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Chris Hutchings's avatar

This is one of the best posts I've ever read on the creative process not just on substack but anywhere!

Love it, love it, love it!

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Rachael kerr's avatar

Hi Anna,

I love all your books and listening to your adventures. Do you write notes or keep a diary while you are on your adventures so when you start writing you can refer back to it. There is always so much detail in your books and I’m wondering how you remember it all? 😊

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Anna McNuff's avatar

Hi Rachel 👋🏻 Ahh thank you 🙏🏻 🩵Yes I do, I usually write notes in the evening if it’s a day when something cool has happened. Mostly I focus on recording how I feel because that’s the stuff we often forget! Both pain and joy seem to fade over time.

And then for places / landscape I take pictures of things that are extra magical to remind me.

I also sometimes record audio notes in a landscape to remember what it feels like to be in it. The sound of a stream, birds, the wind.

So it’s a combo of it all, and making sure there’s plenty of time to just enjoy the journey too 🥰🥰

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Nikki Vallance's avatar

Brilliant. I am excited to create an audiobook but accents are not my forte! Tips for a way round this? 😂Are you planning on doing another post about the marketing and PR too process too? 😉

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Anna McNuff's avatar

Oh yess Nikki, the audiobook is so much fun and given your audio experience, it'll be a cinch! If I hit an accent I struggled with, or it was inconsistent then I just didn't do it. I only have one Scottish accent for example 🤷🏼‍♀️... so for the second Scottish person in that book I just read her straight.

As for the PR & Marketing post... I'll leave that to someone who is better at sticking to a plan than I am... 🫣 @Hypeyourself does more than enough to spread knowledge on that one for all of us!

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Emma Carter's avatar

Really interesting to understand the process, thanks for sharing!

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Natasha Cross's avatar

Fascinating thank you Anna!

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