As an editor and submissions reader, I’ve reviewed hundreds of manuscripts, and over the years, I’ve learned a few things about writing engaging stories. In this episode, I share two reasons why stories get rejected and how to fix them.

In this episode, Stephanie Watterson (writer, editor, and mixed media artist) and I discuss the importance of evolving as artists and embracing one’s differences.

Stephanie reminisces on painting on the glass doors of her childhood home and shares a touching piece of advice her dad shared with her about being the weird one. In Stephanie's words, "Nobody has your brain, nobody has your heart, nobody has what you have. And even if you're the weird kid, there's a reason why you're the weird kid. You'll find your tribe, you'll find your species."

Artist’s links

• Visit Stephanie’s website: https://contentauthoring.com/
• Follow Stephanie on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-c-watterson-648a60315/

Host’s links

• Follow Lola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewordcaps/
• Follow Journey of the Art on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/
• Sign up for the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hRzE5z

On this inaugural episode, I chat with Samuel Kolawole, Assistant Professor of English and African Studies at Pennsylvania State University and author of the forthcoming novel The Road to the Salt Sea. Listen as we chat about Samuel’s beginnings as a writer, his writing studio for upcoming writers, and his MFA experience. In our extensive discussion about his forthcoming novel, we tried our very best not to give anything away and even spoke some Yoruba! Artist’s links

• Order a copy of The Road to the Salt Sea: https://samuelkolawole.com/the-road-to-the-salt-sea
• Read Samuel’s story in the New England Review: https://samuelkolawole.com/other-work/blog-post-title-one-px5xj
• Read Samuel’s short story, Sweet, sweet strawberry taste: https://agnionline.bu.edu/fiction/sweet-sweet-strawberry-taste/
• Visit Samuel’s website: http://samuelkolawole.com/
• Follow Samuel on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/samkolawole/)

Host's links

• Follow Lola on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewordcaps/
• Follow the show on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/journeyoftheartpod/
• Visit the website: http://wordcaps.com/
• Sign up for the newsletter: http://eepurl.com/hRzE5z