I usually feel pretty self-conscious writing these intros. Writing anything, really. But after talking to Paul and getting to understand how he approaches writing, language, and creativity, I’m feeling much better.
An educator gifted with almost mystical levels of patience (he did my show, after all), I was lucky enough to meet Paul through an after school program that Page 15 was running. Luckily for us, not so much for them, my son and his friend pretty much had Paul to themselves, and they loved it.
It seems appropriate to reflect on what I learned from this interview. A lot about how trauma affects the brain. A different way to approach writing (reps versus content). How to be a great guest, really listening and answering questions thoughtfully.
Listen, it’s good stuff. I’m a better person for having heard it. You likely will be too.
0:00 – Meet Paul Driscoll! I get to know him through a little game called Sweetness or Light.
3:54 – “This is a great question because I’m not sure of which generation I’m supposed to be affiliated.”
7:08 – “Yeah, we’re digging, and it’s early. I didn’t expect to go this deep right away.”
10:33 – “Is that the case always with an origin story? Let’s go deeper.”
14:09 – “I do, I like control. Especially in the vehicle.”
19:13 – “These are really hard-hitting questions.”
21:29 – “Why? Why colonize Mars? Have you seen Mars?”
25:56 – We get into how Paul got to Page 15, and some of the work(s) they’re doing over there.
28:42 – “I wanted to just be more creative, and I wanted to create more inspiring opportunities for kids.”
31:42 – “My courses are never driven by content necessarily, but by reps.”
35:49 – “I always had a nagging part of me that was somewhat motivated by being competitive and also a belief in young people.”
41:01 – “When you’re coming of age, that burning, so intensely, in everything.”
43:48 – Bad Business Ideas™ are here to help! A restaurant chain that changes its theme every three months, or time traveling to help writers? Which will Paul choose?
46:36 – “Sit back down Paul, because I don’t want you falling over when you hear this next part.”
50:10 – “Pretend you’re in the business world. I know you’re an educator.”
52:23 – “What do writers have a ton of? Right, incredible and crippling insecurities.”
54:36 – “Am I supposed to invest in this idea?”
58:06 – Camps, contests, and more at Page 15.
1:02:40 – “They’re a fantastic press. They definitely need support from the community because we have five publishers in the United States. That’s all we have left.”
1:05:20 – “That was a really interesting part of the tragedy and something I lean on is how triumphant I thought the community had been.”
1:10:46 – “It could’ve been the most important thing in the world – it probably was – 24 hours ago. But now they totally moved to something different.”
1:15:24 – “It was incredible how valuable just the writing process was for growth and healing.”
1:17:07 – “What writing does, and therapeutic writing does, it gives your brain permission to go back to those events and create the narrative on your own terms.”
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