Episode 89: Fiction Writers, What's Your Core Message?

Stephanie Oswald and Elizabeth Wilson talk about the benefit of learning from other genres and what Stephanie Oswald has discovered for her writing while participating in the Memoir Master Plan Cohort. 

You’ll have to tune in to find out about Stephanie Oswald’s recent celebrity author encounter!

What’s the common thread in your writing?

As Stephanie Oswald has been working on manifesting the future version of herself as a writer on stages and tour, she kept wondering what she’d talk about in those moments. Sure, she could talk about what her book is about, but what’s really at the heart of the stories. What’s the purpose for showing up to write everyday to get her book written. That’s what Stephanie felt was missing. As an additional writing coach supporting Elizabeth Wilson’s Memoir Master Plan Cohort, Stephanie found she could take the content from the program and apply it to her fiction writing. 

Your core message is how you connect with your readers through your writing. For Stephanie Oswald, it’s the theme she’s landed on that is helping her stay focused and find purpose for showing up to the blank page each day to keep writing her novel. 

A lot of life events derailed Stephanie’s process, but it’s been through her connection with the memoir writers in the Memoir Master Plan Cohort that she’s been able to bring deeper meaning to her work in fiction. 

What do you want your readers to take away?

 Welcome to the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. If you've ever felt the pull to write your truth, to shape the chaos of real life into something meaningful and to share your journey with the world, you're in the right place. We're your hosts, Elizabeth and Stephanie, writers, coaches, and entrepreneurs who believe in you and know how important it is to find a writing community to guide you on your path to self-publishing.

You’re invited to connect with us by joining our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. Whether you’re working on a memoir, a novel, or journaling for yourself, this is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.   

Join our Embodied Writing Experience where you’ll get a writer’s retreat directly to your inbox on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays each week. This is an invitation to slow down, tune in, and write with embodied intention.

Get on the waitlist for the Memoir Master Plan cohort here.

If you prefer to watch our conversations, you can find all of them on our YouTube channel.

You can find us on Instagram and Threads

Transcript

Elizabeth: 1:14

Welcome back listeners to another episode of the Inspired Writer Collective podcast. here with me, Elizabeth and Stephanie, and we wanna start off by saying thank you for those that came to last weekend's Virtual Writer's retreat. Well, at this point when the episode airs, it'll be two weekends ago. Um, it was so great to get to spend time with you guys. I got refocused on my edits for my memoir because of those writing times, and that built-in accountability of showing up together. And it's always so fun to get to meet podcast listeners podcasters, whether you're a more recent listener or you've been with us for a while. I mean, it really means so much to us and the kind words you've said about. What you've gotten from listening to this podcast and what you hope to do with your writing because of it, we are just so honored to share that space with you. So thank you. also, listeners, you won't believe this, Reese Witherspoon knows that our podcast exists. I'm gonna let Stephanie tell you all about this.

Stephanie: 2:18

Yes, listeners, this is such an exciting development from this week. So I was diving deep into seeing authors and I had the opportunity this past week to. Uh, meet and greet with Reese Witherspoon and Harlan Cobin about their new book Gone Before Goodbye that just released and. When I went to the event, I wore the Inspired Writer Collective t-shirt that Elizabeth and I have. And when I walked up to take my picture, Harlan Cobin was like, well, that's interesting. The Inspired Writer Collective podcast. And Reese Witherspoon was like what's that? And then the Inspired writer Collective. And so it was just this very brief moment because they were of course, you know, pushing everybody through the line for the meet and greet and. But it was very exciting just to have that encounter. And the other really cool thing that I'll say about the event is that it was really interesting to then sit in the audience and listen to Reese Witherspoon speak from the perspective of a writer. This is the first thing. She's ever written. She's produced plenty. She's acted in plenty. I mean, she, she loves books as, as many of you probably know, she has Reese's Book Club but this is the first time she wrote a novel and she said, well, I just had this idea that wouldn't leave me alone. And she said I had to do something with it. And so then she said. I don't know how to write a book and so and so. She said, who do I know? And that's when she knew it was gonna be a thriller. And she knew she was a big fan of Harlan Cobin and he does write wonderful thrillers. And so she reached out to him and he was of course like, well, I'm not really sure. I wanna collaborate. Let's meet. And so then they met and Reese presented her idea and proposal and everything, and then they decided to collaborate. And so it was just really cool because we all know she's a Hollywood actress and she does a lot of other things and she's very successful. But to see her in that position as a writer was part of my own work in manifesting. I wanna be in her chair. And I've done that with. Lots of different authors that I like and that I follow and read their work. And this was just like the ultimate experience of, here's somebody who I admire and she's just as wonderful in person as on screen, I mean'cause, I know of people who've had experiences where they meet somebody that they really admire and they're like, oh, that was, that fell short. But no, this definitely was amazing and it was just so much fun to be wearing the podcast t-shirt and have just a moment, you know? We're gonna carry this forward for sure, just because it, I mean there's some recognition and just that connection with the podcast.

Elizabeth: 5:16

Yeah, I absolutely was so thrilled when you told me that, like she's one of my favorites. Um, and that was so cool that you got to experience that. I love that you keep putting yourself in places. Out in like the real world physical form, not just virtually where you're getting to network with like these kind of people where you're putting yourself in rooms with these people. And that just brings you so much closer. Um, you recently went to a book festival too, this earlier in the week, um, where you got to talk and hear and listen and glean so much knowledge. And today we're gonna be talking about. The core message and how it can apply to fiction writers because you have been participating within the memoir master plan program that I facilitate, and you have taken that and gleaned your own sort of theme or message as you think about when I'm standing on that big stage, what it, what's the deeper message I have to share with? audience, and I just think it's so cool the way you've adopted that and where you're taking it.

Stephanie: 6:26

Well, yeah, it's been really fun because, I mean, of course this is after multiple iterations of the course that I'm sitting through it again, and the more that you and I have talked about core message and just the information from the course, I kept thinking. There has to be an application to this for me, because we can always learn from other genres as writers. And in fact, I think it's almost necessary to put yourself outside of your genre and take from other writers and other ideas and say, well, how can I put this in my own work? And, and that's, as you said, that's what I was thinking about. I was thinking, okay, if. I wanna be on those stages and I wanna be in that chair at a bookstore, or I wanna be at a signing event. What am I gonna tell people that my book is about? Yeah, I can talk about what the book is about, but for me, I really feel there needed to be a deeper message, a deeper reason for why I was coming to the page. And you know, I really liked the stories that I'm telling, but it really came into real time and space this summer when I had all the life events where it was very clear that my stories are rooted in stories of second chances, opportunities to try something again, to find a love again, to uh, do something that you weren't sure about but you're like, I have another opportunity to do this. And so. As this, you know, this sort of coincided with the start of the memoir master plan cohort, which made it even cooler where I was like, oh my goodness. Like I. I can actually like be a part of this conversation even though I am working on fiction. Because one, I mean obviously as we know as writers, I mean so much of fiction comes from our real life experiences. And then on the other side it's like, well, okay, I'm not gonna write a memoir, but I know that I can take these ideas and these tools. And that's what made it really cool because then I was like, oh my goodness, now it's clear to me. When I get to that point of sitting in the chair and being on the stage that I have a message.

Elizabeth: 8:45

Well, and your, it's something your future readers will really resonate with, right? Because then you don't just have to sell'em on each individual story because you have this broader theme. So if they resonate. Eat with second chances in the ways that we take advantage of those, the ways that we see those in our lives, the ways that we explore them and grieve the first chance that we

Stephanie: 9:05

Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth: 9:05

and make it, you know, a bigger impact with the second chance. I, I, I think it speaks to the. The way the universe works, where, you know, if you miss your, your flight the first time, there's another one that's gonna come around and, and you don't have to fear that, and you're walking your readers through so many different examples of that through the stories that you tell, you know, whether you're doing this in, in a YA format or in an adult, uh, romance format. I, I think it's beautiful that you have this uniting theme because it's going to draw. Your readers to you, your audience, to you. Um, it's just like how we know there's sort of a feel to like a Glennon Doyle memoir, right? Or a Brene Brown book. You, you know, what you're gonna get. And there's a consistency across the books, even if they feature different topics. Um. And, and I think that's so great from like a branding perspective,

Stephanie: 10:03

Nice.

Elizabeth: 10:04

marketing perspective as a fiction writer, that you have this bigger theme that stretches across your sort of universe that you create, right? Because you've got this fictional world, but your character sort of within the world, or related it's takes place in the same place. And so you're creating that whole world for them and through the lens of. Second chances, just like we do in memoir, where we use the core theme to help unite the individual stories and experiences that we share with our reader.

Stephanie: 10:40

Well, yeah, and, and I really found that for me, especially for those of you who've been listening for a while, and you know that I've self-diagnosed myself, A DHD, and, um, and Elizabeth knows all too well that my ideas are here, there. And. I land somewhere and this was very key for me to say like, yes, this is the message that I wanna share with my readers. And it's really brought for me too, is this ability to really focus on my writing more deeply. And. Show up knowing like, okay, like I know what the common thread is gonna be throughout this, and it helps my brain focus in, and it doesn't allow me to get distracted with like, well, maybe I could write about this, or maybe I could do this, or, I love this idea, or I love this. Strand of events that I could put in a novel. It's like, no. Okay. My adult romance that I'm working on is about a woman who loses her husband unexpectedly. And she has a teenage daughter who is the protagonist in my ya book. So I'm, I'm weaving together the, the books because having more than one project is helping me right now. Uh. But again, it comes back to having found a purpose essentially. And, and that purpose is really helpful. And as Elizabeth said, building a platform as a writer too, you know, thinking about, well, what is my brand? What is my brand as a writer? Because I think one of the things that gets lost sometimes is that. As a writer, that is your business, that is your job. And too often, I think in our world, you say to somebody, I'm a writer, and they're like, kind of look at you like, well, why would you think to do that? And, and of course, you feel like you have to come up with all these things behind it. But it is a legitimate, job, career path, direction to take yourself in. And the hardest part eventually for, for some of us is the marketing and branding and putting ourselves out there. And this allows for that to become much more clear. And like I said, I'm going to these events in person because it's helping me really say like, yes, I can be that person in that chair. If that person is doing it, who's. A real person, like I am not the celebrity because, you know, I went to the Heartland Book Festival in Kansas City, Missouri, the weekend before the event with Reese Witherspoon, and there were authors there who have published many books, and they're just everyday people. They're not the big celebrity booksellers, um, you know, a few of them were, uh, but at the same time, you're like. I can do.

Elizabeth: 13:36

Mm-hmm. Yeah, and I love too, that you highlighted. landing on this core message actually reignited your inspiration for getting back to your writing projects? Because even though we, we dread the future marketing and everything of our books and how we're gonna represent ourselves as writers. You actually have to have a book to, to market and to represent you. And sometimes the writing can be a really difficult part to get through. And you and I have both experienced some creative slumps, um, in the past couple of months. Uh, go back and listen to episodes ago if you, you know, aren't familiar yet with where we were on that. But it's so cool the way that. And defining your core message and and renewing your focus, it's helped you tap into a deeper level of inspiration because it's not just about those particular characters and that one story anymore. It's about this whole thing that you're bringing in from your personal life, this bigger message that you're hoping to communicate to the audience about. How much faith they should put into, you know, the, the hope for a second chance and how much value that has and the gratitude we express for having

Stephanie: 14:55

Hmm.

Elizabeth: 14:56

chance when we get those. And you know, I think that's really cool too, because so often in the writing stages we can get really. Lost, and that is sounds like sort of your lighthouse beacon right

Stephanie: 15:11

Mm-hmm.

Elizabeth: 15:12

where regardless of what's going on around you, and of course there's pauses and things with different seasons of life, but that's what's leading you forward and knowing that you are so strong in the importance of that message, that's what's helping you sit down in the seat and put words on the page for the individual stories that you're crafting.

Stephanie: 15:34

Oh, absolutely, and and I think too, I think the other piece that's really helpful is. Having the structure of showing up to the memoir master plan cohort group, and sitting in community and connection with other women writers who, yes, I'm not writing memoir, but that's not necessary for even being a part of the memoir master plan cohort. Yes, it's definitely beneficial and there's so much to gain from it. I also would say too, that as a fiction writer, it's brought so much value to me to just be in that space and soaking up what the other women are talking about and listening to their journey and their process because it's so relatable for all of us as writers. It doesn't matter what genre we're we're writing in. We all have similar struggles. And to find yourself in that space that you, Elizabeth, lead so masterfully in No, you really do like, I mean you just really bring together this. The community and create this space for comfort. And like I said, I mean, I'm showing up as a fiction writer, like what am I gonna contribute? But really there are options for contribution, but it's not, but it's not that, it's that I'm taking away from it. I, huge piece of learning that I never anticipated would like. Come to me that like, oh wow, in fiction, like a core message has value. And maybe, you know, everybody talks about it in different ways, but I guess I had never really like come to that. It's like, I have this story, I have this idea. I'm plotting it out. It goes, this happens and this happens, and there are all these different parts that happen, but I hadn't really come to that place of, oh, like having a thread that weaves throughout. Is so valuable. And of course I recognize that as a reader. That's the funny thing is, you know, I mean, as a reader, like, it's very clear to me when I'm reading a book that like, okay, there's this common, you know, but it was just so funny to me, like why did it take me so long to come to that? And, but it's been so beneficial.

Elizabeth: 17:56

Oh, thank you Stephanie, for saying all that. And you know, I've been toying around with an idea that may be more broadly available to, excuse me, some of our. Writers on our email list and those of you who listen to this podcast regularly, what I'm thinking about putting together is a core message masterclass, and what this would look like is either a full day or maybe a, a weekend Saturday Sunday masterclass where we would just do core message. I would pull out basically that unit of study from the the broader memoir program and. Bring in things with Stephanie's help that would make it applicable to both fiction and to memoir, we would get to spend a really concentrated time exploring that as a group for any of the writers that are interested. And my reason for wanting something like this is. For those people who don't have the time resource to commit to a six or eight week program, those that have maybe a smaller project scope where they're not ready to dig into the outlining of it or, or the more detailed character development pieces that we cover in the pro, the broader program, but they are ready to start thinking about that core message and that thing that could unite either their multiple fiction stories or their memoir experiences. it would just be a, a lower price point for those that, you know, the, the bigger courses out of, out of financial reach at the time. So this is still very in, much in concept form, and I wanted to talk about that today in this episode, because I wanna start seeing what level of interest there is for this. If you're not interested. If no one's interested, then fine, I'll just keep the program as it is. We'll do, it's, it's working, it's creating. Beautiful projects. It's giving, um, these writers clarity and really igniting their interest in sharing their stories with like such a urgency that I, I haven't seen before. It's beautiful. And so if there's no interest for this smaller program, that's fine. I won't, I won't spend my creative energy that way. But it does sound like something that you would really benefit from in your writing, whether fiction or memoir. Please shoot us a message. Please email us, uh, hello@inspiredwritercollective.com. Let me know because if there's enough interest I am, I would love to put this kind of program together to be a nice entry level for those who are not ready to commit to the bigger writing course or just aren't ready to take on that, that writing project yet, but want to start getting inspired. Want to start? Playing with different ideas. Um, that's sort of my vision for this core message masterclass. So leave a comment, send us an email. Let me know what you think.

Stephanie: 21:04

I think it would be so amazing to be able to offer that to our community of listeners and, and those who have already, even you provide the invitation to come back. You know, once you take the memoir master plan cohort one time, you can. Keep coming back without having to pay in the subsequent times you return. And so your investment really carries on because sometimes, you know, as we know, as we've talked about, life happens and when you commit to things, there are disruptions. And so it's nice to have that opportunity to come back. But it's also great too to potentially have this. Offer on the table for, you know, both of us to put our heads together and develop something around core message because listener, as you're hearing today, you know, it's brought me clarity, it's brought me focus. It's, you know, brought me, you know, inspiration and. Working on my manifesting that I'm gonna be on the stage. I mean, there's so many pieces that have come together for my identity as a writer. And you know, I am definitely someone who would prefer to not be on camera, to not be on stage not, but, but this has brought this, this has ignited this whole new excitement for me of. I can be that person because now I know where I am standing in my vision for myself as a writer, my vision for my stories, and that will make it so much easier when I'm invited to those spaces.

Elizabeth: 22:42

Yeah. Plus you pull this core message straight out of your lived experiences, and I know you've also taken that. In on a personal level, and that has had impact on how you view some of these recent life experiences you've gone through, how, you know your recent move has impacted you and all of this, so it's like. It not only impacts your, your writing world and these fictional worlds that you're crafting, but it impacts you as the writer. You, even the Stephanie that is not the writer, you know, just the everyday, you know, impact that focusing on these core messages can have.

Stephanie: 23:24

Yeah, it's really powerful. And as we know, I mean, with fiction, there's so much that comes from our lived experience. And while I don't plan to write a memoir or maybe I will, who knows? I, I might,

Elizabeth: 23:36

it. I'm working on you.

Stephanie: 23:38

Eli Elizabeth, Elizabeth is trying. Um, and so, you know, it, it may happen, but again. There's so much that I can already bring to the story, and that's where, again, having this structure around core message and just all of the resources that are provided through the course that, you know, allow for that exploration and that discovery. And, and it is such a cool process. I mean, to, to think about, you know, the potential for a core message masterclass and what you can walk away with just from that is so powerful for writers in their process.

Elizabeth: 24:19

Absolutely. So again, listeners, if that sounds of any interest to you. By no means is your interest a an official commitment. I'm just trying to, to figure out what degree of interest there is in something, an offering like that. Please send us an email. Please comment if you're watching this on YouTube. Um, and, and let us know. And of course this would be open not just to women, but to. Male writers as well. Um, we do keep the memoir, master plan cohort as women only, but this would be more broadly open for, you know, a weekend master class. So let us know what you think.