Maggie Smith, a viral poet and bestselling author known for "Good Bones," shares her insights on the creative process. She discusses how discipline and constraints fuel artistic expression, emphasizing the importance of structure in writing. Maggie explores the complex emotions of parenting, balancing hope and realism for children amidst life's challenges. The conversation also touches on the necessity of brevity in writing and the moral imperative of valuing creativity, warning against apathy in the arts. This engaging dialogue highlights the courage required to care deeply.
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Restraint and Creativity
True creativity thrives on restraint and constraint, not unchecked freedom.
Constraints in writing, like forms and rules, force deeper thinking and more original expression.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Embracing Constraints
Embrace constraints in your creative work, as they push you to be more inventive.
View artistic creation as a puzzle or math problem to be solved within given parameters.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Ruthless Revision
Revise your work rigorously, focusing on cutting unnecessary words and phrases.
Tighten your writing by eliminating redundancy and trusting the reader's intelligence to fill in gaps.
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Good Bones is a poetry collection that delves into the complexities of the world, balancing the harsh realities with a hopeful vision for its potential beauty. Maggie Smith writes from the perspective of a mother, protecting her children from the world's ugliness while emphasizing the possibility of making the world a better place. The poems use vivid imagery and lyric language to explore themes of compassion, empathy, and honesty, offering a hopeful outlook on the future[2][3].
You Can Make This Place Beautiful
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Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith's "You Can Make This Place Beautiful" offers a poignant exploration of divorce and its aftermath. The book delves into the emotional complexities of separation, examining themes of grief, loss, and self-discovery. Smith's honest and vulnerable portrayal of her experiences resonates with readers who have faced similar challenges. The book explores the process of healing and rebuilding one's life after a significant loss. It offers a message of hope and resilience, reminding readers that even in the midst of pain, beauty and growth are possible.
Keep Moving
Maggie Smith
In 'Keep Moving,' Maggie Smith shares her personal journey through divorce, single parenthood, postpartum depression, anxiety, loss, and grief. The book is a compilation of daily affirmations and essays that she initially posted on social media to help herself and others move forward through difficult times. It emphasizes the importance of kindness, hope, and transformation, encouraging readers to lean into change rather than avoiding it. The book is praised for its profound insights, empathy, and honesty, making it a valuable resource for anyone struggling with grief, change, and uncertainty.
Dear Writer
Maggie Smith
Dear Writer provides tools for artists of all experience levels by breaking down creativity into ten essential elements: attention, wonder, vision, play, surprise, vulnerability, restlessness, tenacity, connection, and hope. Each element is explored through inspiring essays and generative writing prompts, making it accessible to various genres and areas of life. The book is inspired by Maggie Smith's twenty years of teaching experience and her bestselling Substack newsletter, For Dear Life.
The best writing, like the best life, thrives not on the absence of rules but on the right ones. In today’s episode, Ryan sits down with viral poet and bestselling author Maggie Smith to explore the power of restraint, the fine line between hope and cynicism, and why caring deeply is a bold act of courage.
In 2016, Maggie Smith’s poem Good Bones became a viral sensation. It was named the “Official Poem of 2016” by the Public Radio International. Maggie Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of You Could Make This Place Beautiful; My Thoughts Have Wings, a picture book illustrated by SCBWI Portfolio grand prize winner Leanne Hatch; the national bestsellers Goldenrod and Keep Moving: Notes on Loss, Creativity, and Change; as well as Good Bones, named one of the Best Five Poetry Books of 2017 by the Washington Post and winner of the 2018 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal in Poetry.
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