Welcome to "Work in Progress"
Amanda McNeil on her essay collection-turned-maybe-memoir
Drum roll, please!
I’m excited to release my first “Work in Progress” episode. For this ongoing series within the podcast, I will periodically check in with writers still at the figuring-it-out stage — like me — to give voice to the trials and triumphs that come before the book deal. (I’ll be back on Thursday with another author interview.)
The first edition features my friend Amanda McNeil, a hilarious cat mom and kinkster based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Amanda McNeil wrote a draft of an essay collection during the first year of the pandemic — we took Catapult’s 12-Month Essay Generator workshop together — and then sat on it. Now she’s gearing up to write another draft and wondering if maybe it’s a memoir, or at least she’s wondering if that will help sell the book. We talk about all this and the necessary evil of querying. Plus, you’ll hear Amanda read an excerpt from her essay aptly titled “Butt Stuff” with some pretty fantastic sound design if I do say so myself.
Here’s a lil preview on the benefits of taking a break for a while:
“I think that actually ended up being really good because now the material has some distance. So when I read it, I kind of forget that I wrote a lot of it. It feels like a different person wrote it, so I can really be more objective with myself and be like, Well, this is boring. I'm just less attached to the material.”
Where I write:
I'm asking each guest to give us a peek behind the scenes. This is Amanda’s sunny writing nook:
Episode links:
🏃♀️ Follow Amanda on Twitter @GingerMidwest and Instagram @texasamanda.
💌 Sign up for Amanda’s Substack UNHINGED: crafts and thoughts.
📖 Read Amanda’s InsideHook article “What Goes on at a Southern Wisconsin Sex Party?” and an excerpt from her work in progress entitled “Emotional Support Fantasy” via Catapult.
🎧 And, of course, pop in those earbuds and listen to Work in Progress: Amanda McNeil on "Thank You, I Still Hate Myself" on your favorite podcast platform.
Online reading about writing:
The Permanence of Paper Ephemera - I’m also obsessed with ephemera, so I adored this meditation on paper, nostalgia, and the ability to hold the past in your hand by Taz Ahmed.
The Queen Of Writing The Beautiful Mundane - A reminder to tune into "the small sticky moments” from Kelsey McKinney's reading of Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen.
Who Can Write About What? A Conversation With Roxane Gay and Jay Caspian Kang. - This one’s more of a listen than a read (unless you want to read the transcript), but a thought-provoking conversation nonetheless.
Other works of note and inspo I’m diggin’:
Welcome to Provincetown - It’s Pride szn, and this gorgeous podcast hosted by award-winning documentarian Mitra Kaboli takes listeners inside a seaside gay mecca that swells from 3,000 to 60,000 for the summer to “unlock the secrets to growing old and gay.” Kudos to EP Benjamin Riskin; this podcast is the perfect summer vibe!
The Kardashians - Listen, I’m basic AF, and I love to see the Kardashian fam thriving, so OF COURSE I’m all caught up and watched the finale. It seems like the girls finally hit their limit on the boyfriend/husband drama — they’re learning their worth in relationships and accepting nothing less. Yass kweens, I’m here for it!
Consider asking this question the next time you meet with a potential agent or editor, courtesy of Vanessa Chan and Gina Chung:
Until next time, HAPPY BLEEDING!
So… ROLL CALL! 🗣️
Do YOU have a work in progress? If so, drop a quick note about your project in the comments.
Let’s connect on social media! I’m at @courtneykocak on Twitter and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.