Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of “Ask Me Anything” questions about the minutiae of writing about - while living amid - collapse. I try to cover most of these kinds of questions as we work through the Book Serialisation process, but a few get left behind. And so this week’s Wild episode covers these off.
If you’ve JUST landed here on my Substack page, a hearty welcome to you. You can join 55,000 other subscribers by clicking that yellow button below. You’ll be invited to upgrade (sorry to have to use such commercial language) to a paid subscription. But Please Know: You absolutely don’t have to.
Of course, you can just cut straight to the first handful of chapters that are totally free for everyone:
However if you do cough up as a paid subscriber, you’ll be able to join the whole Book Serialisation project, contributing to content, joining a community of 2000 very caring, discerning, like-minded thinkers, as well as getting access to meet-ups and bonus episodes etc. Plus, you enable me to keep writing the blessed things!
Oh, and going forward, the AMA (Ask Me Anything) episodes will appear only here on Substack, for reasons that will become clear soon.
OK, so here are the questions posted by subscribers that I answer in the video above (thank you to the women below for such wonderful, caring enquiry, BTW!):
I have often wondered how this serialisation and commentary affects your creative flow and what processes you need to put in place?
On writing - I would love to know how you go about teasing out your core themes/threads/mantras with a subject so all-encompassing?
Regarding adapting to collapse: what does it look like to develop the maturity to sit in discomfort and own the moral injury we feel and that we are inflicting on future generations, while also locating in ourselves the authentic place from which to truly possess childlike curiosity and wonder? Is it even helpful to think of these things as polarities? I hope I'm making sense and that this is not too esoteric.
Hi Sarah, in your discussion with Jem Bendell, you mention how you have both experienced vagus nerve collapse in the process of becoming collapse aware. Are you able to share a bit more about your experience? I think I'm also experiencing some vagal nerve-related issues as a result of my recent research. Yoga always helps but I would be grateful for any advice or insights you have on navigating the wobbliness. Thank you!
I'm faced with the reality of death on a daily basis as a hospital healthcare worker (for almost two decades now), but I feel like it's slapped me in the face more potently than ever this year, which does nothing for my general anxiety. I do whatever I can not to think about death too much, but I've found some comfort in the episodes you do on this topic periodically (currently listening to the one with Frank Ostaseski), so thank you for that. I've noticed you often say you aren't afraid of your own death - forgive me if you've already covered this elsewhere, but I'm curious as to how you've arrived at this? (Especially as someone who struggles with anxiety?)
The links I mention:
There are a number of Wild episodes about facing death:
This is all for now. Current subscribers, please do welcome new folk here in the comments, if it feels appropriate.
Sarah xx
Q: How do you actually write a book about collapse...in real time?