OUT NOW - A very special episode!!
Host Pamela Cook sits down with authors Alli Sinclair and Michelle Barraclough for a lively chat about what writers can learn from Taylor Swift — from the art of emotional honesty and lyrical precision to the genius of bridges, Easter eggs, and reinvention.
They dive into Taylor’s storytelling craft, her bold business choices, and how her evolution as an artist mirrors the creative journey of writers everywhere. Expect fangirling, craft talk, and plenty of inspiration for finding your own rhythm in writing and life.
Timestamps:
[00:00] Introduction & Acknowledgement of Country
[03:00] Podcast updates, Substack perks, and upcoming guests
[07:00] Meet the guests: Alli Sinclair & Michelle Barraclough
[09:00] Taylor Swift’s storytelling genius
[14:00] What makes us Swifties — music, emotion & connection
[18:00] Emotional honesty in writing
[22:00] Conciseness and the art of lyricism
[26:00] Storytelling lessons from Folklore and Evermore
[31:00] The bridge as a turning point — parallels in fiction
[38:00] Literary and pop-culture references in songwriting
[43:00] The art of light and shade in storytelling
[46:00] Easter eggs, foreshadowing, and narrative payoff
[54:00] Owning your creative rights — lessons from “Taylor’s Version”
[59:00] Branding, authenticity, and community-building
[1:04:00] Evolution, work ethic, and writing inspiration
[1:07:00] Wrap-up and bonus chat preview
SHOW NOTES:
Writes4Women
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Substack: https://writes4women.substack.com/
Alli Sinclair
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Michelle Barraclough
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Michelle Barraclough: Click here
Writers' Book Club Podcast: click here
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Pamela Cook
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This episode produced by Pamela Cook for Writes4Women on unceded Dharawal Country.
Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/writes4women?fan_landing=true
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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