This fall has been caps lock ROUGH, am I right? As someone who’s #stillwithher, the presidential election felt like a complete sucker punch to the gut. It also stripped my desire to be creative. For a while there, this WIL post that had been kicking around in my head felt so inconsequential and pointless, I did everything I could to avoid touching my website.

But in the past two weeks, I’ve come to realize the main reason I love doing these posts: to share other people’s art with friends and followers. What do we (collectively) do when we’re yearning for a distraction? We turn to art, in all its forms. Helping me escape the anxiety and fear that’s gotten me down as of late, here’s a few of my favorite recent pick-me-ups:

1) Fox’s PITCH: I’d heard about this show during upfronts, but it fell off my radar by fall. Then, one recent Thursday evening, I was on Twitter and watched as my writer friends were live tweeting the heck out of an episode. Clearly I was missing something! Now I can say I’m almost caught up with the first season and TOTALLY see what the fuss was about. Kylie Bunbury is AMAZING as Ginny Baker, Major League Baseball’s first female player. Throw in a stellar supporting cast—Kevin Arnold’s Dad! Zack Morris! errr Mark-Paul Gosselaar …who’s got mad chemistry with Bunbury BTW….Mark Consuelos! Ali Larter!—and I’m sold all the more. Make this series even cooler? Scoring the show is the amazing duo of Black Violin. I saw them perform at Ball State a few years back and was wowed, so it’s a bonus to hear their musical stamp on the episodes. Watch the trailer for PITCH 

2) Keepin’ It 1600 Podcast: If you voted for Donald Trump, this ain’t the podcast for you. But, if you (like me) were one of the millions who voted for Hillary, then you might fall for this series featuring political junkies and ex-Obama staffers Jon Favreau (sigh…so dreamy) and Dan Pfeiffer. I’ve been listening since the election and these guys are on top of the news, offering smart, colorful commentary that includes interviews with key and upcoming players of the Democratic Party. Bonus: EW calls it the hottest political show of the season.

3) Everything Is Copy, an HBO documentary about Nora Ephron: Guys, I thought I loved Nora Ephron before this doc. But my fan girling went to a full-on 11 after watching this. Shot by her son, Jacob Bernstein, “Everything is Copy” (a phrase Ephron was known for using) examines the life and legacy of this trailblazing woman. As a journalist, a feminist, a screenwriter, a director, a mother, a cook….Nora Ephron was and forever will be a total icon. I couldn’t love her more.

4) Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam: The album “I Had a Dream That You Were Mine” is what happens when you pull together artists from two of my all-time favorite indie bands: The Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser and Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij. If there was one album I’ve listened to the most this fall, it’s this. Solid start to finish, it’s also one of those albums you’re going to hear tracks from in all sorts of places. Case in point: this awesome iPhone commercial.

5) My friend Rena Olsen’s book, The Girl Before: When Rena handed me an ARC of her debut novel, I was so curious about the story I was about to dive into: Who was Clara Lawson? And why was she being ripped away from her husband and the life she knew? It didn’t take long for me to find out and BOY was I hooked. Rena’s writing style is very cinematic, which is probably why, mid-way through this fast-paced read, I found myself wishing this was one thriller that would make its way to the big screen.

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What to Read Now: Fall 2016

The post What to Read Now: Fall 2016 appeared first on Gail Werner.

Between a writer’s conference in July and the demands of a day job as a writer at a university that saw its students return to campus in August, these past few weeks have been a blur. Popping onto the blog to share a few new things I’ve been loving these hot and hazy days of summer!

1) Sing Street: When I heard director John Carney had a new film out (he of Once and Begin Again fame), I was ALL ABOUT IT. And I was so thrilled this little indie—a DARLING nod to ’80s music and chasing your passions—made it to Muncie so I could see it on the big screen. Hands down my favorite film of the year. As this reviewer put it: “‘Sing Street’ has the hair of the 80s, but a timeless heart.” It certainly stole mine!

2) 5-Year Diary: I can think of no site on the Internet that sways my purchasing power more than A Cup of Jo. When guest writer Emma Straub wrote about her Tamara Shopsin 5-year diary, I was intrigued. I used to keep journals until college and fell away from the habit [said every woman over 25 everywhere]. I can safely say this little tome (which features 365 pages dedicating a handful of lines to the same date over five years’ time) has me back into the groove. It’s a quick way to jot down some notes about my days now as a 30-something and I love knowing I’ll be able to see on one page what I was doing on the same day over the course of the next half-decade of my life. (No pressure in keeping up, right?)

3) West Elm Golden Glass Shadow Box: Silly as it may be, picking out a pair of earrings every morning used to consist of me dumping onto my comforter the little clay bowl I kept by my bedside and cursing my luck at the tangled mess that confronted me on the bed. Then I picked up one of these beautiful glass boxes from West Elm. I can’t believe how much I’m in love with it. Not only does it make artwork out of my jewelry, it makes it a hell of a lot easier to find that matching hoop that always seemed to make its way to the bottom of the bowl.

4) Amy Schumer’s The Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo: I expected a lot from Amy Schumer’s first book—chiefly that the humor would be bawdy and irreverent in the way that personifies her comedic style. And it is, but it’s so much more: In her more poignant essays, Schumer writes about tricky subjects like the lack of consent in her first sexual experience and her complicated feelings about her dad’s struggle with M.S. The best celebrity tell-alls are those that reveal our favorite stars to be people  as vulnerable as we are. On this note, Amy knocks it out of the park.

5) Cetaphil: Remember what I said about Cup of Jo above? Let me fangirl again to say I have Joanna Goddard’s lovely Beauty Uniform style series for introducing me to a game changer in my skincare routine (which makes it sound like it’s fancy and complicated when it’s basically a squirt of this stuff onto a wet washcloth every night before I shellack my face with drugstore skin cream). After reading countless women praise the wonders of this face wash, I wanted to see how it’d treat my skin. Weeks later, I’m a convert. It’s super gentle (no dryness!), cheap, and (important bonus) I LOVE the smell of it. Call it a #winwinwin.

The post What I’m Loving: July & August 2016 appeared first on Gail Werner.

Mainly because living small frees up the part of my mind that would otherwise be occupied with a need to keep up with the Jones. Also, housework. (I can clean my house top to bottom in an hour. Adding a second story and basement? With all those extra bedrooms to sweep and commodes to scrub? Shudder.)

It’s this part of my brain that’s allowed me to channel my creative energy into writing. Fueling the connection between living small and holding tight to my dreams of becoming an author?

My recent obsession with paring down.

In the past 10 months, I’ve gotten rid of everything that’s made me pause—even for 30 seconds—to wonder “Where does this go?” The fewer times I have to ask myself this, the less time I play referee with my imagination, blowing the whistle on whatever plot I’m dreaming up.

This spring, when I read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Art of Tidying Up, I realized this theory—how living a tidier existence was helping me get my butt in the chair and write a book—wasn’t mine alone. 

Marie believes in it, too.

In her words: “Put your house in order and discover what you really want to do.”

As I look ahead to begin researching my next book, I rest easier knowing the work I’ve invested into Kondo-ing (yes, her method has its own verb!) has freed up precious pockets of my brain I’ll need to focus on the characters I want to create (pockets that might otherwise be devoted to stressing about clutter).

In the final pages of her book, Marie writes, “You can put your house in order now, once and forever. The only ones who need to spend their lives thinking about tidying are people like me who find joy in it … As for you, pour your time and passion into what brings you the most joy, your mission in life. I am convinced that putting your house in order will help you find the mission that speaks to your heart. Life truly begins after you have put your house in order.”

It may sound silly, but I know exactly what she means.

And I’ve got a finished draft of a 70,000-word novel to prove it.

What about the rest of you—do you work better when your desk is a mess? (Studies show many creatives actually prefer it!) Or are you like me and feel drained by it?

Related: A psychologist writes about the mental cost of clutter (I would agree with all of her top 8 points!)

* One exception to this rule: When I’m in a heavy drafting mode, working as much as I can on a project, housework DEFINITELY takes a backseat to my writing. But overall, when talking about the day-in, day-out rhythms of life, it’s this kind of tidiness that keeps me on track and my creativity train running.

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Hello? Is this thing on? I’m like a comedian stepping in front of the harsh spotlight of a stage and a hot mike because guys, it’s been a LONG time. Like, this-blog-has-dust bunnies-under-its-covers long. But I made a promise last fall to focus on finishing my second manuscript and now that I’ve done it, I finally have head space again to write some fun content for my website. Topping that list are these round-ups of books, films, pop culture kernels and random catch-all I’ve been loving lately.

1) Cavallini Wrapping Paper: My introduction to this gorgeous paper came in 2010. Nick and I were a few weeks shy of a European vacation when a package arrived from a UK photographer-turned-admirer-turned-soon-to-be-friend. Emma (who we later met up with for drinks at a London pub) had wrapped tour guides and Paris subway tickets in this awesome London paper. I was smitten. Recently, I placed an order for Cavallini paper, this time as prints for my son. (For his upcoming fourth birthday, we’re gifting him a “big boy” room and I can’t wait to see how his fascination with bugs plays out with prints like this on his walls—although pardon me while I sob because MY KID IS FOUR ALREADY).

2) Kondo-ing: You didn’t know that was a verb? If you’d read Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up you would. I read this book in May, after which I entered into a cartoon-like purge of my house, complete with flailing arms and clothes flying through the air. (At some point, I want to write a blog post about my thoughts on how clutter impedes creativity). If you’re needing a nudge to tidy up your own place, swing by and I’ll lend you my copy.

3) MSecure: Wouldn’t the world be easier if we didn’t need passwords for EVERYTHING? Awhile back, I cried uncle on the number of times I’ve forgotten the variation of the three I use and bought this app (which is $10). BEST MONEY EVER SPENT. Now I’ve got the passwords and important details for a host of other things I need to know (birthdays, SS#s, our Wi-Fi code) stored safely in my phone. I swear my brain sighs with relief every time I open up this app.

4) Me Before You: It feels like a million years ago I saw this, but also like I waited a million years for it to make its way to the theater. I was one of the approximately 10.2 million women who read—and sobbed—over JoJo Moyes’ book when it came out. I loved the actors in the film and while I was glad to see it was a faithful adaptation (#bumblebeetights), I agree with this Bustle list of scenes that should have made it into the movie.

5) The Balanced Life: What I love about instructor Robin Long is that she has a gentle approach to exercise (Pilates specifically) and a mantra that even if you only have 10 minutes a day (which is the basis of a lot of her daily workouts), you can still see results. I’ve been a monthly subscriber of The Balanced Life for a few months now (it’s $9 for a packet of recipes and workout links to follow) and it’s so worth. She’s motivating me in a way my gym membership never has!

The post What I’m Loving: June 2016 appeared first on Gail Werner.

Today I’m happy to share my essay, “Having An Affair With Your Writing,” came out this week for the online literary magazine, Women Writers, Women’s Books.

A special thank you to Barbara Bos for letting me highlight my work on her site. And, while I don’t expect them to ever see this, shout-outs to Elizabeth Gilbert and Lin-Manual Miranda, too. I speak for a LOT of creatives out there when I say I am INSANELY inspired by the both of you!

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My Summer Reading List and for a long view, check out my picks for winter 2016, fall 2015, summer 2015, winter 2015, fall 2014, and summer 2014.

The post What to Read Now: Summer 2016 appeared first on Gail Werner.

Here’s my Winter Reading List and for a long view, check out my picks for fall 2015, summer 2015, winter 2015, fall 2014, and summer 2014.

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Below is a roundup of my agent interviews for 2015. I hope to carry out interviews for Chuck this year:

Pete Knapp of New Leaf Literary & Media

Words of wisdom from Pete: “While you are waiting to hear from agents, start working on the next project. Some authors sign with an agent for the first book they send out, others won’t sign with an agent until the second, third, fourth, or more.  …. It doesn’t mean you have to give up on that book, but sometimes it is best to get some distance and then come back to it later.”

Elise Capron of Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency

What Elise is looking for from writers: “Really compelling, fresh ideas. I latch onto a proposal or manuscript immediately when I feel like the writer is doing something truly new.”

Alec Shane of Writers House

Words of wisdom from Alec: “Every rule, every do and don’t, every cliché, every everything—all of that goes away in the face of a great book. At the end of the day, nobody has any clue what’s going to hit and what isn’t, so find a story that you’re completely in love with and work your ass off to share it with the world in the best way possible.”

Greg Aunapu of Salkind Literary

Greg’s advice to writers: “Don’t fall in love with your prose. Faulkner said the hardest part of writing was killing his little darlings and Mark Twain wrote, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Both things take discipline and care.”

Victoria Lowes of The Bent Agency

Victoria’s take on what writers want to know from agents: “I think writers are always curious on agents’ takes on current trends—whether a particular genre is on the upswing and whether we think their genre is more or less viable in the current marketplace, which is totally expected and understandable!”

Maria Vicente of P.S. Literary Agency

What Maria sees coming across her desk: “There’s been an upswing in contemporary young adult queries (which is fantastic because I love contemporary YA), but the majority of them don’t focus on what makes their book stand apart. With so many realistic stories about teenagers in high school, your manuscript really needs to have a great hook! I’ve also been noticing quite a few manuscripts about pirates… and the pirate’s life is really not for me.”

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I have great admiration for Pizzo—his ability to get his movies made is a story that’s inspirational for ALL writers. He agreed to my latest Q&A with Indianapolis Monthly, and I was so thankful he took the time to discuss his latest movie with me. Make sure you catch My All American in theaters beginning Nov. 13—as one reviewer described it, it’s “the family-friendly movie we’ve been missing” (and Finn Wittrock as Freddie is OUTSTANDING).

Photo courtesy of Allied Integrated Marketing

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