Sunday, September 28) 👄 STRAIGHT FROM THE MUSE’S MOUTH 👄 AN ALTERNATIVE ARTIST’S WAY premiers with a post all about CHAPPELL ROAN and the INNER CHILD.

👄 STRAIGHT FROM THE MUSE’S MOUTH 👄 is all about creative process with lessons from all the writers, artists, poets, directors, activists, feminists & public figures.

This is a free series where in addition to creative process deep dives, I will share:

writing prompts

Affirmations for creatives

podcasts

& more

eventually there will be an opportunity for paid workshops and more.

get caught up here & here

Subscribe now

You hear it every time you say you’re a writer or artist. “Oh I love writing, but I don’t have any time for it.” In a way, it’s insulting. They have this big important life full of kids, hobbies, work, and who knows what else and apparently you have none of those things. Just a lot of time to twiddle your thumbs. Of course, I know that’s not what they mean. They mean that writing is a “maybe, someday” dream for them. It’s not a priority, or they don’t know how to prioritize it. But you did.

You also have a full life. It just happens to include writing or art, because you decided you couldn’t live without it, so you carved out time, perhaps painstakingly.

They are someone who is interested in writing or creating but is overwhelmed by the idea of starting. They don’t feel like they have any time, and they don’t think they’ll ever be good enough, so why waste their time?

If YOU’RE the one who needs help making room in your life for your creative pursuits, the first thing I want to say to you is this: if you love something it isn’t a waste of time.

Would you forgive yourself if you turned around at 90 and realized that you never even attempted to make your dreams come true? If you realized you were too scared to start, too scared to start late, too busy with the daily grind? The benefit of writing or making art isn’t making a living (although when we can do that, it’s wonderful!).

Here are the real benefits as I see them:

• Making art is almost like meditation. It calms you.

• It gives you a place to process your emotions.

• As a person who has “too many” dreams, desires, wishes, emotions and fantasies, writing gives me a place to process, experience, and explore all of them in a safe and creative way.

• The more creative you allow yourself to be in art, the more creative you become in everyday life. As a parent. As a boss or employee. As a citizen. As a partner, friend. All of your roles in life will benefit from

  • Your self expression

  • Your “me-time”

  • The calmness that takes the place of the former calamity of rushing around thinking you have no time to do anything because you can’t even hear your own thoughts.

Octavia E. Butler believed writing is a “positive obsession.” I completely agree. It’s like sex and chocolate and cheese and everything else you love. The more you have, the more you crave.

I am a better parent and partner because writing and art are my outlet to express my sadness, my rage, AND my joy. Everything that makes me me, the full spectrum of my humanity, has an outlet. I understand myself better. I articulate myself better. I am able to LIVE IN THIS WORLD, to keep going, because of art and writing. We all have stories inside of us… we have all been to hell and back in our own ways… every day the world gives us reasons to stop, but art and writing ALWAYS give a reason to keep going, to feel hope, to allow the pain and despair not to drown us, but fuel us into demanding and creating something better.

I believe in the power of self expression.

I also believe in the power and necessity of discipline and devotion when it comes to your art practice.

So now that I have gotten off my soap box, without further ado, here is my advice for making room for your writing - and PS - if you do none of these things, but you already spend what you define as adequate or enough time making your art or writing, then you’re doing fine and I’m not asking you to change your system lol <3 That is my entire ethos - helping YOU decide what’s right for YOU, not trying to make you conform to anyone else’s way of being or creating.

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Ask yourself the Magic question.

The magic question comes from a book called the lazy genius method by kendra adachi. the magic question is, what can I do today to make tomorrow easier? If you need more time to write or make art, consider meal prepping your lunch. Spend a day each week or month making the small decisions, making plans, so that the rest of the time is on autopilot. Take away silly, tedious decisions from every day.

Consider preparing everything for work the evening before, so you can wake up in the morning, get dressed, and write. Then when it’s time to go, you grab and you go.

Have a routine and a to-do list.

You have to evaluate what time of day you feel most cognitively alert.

For me that’s morning. When I worked full time outside the home, I woke up every morning three hours before I had to be at work. I got dressed and I drank my coffee while writing. When it was time to leave I gathered my lunch and supplies that were already ready for me, and set off for the day. In the evening I was free to relax, recharge, and get ready for the next day. Same with a to-do list. Tell your brain exactly what to do, and spend your time doing it instead of thinking about what you need to do. It sounds really boring but I am sorry to tell you it works. Your brain is going to be confused without a routine and you’re going to spend a lot of time reorienting yourself instead of actually writing or creating.

Microdose your art.

Truly, honestly, not-trying-to-chicken-out only have a few minutes ?

Do something small. Write a poem. Journal. Read the article or chapter from a craft book you’ve been saving. Do something that helps you stay connected so tomorrow you can come back to the meat of the project.

When ideas come to you, jot them down right away. Don’t let them slip into the ether. Make mind maps or quick notes that you’ll understand later. If you have small writing tasks like “edit pages 1-5” do that on days where you don’t have the time or capacity for more substantive work. If you have multiple projects (for example, I am a novelist, I write this blog you are reading which requires research and writing, I have freelance pieces due, and I’m also working on other things), then learn to strike a balance between going with the flow of how you feel, and prioritizing. I recently knocked out two projects that aren’t due until November because I had the time and capacity. Now that they are done I can go back to noodling around.

Ritualize your art.

Make it something you look forward to. Pavlov yourself with a specific fun drink, or candle, or whatever is going to help. Make an altar to your art, or a vision board, and put it somewhere you can see.After I wake up and use the facilities, I march my butt to my chair and sit in the dark living room with my coffee and my journal or whatever project I am working on.

Choose How You Spend Your Free Time Wisely

Can you meet up with friends who are writers or artists to talk shop or bounce ideas?

Don’t hang out with people who drain you creatively or in general. Your creativity and brain power are precious and you need to prioritize them over Patty who spends every lunch date complaining about her job and her sister in law. Sorry, Patty, gotta write!

Make sure you’re doing the things in your toolkit - that is the activities (I am a big fan of long walks, hikes, baths, time at the ocean, and so on) and media (movies, music, tv shows, etc) that INSPIRE you and leave you READY TO CREATE.

Finally, TAKE BREAKS. AVOID BURNOUT. MAKE WRITING AND ART YOUR HAPPY PLACE.

My hope for you is that you commit. For yourself, but also for the world. It is my belief that if we all lived in a way that allowed us to express our full selves, the world would be a much better place, full of joy and peace and love. When people are full of anger and fear and box themselves in, they express that by working their hardest to make you feel small as well. But you are not small. You are expansive. The way to push back on people who want to make you feel small, is to own your expansiveness, your joy, your rage, your quirks, your uniqueness AND your sameness. Art is a container for all of that and more.

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Don’t forget this upcoming week (Sunday, September 28) 👄 STRAIGHT FROM THE MUSE’S MOUTH 👄 AN ALTERNATIVE ARTIST’S WAY premiers with a post all about CHAPPELL ROAN and the INNER CHILD.

👄 STRAIGHT FROM THE MUSE’S MOUTH 👄 is all about creative process with lessons from all the writers, artists, poets, directors, activists, feminists & public figures.

This is a free series where in addition to creative process deep dives, I will share:

writing prompts

Affirmations for creatives

podcasts

& more

eventually there will be an opportunity for paid workshops and more.

get caught up here & here

The syllabus is subject to change and move around, especially if any of you are passionate about a particular subject. Otherwise, let’s enjoy the ride together and take it week by week. If the weekly format is too much, I reserve the right to move to a bi-weekly post schedule. We are tired!

On Sundays, we will get the main post, where we study a person or topic as it is related to the process. On Thursdays, we will get a set of writing or art prompts, as well as any extra goodies or surprises such as affirmations, podcast episodes, or more. I will also post notes throughout the week.

Remember, you can follow along on Instagram as well, as a supplement to the blog. I will be posting a lot of fun stuff there, too.

PS - Interested in taking a class with me? I am teaching the newest iteration of Write Like Taylor Swift which discusses how she creates, executes, and markets her ideas on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2025 AT 9AM PST. Over 14,000 GLOBAL students have taken this class with me in the past few years. The link to purchase is at eventbrite, and I have added free, BOGO, donation based, and full priced tickets. Please let me know if you have ANY questions! <3

I’m so excited to live out my Professor Popstar dreams!

Here’s the plan!

September 28, 2025 - Chappell Roan and Co-Creating with the Inner Child

October 5, 2025 - Elizabeth Gilbert’s Toolkit

October 12, 2025 - Sofia Coppola and Aesthetic

October 19, 2025 - Maya Angelou - TBD

October 26, 2025 - Sister Corita Kent, the Pop Art Nun

Nov 2, 2025 - break

November 9, 2025 - Twyla Tharp’s Box

November 16, 2025 - Sylvia Plath TBD

November 23, 2025 - Octavia Butler and Manifestation

November 30, 2025 - Mary Shelley TBD

You may hear movie or tv characters or even friends say about an activity or a habit, “It’s part of my process,” as if you’re supposed to know what that means. Anything can be part of a process – smoking a cigarette, going to the beach, meditating. You may even believe that something is part of your creative process but can’t explain how or why. You write best at night, or early morning. You always eat a certain treat while writing. You can only write in cafes, and revise on the couch.

The term “creative process” seems quite nebulous. But the truth is that all artists have one – writers, painters, actors, ceramicists, and of course, musicians. Everyone who is creating something has one and it is often something we do on autopilot. But when creative process can be recognized, noted, repeated, and modified as needed, that’s where the magic really happens.

Creative processes are developed over time, and they evolve just as our relationship to creating evolves. Creativity is an ebb and flow; the only “wrong” thing to do is let oneself become static when it comes to our art. (See below - stick “experimentation” into your toolkit).

Even though every writer and artist has a creative process, our own may seem mysterious to even ourselves. It took me many years of writing to recognize and understand the cyclical patterns that I now know as my creative process, but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t un-see it. Even what we perceive to be “writer’s block” can be part of a process. Now, I am dedicated to sharing my understanding with the writer world, so that we can all figure out our individual processes and make more room for creating in flow, or integration as I like to call it. Once we understand the basics of a process in general, we can then allow the musicians, poets, artists, activists, and other beloved and polarizing figures to show us theirs. (What better way to create than to combine two of my biggest passions: pop culture and the creative process? That’s how discovering and living in your creative process should feel – like discovering a treasure trove that renews and refills itself each morning.)

But first, why is process important?

• When you have a process, you stop all of the starting and stopping and confusion and can spend less time thinking and reorienting and more time creating

• Process is in service of the writing itself

• It helps us examine our own and others’ work from new angles, which helps us create from new angles

• It evolves with us; it never has to be stagnant

By studying it, we hope to improve:

• Our connection with ourselves and our work

• Our confidence in our art and its cyclical nature

• Our understanding of our creative selves

• Our ability to make connections between our different mediums and pieces of writing and art

Here is an equation for creative processes:

Process = Toolkit + Practice

Your Toolkit is all of the things that you do around the art that inspire, bounce off of, and speak to or argue with your art. It’s the books you read, the movies you watch, and the activities you do that give you that “I need to create” feeling. The things that make you wonder, “what if?”

A toolkit consists of material, media, and magic portals:

• Knowing the medium(s) we enjoy writing or creating in

• How we prefer to gather and store and reference information

• What other art inspires us or makes us ask questions

• The places we go to find inspiration.

Also, the books and articles you read and enjoy about writing itself are part of your toolkit. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Writing Begins with the Breath by Larraine Harring. A blog by your favorite author, who always seems to have the message you need. Interviews with beloved creators, who talk about their process and ideas. Many writers enjoy using tarot cards in their process.

Parts of the toolkit can be less obvious, too. I remember one day it was raining at my Pacific Northwest home and I sat on my couch with candles lit, and the lights dimmed, and went into a Pinterest anti-doom spiral while listening to Taylor Swift. Those exact conditions have yet to be recreated, but I recall I felt calm, present, and bursting with ideas after that chill session. It’s a high I’ve been chasing ever since. Have you ever had a moment like this that left you feeling full of creative force? Write about it, and how you might recreate it.

(This was before I had really understood the process as I understand it today. Now, knowingly, this weekend I put on Practical Magic, and Pushing Daisies, and boom, there was a book idea, suddenly “appearing” before me like a Victorian ghost. Only it didn’t appear - it was conjured and harnessed by me!)

And there’s nothing like a good bubble bath or walk/run to get the juices flowing. Depending on preference and ability, physical movement is just as important to the writing process as any other component. Many artists, myself included, get major downloads and ideas while walking silently, no music or podcasts blaring in our ears. Sometimes, the right music can also set off the idea alarms. Pay attention to what works for you, and you’ll build the perfect toolkit for yourself.

Practice is the butt-in-chair moments. The goals being met in real time. The word counts or time blocks. The actual, honest writing time. In other words, it’s when we take our inspirations, our skills, and our perseverance and desire to do the work, and practice. Practice also includes routines, which may vary by day of the week, or project to project. I love routines – like process, they can be foundational and flexible at the same time.

Your process is how your toolkit and practice come together to help you create your art.

Finally, in order to understand process, we must also understand “integration” and “alienation.”

Integration is a state of creative flow, which we lock into by discovering and then utilizing our process. Your process may morph over time and that’s okay (and to be expected!) but by locking in and using your toolkit and maintaining your practice, you will find that creativity is something that happens for you every day, if that’s what you desire! As for alienation, that is essentially writer’s block. Alienation can occur when you take a few weeks off writing to plan for a big event, or the words are not flowing, or you’re between projects and don’t know what’s next. Alienation feels permanent but it never is. When you feel alienated, give yourself some love, and then dive into your toolkit. A long walk without headphones, reading an old favorite book or watching a movie you love, going to a concert or watching youtube videos of an artist who inspires you… if it’s in your toolkit it will help you get un-alienated, and back into the flow of integration before you know it!

To get into the flow of “Straight from the Muse’s Mouth,” this is what I’d like you to take the next two weeks to do.

1. Choose a notebook, and decorate it. You can use stickers, newspaper clippings, print things out… do not worry about it being fancy. Worry about it representing your journey into the labyrinth of creation.

2. In this notebook, turn to the first page, and take any notes you’d like about this introduction and how you feel about it - does it resonate with you? Does it relate to how you see the creative process and what you think it is? Did it put anything into a new perspective?

3. Write (mind map, make lists or a braindump - don’t worry too much about the format):

   1. What do you consider to be part of your toolkit?

   2. What do you consider to be part of your practice?

4. Leave a comment below and let me know what figure(s) from the past or present you are interested in learning about, or anything else you want to tell me!

I will see you soon when I post the Syllabus. Happy creating!

PS - Interested in taking a class with me? I am teaching the newest iteration of Write Like Taylor Swift which discusses how she creates, executes, and markets her ideas on SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2025 AT 9AM PST. Over 14,000 GLOBAL students have taken this class with me in the past few years. The link to purchase is at eventbrite, and I have added free, BOGO, donation based, and full priced tickets. Please let me know if you have ANY questions! <3

Sacred Objects, also called Love Your Objects, or Recycle Your Objects, is a trick I learned from the Dangerous Writers, a group that includes notable figures such as Chuck Pahlaniuk, Lidia Yuknavitch, Joanna Rose, and was started by Tom Spanbauer in the early 1990s.

Sacred objects are touchstones that

• Can show authority

• Can show backstory

• Can deepen the reader’s relationship to the character and story

They are the talismans your characters continuously, consciously, and subconsciously reach for. In a previous article linked above, I gave the following example:

Perhaps your character has a piece of jewelry; let’s say a ring they twist around their finger when they get nervous. Perhaps that ring goes missing and sets off a course of events. Or your character may reach continuously for a worn pack of tarot cards with a backstory that informs the events of the current story.

The reason these objects are great is because you can return to them at times when you’re unsure how to move things forward, or you can go back in time and plant them in a previous passage once they come to you in a lightbulb moment.

Think about it - if there was an action figure of you, what would that figure come with? I would come with an iced coffee, tarot cards, and a journal. You may come with a cat, glasses, and a family heirloom (maybe a glass dish made with Uranium that someone eats from by mistake, or a lace table cloth from the 1700s that gets stolen!). There are no wrong answers and the possibilities are truly limitless. Do this quick exercise for your characters too, and see what comes up for you. Some of the items you come up with might work their way into your story as the impetus for events that elevate your Work in Progress to new heights.

The example above is great for backstory and deepening the reader’s relationship to your characters and work - because the more the reader knows about the characters, the more invested they are in seeing them succeed in getting what they want. But what about authority? As I wrote in this previous article, authority refers to your characters’ expertises in life, and how their perspective is shaped by that expertise. Revisit your list above: do any of your characters’ lists include something that reflects their authority in life? If your story involves a poisonous plant, do you have a character whose background is in botany? What about floriography, also known as Victorian flower language?

You don’t want to overload your work in progress with too many objects that have an assigned meaning, which becomes too many moving parts for your reader to remember. So while you should go wild on your lists, narrow your focus for your drafting.

Moving on from the Dangerous Writers, Quentin Tarantino has his own twist on sacred objects: nothing at all. I can’t say I’m a big Tarantino fan, but I came across this Youtube short and found it to be quite interesting. According to Tarantino, there is a scene in Pulp Fiction in which John Travolta’s character opens a suitcase, but the audience is never shown what’s inside of it. Tarantino said he did this so that the audience would be a participant in the story, and the point was for 100 viewers to think 100 different things about what was in the suitcase. I’m not sure how that would translate to the page, but I think it’s worth experimenting with. Is there a thread of mystery in your novel that you think may be better kept unsolved, or left open to interpretation? While you may ultimately decide the answer to that is “no,” I think it’s still worth exploring off page, in your writer's notebook.

Finally, I wanted to share a tip I’ve seen floating around, credited to various sources. This is not a sacred object, per se, but a trick to get your story flowing in a new direction: when in doubt, add water. Put someone in the bath for a confrontation which adds vulnerability (2018’s A Star is Born did this), make it downpour to add more tension to an outdoor scene, or use it for atmosphere. It’s so versatile - water can be soothing and cozy (a character may enjoy reading inside while it rains) or dangerous (enemies may need to hide together indoors from a tropical storm).

What’s great about sacred objects (and the water trick!) is that they work across genres. It doesn’t matter if you are writing literary, romance, science fiction, or even memoir. You can use it to create connection with the reader no matter what.

What are your go to tricks? Do you already use sacred objects in your work?

*****

If you love all things Creative Process, I have a new series starting in a few weeks called Straight From the Muse’s Mouth: An Alternate Artist’s Way, which will talk about the creative process through the lens of various writers, poets, artists, musicians, activists and more from the past and present. You can view the introduction post here.

I’ll also have a few more posts coming out with The Forever Workshop in 2026! They are an ongoing writing workshop that you will love.

Finally, I will be teaching a new version of my Write Like Taylor Swift class in December of 2025, on Taylor Swift’s Birthday (December 13, 2025). Interested in signing up? Here’s the link!

Are you a writer or artist? Do you love learning about other people’s creative processes, whether they be your nextdoor neighbor, or a famous musician, writer, activist, poet, witch, or artist? Do you want to feel more connected to your creativity? Are you a postpartum mother (or honestly any parent) who would like to reconnect with your creative self?

Straight from the Muse’s Mouth is for all of the above and more.

My name is Erin, and I am a creative process expert with a master’s degree in English literature and I LOVE chatting with writers and artists about the creative process, helping them find their own, and discussing the art and writing world all day long. I am write fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and my work has been discussed on podcasts such as Deep Overstock. I teach writing workshops and write for Write or Die and The Forever Workshop.

Here, we use “artist” as an umbrella term for writers, poets, artists/painters/sculpturists, activists, witches, musicians and more.

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What we will do together:

We will explore the creative process through the formulas I’ve developed, via the words, stories, and art of beloved people, stories, films, and more. I will lead you through discovering, creating, modifying, and/or staying connected to your own creative process.

This program will be hosted here, at www.thegratefulpoet.substack.com, and this is how it will work:

Every Sunday and Thursday I will post about an iconic figure from the past or present that I think will offer interesting ways to supercharge your creativity. Depending on the week, there will be writing prompts, affirmations, downloads/printables, podcasts! (also here) and other goodies. The comments will remain open for discussion. There may even be zoom meetings to come! This is an open and evolving project I hope you will love.

Throughout the week, I may post on my instagram or tiktok accounts with extra information or fun, depending on the topic and how much there is to know about it. This is extra, so you can follow if you want, or just stay here. Whatever makes you happy!

I am taking suggestions for figures to discuss. This is an inclusive platform. I will talk about people of all races, creeds, sexualities, genders… you name it. It’s art lessons, from the heart.

Tentative schedule and preliminary list of people to study:

August 31: Let’s discuss holding an event to decorate our writer’s notebooks and talk about what we want out of a program such as this. Comment “writer’s notebook” with your favorite emoji below to let me know you’re interested.

Sept 7: Intro post to what a creative process even IS and how you can get one (lol!)

Sept 14: [TBA]

Sept 21: October Syllabus goes LIVE!

Sept 28: First official post!

This is meant to be a program you can either follow week to week or dip into and out of (though I hope you’ll love it and want to read every week). Keep in mind that while you may find a public figure to be polarizing or “not for you,” you may still get a lot out of the lesson.

See below for a list of people and topics we will touch on. This list is non-exhaustive and will be growing constantly. If there is someone you really want to learn about, comment below or tell me on Aug 31, and we can make sure they are prioritized!

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get in flow like taylor

make your inner child proud like Chappell

blend faith with pop art sensibility like corita kent

manifest & prophesize like octavia butler and sylvia plath

experiment like lana

conceptualize like halsey

take a stand like kathleen

rage like courtney

lead an unconventional life like virginia woolf & margaret wise brown

Stand Up like Marsha and Sylvia

Use your voice like Hayley & Sinead

Reinvent like Madonna

Rock with the Boys like Shirley

Need no introduction like Beyonce

advocate like james baldwin

Invest in radical self care like Audre Lorde

Postpartum creativity

Write like a witch

Elizabeth Gilbert

The Brontes

Marilyn Monroe

Twyla Tharp

Maya Angelou

Raye

Fiona Apple

Mary Oliver

Miranda July

Anais Nin

Women who run with the wolves

Nightbitch by rachel yoder

Ella Baxter’s woo woo

I first wrote about The Artist’s Way on Write or Die in 2023, but I’ve been a devotee for the past decade, if not longer. I felt compelled to talk about it, because I see a lot of confusion going around, and if I can help anyone untangle their confusion or questions about it, that would be my pleasure.

I am going to cover:

• Who is this program for

• Who is this program NOT for

• Do I have to do morning pages? (especially if I have a big project I am already working on?)

• Modifications to the practice

• Alternatives.

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I think this is a great time to tell you, I am launching my own Artist’s Way Alternative, here on this very substack, super soon. It’s called straight from the muse’s mouth: an alternative artist’s way and I can’t wait to tell you more about it!

Please subscribe so you don’t miss it!

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So what was the original intention of the program, versus what has it become now?

The original intention was to show people who were unaware of their creativity, or who were skeptical, in denial, or even afraid of their own creativity, that they were artists and they were allowed to embrace that creative birthright. -> In other words, the text was originally written with people who were feeling creatively blocked in mind.

The current movement is centered around people who are less afraid of their creativity and more invested in it.

We have taken this text and manipulated it to reflect the current zeitgeist.

This is not a judgment on how anyone is using it, but I just wanted to put that out there as it affects how we will talk about the program going forward.

So who is it for, and who is it not for, and what’s the big deal about it? Also, do I have to do morning pages?

I encourage anyone who is interested in the program to try it. But I have a few caveats.

In his note here, James Winestock wrote, “I have a consistent, daily writing practice and it mostly comes from making writing my actual book a habit.”

So if I was coaching James, or someone who asked me this question, I would tell them, “No. The goal of the program and the morning pages is to get you to a consistent writing or art practice, and give you the confidence and momentum to write or create the project you actually want to work on. Since you already have a big project to work on, and a daily practice, I don’t recommend doing the program at this time.”

However, would I tell him to recycle his copy of The Artist’s Way? Absolutely not.

The program is still valuable for experienced artists, especially those in a rut, or those between projects.

Here’s what I would suggest instead:

Morning pages are great for people who are in a rut and have no current project, or people who enjoy journaling daily. But once the morning pages start getting in the way of, or taking time away from, your actual project, then they have outrun their purpose for now.

The Artist’s Way also suggests artist dates - I think these can be essential or useful to anyone, regardless of their creative status.

Furthermore, the book has a LOT of writing exercises and activities to try. While the morning pages are a cornerstone (and I do think they are circumstantially essential - see below), please do not let the mandate deter you from partaking in this soul-giving book for people with heartbeats.

The people who are beholden to morning pages are the people who are currently committed to doing the program and hoping to get to a new milestone, project, or place in their life, or to figure out what that milestone, project, or place might be.

Read more here about who the program is and isn’t for in the follow up article I wrote for Write or Die in 2024.

What about modifications to the practice?

I think there’s merit to trying it the way it’s intended at least once. But if that’s not possible for you due to personal reasons, it’s completely understandable. It is a rigorous practice and it was written over thirty years ago. Life has changed in a big way. Check out Internet People’s podcast series where they modified The Artist’s Way.

I personally also use it as a creative bible, to be honest. It’s highlighted and written in all over, and I open to different chapters when I need them and read the passages that inspire me or heal me. I also love to ask a question and open to a random page and line to get the answer.

I’m not interested/I have FOMO/Idk!

An alternative to the program I am LOVING and OBSESSING over is Chelsey Pippin Mizzi’s Tarot for Creativity, which I discovered thanks to Penny Zang, who has a fabulous book coming out that I LOVED, called Doll Parts.

Writing Begins with the Breath by Larraine Harring is fantastic. Within only a few exercises I unlocked what I write “about” (I have a hard time articulating these things sometimes!) which sent me on a confidence journey (of which I am still at the beginning) regarding advocating for my work, and describing what my work is about and why I make it.

Another alternative is my new upcoming program, straight from the muse’s mouth: an alternative artist’s way, which is launching here one this very substack, super soon. I can’t wait to tell you more about it! Please subscribe so you don’t miss it!

Sound off in the comments:

Have you ever tried the artist’s way? Love it? Hate it? Have an alternative to suggest? Questions about my new program, straight from the muse’s mouth? Let me know!

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