When I think about writing from the deepest parts of myself – something I've done often – I always think of an incredible spoken word poet called Abe Nouk – his surname is spelled Nouk, if you want to look him up – who I once saw speak at a conference. He said, 'Do not be afraid to reveal yourself to your pen.' And I wrote that down, took it home, and it's been pinned up in my office for all the years since. You make the biggest impact on your readers when you share yourself, but it's not easy to do. Usually I offer a series of tips on how to tackle the week's issue, but today I just want to talk about my experience of sharing my own vulnerabilities on the page, and why it matters so much. You can find a transcript of this episode at my website, where you can also subscribe to my newsletter, get behind-the-scenes peeks at how I write, and any other news about new books, events or the podcast. You can also submit a question for the podcast on my website. You can find me on Twitter or Instagram.

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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