Episode 93: On Writing

Nov 4

Have you ever dreamed about writing a book or having your work published in one of your favorite magazines? There are so many different ways of expressing yourself when it comes to writing. On today’s episode of Euphoric The Podcast, Karolina and Danielle share their collective writing journeys through the lens of becoming alcohol-free. Listen in and learn how to get back into writing when you’re in a rut, the discipline it takes, and how you can reconnect with your story. Tap into your creativity and cultivate bravery to share your work with the world.

Karolina’s new book Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You, made bestseller status on Amazon! Sign up today to be part of her Euphoric Book Launch Inner Circle. When you preorder the book and sign up for the team, you'll get an advanced reader copy to read as early as today. You'll also get some cool bonuses and a chance for an author Q&A! Expand your network and meet other incredible alcohol-free badasses. You also get a behind the scenes look at what goes into a book launch. All that’s asked in return is a review of the book and sharing it with your friends.

The gift of being alcohol-free and reconnecting to creativity

Growing up I always had a vision of being a writer. Recently, I discovered my old journals from when I was a child, including poems and plays that I wrote. In college as I began drinking more, my writing habit very quickly faded away. As I began my alcohol-free journey, this important and life-giving art form came flooding back, and I have been consistently writing ever since.

Danielle had a similar experience to me. She was a prolific journaler all through high school, then during college as she began drinking, her entries became far less frequent as her priorities shifted. Revisiting her old journals, she can easily see the role of alcohol in stifling her creativity.

As alcohol became more prominent in her life, Danielle even noticed how repetitive her writing became as she journaled her frustration with her own drinking and unhealthy patterns. Entering her alcohol-free life, this very quickly shifted.

Danielle constantly had new thoughts and experiences going through my head. With an influx of emotions and excitement, she just had to put pen to paper and write out what she was experiencing.

Both Danielle and I have come to realize what is needed for each of us to stay true to our passion of writing:

Danielle’s philosophy encompasses three things: time, energy, and creativity. While she was drinking, she would often have one or two of these things, but rarely all three.

For me to write and create, I need discipline, bravery, and a willingness to trust my intuition. This also comes with a sense of honesty and vulnerability. I’ve learned to allow myself to be guided by my intuition.

Just start; no pressure, no expectations

My journey of writing since going alcohol-free started with journaling, which then evolved into creating my website and starting a blog, which led to posting on social media. From there I began creating the first draft of my book, which evolved into my soon-to-be published book, Euphoric: Ditch Alcohol and Gain a Happier, More Confident You.

When Danielle first quit drinking, she was inspired to start a private blog of her own, processing her experiences and realizations.

Over the past four years she has submitted her stories to different online platforms and magazines. Getting rejections left her downtrodden and self-doubting. Encouraged by reading The Artist’s Way, Danielle was able to continue her writing journey. Now, in addition to writing about sobriety and recovery, she is exploring non-fiction and recently had an investigative journalism piece published in San Diego.

Everyone who has a passion for writing will have different experiences, successes, and setbacks. The important thing is to not give up on yourself!

Remember that you are not writing for everyone. Ask yourself who your ideal reader is. It can be helpful to take away the pressure when you know you don’t have to please everyone.

And if you want to be prolific, you have to let go of your ability to be perfect. This can be really freeing. Don’t worry about the little edits or the punctuation - just write.

I encourage you to take the risk, write the blog or the book, and fearlessly submit to publishers or magazines. One day when you get your “Yes!” it will make any rejection and all the vulnerability completely worth it!

Give yourself the freedom to make moves

Do you have a dream of publishing a book or having work in a magazine? If you’re hoping to make moves in your writing career, whatever that means for you, we have some tips for you.

Tip number one is to simply write. You need to start somewhere. Whether it’s a blog or a personal journal, getting your thoughts, ideas, and creativity out and in a tangible form can be incredibly helpful!

Another great way to grow is through writing workshops. Finding a writers group or program that can challenge and encourage you will help you evolve as a writer, as well as broaden your network of fellow creatives.

It seems silly, but even tapping into the social media universe and writing consistent Instagram or Facebook posts is a low barrier to getting your words into the public eye while fine tuning your skills.

Once you’re back in the habit of writing, you may find yourself even more motivated to go after that dream and publish your work.

Think about a journal or magazine you would love to be published in and look up their submission guidelines. From there, you may realize it’s not as daunting as you thought. Next, research how to pitch your writing to a publisher or company.

Gathering the information can take away the overwhelm of the process. Once you have the details you may feel that much more emboldened to make a submission.

Give yourself permission to get curious about publishing. Taking it one step at a time and learning the process is an empowering way to support you in pursuing your dream as a writer.

“The bravest thing you can do is to just keep writing and, and as hard as it is, just not think of the end product until you get to the end, and you're really fine tuning it. But until then, just sit down and write, every single day.” Danielle Baldino

“This is a time to just get to know yourself better, to really harness and get clarity about your thoughts and your feelings and emotions. Because alcohol has been numbing those for so long. And so journaling is a beautiful practice to rediscover yourself, rediscover what you really want, rediscover what you need, and really get the bravery to start going after it.” Karolina Rzadkowolska