Nathan Bransford is the writer's champion, offering A to Z advice for writers about the craft of storytelling, finding an agent, navigating the publishing industry, and everything writers need to make their dreams come true. Don't leave if you're not a writer, though! This episode is for anyone who loves the stories people tell about their varied career paths. Nathan has amazing advice about determining your values and making them the pillars to build your work and life around. Everything that matters to us can exist in one integrated ecosystem that we build and refine as we go. Nathan believes in Extreme Calendaring to make this possible, i.e., if it's important to you, put it on your calendar. Nathan also has a sad/sweet childhood story about the beloved author Roald Dahl. And, along with all the talk of meaning and values, Nathan and I speak tongue in cheek about the sweet, sweet joy of money. It's all in this amazing episode with author, editor, and uncredited life coach Nathan Bransford.

Chapters
00:23 Who is Nathan Bransford
3:34 Nathan's early career as a literary agent
8:11 Writing dreams and Roald Dahl!
11:51 What is a literary agent?
13:27 Starting his website/insider tips for writers
18:21 Leaving the literary agent gig
24:42 Work Pivots - CNET, Bridgewater, and more
36:15 Riding the waves vs. charting a course
41:25 A new career driven by values and meaning
47:36 Building the ecosystem (it's all connected)
52:10 Prioritizing meaning (with values pillars)
57:21 Nathan's editing/coaching services
1:04:39 Putting creative time in the ecosystem
1:11:10 What Nathan does for fun (World Cup!)
1:15:18 Why do we write?
1:22:35 Be the protagonist/hero of your own life
1:34:32 Extreme Calendaring (It worked for me)

Links:
Nathan's website: https://nathanbransford.com/
One of my favorite posts by Nathan, How To Live Creatively: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2023/01/how-to-live-creatively

Nathan's How To Write a Novel: https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/10/my-guide-to-writing-a-novel

Nathan's Jacob Wonderbar series:

• https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2010/08/jacob-wonderbar-and-cosmic-space-kapow
• https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2012/03/jacob-wonderbar-for-president-of-3
• https://nathanbransford.com/blog/2013/02/jacob-wonderbar-and-interstellar-time

Rock Paper Tiger by Lisa Brackman: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209739/rock-paper-tiger-by-lisa-brackmann/

We Need Diverse Books: https://www.diversebooks.org/

Pitchfork (where Nathan finds new music): https://pitchfork.com/best/

I Do This For a Living is independently produced.

@serenitylive