Blue Monday hits hard. Writing for mental health sounds abstract until you're sitting alone feeling funky and realize you need something tangible. You're not depressed. The vibe just went stinky. Ottawa never gets warm, just stays below zero and breezy. Calgary had sunshine bumps. You notice the difference this time of year.

Catherine Black started at nine years old with tons of feelings and a notebook. Decades later, nothing changed. Pen and paper mean she's never alone. Coffee shop, airplane, beach. Writing becomes companionship. She tells students: spelling doesn't matter, authenticity does. Use your senses, sink into the moment. Let associations happen messy and imperfect. Give yourself permission to rage or have fun. School taught sentence structure rules. Throw that away. Quiet the critical voices. No room at your desk for dissent. Good writing makes you forget you're reading. You want to read it again.

Discover why Catherine considers writing inherently life-affirming. Learn how to use sensory detail when you don't know where to start. Understand why it's okay to abandon books that don't grab you.

GUEST: Catherine Black | @writercatblack

Originally aired on 2026-01-19