The Secret Library Podcast

• Tiny Experiments in Writing with Anne-Laure Le Cunff

  *This podcast is made possible through the generous support of Book Alchemy’s paid membership. To support the show, please consider upgrading your subscription at secretlibrarypodcast.comThe Scientific Method Meets WritingIn this conversation, Anne-Laure Le Cunff and I discuss the principles behind her book, Tiny Experiments, exploring how small, manageable experiments can transform the writing process. We explore the importance of curiosity, community, and redefining success in creative endeavors. The discussion emphasizes the value of learning in public, the role of experimentation in writing, and how to embrace the creative process without the pressure of perfection. These concepts have profoundly impacted my writing life, and I know they’ll transform yours, too.Chapters:00:08 Meet Anne-Laure Le Cunff: Neuroscientist and Author01:10 The Birth of Tiny Experiments01:39 The 100 Articles Experiment02:45 Balancing Creativity and Rest04:11 From Newsletter to Book: The Journey07:26 Writing as an Experiment26:41 The Role of Curiosity in Creativity29:02 Procrastination and Productivity33:57 Reflections on Writing and Support38:24 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsAbout Anne-Laure:Anne-Laure Le Cunff is an award-winning neuroscientist and entrepreneur. She is the founder of Ness Labs, where her weekly newsletter is read by more than 100,000 curious minds. Her research at King’s College London focuses on the psychology and neuroscience of lifelong learning, curiosity, and adaptability. Her book, Tiny Experiments, is a transformative guide for living a more experimental life, turning uncertainty into curiosity, and carving a path of self-discovery. Previously, she worked at Google as an executive on digital health projects. Her work has been featured in Rolling Stone, Forbes, Financial Times, WIRED, and more.Connect with Anne-Laure:* Get a copy of Tiny Experiments* Ness Labs* InstagramWork with Caroline:* Work with Caroline 1:1* Join the waitlist for the next Your Writing Year Intensive* Learn more about writing courses This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe

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  39:15
• Is a Good Story Worth Paying for? with JP Watson

  *This podcast is made possible by the generous support of Book Alchemy’s paid membership. To support the show, please consider upgrading your subscription.The Pound ProjectIn this episode, I speak with JP Watson, a writer from Birmingham, UK, and the founder of The Pound Project. This initiative has published and sold thousands of books worldwide. JP shares how his frustration with the publishing industry's limitations led him to create a unique publishing model based on collaboration and sustainability. We discuss the creative and business aspects of crowdfunding and the importance of maintaining creative integrity. JP also reflects on the democratizing power of the internet, the potential impact of AI on the creative industry, and the future of publishing. He emphasizes the need for a symbiotic relationship between big publishing houses and independent models, greater responsibility in social media use, and the importance of encouraging reading among young people. JP also hints at exciting new projects, including a subscription service and a handwritten writing initiative. This episode highlights JP's journey from disappointed writer to entrepreneurial publisher, offering inspiration and practical insights for writers and readers alike.Chapters:00:00 Introduction to the Secret Library Podcast 00:21 Meet J.P. Watson and The Pound Project 01:36 The Origin Story of The Pound Project 03:48 Crowdfunding and Publishing Model 06:09 Challenges and Successes in Publishing 10:12 Sustainability and Design in Publishing 16:36 Entrepreneurial Spirit in Writing 25:17 The Future of Publishing and AI 33:27 Encouraging Reading and Writing 42:32 Conclusion and Final ThoughtsMentioned:* Tuckey Print, Birmingham* Enshittification, coined by former SLP guest Cory Doctorow in this article.* Persephone Books* The Futurebook Conference, run by The Bookseller* Burn Before Reading, Daisy BuchananRelated SLP Episodes:About JP:JP Watson is a writer from Birmingham UK who founded The Pound Project, which has sold thousands of books to more than 100+ countries worldwide.Connect with JP:* Get the latest news from The Pound Project* Instagram: @_pound_project* March 8th: The Pound Project is hosting a live event with activist and author Gina Martin. Get tickets here, which include her e-book To Hate and Love Men.Work with Caroline:* Work with Caroline 1:1* Join the waitlist for the next Your Writing Year Intensive* Learn more about writing courses This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe

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  43:41
• Read Yourself Happy with Daisy Buchanan

  *This podcast is made possible by the generous support of Book Alchemy’s paid membership. To support the show, please consider upgrading your subscription.Ready to Read Yourself Happy?In this engaging conversation, Daisy and I explore the profound impact of reading on personal well-being, the joy of rediscovering old favorites, and the importance of embracing diverse reading preferences. We discuss the comfort found in rereading beloved books, the slow reading movement, and how literature can serve as an antidote to anxiety. The conversation also touches on the radical nature of reading for pleasure and the evolving language used in book discussions, culminating in a celebration of the intimate relationship between readers and books.This conversation could have gone on MUCH longer than we had time for, but I very much hope you have fun eavesdropping on our love fest with books and how not only reading, but rereading has been an instrumental part of our writing education.Chapters:00:00 Introduction and Excitement for Reading03:31 The Joy of Rediscovering Old Books06:29 Rereading as a Path to Comfort and Craft09:02 The Importance of Slow Reading11:21 Reading as an Antidote to Anxiety18:38 The Role of Books in Understanding Perfection and Vulnerability26:04 The Quest for True Desires26:51 Life Lessons from Literature28:39 Cultural Differences in Literature29:34 Books to Movies: Anticipation and Adaptation32:19 The Aesthetic of Book Covers35:18 Language and Its Evolution37:46 Reading as a Radical Act40:23 The Joy of Reading for PleasureBooks Mentioned:*to the best of my ability - if we missed any, please ask for details in the comments!* Read Yourself Happy, Daisy Buchanan* Expiation, Elizabeth von Arnim* Enchanted April, Elizabeth von Arnim* Ballet Shoes, Noel Streatfield* Invitation to the Waltz, Rosamund Lehmann* The Motherless Land, Nikki May* Consider Yourself Kissed, Jessica Stanley* Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel (slow read is on Footnotes and Tangents)* Tolstory Together, Yiyun Li* Bleak House, Charles Dickens* Middlemarch, George Eliot* Bridget Jones’ Diary, Helen Fielding* Swann’s Way, Marcel Proust* The Guermantes Way, Marcel Proust* Gone Fishing, Bob Mortimer + Paul Whitehouse* Beyond Anxiety, Martha Beck* American Psycho, Brett Easton Ellis* Alison, Lizzie Stewart* Rachel’s Holiday, Marian Keyes* Peter Hujar’s Day, Linda Rosenkrantz* The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles), Elizabeth Jane Howard* Camp! The Story of the Attitude That Conquered the World, Paul Barker* Rivals, Jilly Cooper* By Grand Central Station, I Sat Down and Wept, Elizabeth SmartSLP Episodes mentioned:About Daisy:Daisy Buchanan is an award-winning journalist, author and speaker. Her work includes the non-fiction books How To Be A Grown Up and The Sisterhood, and the novels Insatiable, Careering, and Limelight. She regularly contributes to every major UK newspaper and magazine, from the Guardian to Grazia, and the Times radio book show.She is a TEDx speaker and the host of the chart-topping literary interview podcast You’re Booked, as well as the Daisy Is…podcast series. She appears regularly on TV and radio speaking about everything from pop culture to feminism. Her latest book, Read Yourself Happy, is out now.Connect with Daisy:* Get your copy of Read Yourself Happy* Instagram: @thedaisybee* Daisy’s Substack: Creative Confidence ClinicWork with Caroline:* Work with Caroline 1:1* Join the waitlist for the next Your Writing Year Intensive* Learn more about individual course options This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe

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  45:30
• Intro Ep: Novel Possible

  It’s almost my favorite time of year: Novel Possible time!For the past two years, I’ve run a challenge every November with a few simple guidelines:* Mission Prompts arrive every day* You can choose to accept the mission and write it, or not* The Mission Prompt self-destructs after we reach midnight around the world* Write as many days as you like* No falling behind and no guiltWriting can be fun!If you’d like to play around with me this November, join us for Novel Possible.You can play the daily mission prompts in our substack community, or receive them in a podcast app.This challenge is available to all paid members of Book Alchemy.Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join us for the third year of Novel possible here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe

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  1:00
• No Perfect Time to Write with Sonal Champsee

  *To support the show, please visit membership.secretlibrarypodcast.com.So many of us take soul-sucking jobs for a living, while we promise ourselves that we’ll write at night or on the weekends… but years go by and we haven’t made progress, and instead feel defeated and depressed. If you’re in this camp, know that you’re not alone. Sonal Champsee is back on the Secret Library podcast to share her day job tales from software engineering, freelance writing, and real estate before focusing entirely on her own writing career. But more writing time doesn’t necessarily lead to ease and flow. Tune into the full episode to learn how she’s moved through the obstacles in her writing life.Topics:* Sonal’s history with engineering, freelance copywriting, and real estate on the search for financial freedom to focus on writing* The small writing steps that Sonal took to sustain herself while working in jobs she hated* Struggling with consistency and deadlines as an author when only accountable to yourself* Handling rejection and finding an editor who really cares and keeps you motivated* Remembering that uncertainty as a new (and veteran) writer is normal as you cultivate trust and confidence* What Sonal would tell her younger writing self and the habit she wished she had developed soonerResources:* Sonal’s past ep: Stone Soup: Murky Middle Advice | Sonal ChampseeAbout Sonal:Sonal Champsee’s short fiction and essays have been published by magazines such as The New Quarterly, Ricepaper, and Today’s Parent. Her novel-in-progress, Everyone Can’t Be Wrong, was shortlisted for the 2022 UBC/HarperCollins Canada Best New Fiction prize. She was a finalist for the Writer’s Union of Canada’s 2017 Emerging Writers Short Prose contest, and has had a play produced by Prathidhwani Drama Wing in Seattle. Sonal holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC, and has studied writers such as with Gail Anderson-Dargatz, Sarah Selecky, Zsuzsi Gartner and Jessica Westhead. She served on the prose editorial board for PRISM International for five years, and is a creative writing instructor for Sarah Selecky’s Writing School. Sonal lives in Toronto.Connect with Sonal:* Website* Instagram: @sonalchampsee* Subscriber to Sonal's NewsletterWork with Caroline:* Work with Caroline 1:1* Join the waitlist for the Manageable Yet Meaningful Writing Lab* Learn more about individual course options This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.book-alchemy.com/subscribe

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  55:22

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