Unscripted with Lauren Marie Fleming: Come With Me

Come With Me as I Decompress After Speed Dating

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 12:55:25 GMT

Dear friend,

When I took myself through my Creative Life Blueprint ritual (you can read all about it and take yourself through it for free here) one question emerged that has become my North Star:

Will this help me win an Oscar surrounded by people I love?

The layers of that question, I talk about here.

It’s more nuanced than you’d think.

It’s not just about the golden statue – although I’d love that! – but about the person I have to become, the life I have to embrace, and the art I have to make to win an Oscar and walk the red carpet with people I love.

I’ve been pretty great in the past with the whole chasing the dream against all odds thing. It took me twenty years, but I saw my book in airports across the nation. I know how to hustle and work hard in my career.

But I haven’t been great at letting romance, love, and intimacy into my life while doing it.

So, I’ve decided to put myself out there.

And it’s scary! But it’s less scary with you here along for the ride.

In this week’s Come With Me video, I decompress after a night of queer speed dating and share the realization that stopped me mid-conversation with a stranger:

I’ve been trying to get to the New York Times bestseller list before I’ve even written the first chapter.

I tell my story coaching clients this all the time: you can’t jump to the ending.

You have to write the book before you can make it a bestseller.

And I realized I was doing this in my dating life.

If someone wasn’t a marriage match from the start, I wouldn’t give them a chance. Which was hilarious because until recently, I wasn’t even interested in marriage.

What I called “high standards” was often walls put up to protect me from having to be intimate and vulnerable with people.

So I’m changing my question.

Instead of is this my person?

I’m asking: would I want to go sit down for an hour over tea with this person and have a conversation?

That one small shift changed everything about how speed dating felt.

And how did the event go?

Well you’ll have to watch the full video to find out!

I hope it inspires you to go out there, do something vulnerable, and take it one step at a time.

With love and creativity,

Lauren

P.S. Did you know I used to run a popular queer sex and relationships blog called Queerie Bradshaw? I revised it last summer here on Substack and will be posting more as I get back out there again.

If you want those posts, great! You don’t have to do anything.

But if you prefer to only hear about writing and creativity (or you’re my mom…), you can scroll down in your emails, click “unsubscribe” and you’ll be taken to a page that will let you opt-out of Queerie Bradshaw posts.

Because consent is sexy, even in emails.

Come With Me as I Face the Real Cost of Making a Movie

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:55:53 GMT

Dear friend,

I just got out of the shower.

I’m wearing my book nerd shirt.

I’m heading to book club soon – in fact, I am already late.

But I had to record this before I lost my nerve.

Here you have it, the first official announcement:

I am making a short film.

And I’m sharing the budget with you today.

Which is really scary! Not because it’s high (although it’s not cheap…) but because this means it’s all real.

I haven’t made an actual film since film school. As you can see in this video, I’m so nervous I’m shaking.

But I did my two-year life reset at the end of 2025.

I made my North Star question and declared it publicly:

Will this get me closer to winning an Oscar surrounded by people I love?

I am following my own Creative Life Blueprint and practicing what I preach.

But just because I’m doing the damn thing, doesn’t mean I’m not scared $#@!less!

It is so scary to no longer wonder if I can do it, and take the leap of faith to find out.

It’s so scary to enter back into an industry that has historically been unsafe for people like me – to go for a job I’d assumed I hadn’t been brave enough to pursue.

In this video I walk you through everything that goes into a micro-budget short film — from the DP and sound tech to the script supervisor I didn’t even know I needed, to festival submission fees, to feeding people because hangry crew members are nobody’s friend.

I don’t have the money to make this film right now. I don’t have the crew, or the cast, or the gear. I don’t remember most of what I learned in film school.

But I have my North Star. I have my Creative Life Blueprint.

And every time I get scared I come back to the same reminder: I never thought I’d have a book in airports across the country either.

If I can get Because Fat Girl out in the world after years of rejection, I can make a movie.

And in the end, I’d rather fail trying to do something I love than die never having tried.

If you want to define your own North Star, I’ve got two ways to help you:

I’ve outlined the full thing for free in this Substack post.
I’m offering a one-time only, small group coaching program to walk you through the process. It’s seven weeks long, and we start April 21. Interested? Reply to this message and I’ll send you the details.

I’m sharing both my Creative Life Blueprint process and behind-the-scenes of this movie with you to hopefully go out there, be brave, and do the boldly creative thing you dream of in your life.

Because the world needs our stories now more than ever.

With nervous excitement,

Lauren

P.S. As promised, here’s a screenshot of the general budget I’m working with. I don’t have the costs in, because … well it felt too scary to share just yet! But this gives you a general idea:

The base budget I used, gathered from various friends’s short films and online searches.

Come With Me as I Launch Something Scary

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 19:12:24 GMT

Dear friend,

The world is on fire.

Creativity is the fire hose.

In 2012, my brother died. The aftermath sent me spiraling down and I hit rock bottom. Hard.

As I sat there, unsure what to do next, one question kept coming to me: what do I want said at my funeral about how I lived my life?

I got out a piece of paper and some colorful pens and wrote down the answer.

Knowing I was in a rough place and needed some dopamine, a friend had shipped me stickers to give myself when I did a good job. So I decorated that piece of paper with stickers.

And my Creative Life Blueprint was born.

Since then, it has become the framework behind every decision I’ve made — from launching my business to promoting my hit novel to dating new people.

It gives me a North Star to follow as I navigate the seas of life, and I’m not sure where I’d be without it.

Over the past year, I’ve shared it privately with friends and they found it so life-changing that I decided to share it in a post here on Substack.

Did you read that post?

Over 1,000 of you did. The comments were small but the emails were huge. People wrote saying it gave them hope they too could live a boldly creative life.

I was going to write it as a book. But as I responded to those messages, an idea kept sprouting:

What if I gathered a small group of people together to go through the Creative Life Blueprint process?

That idea kept growing — fueled by every message from readers and every voice note from a friend about how desperately they need more creativity in their life right now.

So, %#$! it. I’m offering this as a program.

Seven weeks. Six people. One time.

Which is all so damn scary.

As I talk about in this week’s Come With Me video, it’s nerve-wracking to launch something new into the world — and even more so knowing I’m only doing it once.

But I only ran a marathon once. I only lived in Italy and the Czech Republic once. I only traditionally published a novel once.

I might do them all again. But there is only ever that one first time.

There is only ever this one life.

We might as well make it a boldly creative one.

➡️ If you want in, reply to this email and I’ll send you the details.

And while I’d love to coach you through it, the full process is free for everyone here.

Because the world needs your story (and creativity and art and joy) now more than ever.

With love and art,

Lauren

P.S. I only have 6 spots, so if you want one, reply now. We start April 17.

P.P.S. My Come With Me videos are usually for paid subscribers only, but I'm making this one free so you can hear more about the Creative Life Blueprint process.

Come With Me Into My Journaling Practice

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:55:16 GMT

Dear friend,

My buddy — the poet who mails letters to her Substack subscribers — asked me recently what journals I use and whether I keep different ones for different projects.

I was about to just reply to her directly.

Then I thought: why don’t I invite you along as well?

In this video I walk you through my actual journaling practice — the notebooks, the planner, the iPad app, the whole thing. But more than the tools, I talk about the one shift that made me a real journaler after years of thinking I was doing it wrong.

Spoiler: I had to let go of the idea that there is a right and wrong way to journal.

The full video is for paid subscribers. If you’re not one yet, now’s a great time to join.

I hope this inspired you to let go of perfection, stop waiting for the “right” notebook, and simply jot your ideas down in whatever way makes you happy.

With tea, a pen, a notebook, and hope,

Lauren

P.S. Looking for inspiration to get your journaling practice started? Check out this post with 13 Journaling Prompts to Help Bring Light Into Your Life.

Journals, tools, and people mentioned in this video:

and her Substack Brackish, which sends poetry mailers to paid subscribers!
GoodNotes App for iPad
Passion Planner – my favorite physical planner
Decomposition Books – their spiral bound, college rule notebooks are my favorite to use
- Here’s the kittens in space one I showed
- Here’s the fairy tale forest one I showed
- The above notebook links are affiliate links for Amazon, but you can get them at a local bookstore usually, which I highly recommend!
My course Journal Through It: From “Oh $#@!” to “I’ve got this!” in 15 Minutes is free right now with code LOVE.
Get More Journaling Support

Come With Me to Have a QuickBooks Meltdown

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 12:55:18 GMT

Dear friend,

I had a full meltdown today trying to use QuickBooks.

Like, cried-in-the-park, called-a-friend-sobbing, questioned-my-entire-worth meltdown.

I’m a person with a book in airports across the country. A successful company. Films in progress. I have both objective, subjective success!

And yet — one confusing piece of software and suddenly I’m asking:

If I can’t figure out QuickBooks, how can I run a business?
If I can’t run a business, how can I make money?
If I can’t make money, what value do I have in this world?

That last one took me out and made me cry even harder.

I thought – if this is something happening in my brain, it’s probably happening in my readers brains as well. So I made you a video.

In it, I talk about art, money, capitalism, and what it actually means to keep living a boldly creative life, even when the world is on fire around you.

I say the world needs our stories now more than ever because it’s true.

As capitalism and fascism both rise in power, we need to surround ourselves even more with art and artists.

Subscribing to my Substack is a great place to start. I’ve got plenty of free and paid inspiration for you on here.

Subscribe now

If you want lovely poetry and inspiration sent to your inbox, you should subscribe to my friend ’s Substack Brackish.

15/10 suggest becoming a paid subscriber of hers so you can get poetry and art in the mail. It’s so lovely in these hard times to get letters from Katie.

You can do that here:

I’d love to know — how have you been?

For those in the USA, are you surviving tax season?

For everyone everywhere, I’d love to know what art you’re making or consuming right now.

Let me know in the comments.

Taxes 101 for Entrepreneurs: How to reduce your tax burden, stay in compliance, and keep money in your bank account

What Are Taxes?: A Fun Introduction to Money Concepts for Kids

Come With Me to Do a Tarot Reading

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:55:41 GMT

Hey friend,

Do you use tarot decks in your life? If so, in what way?

Are you a tarot skeptic? If so, why?

I’d love to know. Reply to this email or leave a comment on the post.

I want to bring you along for a special tarot reading I did for you and me.

I’m not a tarot expert by any means, but lately I’ve been leaning into the part of myself that’s a little less #girlboss and a little more artsy witch.

Here’s a clip with more about that transition:

What are you feeling these days?

More practical, more artsy, more witchy?

All of the above? None of the above?

I’d love to know.

Tarot as a Storytelling Technique

My policy on everything spiritual – and really everything in life – is “take what serves you, leave the rest.”

So, you don’t have to believe in tarot or know much about it to come along for this ride. You just have to appreciate a good storytelling technique.

Links I promised I’d share in the video:

The decks I love, use, and discuss in this video are:

The other posts I mentioned are:

Come With Me to Do the Dishes

Lauren Marie Fleming — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 13:55:27 GMT

Dear friend,

I realized recently that somewhere along the line, I started talking to ChatGPT more than I was talking to my friends. Not because I preferred talking to a robot, but because I didn’t want to burden anyone in my life.

Tonight I was standing in my kitchen staring at a giant pile of dishes and wishing I had someone to simply talk with me as I did them.

But it was late, and people were asleep, and I’d already sent way too many voice notes to my friends today (it was an eclipse, there were lots of feelings).

I almost turned to ChatGPT again. Instead, I hit record and turned to you.

Here’s a sneak peek of what I had to say:

The answer in life is not robots. It’s human connection.

The thing I’m aiming for in my life right now is not perfection. It’s artistic expression.

So to add to the larger experiment that is this Substack I call Unscripted, I’ve decided to start recording videos for my paid subscribers.

Most of what I share here is free, but the paywall helps keep these posts more private and therefore more intimate.

In this video, I talk about loneliness, breakups, creativity, sobriety during hard moments, inviting neighbors over for art nights, and why the real antidote to this moment might just be doing ordinary life together again.

If you’ve got your own dishes to do, all the better.

But feel free to just sit back and listen.

And then, respond. I’d love to know your thoughts on these topics.

Because we’re all in this together.

With love,

Lauren

P.S. If you’re feeling lonely right now, I feel you. I love you. I’m sorry the world is so isolating. You’re not alone. I made this for you.

P.P.S. Here’s another sneak peek for you: