#81 The Art of Shaping a Compelling Story Featuring Maggie Smith

Maggie Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books of poetry and prose, including You Could Make This Place Beautiful, Good Bones, Goldenrod, Lamp of the Body, The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison, and Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change. Her newest book is My Thoughts Have Wings, a picture book for children, illustrated by Leanne Hatch. Smith's poems and essays have appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, TIME, The Nation, The Atlantic, and The Best American Poetry. She lives with her two children in Columbus, Ohio.

In this episode:

• How Maggie came up with the idea for her children's book

• The metaphor that Maggie used throughout the book

• Finding collaboration in every stage of the process

• Maggie's writing and structuring process for her works

• Surprising writing advice for memoirists or writers working their craft

Connect with Maggie:

Website: https://maggiesmithpoet.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/maggiesmithpoet

X: https://twitter.com/maggiesmithpoet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maggiesmithpoet

Substack: https://maggiesmith.substack.com

Get her books: https://bookshop.org/lists/authors-who-have-appeared-on-freelance-writing-direct

FREE PITCHING GUIDE: Find out more about this episode #81 at

https://estelleserasmus.com/podcast. You also get a free pitching guide if you sign up for my newsletter.

Connect with Estelle:

Writing That Gets Noticed: Find Your Voice, Become a Better Storyteller, Get Published: https://estelleserasmus.com/books/writing-that-gets-noticed/

Sign up for her Substack https://estelleserasmus.substack.com (with craft advice and writing opportunities)

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/EstelleSErasmus

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@EstelleSErasmus

Estelle's New Articles

I'm Learning to Listen in New Ways (Shondaland)

https://www.shondaland.com/live/family/a46102451/im-learning-to-listen-in-new-ways/

What to Do PreLaunch to Get Your Book Noticed (Writer's Digest)

https://www.writersdigest.com/getting-published/what-to-do-pre-launch-to-get-your-book-noticed

How to Resist the Temptation of AI When Writing (Wired)

https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-resist-ai-temptation-writing/

Sign up for Estelle's Micro Memoir Workshop with Writer's Digest on May 23

https://www.writersonlineworkshops.com/courses/making-your-mark-with-micro-memoir