In this second part of my interview with Susan Merrell, author of Shirley: A Novel, teacher in the MFA in Creative Writing & Literature at the Lichtenstein Center of Stony Brook Southampton, and co-creator, with the novelist Meg Wolitzer, of the BookEnds Fellowship novel revision program, we talk about what I call inner stuff–the thoughts, ideas, and attitudes that affect your work, even if you’re not fully conscious of it.

We covered:

• Really cool, serendipitous story about how she came to write a novel about the iconic American writer, Shirley Jackson

• How she deals with her inner Achilles heel: shame

• Meditation as the answer to everything

• How the need for validation drives many writers to produce more (this was truly fascination and made me think, hmm, maybe I just don’t have a drive for validation, and maybe that’s not a good thing?)

• How teaching students makes her feel ‘’ridiculously happy’’

• How the publishing industry doesn’t necessarily support the right books

Connect with Susan at susanscarfmerrell.com.

For full show notes with links to everything we discuss, plus bonus photos!, visit katehanley.substack.com.

Thank you for listening!

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