Season 5 Ep 6 | Sara Stibitz | A Ladder to the Stars

In this episode of Some Things Considered, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sara Stibitz—NYT-bestselling collaborative writer, author of Writing on Purpose, and creator of the Substack A Ladder to the Stars—about creativity, narrative, and how story shapes everything we do. We went deep and wide, and some of the highlights include:

* Sara’s relationship to story:Why storytelling is central to human meaning, healing, and creative practice.

* A Ladder to the Stars:Helping writers navigate craft, publishing, emotional resilience, and building a sustainable creative life.

* Creativity as connection:Why Sara rejects the isolated “lone genius” model and embraces community, teaching, and collaboration.

* “What’s Your Favorite Story Really Selling You?”Her essay on how stories bypass our defenses, sell identities, and shape behavior—whether in art, marketing, or politics.

* Story as persuasion:Apple and Nike as master storytellers; no such thing as neutral narrative; all stories have intentions.

* Politics as storytelling:Campaigns run on narratives, not policy papers; the immigrant as threat vs. dreamer; how story shapes interpretation of facts.

* Why Democrats struggle with narrative:Lack of clarity, emotion, and message discipline compared to the GOP’s storytelling instincts.

* “Refusing to niche down”:Sara’s stance against creative confinement; embracing curiosity and multi-genre exploration.

* Making a creative life sustainable:Money, balance, boundaries, and the realities of getting paid as a writer.

* AI & the content flood:It’s easier than ever to create content, harder than ever to stand out; humans win through voice, depth, insight, and intention.

Sara is a New York Times bestselling collaborative writer and coach. Many of her clients’ books have won awards from Nautilus, Bloomsbury, Axiom, Reviewers Choice, Indie Excellence, and Independent Press. Her book Writing on Purpose: An Essential Guide to Writing a Book That Matters published earlier in 2025—and her Substack A LADDER TO THE STARS is an invaluable point of reference for anyone who writes.