"Daughters of Nantucket" author Julie Gerstenblatt wants you to carry on and keep writing
“It's not so much that I'm better at writing, I'm just more comfortable in my skin as a writer.”
This week I am talking with Julie Gerstenblatt, whose debut novel, Daughters of Nantucket, came out last year and was included in several most anticipated lists for 2023.
Prior to writing novels, Julie was a middle school English teacher and earned her PhD so that she could teach at the college level, but she ended up leaving teaching because she wanted to be a novelist. (Her story of how she admitted this desire to herself–and her advisors–during her PhD dissertation is incredible!)
Listen to Julie’s episodes:
Julie Gerstenblatt, practical matters: On writing novels that will never be published + stepping out into a new genre
Julie Gerstenblatt, inner stuff: A ninja mind trick for making a daily writing goal seem easy + why you should show *and* tell
Julie Gerstenblatt, what’s next: How to approach writing about something you have little firsthand experience of + the magic of a Disney soundtrack
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We covered:
The many contemporary novel manuscripts she wrote but could not sell
How combining something new (historical fiction) with something she knew well and loved (Nantucket) led to selling her book to a publisher
How she kept writing “Daughters of Nantucket” even after her agent broke up with her
Making time to write amidst teaching middle school, writing a PhD dissertation, and having three young kids
The specifics of her morning routine and how she gets warmed up to write
How she gets herself to leave the house
How she’s convinced herself that her daily word count goal is much easier than it actually is (this is a cool Jedi mind trick) and the pep talks she gives herself
“I can't have anything in my brain except for maybe a little bit of like the Today Show with my coffee. I can't engage in conversation with people really before I get down to work.
Once I'm at the desk, I don't force myself to get into serious writing right away. I read my old pages from the day before. I'll look back at a scene. I'll dabble with changing a word here or there. It's kind of like a warm-up before exercise.”
The part of writing her next book that is really freaking her out–and how she’s dealing with it
How her writing group is structured (I totally want to steal this)
The absolute mind trip of becoming an empty nester
Why she thinks the writing advice to “show don’t tell” is overrated and misinterpreted
How her Myers-Briggs personality plays out in her home life and work life
All the places she’s researching maritime history as she works on her next book, which involves a sailing trip to China
Her favorite books on writing and creativity
Creating structure for herself now that her kids are out of the house
Trying to figure out how to spend more time in her happy place, AKA Nantucket
The show and the books that are keeping her up too late because they’re just so good
Why she’s still listening to Disney soundtracks even though her kids are grown and flown
Specific things we discussed:
Grub Street writing workshops in Boston
“Mutiny on the Bounty” — the movie Julie watched for research that her husband totally got sucked into, too
Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts
The RISD Museum in Providence, Rhode Island
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City
Dani Shapiro — writer, writing teacher, and yoga teacher
Kripalu — the retreat center in the Berkshires
Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life (10th Anniversary Edition) by Dani Shapiro
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
How to Be Old: Lessons in Living Boldly from the Accidental Icon by Lyn Slater
The “Moana” Soundtrack
Pizza Marvin in Providence
Where to find Julie
Julie on Instagram
Listen to past episodes:
Lisa Tener, practical matters: The tools that help Lisa get her writing done + an easy and fun physical exercise that gets you in the flow
Lisa Tener, inner stuff: Practical ways to get out of the fear of not making enough money + embracing surrender
Lise Tener, what’s next: The simple shift that “makes life juicier” + a recipe for Lisa’s all-time favorite tea
Full show notes for Lisa Tener
Donna Russo, practical matters: Writing through trauma + taking yourself seriously as a writer in a culture that doesn’t value artists
Donna Russo, inner stuff: How to get yourself psyched to start a new project + stay steady through the pre-release nerves
Donna Russo, what’s coming up: How to keep writing fresh (11 books in) + a love song to lobster
Marlon Weems, practical matters: Writing in odd places, at odd times, using only your phone
Marlon Weems, inner stuff: Turns out growing up Black in the South in the 60s is excellent training for writing about topics that tend to invite trolls
Marlon Weems, what’s next: Manifesting an appearance on "Good Morning America" + the two wildly different songs that get Marlon moving