Balancing Vulnerability and Entertainment in Writing

“I was very selective about my vulnerability. And then Vicky just comes in and is just all out there. And that really challenged me to quit trying to camouflage, divert from the really difficult truths, and risk being honest.” —Jamie Blaine

Jamie Blaine happened to take an online job as a “love coach” and ended up coaching Vicky Lanzone, who was trying to save her crumbling marriage. Inevitably, the marriage fell apart, and Vicky and Jamie kept in touch. Over the years, they’ve ended up being great friends and co-authors.

In this episode of “Authors Who Lead,” I talk with Jamie Blaine and Vicky Lanzone about their book, Life Is Crazy and We’re All Going to Die: A Book about Hope in Strange Places, and we explore the challenges and rewards of writing with vulnerability.

Learning from a Book: Jamie and Vicky discuss the struggles of finding the balance between vulnerability and entertainment to engage readers effectively. They share their approach to being selective about stories and ethical considerations when writing about others.

Overcoming Writing Frustrations: Jamie opens up about his own struggles and frustrations in his writing career and how Vicky has been an inspiration to keep going and improve.

Finding Your Writing Voice: Jamie and Vicky emphasize that there are no shortcuts or classes that can teach you how to find your writing voice. The key lies in practice, experimentation, and dedication.

In this podcast, Jamie and Vicky also share with us:

Finding your voice takes time and effort.

Revealing the vulnerabilities in your writing can give hope to others.

It’s important to define your book’s purpose and omit passages that don’t fit.

It is important as authors to have someone to bounce ideas off of and inspire one another.

An author’s journey isn’t a straight line; sometimes you get there through other careers and opportunities.

What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Are you struggling to balance vulnerability and entertainment in your book? Share in the comments below!

That’s all for this week. If you have a message inside of you that needs to be written, today is the day to start. Don’t delay—take action.

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