The Page & Podium Podcast with Dr. Amanda Nell Edgar

Tempted to use AI to write your book when you're feeling stuck, insecure, or overwhelmed? You're not alone. But what if the discomfort you're trying to avoid is actually an important part of becoming a better writer? In the final episode of our four-part series on AI in nonfiction writing, Dr. Amanda Nell Edgar shares six mindset shifts to help authors rethink the temptation to use ChatGPT, Claude...

Is using AI to brainstorm your nonfiction book really as harmless as it sounds? If you've ever told yourself, "I don't use AI to write, I just use it to organize my thoughts," this episode is for you. In part three of our four-part series on AI in nonfiction writing, Dr. Amanda Nell Edgar explores what authors might be giving up when they outsource brainstorming, content organization, and outlinin...

Want to make sure your memoir has a clear message—not just a compelling story? One of the most common problems I see with first-time memoirists is that they know what happened, but they’re less certain what they want the reader to understand because of it. In this episode, I break down the difference between your memoir’s topic and your memoir’s message, explain why you need both, and show you how...

Want to know where AI can creep into your book project—even if you never intended to use it to “write your book”? This is the second episode in my four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing, and this time I’m walking through the places I’ve actually seen AI enter authors’ projects at every stage of the publishing process. In this episode, I share real examples from writing, editing, cover desig...

Want to know whether AI has a place in your writing process? This is the first episode in a four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing, and we’re starting with the most important question: what happens when you let an LLM make creative choices for you? Before you hand over your outline, your prose, or your voice, it helps to understand what writing actually requires—and what you may lose when g...

Want to make your prose stronger at the sentence level? Before you start tweaking individual words, there’s one important rule: sentence-level editing comes last. In this episode, I explain why you should finish drafting and structural revision before you start polishing your prose—and why editing too early can actually make perfectionism worse and keep you from finishing your book. Then I walk th...

If you're writing a nonfiction book, you need an outline. Yes, even though you'll discover things as you write that you can't plan for now. Even if you already have years of content. And yes, even if you have the entire book mapped out in your head.   A strong outline gives you the 10,000-foot view of your book while you're down in the weeds writing individual sentences and chapters. It gives you...

Are You Expert Enough to Write a Book? Who are you to write a book? It’s a question I hear all the time from smart, accomplished people who have spent years—sometimes decades—building real expertise. And weirdly, the more you know, the easier it can be to convince yourself that what you know is obvious, unoriginal, or not quite enough. In this episode, I’m digging into two forces that tend to keep...

If your book has been sitting untouched for a while, there’s a good chance you’ve already tried the obvious solution: push yourself harder. Write more often. Get more disciplined. Set a deadline. Put your butt in the seat. And if that worked, great. But if it hasn’t, this episode is for you. Because one of the things I see all the time with stalled book projects is that the longer the book sits, t...

Is your book idea actually ready to become a book? One of the biggest mistakes nonfiction authors make is comparing a rough, early idea to the polished idea inside a published bestseller. But those ideas did not begin fully formed. They were refined through writing, conversation, feedback, market testing, self-reflection, and often professional support. In this episode, I share five practical ways...

Getting feedback on your nonfiction manuscript can be one of the most overwhelming parts of the writing process—but the right feedback can help you see exactly what is working, what needs attention, and what to do next. In this episode, I break down three ways to get more useful feedback on your manuscript, including who to ask, what questions to give them, and why a marked-up manuscript is not al...

Are you ready to write a book—or are you waiting to feel more qualified, more confident, or more certain first? In this episode, we’re breaking down three concrete questions that can help you decide whether you’re ready to begin your expert book. We’ll talk about how to know whether your idea is both recognizable and unique, why commitment matters more than confidence, and what your book needs to...

Traditional publishing still holds a powerful place in many authors’ imaginations. Even writers who care deeply about equity, access, and justice often find themselves wanting the validation of a traditional book deal. But what happens when the industry we’re trying to enter is built around gatekeeping? In this episode, we’re talking about alternatives to traditional publishing, the history and rh...

When your memoir feels stuck, the advice you’ll often hear is to push through. Sit down, force the words, meet the deadline, keep going no matter what. But for memoir writers, that advice can make the work harder—and the book weaker. In this episode, we’re talking about memoir writer’s block, why “pushing through” often backfires, and what to do instead. We’ll look at why a better writing process...

Writing your first memoir can feel especially unsettling because there is so much you can’t know at the beginning. Will you struggle with the outline? Will you know what to include? Will your family be upset? Will the book change the way you understand your own life? In this episode, we’re talking about what to expect when you write your first memoir—from developing your natural voice and building...

Writing can feel isolating, and many memoirists make it even harder by keeping their process completely private. But talking about your work—especially early on—is one of the most powerful habits you can build. It strengthens your clarity, deepens your confidence, and makes the entire journey more sustainable. In this episode, we’re exploring why looping your family and friends into your writing p...

Ideas feel electric when they first arrive—shiny, energizing, full of promise. But once you start trying to turn that spark into an actual memoir, the glow fades and the idea can suddenly feel heavy, ambiguous, or even burdensome. Is it really worth the effort, or was it only meant to live in your imagination? In this episode, we’re breaking down five traits of strong, marketable memoir ideas so y...

Writers often imagine the process as two extremes: totally stuck or pouring words onto the page like a divine download. And while that floodgate moment feels magical, many memoirists hit the “end” only to realize the draft that arrived so easily now feels confusing, incomplete, or not quite up to their own standards. In this episode, we’re talking about what to do after the dreamy, exhilarating ru...

There is more writing advice available than any memoir writer could ever fully consume—and somehow, it can still leave you feeling lost, overwhelmed, and underprepared. Not because the advice is bad, but because general writing advice can only take you so far. In this episode, we’re talking about why binging memoir advice can quietly become a form of procrastination, how to tell the difference bet...

You can pour hours into your memoir and still not be moving forward in any meaningful way. Sometimes the draft feels stuck, but other times the stuckness hides under all that effort—you’re writing, revising, generating pages, yet not getting any closer to the book you imagine: personal, true, and excellent. In this episode, we’re breaking down the subtle signs that your memoir might be secretly st...

Writing a memoir isn’t just about stacking sentences until you have a book—it’s about understanding the stages that shape long form work. In this episode, we break down the five stages of memoir writing—dreaming, development, drafting, revisions, and editing—and explore why clarity about each stage helps you conserve creative energy, avoid missteps, and build a stronger, more intentional manuscrip...

When you’re energized and ready to write, it’s easy to dive in without thinking about the simple systems that make a long haul writing practice sustainable. But after a break—whether a week or a year—most writers discover they first have to find everything they’ve already created. Outlines, notes, false starts, and even finished chapters can end up scattered across devices or buried in vague file...