From “Am I Good Enough?” to “I Believe in My Work” with Book Coach Karmen Špiljak
This week on the Write It Scared podcast, I sat down with Karmen Špiljak—an indie author, developmental editor, and book coach who helps emerging writers trust their voice and finish the stories that linger with readers.
And trust me, this episode is packed with gems—especially if you’ve ever wrestled with imposter syndrome, perfectionism, or the extra hurdles of writing in a language that’s not your own.
Karmen is originally from Slovenia and now lives in Belgrade. She writes suspense, horror, and speculative fiction, and is best known for her culinary noir short story collections Add Cyanide to Taste and Pass the Cyanide (yes, they’re as deliciously dark as they sound). Her thriller No Such Thing As Goodbye earned an honorable mention in the Black Spring Crime Fiction Prize.
She also writes in English, which is not her first language. We talked about what that journey has looked like for her, how she’s developed deep creative trust, and the mindset shift that allowed her to go from doubting her writing to owning it.
Writing in English When It Isn’t Your First Language
If you’re not familiar with the term “exophonic”, it refers to writing in a language that isn’t your mother tongue. And for Karmen, that meant learning how to stop translating and start trusting her own voice.
It wasn’t easy. She grew up bilingual (Slovenian and Serbo-Croatian), and picked up English as her third language. And while she’d written plenty of nonfiction in English—articles and blog posts—fiction hit differently. Suddenly, the gap between how she wanted her stories to sound and what she could produce felt huge.
She struggled with all the usual writing fears, plus the added layer of constantly comparing herself to native English-speaking authors.
Eventually, the breakthrough came when she gave herself permission to let her writing be bad at first and keep going anyway. It wasn’t about achieving perfection. It was about learning by doing.
From “Am I Good Enough?” to “I Believe in My Work”
At one point in the interview, Karmen said something I haven’t stopped thinking about: when she finally decided to pursue traditional publishing, what she really wanted—deep down—was external validation.
She wanted someone to tell her, yes, you’re good enough.
And honestly? Same.
But here’s where the shift happened: After collecting a few agent rejections and living through the chaos of the early pandemic, she took a hard look at what she really wanted. If this was the last book she ever wrote, she wanted it to be one that brought her joy.
So she stopped chasing permission. She gave it to herself.
She wrote the weird, food-infused short story collection she wanted to read. And she self-published it.
That book turned into a series. One of the stories was licensed for LeVar Burton Reads. Readers loved it. She kept going.
The Superpower of Exophonic Writers
One thing I loved about this conversation was how Karmen reframed what many would consider a disadvantage into a strength.
Writing in a non-native language challenged her, sure, but it also pushed her to get more creative and more playful with her phrasing and descriptions.
When she couldn’t find the “perfect” English equivalent of a Slovenian word, she had to describe the feeling or mood instead. And that made her language more alive; more visceral.
The lesson? Sometimes, the gaps in our skills create room for innovation. And there’s something incredibly powerful about owning your voice even if it sounds different than what you were taught it “should” sound like.
Short Stories as Creative Playground
Karmen is a big fan of short stories and she credits them with helping her grow as a writer.
She uses them to explore new voices, test character dynamics, and play with pacing.
Short stories, she says, are a kind of “palate cleanser”—especially helpful between drafts of longer work or during a revision slump.
They also teach you to be efficient. To make every sentence earn its keep. To slow down or speed up the pacing with intention. And to craft satisfying beginnings and endings within a small word count.
She’s even developed a Short Story Blueprint to help other writers get started.
Let It Be Fun. Let It Be Yours.
So many of us get tangled up in all the things we’re “supposed” to do: the craft rules, the genre expectations, the platform-building, the algorithm. And somewhere along the way, we forget that this is supposed to be fun—at least sometimes. Hopeful more than it’s not.
Karmen’s reminder was simple but powerful: write what you love. Make space for joy and play. Trust your gut. You know more than you think you do.
Tools and Mindset Shifts That Helped
When I asked Karmen what resources helped her through the self-doubt, she shared two that I absolutely loved:
A Letter to Yourself – Write a letter explaining why you write. When the doubt creeps in (and it will), reread it. Reconnect to your “why.”
A Nice Things Folder – Keep a folder of kind words people have said about your writing—reviews, emails, comments, whatever. On hard days, open it. Let your readers remind you of what you forget.
What’s Next for Karmen
Karmen’s working on a new speculative fiction short story collection called Dark Chronicles (coming 2026). She also blogs regularly over at StoryAllegiance.com, where she shares writing tips, mindset tools, and resources for genre fiction writers.
She’s also published articles on Jane Friedman’s blog, including how to use food as a character development tool and how to navigate writing in a second language. And yes, they're as insightful and warm as she is.
