Welcome!
If you want to write about a tough personal experience and don’t know where to start or quake every time you try to speak your truth, you’ve come to the right place.
If you’ve been working on a memoir and fallen into a trauma vortex, felt baffled by the ways you sabotage yourself, frustrated by how damn hard it is to make sense of what happened, found yourself drowning in feelings of failure or inadequacy, or felt retraumatized by the writing or publishing process, I’m here for you.
For much of my life, I wrote and edited projects on the side. But I couldn’t permit myself to work on my own projects.
In 2012, I contracted Lyme disease. I didn’t yet know it was my body’s way of getting my attention. But in 2014, after two years of trying to will my body to recover as I continued to work, I sat in a hotel room and stared at my jaundiced face and sunken eyes. I had a choice: keep heading toward what might soon be my death, or pause, rest, and. head my inner call.
Writing saved me. It helped me heal, find my voice, and harness my power. I now teach writing and work as a trauma-informed writing coach to pay forward the gifts of mentorship, knowledge, and support I was given.
Like the individual and group work I do, I want this Substack to be not just a safe space, but a brave space, where we have honest conversations about the writing process, embrace both the hard and humorous parts of this journey, and explore concrete, actionable writing advice and tips that help you achieve your dreams.
Why subscribe?
My mission is to ensure everyone has access to practical, actionable, grounded, and whenever possible, scientifically driven advice that helps them ground their nervous systems, make sense of their experiences, and follow their passions.
As a result, 95% of my posts will always be free. I hope this Substack becomes a place where you feel seen, heard, and understood as you work to achieve your writing goals. Your subscription makes me feel seen and signals that we’re walking this journey together.
Paid subscribers will receive the added benefit of sharing their publications with our community, attending quarterly Ask Me Anything sessions, and subscriber-only workshops.
But no matter why you read this, I hope you use it to carve out your brave space, craft the story you’re meant to tell, and use both the information you receive and the power of this community to always write on.
Warmly,
Lisa Cooper Ellison
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