the Inspirited Word
Soulful creative support for visionary writers ready to reclaim the radical, transformative magic in their storytelling
Homepage copy


If you’re a writer, you’re probably no stranger to creative blocks, those days when nothing you get on the page feels quite right.

Sometimes, though, the block goes deeper than a passing frustration. Sometimes you look up from the keyboard and discover your writing life has become more like a constant doom spiral than a drafting process.

Instead of telling stories, you’re playing word Tetris with the same five pages and ducking away to make yet another absolutely vital cup of tea, desperately hoping you’ll stop feeling so stuck.




If you have a list of beloved books that changed your life, but can’t finish one of your own drafts to save your life… you might be a disenchanted writer. And that’s not a bad thing to be.

A disenchanted writer isn’t a failure or a fatalist. You’re a seeker and a visionary.





You’re looking for something you’ve lost along the way. Something deeper than craft mechanics and word count goals (although you’ve got those, too).

A disenchanted writer still believes storytelling can be transformative—for yourself, for readers, and for creating a more just, enlivened world.

You still want to create stories that make your bones thrum and your breath sing.

If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be stuck. You’d be following the formulas and building functional little word machines: plot diagrams bolted to character arcs powered by themes. But disenchanted writers don’t want to write books that are all machine, no ghost.

You still have a storyteller’s mythic vision. Now you just need to rekindle the radical potential of your writing process. And once you do, anything is possible.



Ready to write stories that feel inspirited and alive, not mechanical and dead?


“When I asked Mary for editorial feedback, I didn't realize she would help me see my story in a completely new way.

Mary intuitively understood my fictional world and worked with me to clarify my vision. Her feedback was exactly what I needed to deepen my ideas and move forward with a much stronger piece of fiction.

I would work with her again in a heartbeat!”

- Nada, science fiction writer

Black-and-silver headphones sitting on a table with blurred fairy lights in the background

PODCAST & PRAXIS CIRCLE

Monthly episodes exploring supportive, intuitive ways to get out of the drafting doom spiral and back onto the labyrinth path of discovery.

Plus, each episode is paired with actionable tools and practices to help you bypass anxiety blocks and reconnect with your creative vision.

Re-enchant your writing practice
Black-and-white portrait of a smiling person with short, dark hair and pale skin standing in front of a juniper hedge

EDITING & COACHING SERVICES

I'm Mary, a writer and editor committed to helping queer, nonbinary, and women creatives access their most powerful storytelling.

Together, we'll make sure your finished manuscript truly captures your deepest vision—so you can finally let it loose on the world.

Re-vision your manuscript

Latest on the pod

Nov
29

23. The creativity of longing (Or, crafting hopeful stories)

On the US election and finding creative hope, even when things don't feel so inspiring.
3 min read
Oct
25

22. Magical thinking for practical writers

How can a magical mindset can help even Very Serious Writers do deep and liberating creative work?
3 min read
Sep
27

21. The story is not the territory (Or, stories as maps)

At heart, stories are maps – ways of navigating life. This month, let’s get real about navigating with story maps (and when it's time to get a bit lost instead).
2 min read
Aug
30

20. How (and why) to hold creative space

How holding creative space can turn a writing practice that’s not quite clicking into a container that actually supports you and your work.
2 min read
Jul
26

19. Finding allies for your creative dream

Harnessing the power of supportive allies on your creative path – even when you're journeying alone.
2 min read
Jun
28

18. No before yes: How to learn from writing you hate

Sometimes, it's easier to learn from writing we hate than from writing we love. Here's how to do it.
2 min read
May
31

17. Dead, mad, or a poet (Or, how to be less tortured)

If we don’t want to be the tortured poet… we don’t have to be. Tune in to discover what the lineage of the inspired poet can offer us instead.
2 min read
Apr
26

16. When to let a story go

Three key questions to help you discern the path forward when the writing gets tough (and what to do when it really is time to let a project go).
1 min read
Mar
29

15. Reclaiming your creative calling

Explore what makes vocation such a powerful idea for creatives, and how reclaiming it might shape your writing.
2 min read
Feb
29

14. Practice vs praxis (Or, getting the real work done)

This month, I get honest about "failing" the classic writing life advice - and share four key threads of much better advice I'm following instead.
3 min read