This Creative Life with Sara Zarr

Listen between the lines of the writing life with author Sara Zarr in interview and solo episodes, with a focus on the practical and psychological aspects of writing and publishing, the creative process, and that tricky intersection where art meets commerce. Past guests include filmmaker Scott Teems, National Book Award Winner Malinda Lo, and podcaster and author Dave Holmes.

S3 E2: Why You're Not Writing 07/04/2025

S3 E2: Why You're Not Writing In this episode, I go over five common reasons we're not writing even though we want to, and offer some ways to change our thinking. Share it with a friend who needs to hear it! Thanks to for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/37286310

S3 E1: The Reality-Based Writing Life 06/27/2025

S3 E1: The Reality-Based Writing Life Subscribe to this podcast wherever you like to listen, including Apple, Overcast, Spotify, Podbean, and more. Thanks to for the theme music! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/37178395

87. Ashley C. Ford and the Ultimate Pivot - TCL Finale (?) 11/08/2023

87. Ashley C. Ford and the Ultimate Pivot - TCL Finale (?) I know you’ve been waiting a long time on a wish and a promise for this final episode in the Pivots, Comebacks, and Reinventions series. I appreciate your patience while I went and figured out myself and my own potential pivots and reinventions! The wait is over and I present to you my conversation with Ashley C. Ford, bestselling author of and . I’m so grateful to Ashley for her time and generosity in this conversation. I know you’re going to love it as much as I did. by Tananarive Due Get the book Thanks to for the theme music. /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/28561454

TCL Mini: The Writing Life Audit 03/22/2023

TCL Mini: The Writing Life Audit This is the audio version of the most recent newsletter PLUS some thoughts about what's next for the pod. Get of this post Get Get /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/26309841

86. Melissa Walker Takes Action 03/08/2023

86. Melissa Walker Takes Action In late 2016, Melissa Walker was working on her 10th novel when she went to a holiday party and heard then Senator Daniel Squadron talk about the importance of state-level politics—even for the national landscape. She was inspired to take action. That action eventually grew into a pivot from full-time writing to full-time work with The States Project. This conversation is everything I wanted from the Pivots, Comebacks and Reinventions series. It’s a great example of how passion and purpose can realign for a season or a reason, while the writing is still always there. It got surprisingly emotional for both of us; I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. (This conversation is explicitly political in places, which may or may not be your jam!) Selected Links: - get involved Get the Get Thanks to for the theme music. /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/26156289

TCL Mini: No Sure Things 01/05/2023

TCL Mini: No Sure Things The audio version of this week's newsletter on living with the uncertainty of writing. Get of this post Get ! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/25509327

85. The Publishing Year in Review with Agent Michael Bourret 12/21/2022

85. The Publishing Year in Review with Agent Michael Bourret From the supply chain issues that started the year, to the conversation about AI that's ending it, I talk through the year in publishing with Michael Bourret of . Also, we answer listener questions! This will be the last episode for the year, and the last one before a break during which I'll go off to Boston to teach and maybe even revise my novel. I'll be back (most likely in February) to pick up the Pivots, Comebacks, and Reinventions series. Get the Get (holiday pricing good through 12/21) Thanks to for the theme music Happy Holidays! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/25304115

84. Bennett Madison's Permission to Let Go 12/07/2022

84. Bennett Madison's Permission to Let Go What do you do when you've established a writing career and then it's not giving you what you came for? What does it look like to be a person who writes but whose entire identity isn't wrapped up in Being a Writer? Is there life on the other side, if you can just let go? Bennett Madison joins me for the first time since 2013 to talk about the work of deprofessionalizing his writing life to pivot to joy in creative work--and a steady paycheck doing something else. Get the Get Thanks to for the theme music! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/25211493

TCL Mini: Year In Review 11/30/2022

TCL Mini: Year In Review New full episode next week! Until then, here's the audio version of this week's newsletter, with a question for YOU about your dream writing podcast. Get of this post Get /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/25179324

TCL Mini: Creative Rest 10/26/2022

TCL Mini: Creative Rest The audio version of this week's newsletter on resting before making the next creative decision. Find /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/24809211

83. Tara Altebrando Is Solving the Puzzle 10/19/2022

83. Tara Altebrando Is Solving the Puzzle In the third episode in the Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions series, my longtime friend and one-time (?) collaborator Tara Altebrando talks to me about her multiple pivots over a couple of decades as a working writer, and the driving forces behind those choices. Currently, she's working in scripted audio as the creator and writer of the Dream Breachers podcast at Pinna Audio and the President of Listen Like Thieves Productions. Get the Thanks to for the theme music! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/24727167

82. Malinda Lo Never Went Away 10/05/2022

82. Malinda Lo Never Went Away In the second episode in the Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions series, Malinda Lo and I talk about her huge year with Last Night at the Telegraph Club and what it has meant for her writing and life. But is it really a “comeback” if she never went away in the first place? Also we talk about her brand new book, A Scatter of Light. Get the Get Thanks to for the theme music! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/24554019

81. Faith Gardner Takes Control (Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions) 09/21/2022

81. Faith Gardner Takes Control (Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions) When author Faith Gardner grew frustrated with the slowly grinding gears of traditional publishing and wanted to spread her wings a bit, she took matters into her own hands. This is the first episode of this fall's Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions series! Get the Get the Thanks to for the theme music! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/24441657

Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions - Coming Fall 2022 09/02/2022

Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions - Coming Fall 2022 What's coming this fall from This Creative Life! Show links: /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/24256521

TCL Mini: Writing When It Doesn't Feel Like It Matters 06/29/2022

TCL Mini: Writing When It Doesn't Feel Like It Matters When it feels like the world is burning down, is writing something you want to save from the fire? Get of this post Get Thanks to for the theme music /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/23560553

TCL Mini: Becoming a Good Self-Editor 06/15/2022

TCL Mini: Becoming a Good Self-Editor Get of this post Get Thanks to for the theme music. /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/23431400

TCL Mini: Accepting Your Limitations 06/13/2022

TCL Mini: Accepting Your Limitations Get of this post. Get Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music. /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/23412053

Ep 81: Author Michelle Huneven 05/17/2022

Ep 81: Author Michelle Huneven I’m so happy to be back with one my favorite contemporary novelists, Michelle Huneven. I love the compassion, humor, and reality in how she renders life and relationships. She’s got a brand new book out, Search, which we talk about along with her other books, her background, and process—including the 20-year circuitous journey to the publication of her first novel, Round Rock. I hope you enjoy the episode and, if you’re not already a fan, . Get the Theme music by Support the pod via or Get the /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/23143343

Ep 80: The This Creative Life Book on Literaticast 55 04/28/2022

Ep 80: The This Creative Life Book on Literaticast 55 It's launch day for the This Creative Life ebook, with the paperback close behind! I was recently on Jenn Laughran's Literaticast digging into the content and ideas in the book, and she graciously let me crosspost the ep into the TCL feed. Get the Get 30% off the book with and this code: QWBODLO8MX Or find it just about everywhere that sells ebooks! B&N, Amazon, Kobo, Google Play, Apple. All the links at /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/22880201

The Launch Box 7: Launched! 04/08/2022

The Launch Box 7: Launched! A lot has happened since the last episode! Namely: A Song Called Home and The Temps are both out in the world and no longer under our control, if they ever were. We’re already no longer in our pub-day month; new books come out, people move on. Our role as authors is pretty much done. So, what’s next? As you’ll discover in this episode, neither Andrew nor Sara are sure. Whether it’s Andrew trying to decide what project to focus on now, or me pondering a complete exit from the whole endeavor, we’re both tired and looking for some clarity in the breath-after-pub. We also talk about: checking sales numbers, Sally Rooney’s bucket hat, and how we’d describe “the arc of a launch.” And there’s still one more book left to launch in this series! The This Creative Life book is off to the copyeditor and soon to meets its publishing fate. Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/22732592

The Launch Box 6: An Abridged History of Self-Publishing 02/18/2022

The Launch Box 6: An Abridged History of Self-Publishing As Andrew and I wait through the last few weeks before our books come out, we digress ever so slightly into an incomplete history of self-publishing, from its reputation as “vanity publishing” to where it converged with the advent of ebooks and e-readers to arrive at its present day status as a messy juggernaut. Also: why every writer should consider learning how to self-publish in the 21st century. now comes out on 3/15; is still scheduled for 3/29. Neither are at the bottom of the ocean! 0-13:30: Updates on our books 13:35-1:07:00: The incomplete history of self-publishing (including diversions to e-readers, the aspiring writer industrial complex, and remembering “New Adult” in its innocent infancy) 1:07:00 - end: Closing thoughts and coming attractions Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/22186313

Ep 79: Laurel Snyder 02/12/2022

Ep 79: Laurel Snyder Laurel Snyder is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Orphan Island, My Jasper June, and the Charlie & Mouse books. In this episode, we talk about staying fluent in the language of childhood, the “ghost of brokenness” when writing from a sad place, how Laurel works with the all-or-nothing cycles of her writing process, being an extrovert in an introvert’s career, and the difficulties of writing about faith and religion. Around minutes 53-58, this turns into a Real Housewives podcast. We’re not sorry! Theme music by . This podcast is ad-free. Find out . Thank you! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/22116215

The Launch Box 5: Publicity, Book Blues, and Ringo 01/27/2022

The Launch Box 5: Publicity, Book Blues, and Ringo The Launch Box is back! Andrew and I talk about letting go, publicity (including his experience with a freelance publicist), and have a breakthrough about what might be behind the Book Blues for a lot of writers. Also, we catch up on The Temps movie option and where we stand on unboxing videos. Ephemera: Ringo Starr, Scrivener syncing, and the ghost of Dorothea Brande. Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/21925073

Ep 78: Preeti Chhibber 01/20/2022

Ep 78: Preeti Chhibber I’m so excited to kick off 2022 with my conversation with , a multitalented lady with just the energy we need to help take us into a new year. Preeti is an author, podcaster, speaker, and all-around badass who has published multiple IP projects as well as her original work. In this episode, we talk about how she got started in IP and what it takes to succeed in that world, managing a many-tentacled freelance career, and the risks and rewards of stating what you want to the world. Theme music by . This podcast is ad-free. Find out . Thank you! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/21839747

The Launch Box 4: Gifts, Ifs, and Shifts 12/19/2021

The Launch Box 4: Gifts, Ifs, and Shifts In this episode of The Launch Box, Andrew and I discuss the mysteries of professional gift-giving, how to balance big-picture career thinking with getting the writing done, the possibilities of being a weekend novelist, and EVENTS. Also, Sara gets a review and Andrew answers the TCL two questions. Plus so much more. Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/21535715

The Launch Box 3. Subrights, Ingram Spark, & Depressed Cats 11/20/2021

The Launch Box 3. Subrights, Ingram Spark, & Depressed Cats Sara helps cast her audiobook, Andrew gets a movie option, Sara learns more about Ingram Spark for self-publishing, and we both write letters to booksellers hoping to endear them to us. Also, everyone is burned out, including Andrew's cat. Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/21231032

The Launch Box 2. Blurbs, Blobs & Shame! 10/29/2021

The Launch Box 2. Blurbs, Blobs & Shame! Why does everything about having a book published embarrass us? What is man's proper relationship to the 'Zon? And what happened with that Realms of Ruin thing? We try to break it all down. Also: Andrew gets his first trade review and Sara reports some pre-order numbers. Links: Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/20988122

Ep 77: Dave Holmes 10/22/2021

Ep 77: Dave Holmes Writer, podcaster, radio host, and VJ emeritus Dave Holmes joins me to talk about his long and winding road to writing his wonderful 2016 memoir, Party of One, his writing at Esquire, and how it all connects to his current podcast project, Waiting for Impact. We talk ADHD, burnout, the longing to be understood, and the obsessions that drive us. And a whole lot more. Theme music by Dave Connis. This podcast is ad-free and free-free. Find out . Thank you! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/20909792

TCL: The Launch Box 1. Early & Late 10/08/2021

TCL: The Launch Box 1. Early & Late Introducing a This Creative Life special season: The Launch Box, in which Andrew DeYoung and I take you through the six-month period leading up to publication of our new books as we each publish for the first time in new categories. This series will cover a Big Five middle grade launch, a midsize-publisher adult literary launch, and a self-published nonfiction launch. We'll talk covers, ARCs, blurbs, reviews, events, social media, sales, and, of course, shame, envy, and ego. We'd also love your questions! In this episode, we introduce themselves and our work, from Andrew's slushpile sale to my pivot from YA, and why authors care so much about pre-orders. Links: Theme music: Creative Commons by is licensed under 4.0 /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/20747270

Ep 76: Season Premiere with Mike Jung 10/08/2021

Ep 76: Season Premiere with Mike Jung Author Mike Jung joins me for the first of a new batch of fall episodes. We talk about the events of his early life that put him on the path to being a writer, his publishing stories and writing process, a later-life autism diagnosis, and BTS. Thanks so much for being back with us for a new season! /episode/index/show/thiscreativelife/id/20748857

This Creative Life with Sara Zarr

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