Crafting Characters: Bringing Real People into Your Memoir

For Mental Health Awareness Week and Month I speak to artist and educator Kolbie about how we can navigate neurodiversity and creative life in a kind and gentle Manne tapping into the creative part of a neurodiverse mind in a way to avoid burnt out.Kolbie Blume is a watercolor artist, author, and online educator, specializing in helping closet creatives overcome perfectionism and embrace their inner artist. As a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHDer, Kolbie is passionate about making sure neurodivergent folks know there is space for everyone inside creativity, and there is no such thing as “broken” when it comes to being a human. Kolbie lives in the Washington, DC area with her spouse of ten years and their son.You can learn more about Kolbie @thiswritingdesk and her website.

In this episode I share my top tips to help build a sustainable writing practice so that you can find flow and flourish with your writing.    If you'd love me to mentor you through writing a book get in touch with me here. My online writers' membership Qissa is a place for community, writing and growth - join the waitlist here. 

What if you could find a way to allow dreams to inspire your writing? I speak to author and Certified Dreamwork Professional Tzivia Gover, about how dreams can inspire creativity and writing in ways so many of us don't explore. We talk about the ways in which you can incubate dreams and use, what Tzivia called your 'Midnight Muse' to create textured and layered writing.    Tzivia is the author of Dreaming on the Page and many other books. You can read more about her on her website here and follow her on Instagram here.

In this espidoe I speak to award-winning author Awais Khan, (author of  SOMEONE LIKE HER, NO HONOUR and IN THE COMPANY OF STRANGERS) about what its like to write about South Asian theme and make them relevant to Western audiences and what inspires him when her writes fiction.  

In this episode podcast, I delve into the importance of bringing real people into your memoir or food memoir. I discuss the significance of creating strong foundations for characters within your memoir and provide practical tips on shaping their personalities and relationships. Focusing on the importance of writing truthfully and authentically, while also considering the impact on the people being written about. Additionally, I explore the role of food as a character within a food memoir and how it can symbolise emotions and add depth to the story. The episode concludes with a discussion on the fine line between reality and creative embellishment, urging you to maintain authenticity and honesty in your portrayal of characters and overall storytelling.

Welcome to Season 4 of The Craft! In this episode, I share a seasonal journey into penning down your personal stories to begin the bones of your memoir.    JOIN WAITLIST FOR MEMOIRES TO MANUSCRIPT: Coming soon to you, this is a course to help you write your memoir  SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER "THE INTUITION SEEKER": and receive Free Guite to The Wordsmith Wanderlust to help you plan your year of writing.  SIGN UP TO WORDSMITH: Find your writer's voice in 21 days with my email and audio course   JOIN THE QISSA MEMBERSHIP WAITLIST: Doors open to wait-listers only a few times a year. This is a membership community for aspiring authors and writers.     

In this year-round-up episode, I share my thoughts on how this year changed me in ways I never imagined and how following your purpose with audacity is the formula to keeping your creative spirit alive.     SIGN UP TO WORDSMITH: Find your writer's voice in 21 days with my email and audio course   JOIN THE QISSA MEMBERSHIP WAITLIST: Doors open to wait-listers only this month, this is a membership community for aspiring authors and writers.      JOIN WAITLIST FOR MEMOIRES TO MANUSCRIPT: Coming soon to you, this is a course to help you write your memoir 

In this episode I speak to my own mentor - author, singer/songwriter Malachy Tallack, who helped me write my memoir Andaza, through the Scottish Book Trust. We chat about the benefits of working with a mentor as well a little about his wonderful new  Substack called For A Song.   Read more about Malachy here: https://www.malachytallack.com/ Social media: @malachytallack

In this episode, I talk about how to structure your life writing project whether its a memoir, autobiography or family history.   Learn more about my online writers' membership: Qissa at sumayyausmani.com

In this episode, I speak to a food writer, author, President of the Guild of Food Writers and Masterchef semi-finalist, Orlando Murrin about how he moved from a successful food writing career to writing cosy crime fiction and talk about his debut novel, Knife Skills for Beginners, out 15th February 2024. Orlando shares such a wealth of knowledge and this is one of my favourite guest interviews. Recorded in person while Orlando was visiting the Scottish crime fiction festival 'Bloody Scotland' in Stirling, Scotland.   Learn more about Orlando: http://orlandomurrin.com Preorder Knife Skills for Beginners: https://www.orlandomurrin.com/buy