Allison is an award-winning journalist and author of numerous books including Passed and Present and Parentless Parents. Her forthcoming book, Listen, World!: How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman, is the inspiring story of a timeless maverick, capturing what it means to take a gamble on self-fulfillment and find freedom along the way.
In this episode, Mike and Allison discuss:
Allison’s journey from journalist to book author (including her near death on September 11th). Writing as catharsis and therapy. How our education system keeps us from learning about the impact of women and where we can learn more. Stories to bring you into another family and world.
The practical skills that you learn in other careers can often be applied to your writing. Writing can be a form of therapy, for authors of both fiction and non-fiction. It is a way of getting lost in a world that you have control over. When you downplay the role of women in the creation of your country and current culture, then we learn fewer histories. When you get stuck on a project, do more work. Having a good outline to start can help, but if you don’t know what to write, you just need more information.
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