The Creative Penn Podcast for Writers

Episode 845 — Leaving Social Media, Writing Iconic Characters, and Building Trust With Claire Taylor

Host: Joanna Penn
Guest: Claire Taylor
Date: January 12, 2026
Theme: Writing Craft, Creative Business, and Trust in the Changing Creative Landscape

Overview

In this episode, Joanna Penn sits down with humor and mystery author Claire Taylor, founder of FFS Media and certified Enneagram coach, to discuss key changes in the writing world. They chat about Claire's big move to leave social media, the power of writing iconic characters, and how trust and authenticity will play a central role for authors and creatives in 2026. The conversation covers the reality of creative pivots, how personality frameworks like the Enneagram can deepen character work, and strategies for building loyal readership in a time of rapid technological change.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Claire's Journey Since 2024: Pivots in Craft and Business

Timestamps: 27:26–28:44

• Deconstructing Story Rules:
  Claire shares her recent focus on questioning conventional story structures:

  "All the story structure books aren’t law... They’re all kinds of suggestions, frameworks. They’re trying to quantify humans' innate ability to understand a story." (27:50, Claire)
  She emphasizes trusting her own sense of story and prioritizing engaging readers and achieving the intended emotional effect.

• Business Shifts & Leaving Social Media:
  Claire made two major changes: she left social media and shifted her business to focus on one-on-one coaching, in-person networking, and launching a craft-based Kickstarter.

  “I left social media earlier this year... I didn’t like what it did to my attention... My life feels more settled.” (29:18–30:39, Claire)

2. Life Without Social Media: Why and How

Timestamps: 29:18–34:39

• Reasons for Quitting:
  Social media’s diminishing returns, addictive design, and negative impact on attention and well-being convinced Claire to step away.

  "Even when I wasn’t on it, there was almost a hangover… my attention just did not feel as sharp and focused." (29:36, Claire)
  “There’s some things money can’t buy.” (30:39, Claire)

• Replacing Social Reach:
  Claire doubled down on her email list and started a Substack, which allows for discovery, longer-form engagement, and audience ownership. She’s investing in local, in-person book selling, direct marketing, and nurturing word-of-mouth through close relationships.

  “Word of mouth has always been how my business best markets.” (34:22, Claire)

• Joanna’s Commentary:
  Joanna reflects that, despite years of driving traffic to Amazon, author email lists are key now more than ever, especially for direct sales and owning the customer relationship.

3. The Enneagram: Tool for Character & Author Growth

Timestamps: 35:27–37:46

• What is the Enneagram?
  A personality framework that breaks down human motivation into nine core fears and desires, influencing patterns of thought, feeling, and action.

  “What we fear and desire above all determines where attention goes—and authors benefit greatly from understanding attention.” (36:01, Claire)

• Why the Enneagram for Writers?
  Claire prefers it to other frameworks (e.g., MBTI) because it not only maps the ways we confine ourselves but charts a path to liberation—helpful for authors stuck in creative ruts.

4. Common Author Struggles & How Motivations Change

Timestamps: 37:46–42:04

• Early Career Authors:
  Often plagued by “am I doing this right?” and feeling doomed if advice doesn’t fit.

  “There’s not a right way to do this. There’s a way that’s going to feel more aligned to you…” (38:44, Claire)

• Mature Authors:
  More likely to face, “I’m getting sick of my own stuff” and need to realign their evolving personal brand and motivations.

  “I’ve changed so much since I started writing. I need to figure out how to adjust my career.” (39:43, Claire)

• On Personal Brand and Change:
  Joanna and Claire agree that building a brand around the authentic self makes long-term evolution possible and sustainable.

5. Writing Iconic Characters With the Enneagram

Timestamps: 42:04–47:08

• What Is an Iconic Character?
  An iconic character sticks in readers’ minds, often acting as a reference point, and resonates truthfully with some aspect of the human condition—even if not strictly human.

• From Glimmer to Depth—A Discovery Writer’s Path:
  Authors can use the Enneagram at any stage: start writing with just a character spark and layer on deeper motivation as needed.

  “At some point… go a little bit deeper in understanding this character and create a cohesive thread to pull through. That’s where the Enneagram can really start to be useful.” (44:04, Claire)

• Practical Example:
  Say your character is “bold and adventurous”—the likely core fears and desires (e.g., avoidance of pain or deprivation for Type 7, need for autonomy for Type 8) will guide their decisions and arc.

6. Case Study: Wednesday Addams as Type 8

Timestamps: 47:08–51:32

• Enneagram Typing Through Behavior:
  By analyzing Wednesday’s choices—her disdain for weakness, assertion of power, and desire for autonomy—Claire demonstrates she’s a textbook Type 8 (the Challenger):

  “She considers emotions to be weakness… she has to be in a position of power in all moments. She has to be in control of herself, which is more of that 8.” (47:41–50:29, Claire)

• Using the Inciting Incident:
  Wednesday’s inciting moment (brother bullied, she retaliates) is both the story catalyst and a window into her core motivation.

7. Building Character Conflict with the Enneagram

Timestamps: 51:32–56:38

• Creating Meaningful Conflict:
  The Enneagram provides a framework for pairing types with inherent friction—for example, an 8 (power-seeker) with a 1 (moralist) will inevitably clash over means vs. ends.

  “You can grab any two types and they’ll have unique conflict.” (54:30, Claire)

• Dynamic Pairings:
  Types next to each other on the circle (like 8 and 9 or 4 and 5) often create strong contrasts—e.g., conflict-averse vs. conflict-seeking.

• Upcoming Work:
  Claire hints at a new Kickstarter project: “Write Iconic Relationships,” diving deeper into character dynamics.

8. 2026 and Beyond: Navigating Change, Building Trust

Timestamps: 56:38–61:55

• Facing Fear of Change:
  Claire observes a pervasive fear as online and global shifts accelerate. She recommends grounding oneself in what’s universal and authentic.

• AI and Polarization:
  Rather than dividing into camps, Claire advises authors to follow their comfort and values with tech and transparency—there is no virtue in either full adoption or rejection.

• Most Important Value: Trustworthiness

  “With the increased number of images and videos that are AI… I think there’s… a mistrust of our own senses on the Internet… so, as an author, focus on how to build trust with your readers.” (57:52, Claire)

• How to Foster Trust:

  • Disclose use of AI and be transparent about your process.
  • Show authenticity and vulnerability—let your “messy self” be present.
  • Reliability matters: don’t make promises you won’t keep.
  • Ask: “Where have I not been trustworthy to my readers?” (60:04, Claire)

9. On Personal Branding, Vulnerability & Courage

Timestamps: 61:55–64:44

• Being Courageously Human:
  There will always be legitimate reasons for anonymity, but in an AI-heavy, impersonal world, humanity and vulnerability are more valuable than ever.

  “Life is not meant to be spent hiding… Even if you’re not comfortable showing your face, communicate who you are and what matters to you through other ways.” (63:19, Claire)
  The reward is a freer, more meaningful creative life and stronger reader bonds.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "All the story structure books aren’t law... You already know what a story is." (27:50, Claire)
• “There’s some things money can’t buy.” (30:39, Claire, on leaving social media)
• “Word of mouth has always been how my business best markets.” (34:22, Claire)
• “What our attention goes to builds our understanding of ourselves in the world.” (36:09, Claire)
• "There's a way that's going to feel more aligned to you." (38:45, Claire)
• “If we don’t allow ourselves to change, we end up in this tiny box.” (41:16, Claire)
• “An iconic character is true to some sort of fundamental part of the human condition, even if they’re not strictly human.” (42:44, Claire)
• “Wednesday [Addams] considers emotions to be weakness... [and] has to be in a position of power in all moments.” (47:41–50:29, Claire)
• “Trustworthiness comes at the cost of courage and honesty.” (60:28, Claire)
• “Life is not meant to be spent hiding.” (63:19, Claire)

Resources & Where to Find More

• Claire Taylor’s Author Education: LiberatedWriter.com
• Claire on Substack: The Liberated Writer ([Substack link])
• FFS Media (Claire’s fiction): FFS Media
• Joanna Penn: TheCreativePenn.com

Segment Guide

• Claire’s Updates — 27:26
• Quitting Social Media — 29:18
• Marketing Without Social — 33:16
• The Enneagram for Characters — 35:27
• Common Author Struggles — 37:46
• Writing Iconic Characters — 42:04
• Wednesday Addams Example — 47:08
• Conflict via Enneagram — 51:32
• Courage & Personal Branding — 61:55
• End & Resources — 64:52

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for any writer or creative wrestling with questions of attention, authenticity, and trust in a changing digital world. Claire Taylor’s perspective empowers authors to honor their real selves and find sustainable, meaningful ways forward—both in writing craft and author business—no matter what 2026 brings.