Summary: This week on the Strocel.com Podcast I’m speaking with Kate Hopper. She’s a writing instructor, blogger and the author of Use Your Words: A Writing Guide for Mothers. As a blogger, I get a fair number of pitches. When I got the pitch for Use Your Words, I was intrigued. However, I didn’t fully understand from the email what the book was about. I thought maybe I would skim through my review copy to prepare for my podcast with Kate, and then pass it along. Once I held it in my hands and started looking at it, though, I knew I was keeping it. This book is part writing anthology, part writing text, and part literary coach. Each chapter contains pieces from published authors, writing craft tips, and writing exercises. Whether you’re thinking you’d like to start a blog, you’re a blogger who’d like to take your writing to another platform, or you’d just like to improve your writing, you’ll find something in Kate’s book. I was excited to have the chance to sit down and chat with Kate. We talked about a whole lot of things: why writing about motherhood isn’t taken seriously, how mothers can hone their writing, how to find time to write when you have a whole lot of other commitments on your plate, and how you share your story while honouring your children’s privacy. As a writing teacher who runs classes specifically for mothers, Kate had a lot of great tips and ideas to share. She inspired me to work on my own writing, and I’m feeling pretty grateful for that. You don’t have to be a blogger or a paid writer to put your words to paper or keyboard. As parents, recording our family memoirs is a great idea whether you share them publicly or not. Kate can help you get started, and give you tools so that the finished result is something your kids will really enjoy reading someday. Whether you’re a writer or not, I think you’ll find something to take away from this podcast. I enjoyed recording it immensely. While the sound quality is a little lacking, I hope you’ll take the time to listen, because the take-aways will be worth it: I’m working on several interviews for next week, and I’m not completely positive which one will be running first. I do promise that whatever it is, it will be worth tuning in for. Subscribe to the Strocel.com Podast in iTunes and you won’t miss a minute! Also, if you have a podcast idea, please share it with me. I’d love to hear your suggestions.
