The Family Writing Journey

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What happens when two middle-aged parents and their teenage son set out to become fiction writers? Join us (Michael, Sunny, and Matthew) as we share our experiences as beginning writers. We aren’t experts (not even close!), but together we talk about our

The Family Writing Journey


    • Apr 3, 2022 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 24m AVG DURATION
    • 32 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from The Family Writing Journey

    Michael's Accountability Check In

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2022 9:51


    A few episodes back, Michael talked about wanting more internal and external accountability. In this mini episode, we follow up to see how he's doing!

    accountability check
    Dialogue: Our Experiences and Tips

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2022 26:14


    In this episode, Matthew's back as we talk about our experience with one unique (and challenging!) element of fiction prose: character dialogue.

    Giving and Receiving Feedback on Your Writing

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2022 28:43


    In this episode, Sarah joins us as we talk about the experience of giving and getting book feedback.

    Audience: Who is the Book For?

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2022 22:07


    In this episode, we discuss the role of the audience in our writing. Do we write for ourselves or for someone else? Do we write for an audience or to an audience, and what's the difference?

    Accountability in Our Writing: Internal and External

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2022 20:33


    In this episode, we talk about how we hold ourselves accountable to ourselves, and also to others, and which accountability strategies we find most helpful as new writers.

    Writing Challenges

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2022 22:31


    In this episode, we share some of our current and past struggles as new writers.

    Strategies for Improving Prose

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2022 26:22


    In this episode, we discuss common strategies for improving our prose. This includes: diction, syntax, grammar, figurative language, feedback, and more.

    Prose: How We Use Written Language

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2022 27:34


    In this episode, we talk a bit about prose and the mechanics of our writing. We'll focus on four common aspects of fiction prose.

    Google Reads Michael's Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2022 20:45


    In this episode, we experiment with a commonly-suggested editing technique: reading your work out loud. Only, instead of reading it himself, Michael has Google software read some of his draft for all of us to hear and discuss.

    Pacing: How Does the Story “Flow”?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2022 24:30


    In this episode, we share our thoughts on pacing, including how to balance the movement of the plot with the development of characters and the world.

    Using Genre Conventions in Character Development

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2022 28:38


    In this episode, we discuss common expectations for characters in the genres of fantasy and sci-fi, and how we have (or haven't) used them in our own writing.

    The Character Arc

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2022 23:58


    In this episode, we talk about the inner journey of characters, sometimes called a “character arc.” We discuss strategies we use to create characters who change over the course of our stories.

    Creativity: How it Shapes Our Writing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2022 25:59


    In this episode, we start the new year by thinking about how we each experience creativity, and how creativity shapes our writing and other activities.

    Updates and Resolutions: Happy New Year!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2022 22:48


    In this episode, we wrap up the year with some updates on our work and a discussion of goals for the new year.

    Character Building: Before and During the Writing Process

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2021 27:03


    In this episode, we talk about how we develop and build our characters, during the planning process and also during the writing process.

    Common Character Types and How We Use Them

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2021 28:30


    In this episode, we begin a discussion of character by talking about some of the common types and the purposes they serve in our writing.

    Wordlbuilding: What Is It and How Do You Do It?

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2021 23:40


    In this episode, we discuss worldbuilding, which is the process authors and others use to create fictional worlds.

    Beginnings, Endings, Epilogues, and Prologues

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2021 24:46


    In this episode, we talk about why a novel's beginning and ending are important, plus share our perspectives on epilogues and prologues and how (if?) we're using them.

    Sharing Your Work

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2021 20:54


    In this episode, we talk about the pros and cons of sharing your work with others, and our experiences with sharing and getting feedback.

    How to Improve Your Writing: We Wish We Knew!

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2021 30:17


    In this episode, we talk about strategies and resources for improving one's writing. Some are things we've done, others are things we've heard about or might try!

    Point of View: Who Tells the Story?

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2021 23:34


    In this episode, we discuss our experiences with first person (“I”) and third person (“she, he, they”) points of view (POV).

    Plots and Plot Structures: How to Organize the Events of the Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2021 27:35


    In this episode, we'll be talking about plot development. We'll describe our own experiences, including our understanding and use of plot structures.

    Using Personal Experience in Our Writing

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2021 23:41


    In this episode, we'll have some casual conversation about how our personal experiences (or lack thereof) influence our writing.

    Stories and Storytelling

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2021 27:14


    In this episode, we'll describe the elements and focus of our own stories, plus what we're learning about how to tell a good story.

    Updates on Our Writing: Status and Goals

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2021 25:02


    In this episode, we each talk briefly about what we're currently working on. We're each in a different stage of the writing process, so this episode lets our listeners catch up on our current goals, successes, and struggles.

    Our “Fall Writers' Retreat”: Before and After

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2021 27:52


    In this episode, we're recording from a peaceful location in western New York, where we've gone to spend a weekend focused on writing and writing support. We're joined by Sunny's sister Sarah, also a novice author. Hear our conversation about goals and expectations on Day 1, and our assessment of how things went on Day 3.

    Our Experiences with Genre and Genre Expectations

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2021 25:00


    In this episode, we talk a little bit about fiction genres and sub-genres. We also touch on genre expectations and common tropes, and how these have affected our writing so far.

    Story Types: Short Story, Novella, Novel, and Series

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2021 25:08


    In this episode, we describe our understanding of the basic forms of fiction stories, including short stories, novellas, novels, and series. We discuss our own experiences and preferences as readers and also as novice writers.

    Getting Started: Our Early Motivations, Roadblocks, and Ideas

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2021 25:32


    In this episode, we talk about how we first got motivated to start writing, our early roadblocks, and how we got our initial ideas. We also reflect on the value that writing as a “shared occupation” has had for us as a family.

    Pros and Cons of Outlining

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2021 27:51


    In this episode, we discuss different approaches to outlining, including “pantsing” and “plotting.” We each share our strategies and experiences with this part of the writing process.

    Writing Habits: Developing Motivation, Consistency, and Success

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2021 18:03


    In this episode, we describe when, where, how often, and how much we write. We discuss which writing habits work well for us, which don't, and how we keep our writing fun

    Introducing the Members of the Family Writing Journey

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 1, 2021 13:59


    Welcome to the Family Writing Journey! This is our inaugural episode where we introduce ourselves and discuss the purpose of our podcast. We hope you enjoy!

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