Scratch Paper Podcast

Welcome to the end of "Season 1"--what I'm calling my first 1.5 years of podcasting. This will be the last episode for a while, and I hope you'll listen in! I share my favorite episodes, books, and TV, whether or not I think my podcast was a success, and my big turning point. Cheers and happy writing! Show notes and newsletter at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast33.

*This draft is terrible**This draft is perfect!* Sound familiar? Listen in for five steps to get started revising that terrible/perfect draft. I share how I managed to revise my 120-page thesis in two weeks, plus my favorite way to tie a big project together (with highlighters! And lists!). Shownotes plus a free ebook all about revising at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast32

After a 2-month hiatus, I decided to share how I work as a writer, from idea to draft to what feels to me like "finished"--when my work goes out on submission. My process has changed significantly since I began working with my agent, but whether or not you work with an agent, you can find ways to make your writing process satisfying. I really believe in process; it's what's allowed me to keep going. Show notes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast31.

Last episode, I talked about how to interview for nonfiction writers. Luckily, the stakes are lower for fiction writers. There are a lot of fun ways you can use books and people's expertise to help write your story. In this episode, I share how unexpected resources (like self-published ebooks) have helped me create believable characters and plots. Listen in to hear how you can find help in surprising places. Find show notes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com

This episode kicks off a mini-series about research--this week, I share my best tips for interviewing for nonfiction articles, essays, and projects, and next episode, I'll share ways to research and interview for fiction. I gathered most of these tips from my journalist friends while in grad school, where I had to conduct my very first *real* interview, and I've used them in countless situations, from interviewing a restaurant owner for a newspaper article to talking to a faith healer for a book manuscript. If you've never interviewed someone before, but are dying to get your feet wet, this is the podcast for you. Plus! For this episode only, I made an extra-special in-depth worksheet (that even includes an email template you can fill in and send out to your interview-ees)! Find it at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast29

As the parent of a toddler, I have learned some ways to fit writing into my life over the past couple of years. We're in the middle of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a time when a lot of folks are tackling a big project--and with a kiddo, it can be hard. Here are my best practices for writing with a small (extremely small) child--I'm sharing them here in the hopes that they will help you or a friend. Show notes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast28.

There are loads of residencies and retreats for writers that are too competitive, expensive, or time-consuming for many folks to get into. Listen in to hear how you can still have a word-count-busting, perspective-shifting weekend, day, or afternoon on your own writing retreat. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast27.

How do you divide your time between journaling and writing? How can you use personal reflection to help with non-personal writing? I share how journaling for the past six weeks has helped me complete a manuscript, as well as ways for you to use journaling to help you reflect and write. Whether you're working on something personal or not, journaling can be incredibly helpful in uncovering useful information to help you keep writing. Show notes are at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast26.

This episode is a bit of a break from the usual format--no lesson, just a reflection on how finishing my latest draft feels good/bad/different from the last novel I wrote. I mull over what makes this celebration more complicated than the last (spoiler alert: I am not looking forward to revising!). Find show notes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Author platform...social media...ahhhh! Instead of feeling guilty for not using social media, listen to this podcast about how I tried out Instagram for a month and had FUN. Instagram is a great platform for me for a variety of reasons (not as political as Twitter, more fun and flexible, and an easier place to make connections), and I share them all in this podcast, plus concrete ways for you to get started posting. I share how I use hashtags and participate in challenges. I'm not a big name on IG and I don't aim to be. I have a small but engaged following, and I make real connections on this platform.

In this episode, I share all the ways I've used tarot to write a first draft of a novel. It's a fun way to plan, get inspiration, and make prompts for yourself. Even if you've never used a tarot deck before (or don't have one!), you can try this to break through writer's block or plan your next story or manuscript. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com

What does #girlboss have to teach us about character development? Listen in to find out! Shownotes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com.

A few weeks ago, I stalled out at page 75 of my new novel. Listen in to hear how I beat back the slump and made it to page 105(!). I share tactics that worked for beating writers' block (I hate even typing those words) now and in the past, including my favorite tip (CELEBRATE!). Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Words are super powerful, and if you are listening to this podcast, you love finding the right word to say what you mean. In Episode 20 of Scratch Paper, I share a seemingly simple but incredibly useful (to me) way of choosing words to reveal your story or novel's tone and theme. There's also a fun writing exercise that will help you practice picking the right words and get you writing in different genres. Find show notes and links at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Last week, I talked about all the many things I have done to market my writing. This week, I share the purpose of my marketing and how it has changed since I started writing, along with the one rule I have been trying to follow when I want to try something new to market my work. Find show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Writers are often told that we need to learn how to market, but where do you begin? And what does that actually mean? Listen in to hear all the different things that I have done to market my ebooks and my writing, and my take on the "best" way to market (There is no best way! You have to try a lot of things). I share specifics about how I grew my Twitter following, other platforms and tactics I've tried to "guerrilla" market my work, and one idea I thought would be great but ended up hating. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Listen in to hear the structure and rules for a useful writing workshop, whether you are working in-person or online. I share guidelines to my favorite type of writing workshop, which I got to experience in the MFA program at University of New Hampshire. I also share how I've done email exchanges with friends I've met since: ways to share work and ideas for how to make sure everyone is happy. Subscribe on iTunes or in Stitcher, and find shownotes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com.

I found my agent through an event on Twitter (the amazing #PitMad, or Pitch Madness), and I share the full story here. Even though this wonderful step in my writing career is 100% due to my being on social media, I still have qualms about getting too far in...how much Internet is too much, for writers? I'm not sure, but I share a few ways for coping with "Internet overload" to keep your mind clear without becoming a hermit. Show notes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com

In this episode, I continue talking about How to get published (the series starts with Episode 12) and share my experience pitching researched nonfiction articles to magazines big and small. Listen in for what to put in your cover letter (aka pitch letter) and how pitching nonfiction is different from submitting fiction. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com

Faithful listeners, the day has arrived! My revision of my manuscript Finding Lucy is done! Tune in for a fun celebratory update, plus my new favorite memoirist, an awesome essay about marketing and social media and ambition, and how to get the best ebooks in the Seattle Public Library system. Shownotes and links at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Want to publish a novel or a short story, and don't know where to begin? This episode details the process from how to find literary journals, how to pick ones that might publish your work, and how exactly to submit (including what to put in a cover letter). I share the journals I've submitted to and the feedback I've gotten. The same rules apply for personal and lyric essays, so if you are a creative nonfiction writer, tune in! Find shownotes at aliciadelosreyes.com

The path to publishing can seem murky and opaque. How do writers get published? I mean--how exactly? What are the steps between writing and book deal? In this episode, I kick off a series on how to get your work published. Today, I give you an overview of the general path fiction and nonfiction writers typically take, based on my own experience and that of my friends. I also share about that strange breed of writers called "bloggers." Comment with your own questions on aliciadelosreyes.com and I'll answer (or find someone who can!).

There are two things in writing that teachers and readers expect, but don't necessarily ask you for: clarity and concision. These are the unspoken expectations--the "secret rules"--of writing. I share how to figure out if you need to follow them, how to check if you are following them, and how to improve your own clarity and concision no matter what you are writing. Find show notes with links at aliciadelosreyes.com

A quick, somewhat somber episode recorded after some sad days of shootings by and of police. I believe that fiction can be a force for good. What do you believe? How does writing fit into your values, your ethics, your goals for life? Please share at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast9.

Have you read "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert? It's a book about inspiration and it has some haters. I share why I like it and how I think it gets at the eternal tension of writing--love it so that you do it, but don't do it so that everyone will love it (or something like that). Also, this is the last episode in our series on how to get started writing a novel, and it's all about research--how to use research to get ideas, and how to use research to structure and add to your story. (Hear more about how I spent time in an evangelical church to research evangelicalism!)

A quick episode packed with resources that work for me to help me start and finish big drafts (aka novel manuscripts). If you are working on your rough draft and feel stuck or don't know how to begin, try reading these books/essays and using of these techniques (Pomodoro ftw!). Do you have resources or tricks to make yourself write? Please share them at the shownotes: aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast7

Are you getting ready for NaNoWriMo? Or thinking about writing your first novel? Listen to this episode to find out more about outlining vs. "pantsing" (aka improvising). You can hear how I outlined the first chapter of my manuscript, too, down to the nitty-gritty details of going from outline to actual story (and revision, blah. #revisionistheworst).

Last week, I shared how to use place to get ideas. This week, I share prompts related to character and questions that you can use to generate ideas! Plus, some meta-tips on how to use prompts. Listen in!

Want to write a novel but don't have any idea where to begin? This week's episode kicks of a short series on how to get started! In this episode, I'll give you prompts related to place and examples from my own novel-writing to help you brainstorm *big* ideas for your novel. If you've never written a novel but have always wanted to, grab your notebook and pen and listen in!

Rejection is the worst, and the writing community can be a sad, lonely place. I share some of the things I've learned from participating in the knitting community on Ravelry, a magical online platform and the happiest corner of the internet. Listen in to hear how we can lift each other up and perhaps make sending out work into the world suck a little bit less.

Welcome to episode 2 of Scratch Paper! I check in with a writing and reading update and share some motivation for tackling a huge project (like my massive revision, going on right now). Listen in and share your own ways to motivate yourself on aliciadelosreyes.com

Welcome to Scratch Paper, a writing-related podcast by Alicia de los Reyes, author of the DIY Writing series. In this episode, I introduce myself and my writing and share two ways to make yourself write--especially if you've gone weeks without writing.