Since this show involves both work me and writing me, the interview is attributed to my full name. We will pretend it’s E. M. Williams as usual. My pseudonym is more about being intentional regarding which part of my life I’m speaking to than an attempt to conceal my gender or create iron-clad anonymity, but that’s a whole other discussion.

The episode originally aired on August 14 and runs for about 40 minutes. Here’s where you can listen:

• Apple
• Spotify
• Amazon Music

On Learning with Lerner, Lindsey interviews unconventional leaders who have blazed trails in a variety of ways. Her goal is to challenge norms, explore unique journeys, and ignite personal growth for the show’s audience.

Lindsey and I connected on email after I heard Johnathan and Melissa Nightingale on her podcast earlier in the year. I enjoyed Lindsey’s interviewing style so much that pitching my own story was the next logical step.

We ended up having a great conversation about leadership, mentorship, learning how to do hard things by doing them before you feel ready, crowdfunding, launching a consultancy, cracking my own creative productivity code to write Chaos Calling, and why I don’t think you have to suffer to make art.

Who is this conversation for?

Anyone pursuing an unconventional path who wants to hear more from people with similar ambitions in adjacent fields.

Topics we covered on the Learning with Lerner Podcast

• 1:55 — Living in Toronto and a bit about my family history, along with my childhood desire to write
• 3:00 — Integrating creativity without bankrupting your existence; the myth of artistic suffering; Big Magic
• 9:50 — How I cracked the secret to figuring out my creative productivity process; the ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ story; Chaos Calling’s origins in movement and Wattpad
• 16:40 — Being a woman in a field dominated by men; working in tech and academia; how those experiences informed Dave Montcalm’s and Jason Lin’s storylines; using commuting and consulting to make art
• 24:00 — What my typical day looks like now
• 25:20 — Changes in technology and research across my working life
• 26:50 — Mentorship’s role in my career and why I believe in giving back; working with Growclass
• 28:00 — How crowdfunding helped me develop the skills to launch a self-published book
• 32:00 — I pitch Chaos Calling to Lindsey’s listeners
• 33:35 — My career advice on how to go rogue and work for yourself
• 35:45 — Telling people what you do when you have multiple career pursuits; being comfortable with self promotion
• 37:00 — Best and worst career advice I ever got; inspiration is super weird

For more, you can follow Lindsey and the Learning with Lerner podcast:

• Instagram: @lindseylerner
• LinkedIn: Lindsey Lerner

The post I’m on Learning with Lerner! appeared first on E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author.

There’s something special about visiting a campus in the fall. It’s always a treat to see how much the campus has changed since I graduated. I also enjoyed meeting my peers. We took questions about our experiences as students, and talked about our post-Waterloo careers.

Waterloo’s Arts Faculty also featured Chaos Calling in:

1. The ever-popular Class Notes section.
2. Books by Waterloo’s Arts alumni. I’d heard of Julie Cole’s Mabel’s Labels (find me a Greater Toronto parent who hasn’t), and read Rupi Kaur‘s poetry before. Sabrina Rizk, listed here for her children’s book, also shared a house with me and other students for several terms.

Studying at the University of Waterloo was a formative experience for me. While I didn’t study creative writing, I learned a lot of writing and business skills that have carried me through several careers.

I knew early on in Chaos Calling‘s development that Dave would have a software background and that he’d founded a company. I wanted him to have a great campus environment, preferably at a school where I’d spent a lot of time. (It sure does cut down on the research.)

While I didn’t study engineering or math myself, I ended up working with many people who did. Making him a fellow Waterloo alum just made sense.

Thank you to Phoebe Wong and the Arts Faculty team for inviting me!

The post University of Waterloo’s Arts Faculty features Chaos Calling appeared first on E.M. Williams - Fantasy Author.