Every so often, someone asks you a question that makes you pause—not because you don’t know the answer, but because answering it helps you discover something true about yourself.
That happened recently.
A website I admire, Authors Insider, sent over a questionnaire—twenty-three questions about writing, creativity, and the behind-the-scenes moments that shape a book long before it ever reaches a shelf. I said yes, partly because I love what they’re building, but mostly because the questions themselves invited me back into the heart of why I write.
They asked about the biggest help on my last book. Whether I love or hate public speaking. Where ideas come from. What tools I’m curious to try.
The questions made me laugh, think, and tell the truth on paper.
Answering them felt a little like opening a window. The fresh air of memory, insight, and yes—gratitude—for the people and practices that make my work possible.
Because writing isn’t a solitary act. It’s a relationship. With ideas. With discipline. With community. And with the person you’re becoming as you write.
Whether you’re crafting a book, building a business, shaping a team, or simply trying to give language to what you’re learning, you’re writing a story too.
And your story matters.
Here are the five questions that really made me remember something true about myself. Make sure you check out the Author Insider article to see the other 18 (like what I Kiss, Marry, Kill)!
23 Questions with Whitney Johnson
- I couldn’t have written my last book without…
Julie Berry. She’s a New York Times bestselling young adult author—and a long-time friend. When I was about 70 percent of the way there, I handed her the manuscript. She gave it the edit it needed. Generous, but unflinching. (I may have used the word “eviscerated.”) Maybe no book ever reaches 100 percent of what you wanted it to be—but she helped me get close.
- Where do you find new ideas?
Everywhere. From making meaning of my lived experience. From my clients. From snatches of conversations. From books, YouTube videos, and podcasts. From talking with colleagues, friends, and family. From AI. And not infrequently from God.
- What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?
“Stop saying you’re not a writer.” This was when I was writing Smart Growth—my fourth book, by the way—and I said, “Well, I’m not really a writer.” My editor stopped me cold (see #1). There was an identity piece I wasn’t owning. That prompted an important shift.
- What’s the best non-writing skill that’s helped your writing career?
I majored in music in college. Three hours of practice a day taught me discipline. But it also taught me to listen. I structure chapters like movements in a sonata. Paragraphs like phrases—they need to breathe. I love it when a motif shows up early, then returns later, changed. And when something is read aloud, I’m always listening for the melody.
- What do you wish you’d known when you were starting out?
That finding my writing voice is a process. A wonderful process. It’s about excavating self. And that takes time. So be willing to be in it. And recognize that sometimes a book can’t be written until you are the person who can write the book.
This is my experience. But I’m just as curious about yours.
How do you put your ideas on paper? How does writing, whether for a book, a business, or the quiet corners of your life, help you make meaning of what you’re building?
And as I continue writing this new book—chapter by chapter, insight by insight—think good thoughts and wish me well!
All best,
Whitney