Episode 154 - Dawn Chalker - Writing What You Know
Dawn Chalker wrote her first novel in fifth grade, finding inspiration from real life. That curiosity, creativity and imagination has continued throughout her life, drawing stories from journeys in nature. The northern Michigan-based writer based her recent novel, Bear Me in Mind, on a real-life encounter with a bear in Alaska and also her love for British detective shows. She also writes children’s books.
In the latest episode of the Make Meaning Podcast, host Lynne Golodner interviews Dawn about the joys of writing, the importance of writing what you know, her publishing choices, and how she promotes her books.
In this episode, Lynne and Dawn discuss:
Writing a first novel in fifth grade before YA was a genre
Writing as mindfulness
Finding inspiration for books and diving into research to build a story
Writing what you know and doing research
Basing characters on people
Finding the best beta readers
Respecting the writer and understanding their goals
The importance of doing your own book marketing
Being more creative when writing by hand
Links and Resources:
Hepatica Books
Mendenhall Glacier
Where’s the Vacation?
Bear Me In Mind
Northwestern Michigan College
Leelanau Peninsula
Michigan Writers
Traverse City Area District Library
Find Dawn Chalker:
Website
If you enjoyed this episode, you’ll like these other Make Meaning Podcast episodes:
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Episode 129 – Rosina Lippi – Author of the Wilderness Series
Episode 122 – Valoree Gagnon & Karena Schmidt – On the Food & Culture of Indigenous Gardens
Episode 105 – Helen Taylor & Gina Nicholas – How to Really Protect the Environment by Being a True Part of it
Episode 49 – Dennis van Englesdorp, Nicole Lindsey & DeAndra LeMelle – Saving the Bees
Episode 145 – CL Walters - Young Adult & New Adult Fiction from Hawaii
Episode 144 – Danny Hankner - Founding Story Unlikely
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Episode 142 – Announcing Scotia Road Books
Episode 141 – Tom Sleigh– A Lifetime of Poetry
Episode 140 – Minda Zetlin – On ASJA, Leadership & Writing for Inc.
Episode 139 – Desiree Cooper – Being “Genre Agnostic”
Episode 138 – Sara Bennett Wealer – Connecting with YA Readers
Episode 137 – Christopher P. Locke – Breathtaking Essays & Stories
Episode 136 – Tammy Pasterick – Writing & Publishing Your Way
Episode 135 – Camille Pagan – Making Writing Your Career
Episode 134 – Andrew McDiarmid – Simply Scottish
Episode 133 – Sara Henning – Poetry about Loss & Redemption
Episode 132 – Merryn Glover – Literary Fiction about Place
Weina Dai Randel
Merle Saferstein
Rosina Lippi a.k.a. Sara Donati
Episode 128 – Becky Robinson – Building Reach for Books
Episode 127 – Ly Tran – Writing Unapologetically
Episode 126 – Indigo Willing – Skateboarding, Community & Consent
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