Episode Description:
Welcome to the inaugural episode of "What If? For Authors," the podcast that delves into the fears and uncertainties authors face. Join me while I explore the motivation behind starting this podcast and set the stage for the insightful discussions to come.
Why Listen? Whether you're a seasoned writer or just starting your journey, "What If? For Authors" aims to provide you with the support, advice, and reassurance you need to overcome your fears and succeed in your writing career. This podcast is a safe space to explore the "what ifs" that often hold us back, with the goal of turning those fears into fuel for your creative fire.
Join the Conversation: Have a question or a fear you'd like me to explore? Reach out to me at contact@ffs.media.
Happy writing!
Transcript:
Claire: [00:00:00] Welcome, I'm so glad you're here at this inaugural episode of the What If For Authors podcast. Before I tell you a little bit more about the show, I do want to establish that this is going to be more of a headphones slash ear pods kind of podcast than you, you know, you may be expecting. There will be cursing, there will be realness.
There will very likely be soundbites that you don't want someone just passing by to catch out of context. That's because we're gonna get real on some big scary things like fear itself, and I've found that core-level fear is generally a pill that goes down easiest with a nice sweary coating, so maybe this can be your end-of-day loading the dishwasher podcast, or your long midday walks so your body doesn't break down on you podcast.
Or you [00:01:00] know, do whatever you want blast it for everyone to hear. I don't give a shit, but don't say I didn't warn you. Okay, so what can you expect from this show? Each episode is going to cover one of the questions I get asked frequently by authors.
And if you don't know me, well, yeah, I'm Claire, the owner of FFS Media. FFS stands for what you think it stands for. , I'm a coach and story consultant. I'm the author of a bunch of satire and mystery books. And I am a writer. Certifiably insane about the Enneagram, If you don't know what the Enneagram is yet, it's a personality profile that groups people based on a core fear and core desire.
And then the patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing that tend to arise from those fears. That's it. Really all the preliminary info you're going to get from me about it here, but I will be referencing the Enneagram types a lot. So if you're not already somewhat initiated, it's time to pull up Google, read a little bit more about it, or you can go read my book, [00:02:00] Reclaim Your Author Career that breaks down the types more in depth.
Okay. So this podcast is for folks, authors who already know a little bit about the Enneagram and a little bit about me. This is not really like, Hey, first brush with Claire. If this is your first brush with me, I apologize in advance. Hopefully we've already met in some other context, be it coaching, maybe you heard me through the Sell More Books Show.
Or you heard me speak or read my book or whatever. I've never been one for small talk, so let's just dive in. Each week, we're just going to go for it on our topic of the week, and it's going to be super fun.
And if I know one thing about authors, it's that small talk is not necessarily everyone's favorite. I will be honest with you. That's a promise I'm going to make. So the first bit of honesty that I will deliver to you is that I've been thinking about this podcast for a while. I knew I needed to do something solo so I could let her rip and just do my own thing, which [00:03:00] happens to be my favorite thing to do, my own thing.
I will say it's a little weird talking to myself and hopefully I don't go full shining by episode 10. But if I do, you know, you're invited to follow along and enjoy it.
So as I started putting together ideas for this show, I found myself asking a lot of Um, what if I'm not ready? What if I don't know enough to talk on these topics? What if I make an ass of myself? What if I say something that someone misinterprets and then it leads them to make a terrible decision and they decide to make my life hell as a result?
So all valid questions. Which we will answer. So one of the best skills we can develop as authors, as people who have to draw our own maps for the duration of our career, is to actually answer the what if questions. We see these, what if questions everywhere, all the time we're asking them. Sometimes we're asking them subconsciously.
We don't even realize we're asking them [00:04:00] subconsciously until we bring them into the consciousness. And that is a first step of a really important skill. of asking these questions so that we can answer them with our adult brain. And so then if we don't know what the answer to them is, we have the question formulated and we can ask someone who can help us walk through it, which is what I do. Basically all the time now.
So I asked myself all of these what if questions, I'm going to walk you through it. So the first question was, what if I don't know enough to talk on these topics? if that happens, I'll notice that, that I really don't know what the fuck I'm saying, at least I hope to notice that, I've gotten pretty good at noticing when I'm just bullshitting.
So then I can just hit pause on the recording. This isn't a live show, thank God. I would never do that. , but I would hit pause in the recording and learn what I need to learn to at least [00:05:00] be of some help to some people. So there's that. Also, I know a hell of a lot about Enneagram, so it's kind of a silly question to begin with.
I don't know the most about the Enneagram, certainly. But I know enough that what I say may prove useful to folks and that's a pretty good reason to start talking. It's good enough for me. So the next question, what if I make an ass of myself? Even just pausing to think on that for a second kind of makes me laugh at how ridiculous it is.
Of course, I'll make an ass of myself. I do it all the time. It's one of the things my friends like best about me. So, yeah. Besides, making an ass of myself is a sign that I'm taking risks. And no risk, no reward. I can look like a fool and be okay.
I've done it before plenty. So, all evidence points to that. indicates that I can do it again. And then finally, what if I say something that someone misinterprets and then they make a [00:06:00] decision that doesn't work the way they wanted it to, and then they make it a hobby to make my life hell. So this one takes a little bit more consideration.
And when you learn about my core fear over the following episodes, you'll understand why it shakes me a little bit more. But basically this comes down to being an adult. Working with other adults. I will offer perspective for y'all, but at the end of the day, the responsibility for making the wisest choice for you, that falls to you.
I trust that you have the inner wisdom already inside of you, and I hope that you'll trust that it's there and listen to it. Also, sometimes decisions that seem immediately bad in the short term turn out to be wonderful in the long term. And holding that tension is a skill that faith, in the most secular sense of the word faith, allows us to have.
And if someone decides to make my life hell, it wouldn't be the first time, y'all. I was a teenager in the early days of AOL instant messaging. You think I haven't been [00:07:00] cyberbullied before? Please. , you know, people may try and, lodge some allegations against me, and that's fine, you know, maybe they have a point.
And that's okay. I get to be wrong sometimes, and I will do what I can to make it right. But even if it's just bullshit claims thrown at me, I trust deeply that the truth wins out at the end of the day. So I'm not actually worried about it when I break it down, when I go ahead and ask the question. So to review, all of my what if anxieties turned out to be answered with If That Happens. Fine. Whatever. I'll be okay. My goal in this podcast is to take you on that same journey each episode. You might not resonate with every topic, but it could be useful to give it a listen anyway, either because there'll be nuggets that you'll find interesting or because a friend of yours may one day throw that what if at you, and you'll [00:08:00] be able to know how to support them as they deconstruct the anxiety.
I have a lot of interesting episodes lined up for you, and we're gonna have a damn good time together. Because why not? Life is short. We have a shit ton of stories to tell as authors. So let's have some fun while we can. See you in the next episode.