41 | How Sue Monk Kidd Listens to her Soul (And You Can Too)

Sue Monk Kidd is one of the world's most beloved writers, occupying a rare intersection of critical and commercial success writers dream of. 

 

Perhaps most recognized for her #1 New York Times Bestsellers, The Secret Life of Bees, which went on to become the basis for a blockbuster movie, and The Invention of Wings, her earlier works, When the Heart Waits, an autobiographical account of a spiritual awakening, and Dance of the Dissident Daughter, a memoir that explores feminist theology, were groundbreaking for millions of seekers too.

 

And yet, she's still willing to acknowledge how hard it is to start a new project. Sue says that every time she sits down to start a new project, she feels like a beginner. Fortunately, she listens to her soul and her craft, and together, they get here there.

 

Jen and Sue also discuss:

 

• How Sue consistently taps into what women are feeling and experiencing
• Recurring themes throughout her body of work
• How writing memoir helped her find courage and freed her to write fiction
• How she pivoted in her spiritual life but maintained her creative beacons
• Writing as an act of courage that serves your soul
• Why Sue believes our salvation is in our imagination
• The importance of writing what you deeply care about 
• Creativity as playing with what you love 
• The two questions to ask yourself when starting a novel
• Using imagery and collages as part of the writing process 
• Why Sue still feels like a beginner 
• How she dealt with the staggering success of The Secret Life of Bees
• How perfectionism stymies writing
• Method and mystery, beginning the writing process, and writing rituals
• Doing research for historical fiction
• What Sue would say to her younger self
• Reflecting on her spiritual path
• The importance of the simplicity of being
• Creating as a spiritual act, writing as prayer
• Transitioning between projects
• The tension and energy that goes into writing a book

Get a copy of Sue's books here:

 

The Secret Life of Bees

Amazon
Bookshop

 

The Invention of Wings

Amazon
Bookshop

 

When the Heart Waits

Amazon
Bookshop

 

Visit jenniferlouden.com/podcastkit to get instant access to a collection of audios that will

• help you with some of the most common struggles we creatives have to manage including fear of choosing,
• falling into compare and despair, managing the inner critic (s),
• and feeling too exposed and vulnerable when you put yourself or your work into the world.