Viral essayist, author, and writing coach Paulette Perhach wants you to get naked on the page
"Anything that I've written about has released me from it. So maybe the thing you need to do if you're scared is talk about it."
My guest this week is award-winning journalist and author, Paulette Perhach. Paulett’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Elle, and Slate, among other places, and she’s written two essays that have gone viral, including A Story of a Fuck-Off Fund which was included in the anthology Freshman Year of Life.
Paulette helps others make their way as writers, with her book about writing, called Welcome to the Writer’s Life; her five-time-a-week virtual writing salon that’s called A Very Important Meeting; various online writing classes; and as a one-on-one writing coach.
Paulette brings a ton of nitty gritty advice on actually (1) doing your writing and (2) finishing your writing, as well as a lot of wisdom and cognitive reframes to provide the wind beneath your wings. Talking with Paulette made me think she’d be an awesome writing coach.
Listen to Paulette’s episodes
Paulette Perharch, practical matters: Setting deadlines for yourself that you’ll actually honor + continuing to dream bigger as a writer
Paulette Perharch,, inner stuff: Motivating yourself with self-love vs. self-flagellation + writing with ADHD
Paulette Perharch,, what’s next:: Letting go of steady client work to focus on your own writing and offerings
Or, get the complete interview in one episode by becoming a paid subscriber and supporting my work and becoming the recipient of my undying gratitude:
We covered:
Continuing to dream bigger
What it’s like to have an essay go viral
The software she developed to help writers get organized
Her tips and tricks for making sure you do your writing–and more importantly, finish your writing
The importance of tracking your writing metrics
The trick to setting deadlines for yourself that you’ll actually honor
Why Paulette might be the next Weird Al
A rundown of all the writing tools she uses, from software to notebooks
How being a Peace Corps volunteer is like being the village idiot, and why that’s a good thing
Everything that I've accomplished has been despite having ADHD and not even knowing it, and not having any support around that. And so it's actually raised my self-esteem to get [that diagnosis] and that education.
Acclimating yourself to the vulnerability of writing (sometimes very) personal stories
Thinking about the long tail of having your work findable on the Internet and the possible ramifications of that
The link between ADHD and financial (mis)management
Getting more stuff done when you approach your work with self-love rather than self-flagellation
The wild story of how she figured out she had ADHD, and how that diagnosis has changed her reality
Her semi-famous roommate in NYC (where she moved two months ago)
Why she’s planning to quit ghostwriting and make all her money from her own writing and programs
The gift she received from a client that has her rethinking her revenue streams
Dealing with the loss that can accompany transformation
Specific things we mentioned:
Writer’s Mission Control Center, the software for writers that Paulette developed
Association of Writers and Publisher’s Conference, the annual writing conference I’d never heard of before and am now considering attending (meet you there?)
Harnessing ADHD’s Wild Horsepower, Paulette’s online course for writers with ADHD
Hugo House, a writing center in Seattle
Morning Pages, the practice from The Artist’s Way
Scrivener, the writing software Paulette swears by
Buy Biz Sell, the eBay of businesses for sale
The Rumpus’s Voices of Addiction essay series
Paula Pant, Paulette’s roommate who runs the Afford Anything podcast
Succession (show she binge watched)
I both want abundance in my life and I want to be human and not dead inside. I've seen a lot of people who make great money who have great quote great jobs that are just rotting them from the inside out.
Where to connect with Paulette
Listen to past episodes:
Kenneth C. Davis, practical matters: [How to make history come alive + an incredible pick-up line (that worked!) Ep 1155
Kenneth C. Davis, inner stuff: A chills-inducing pep talk for reading + taking aim at American exceptionalism Ep 1156
Kenneth C. Davis, what’s next: [Kenneth C. Davis: what’s coming up]: Amazing story of how learning something new can profoundly change your life Ep 1157
Jeremy Dauber, practical matters: Reframing Failure as Lack of Success
Jeremy Dauber, inner stuff: Taking Aim at the myth of the difficult genius
Jeremy Dauber, what’s next: how to save the humanities (or at least try)
Vanessa Lillie, practical matters: Basically, a masterclass on how to evolve your mindset
Vanessa Lillie, inner stuff: The thrill of writing about your family and cultural history, and the total fear of writing getting it wrong
Vanessa Lillie, what’s next: So many great recommendations for books, shows, movies