Protect the Flame: Alison Hammer on Avoiding Burnout

Every Soul Has A Story®. Dara Levan chats with author and blogger, Alison Hammer!

If you missed our conversation, you can watch it here! Alison and I chatted about balancing a full-time job and author life. We also discussed #jewishcommunity #jewishbooks and the power of stories that empower, educate, and lift up others. And “protecting the flame,” which is Alison’s mantra for 2022.

Alison is co-writing an upcoming book with @bradeighgodfrey, which will release in June! Check out their process and journey at @alibradybooks.

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Advertising lost a copywriter. The literary world gained a storyteller. Alison Hammer balances a full-time career as a Creative Director with being a multi-published author of You and Me and Us and Little Pieces of Me—and she's about to add co-author to that list with The Beach Trap, coming June 14th. In this conversation, Alison shares how she and her best friend Brady co-wrote a novel while living 1,500 miles apart, why "protect the flame" became her mantra after a crushing burnout, and how she's learned to say no to protect her creative energy. She also tackles the complex topic of writing diverse characters authentically, the rise of Jewish representation in fiction beyond Holocaust narratives, and why the only job of a first draft is to exist. From being on America's Funniest People as a teenager to selling a book on proposal with her co-author, Alison's journey proves that creativity doesn't have to come at the cost of your wellbeing—you just have to know when to protect the flame.

0:00 - Intro and Alison joins
1:30 - Alison's office and background
2:52 - Co-writing The Beach Trap
4:43 - Selling a book on proposal
5:50 - Collaborating across the country
7:19 - Creative director and copywriter
8:37 - Keeping work and writing separate
10:38 - "Protect the flame" mantra
13:36 - Avoiding burnout with boundaries
16:17 - The burnout photo on the cruise
18:23 - Jewish representation in fiction
22:05 - Write what you know vs. pushing boundaries
28:28 - America's Funniest People story
30:22 - Advice: finish the first draft


• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com3
https://www.alisonhammer.com/

QUOTES:
"If you're going to do representation, do it right and give them a voice and a history and a character arc."
– Alison Hammer

"You can learn so much by reading a book because it puts you in the shoes of another person."
– Dara Levan