Marc Graham on Reclaiming the Power of Myth — The Writing Coach 102

January 4, 2020

Welcome to The Writing Coach. On this podcast, I speak with the instructors, editors, coaches, and mentors who help writers and authors create their art, build their audience, and sell their work.

In episode #102 of The Writing Coach podcast, I speak with author and story coach Marc Graham.

Marc is an actor, speaker, story coach, shamanic practitioner, and whiskey aficionado. His first novel, Of Ashes and Dust, won the Paul Gillette Memorial Writing Contest and National Writers Association Manuscript Contest.

When struggling to write a later novel, he turned to one of the most ancient forms of storytelling for inspiration: mythology. Graham discovered that Norse runes (an ancient form of divination) can play an effective role in killing writer’s block. He demonstrates the technique in his new book, Runes for Writers: Boost Your Creativity and Destroy Writer’s Block.

During our discussion, Marc describes:

How a traditional Christian upbringing eventually led to a wider exploration of spiritual beliefs and a search for universal truths
The challenges and joys of writing historical fiction
How conventional storytellers can engage in the same creatives practices as the ancient and modern shaman of indigenous civilizations to deepen their writing
Techniques for effectively working research into your fiction writing
How synchronicities help point him in the direction of what story he should pursue next
The power myth and story, and how it can play a role in helping to heal the world’s social ills
And much more!

Click below to listen now: