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I used to think you had to be “over it” before you wrote about it. Turns out: you just need distance, craft, and consent. I published a new Substack article: Writing From the Wound — what trauma can teach emerging writers about craft (without turning your life into content). In it, I talk about: · why wounds are raw material (not the finished story) · memoir vs fiction as safety choices · how to write hard things without wrecking yourself · the practical tools I use: sprints, placeholders, vent-then-revise, grounding If you’re trying to write something real but keep freezing, this one’s for you. https://open.substack.com/pub/amrasarmchairanecdotes/p/writing-from-the-wound-what-trauma 
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Episodes 11–20 were where the conversations deepened—and got a lot more honest. This run of Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes moves through early menopause and POI, refugee identity, neurodiversity, resilience, creative risk, and what it really takes to build a sustainable literary life. These aren’t polished origin stories or neat success arcs. They’re conversations about bodies that don’t cooperate, careers built sideways, voices found late (or fought for), and the quiet, unglamorous work of staying creative in a world that prefers shortcuts. Across artists, writers, academics, performers, and small-press trailblazers, these episodes ask the same hard questions from different angles: What does it cost to keep going? Who gets to speak—and on what terms? And how do you build a creative life that doesn’t burn you out or erase where you came from? If you’ve ever felt out of step, underprepared, or like your path didn’t come with a map—this stretch of episodes is for you. Full episodes here20-Early Menopause, Real Talk: A conversation with Antoinette about POI, 08/12/25
19-From Shy Teen To Stage: A conversation with Veronica Ho, 24/11/25 18-Three Minutes To Matter: A conversation with Dr Katherine Firth, 10/11/25 17-Building an indie literary life: A conversation with Koraly Dimitriadis, 27/10/25 16-From Booth to Business: A conversation with Nina Nikolic, 13/10/25 15-Resilience Runs in Our Ink: A Conversation with Demet Divaroren, 29/09/25 14-From Street Art to Gallery Walls: An interview with Lukas Kasper, 16/08/25 13-Embracing Neurodiversity in a Square-Peg World: A conversation with Lee Agius, 04/08/25 12-Dancing Through Life's Transitions: A conversation with Tania Segura, 21/07/25 11-The Refugee Writer's Journey: A Conversation with Fikret Pajalic, 07/07/25 I thought menopause was breaking my marriage. Turns out, it was exposing what had been quietly breaking me. Last year, I wasn’t rage-scrolling real estate listings. I was calmly planning a solo life. Not because I hated my husband—but because perimenopause stripped away my ability to keep carrying everyone else’s emotional weight. This essay isn’t a neat “menopause is hard” story. It’s about rage. Boundaries. Emotional labour. Biology. And the uncomfortable truth that menopause doesn’t create relationship problems—it reveals them. The stats are confronting. The lived reality is worse. And the silence around it helps no one. If you’ve ever felt:
I’m not selling divorce. I’m selling honesty. And the radical idea that you don’t have to destroy yourself to keep a relationship intact. Read the full piece here 👇 “Menopause Didn’t Break My Marriage—It Showed Me What Was Already Broken.” https://amrasarmchairanecdotes.substack.com/p/menopause-didnt-break-my-marriageit  ✍️ Substack & Essays Published my first personal essay on perimenopause and psychosis Early reader response has been encouraging (17 subscribers and growing) Long-term goal: curate a revised essay collection for 2027 Spent a full day importing all past essays into Scrivener to: Re-edit unpublished work Extend previously published pieces Build a cohesive manuscript rather than scattered posts 🎙 Podcast & Media Unfiltered Voices Interviewed by Kellie for her podcast Strong enough conversation that I invited her onto mine next Amra’s Armchair Anecdotes Batched 5 episodes and scheduled them More interviews planned before returning to work Updated logo and visual branding for Season 2 🛒 Pishukin Press Store Adjusted direct-sale discount from 20% → 10% Encourages buying direct without undercutting paperback value Currently: Paperbacks: Australia only Digital products: worldwide Next focus: Bundled offers Better advertising and visibility 📦 Ghosts Among the Gumtrees Kickstarter Finalised proof copy of Book 2 Delivered bonus short story “Zora’s Story” Fulfilled backer orders Kickstarter report and breakdown still to come 📚 Friendship on Hold (Middle Grade) Regained publishing rights Identified illustration issue: Two clashing styles (abstract vs cartoon) Decision made to: Standardise illustrations as abstract Teaching activities in development (slow, steady progress) ✍️ Work in Progress – Seka Torlak Series Deep into Book 5 and loving the direction Now tracking chapter-by-chapter threads (because my brain is no longer a filing cabinet) Goal: Complete draft before end of January Let it marinate before revisions Reality check: Book 4 needs a significant rewrite and that’s the next major task https://amrasarmchairanecdotes.substack.com/p/writing-diary-2-2026  Just found out about this cool feature on Substack where you can print your Substack as a broadsheet. So here's mine. I used to think “finding your voice” meant polishing your style. Turns out it’s about something harder: figuring out what you actually want to say—and having the guts to say it. In my latest Substack (based on a podcast episode), I share the messy truth of my writing life: early wins, chasing what “sells,” losing time, heartbreak, and the moment I stopped outsourcing my voice to commercial expectations. If you’re at a crossroads—genre, platform, publishing path—this one’s for you. Read it here: https://amrasarmchairanecdotes.substack.com/p/finding-my-voice-took-28-yearsand 🎧 Listen to the episode: https://www.amrapajalic.com/evolution-of-author.html  I wrote this essay because I’m tired of women being told to push through when our brains are quietly burning down. For years, insomnia stalked me. Then sleep paralysis arrived—dark rooms, crushing weight, shadow figures watching from the corners. When perimenopause hit, those episodes escalated into something far more dangerous: the creeping return of psychosis I’d spent a lifetime outrunning. This isn’t gothic metaphor. It’s what happens when hormones, trauma, and inherited mental illness collide—and no one warns you it can. This essay is about: – sleep paralysis and night terrors – perimenopause and estrogen loss – how close I came to losing reality – and how HRT quite literally gave me my life back If we don’t talk honestly about menopause and mental health, women keep suffering in silence—and sometimes, they don’t come back. Read it on Substack. Share it if it resonates. And if you recognise yourself in it, please know: you’re not weak, you’re not broken, and you’re not imagining it. https://amrasarmchairanecdotes.substack.com/p/the-night-hag-in-my-wardrobe-when  📚 Events locked in for 2026 Clunes Book Festival ✔️ Book Fair Australia ✔️ Panels, workshops, library events. I’m officially out in the world again—booths, talks, the lot. 💰 Sales & mindset shift Direct selling is still uncomfortable, but two successful Kickstarters have shut up the doubt. Momentum matters. 📢 Marketing moves Facebook ads are finally running (yes, properly). Promos booked. Amazon ads… still skeptical, but I’ll test them instead of theorising forever. 🌍 Translations reality check Bosnian first or nothing. After a messy start, I’ve cracked a ChatGPT-led workflow that actually works. Once that’s out, other languages follow. 📖 Publishing decisions Middle-grade book is getting released without the bells and whistles. Teaching resources will do the heavy lifting. Perfection was stalling me—done with that. ✍️ Work in progress 30k drafted fast, now the hard part: revision. Book 4 needs fixing. Book 5 needs finishing. No drama—just work. 🗞 Substack plan Mondays: personal essays Wednesdays: writing/life lessons Weekly: honest writing diary I’m taking my indie career seriously this year—and documenting the whole thing. If that sounds useful (or entertaining), you know what to do. Read the full diary on my Substack https://open.substack.com/pub/amrasarmchairanecdotes/p/writing-diary-1-2026
If you’re an emerging writer, here’s something I wish someone told me earlier: Short stories can build your writing career before your novel is ready. They help you find your voice, refine your craft, learn submissions, and collect those early wins that keep you going when rejection gets loud. I wrote a new Substack article sharing how short stories shaped my path to publication — and how you can use them strategically (even if you’re focused on novels). Title: Stop Waiting for the Novel: Use Short Stories to Build Your Writing Career Go read it and tell me: are you a short story writer, a novelist, or both? https://amrasarmchairanecdotes.substack.com/p/stop-waiting-for-the-novel-use-short  You don’t need more time to write. You need to stop waiting for permission. For most of my writing life, I’ve worked full-time. Administration. Teaching. Parenting. Paying bills. The writing didn’t happen because life got quieter. It happened because I learned how to build it into the cracks. Early mornings. Train rides. Tiny desks. 15-minute sprints. Writing when I was tired, uninspired, and very much not “in the mood.” In this week’s Substack article, I break down what actually kept me writing while working full-time: – how to stop romanticising the writing life – why habits matter more than word count – how to use accountability instead of willpower – what to do when burnout hits – and why writing isn’t optional if it’s who you are If you’re an emerging writer trying to balance the pen and the paycheck, this one’s for you. 📖 Read it on Substack https://amrasarmchairanecdotes.substack.com/p/balancing-the-pen-and-the-paycheck ✍️ Practical, lived advice—not theory  |
AuthorAmra Pajalić is an award-winning author, an editor and teacher who draws on her Bosnian cultural heritage to write own voices stories for young people, who like her, are searching to mediate their identity and take pride in their diverse culture. She writes memoir, young adult and romance under the pen name Mae Archer. newsletterSign up and receive free books.
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