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Mindy Quigley is the author of two lighthearted mystery series. Her latest, the Deep Dish Mysteries (Minotaur-St. Martin's Press) was a Woman's World book club pick and has been featured in Parade magazine. Mindy's non-writing career is stranger than fiction, having taken her from the US to the UK, where she worked as the personal assistant to the scientist who cloned Dolly the sheep and as project manager for a research clinic founded by the author J.K. Rowling. She lives in small-town Virginia with her Civil War history professor husband and their children.https://mindyquigley.com/Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/mintyfreshbooks/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/minty_fresh_books/Mentioned in the podcast:Promophobia: https://www.sistersincrime.org/page/PromophobiaJesse Q. Sutanto Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesseqsutanto/Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody************************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincnational.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@sincnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalThe SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/
DEBORAH J LEDFORD is the award-winning author of the Eva “Lightning Dance” Duran suspense thriller series, including Redemption and Havoc, set in Taos, New Mexico. Part Eastern Band Cherokee, she is an Agatha Award winner, The Hillerman Sky Award Finalist, 3-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize, and two-time Anthony Award Finalist for Best Audiobooks Crescendo and Causing Chaos from her Smoky Mountain Inquest Series set in the great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.She is a member of SinC National, International Thriller Writers, MWA SoCal, and is a past-president of the SinC Desert Sleuths Phoenix chapter.Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/DeborahJLedfordAuthor/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/djledford/Instagram, Twitter/X, Threads Handle: @djledfordWebsite https://deborahjledford.com/Mentioned in the podcast:Rod Sterling https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_SerlingIsabella Maldonado https://isabellamaldonado.com/Save the Cat https://savethecat.comSave the Cat Writes a Novel https://savethecat.com/products/books/save-the-cat-writes-a-novel*****************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincnational.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@sincnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalThe SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/
Send us a Text Message.Episode 221 / Looking to grow a community around your books? Romance author Amy Pine shares how she and her co-hosts created a podcast and built a vibrant community around Korean dramas. We also dive into craft book recommendations, beat sheets, and combining tropes in unexpected ways.
Marissa chats again with Jessica Brody, author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel about her popular craft books and how she adapted the original Save the Cat screenplay book's components for novel-writing. Also discussed in this craft-focused episode: how even pantsers can benefit from outlining tips, how having an outline doesn't mean the story is set in stone, how having an outline can shine a light on problems before a draft makes it harder to fix and move things around, how you can start with just five essential beats, favorite and least favorite beats, how plot and character are so entwined, the danger of outlining becoming a procrastination crutch, and so much more!Big Magic: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781594634727 7 point story structure – video series dan wells https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzfRuHa21NIzQFrQ6FAq8Pj2IA_SXiwrN Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781984859235 Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9780399579745The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgPurchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. Amplify MarketersOur mission is to help your message rise above the noise so it can be heard loud & clear.Writing Mastery AcademyUse the code HAPPYWRITER at WritingMastery.com for $20 off your first year of unlimited access.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377 Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
This week Ines and Leslye tackle how to bring stories to a close with a deep dive on story endings. We dive into character arcs, open doors (and windows!), and resolutions. BOOKS MENTIONED Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell: https://amzn.to/4a6NaqQ Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi: https://amzn.to/44v2TPn One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com/emotions The Monsters We Defy by Leslye Penelope: https://amzn.to/4btzGXe Save the Cat by Blake Snyder: https://amzn.to/4abpK3A Save the Cat Goes to the Movies by Blake Snyder: https://amzn.to/4bpDJUm Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody: https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger: https://amzn.to/3WuZD4t That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming: https://amzn.to/3WuZwG5 Ines' Substack where she breaks down Marvel movies according to the Five Part Finale https://ineswrites.substack.com/p/5-part-finale-of-the-incredible-hulk Check out Margie Lawson's courses: https://www.margielawson.com/lecture-packets/ Sign up for author Nalini Singh's newsletter to receive fan service here: https://nalinisingh.com/ Want the official Psy-Changeling Reading Order? Click here: https://nalinisingh.com/books/psychangeling-series/ Want to learn worldbuilding from Leslye? Sign up here: https://learn.myimaginaryfriends.net/ Want to learn story structure from Ines? Sign up here: https://ineswrites.com/PTP Get ready for Shield of Winter, coming in 1 week! Grab your copy to read along: https://amzn.to/4b6r34L Find the hosts online at: L. Penelope: https://lpenelope.com/ Ines Johnson: https://ineswrites.com/ Credits: "Moonlight Hall" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License.
My focus is always on my readers and the people who are impacted by not having those stories. So it's young folks and it's folks who are trans and queer and who are, you know, marginalized or brown, black, Bipoc. - Aiden Thomas My special guest is Aiden Thomas Aiden Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author and a prominent figure in young adult literature. Their expertise lies in crafting narratives that authentically represent the intersection of gender identity and cultural diversity. Aiden's notable work, particularly the acclaimed novel "Cemetery Boys," has garnered widespread acclaim for its compelling portrayal of underrepresented voices. With a background in creative writing and a deep commitment to inclusivity, Aiden's literary contributions have significantly enriched the representation of marginalized communities in literature. Their unique perspective as a trans Latinx individual brings a valuable and insightful dimension to the exploration of identity and cultural heritage within the literary landscape. In this episode, you will be able to: Uncover the art of writing fantasy with rich cultural influences, adding depth and authenticity to your storytelling. Discover the rewarding journey of transitioning from nonfiction to fiction writing and unleashing your creative potential. Embrace the importance of authentic representation of Latinx characters in young adult novels, contributing to diverse and inclusive literature. Delve into the captivating role of ancestry and culture in storytelling, enriching narratives with depth and resonance. The resources mentioned in this episode are: Visit the Wyoming Humanities Council website at ThinkWY.org to stay updated on upcoming events and programs, and to engage with their content on Instagram and Facebook. Follow Aiden Thomas on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and TikTok using the handle @AidenSchmaiden for updates on his books, events, and interactions with readers. Explore the book Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody for guidance on transitioning from nonfiction to fiction writing, including the use of the 15-point beat sheet story structure. Look for Aiden Thomas's books, including Cemetery Boys, Lost in the Neverwoods, and The Sun Bearer Trials, to explore diverse and inclusive storytelling, particularly for LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. Follow Us on These Channels: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emydigrappa/ www.ThinkWY.org https://www.facebook.com/storiesaboutwhy https://www.instagram.com/storiesaboutwhy Listen on all your favorite platforms and subscribe! As always leave a review if you enjoyed these stories and follow us on Instagram or visit the webpage of the Wyoming Humanities! Sign up for the podcast newsletter using the QR code of follow this link: http://eepurl.com/igy4fH
I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 9 Transcript "If you don't start out perfect, you're never going to be good." - Evil Mur Evil Mur is back giving terrible advice and it's a wild ride through the looking glass of a writer's darker musings. We cover questioning the point of writing when perfection eludes us to the ruthless strategy of writing on the job. She gives some seriously excellent advice about emotions in horror, and offers an unorthodox method for trimming the fat from your prose. We touch on the Hugo Awards and reveal the cover of Mur's upcoming book, Infinite Archive. Be warned: Evil Mur doesn't play by the rules, and neither does her advice. Other links: JoCo Cruise Baldur's Gate 3 (game) The Secret (book) Jonathan Livingston Seagull (book) The Celestine Prophecy (book) Infinite Archive (book) How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method (book) Hugo Awards Save the Cat Writes a Novel (book) Penguin Random House (publisher) Twitch (MightyMur) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (go here for all the books in Season 20) Support the show, if you dare, and remember: Evil Mur is watching. Write like it's your last act of defiance. CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, site design by Clockpunk Studioand files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 5, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 9 | murverse.com "The Epiphany of Routine" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/umqeMohkOC0 Mentioned: ARC Giveaway - https://lpenelope.com/2024/03/daughter-of-the-merciful-deep-arc-giveaway/ Daughter of the Merciful Deep - preorder Publishers Weekly starred review Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell Plot vs. Character by Jeff Gerke Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody OneStopforWriters.com The Negative Trait Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin Events: - The Authorprenuer Path workshop - 3/26/34 - Poconos Writers' Conference - 4/20/24 - My calendar - https://lpenelope.com/calendar/ The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Sarah M. Chen is a children's author and award-winning short story writer based in Los Angeles. Her noir novella, Cleaning Up Finn, was an Anthony finalist and IPPY Award winner. She's the co-editor for several anthologies, including Avenging Angelenos from Sisters in Crime / Los Angeles, and her writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books and Hapa Mag/Mixed Asian Media, among others.Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/sarahmchenauthor/Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarahmchen/ Blue Sky Handle @sarahmchen.bsky.socialOther Social Media: linktr.ee/sarahmchen Website https://sarahmchen.com Notes:Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt BellSave the Cat Writes a Young Adult Novel by Jessica Brody*****************About SinCSisters in Crime (SinC) was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sincnational.bsky.socialThreads: https://www.threads.net/@sincnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrimeTikTok:: https://www.tiktok.com/@sincnationalThe SinC Writers' Podcast is produced by Julian Crocamo https://www.juliancrocamo.com/
Watch in YouTube: https://youtu.be/DeIidsoalEY - Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net/footnotes - Savage City is on sale! - https://books2read.com/savagecity - Preordder Daughter of the Merciful Deep - https://lpenelope.com/book/daughter-of-the-merciful-deep/ Mentioned: - Bookbub - ebook deals - Scribecount - track book sales - FaRoFeb - Fantasy Romance February - Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell - Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland - Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland - Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody - "Designing Thriller and Mystery Twists That Work" by Samantha Skal - Ink & Magic podcast - 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains by Sacha Black - - Imaginary Worldbuilding course The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
On this episode, I talk with author Becca Wierwille about her debut middle grade novel, Road Trip Rescue, which she independently published with support from a Kickstarter campaign. We talk about the challenges of independently publishing (a/k/a self-publishing) for the middle grade market, Becca's decision to transition from a traditional path to an independent one, and how she reaches young readers with her stories.Books and resources mentioned in this episode include:Road Trip Rescue, by Becca WierwilleSave the Cat Writes a Novel, by Jessica BrodyAuthor MediaThe Snowflake Method for Designing a Novel.Because of Winn Dixie, by Kate DiCamilloBecca's Kickstarter campaign for her second book, Road Trip Return, can be found HERE.I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm. For the same price as other major audiobook providers, you can find all your favorites as well as curated lists of audiobooks written by or recommended by guests of the Middle Grade Matters podcast. Click here to learn more! Consider buying your books from the Middle Grade Matters Bookshop, where proceeds support this podcast as well as independent bookstores everywhere. For bonus content and info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow Middle Grade Matters on Instagram and Twitter.If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to follow us and please leave us a review.
On this episode, I talk with Nashae Jones about her debut middle-grade rom-com, Courtesy of Cupid, her love for combining laughing and literature, being a part of the 5am Writer's Club, and her journey to becoming a published author. Books mentioned in this episode include:Courtesy of Cupid, by Nashae JonesSave the Cat Writes a Novel, by Jessica BrodyFrom the publisher: In this middle grade rom-com sprinkled with a dash of magic, a girl uses her newfound ability to make people fall in love to sabotage her rival. I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm. For the same price as other major audiobook providers, you can find all your favorites as well as curated lists of audiobooks written by or recommended by guests of the Middle Grade Matters podcast. Click here to learn more! Consider buying your books from the Middle Grade Matters Bookshop, where proceeds support this podcast as well as independent bookstores everywhere. For bonus content and info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow Middle Grade Matters on Instagram and Twitter.If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to follow us and please leave us a review.
“'Something I always say: at the very least, do it for the plot. Do it for the story. Be bold in life, mostly because not being bold is boring as hell.' Margot tipped her head back in glittery laughter and I felt my chest expand in hope.” That's just one of many glittering conversations that the main character of Jamie Varon's debut novel, Main Character Energy, has with her Aunt, a guiding light who helps her find her voice and pursue her publishing dream. In today's conversation, Jamie and I go behind the book to talk about how fiction differs from nonfiction, working with a writing coach, the importance of giving yourself permission for a “zero” draft, moving past the mental machinations of envy and the desire for logical explanations for others' success, and so much more. Be sure to check out our previous conversation for the Pivot podcast 278: Radically Content with Jamie Varon. More About Jamie: Jamie Varon's writing has been seen across the internet for over a decade, from her early days of personal blogging all the way to features in publications such as Teen Vogue, HuffPost, GOOD, Complex, and many more. Over the years, both her long-form essays and short-form prose have garnered millions of reads and views, using her signature style of combining personal story with universal themes.
Get on the Footnotes newsletter Watch on YouTube Preptober & NaNoWriMo write-ins, Mondays & Wednesdays, 7pm ET. Get reminder emails: https://myimaginaryfriends.net/nano Mentioned: Tara McMullin "The Work You Were Born to Do" (paywall) - https://www.whatworks.fyi/p/the-work-you-were-born-to-do Nalini Singh interview on Fated Mates podcast - https://fatedmates.net/episodes/2023/10/17/s0606-trailblazer-nalini-singh Holly Lisle "How to Revise a Novel" - https://hollylisle.com/how-to-revise-a-novel/ My Resources for writers - https://lpenelope.com/resources-for-writers/ Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV My interview with Author Montrez (The Novel Creature Network) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuGQQLwNx40 ZigZag Claybourne Kickstarter - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidiansky/breath-warmth-and-dream-book-one-of-the-khumalo-trilogy My author newsletter - https://lpenelope.com/newsletter The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
On this episode, I talk with Joel Brigham of Brigham Editorial on the craft of writing. Together we dive deep into six things every story needs to succeed and answer the following questions:What makes a great premise?What are stakes and when and how do you raise them?How do you craft interesting characters?What are the basic elements of a good plot? What is voice, and how do you develop it?What is a theme, and how do you write it into your story? Books and resources mentioned in this podcast include:Brigham EditorialSave the Cat Writes a NovelSave the Cat Writes a Novel (Audiobook)I love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm. For the same price as other major audiobook providers, you can find all your favorites as well as curated lists of audiobooks written by or recommended by guests of the Middle Grade Matters podcast. Click here to learn more! Consider buying your books from the Middle Grade Matters Bookshop, where proceeds support this podcast as well as independent bookstores everywhere. For bonus content and info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow Middle Grade Matters on Instagram and Twitter.If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to follow us and please leave us a review.
In this episode, I talk with author Doan Phuong Nguyen about her debut middle grade book, Mèo and Bé, a story inspired by her family's experience living in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. We discuss the challenges of writing a story set during a time of incredible heartache and turmoil, and the importance of finding hope in these stories. Books and resources mentioned in this episode include:Mèo and Bé by Doan Phyong NguyenSave the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica BrodyVermont College of Fine Arts, MFA in Writing for Children & Young AdultsI love audiobooks! If you do, too, consider switching to Libro.fm. For the same price as other major audiobook providers, you can find all your favorites as well as curated lists of audiobooks written by or recommended by guests of the Middle Grade Matters podcast. Click here to learn more! Consider buying your books from the Middle Grade Matters Bookshop, where proceeds support this podcast as well as independent bookstores everywhere. For bonus content and info on upcoming episodes, subscribe to the Middle Grade Matters newsletter here: Newsletter, and follow Middle Grade Matters on Instagram and Twitter.If you're enjoying this podcast, please be sure to follow us and please leave us a review.
Today's episode, we explore how to take your story outline from zero to hero with the 15 key story elements from one of the best outline resources of " Save The Cat Writes a Novel" by Jessica Brody.Highlights- What are the 15 key story elements- How to take your reader on a journey- Getting through the Act 2 with styleBook Links: Save The Cat Writes a Novel ( Affiliate Links) Save The Cat Write a Young Adult Novel ( Affiliate Links)
Today's epsiode why it is important for authors to outline their writing projects. I help answer the question is it better to plot or discovery write your writing project?HighlightsWhy do you need to OutlineHow to begin to outline your storyBest Outlining ResourcesResources Mentioned in Show: (Affiliate Links) Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica BrodyOutlining Your Novel by K.M. WeilandMy Story can Beat up Your Story by Jeffrey Alan SchecterThe Trope Thesaurus by Jennifer Hilt
In this week's episode, Marissa chats with Jessica Brody, author of over twenty novels, along with her bestselling SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A NOVEL, and the new SAVE THE CAT! WRITES A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL. Discussed in this episode: revisiting favorite writing resources, what makes this new version of SAVE THE CAT! unique and perfect for YA authors, how most (but not all!) stories follow the Save the Cat method, how a big part of writing a novel is trusting the process and carrying on, how to use the Save the Cat method, even if you're not an outliner, and so much more. UFO's and Aliens PodcastIn this podcast, I will research, UFO sightings, Alien abductions and similar...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifyThe Happy Writer at Bookshop.org Purchasing your books through our webstore at Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
An insightful conversation with Jamie Nash, the author of over 100 screenplays and the book "Save the Cat Writes for TV". Jamie has written numerous produced feature films and teaches screenwriting. Learn about the Transformation Machine, the Broken Compass and many more wonderful screenwriting tools!
I did a call with a writer this week who really is just getting started, with a few short stories finished and dreams of the future, and after we talked at probably unnecessary length about the fundamental truth that writing is hard and you have to actually DO it, not just think about it and plan for it, so annoying, she asked me how I start a new project*.This episode is my answer, pretty much—because I've just done exactly that. My first outline document for the book I'm working on is dated 2/15; I opened a scrivener doc in March, there were 3 chapters in early April and I'm heading to the finish line on the first draft as I write (which would be quite fast for me so please do note that it's a very very very first draft).So I have just started. Here's how.And here are links to last year's Blueprint for a Book series, in which Jennie Nash and I talked about all the stages of starting all the things:Find Your Why: Blueprint for a Book Step 1What's Your Point? Blueprint for a Book Step 2Who Will Read My Book? Know Your Market: Blueprint for a Book Step 3Your Jacket Copy is Your Promise to the Reader: Blueprint for a Book Step 4There Must Be Change: Blueprint for a Book Step 5What's the Structure of Your Narrative? Blueprint for a Book Step 6How to Drive that Narrative Forward: Blueprint for a Book Step 7One Outline to Rule Them All (Even if You Hate Outlining): Blueprint for a Book Step 8But Does this Book Work? Blueprint for a Book Step 9How to Go From Planning a Book to Writing One: Blueprint for a Book Step 10And—starting next week—a whole summer series on getting the IDEA, refining it, testing it, poking it and revising it. You're gonna love it.*And then she asked how to get an agent because… we are who we are, and everyone asks that!LINKSThe Idea: The Seven Elements of a Viable Story for Screen, Stage or Fiction, Erik BorkSave the Cat Writes a Novel, Jessica BrodyBlueprint for a Book, Jennie Nash#AmWriting Prewriting Episode 178 #WriteFasterRachael Herron's How Do You Write Podcast episode 376 with David EllisIf you love a good writing retreat—especially one that comes with good solid coaching and the chance to meet others who are working on similar projects—here's one to check out. This fall, three Author Accelerator certified book coaches are offering Mainely Memoir, a retreat for women writers in historic Biddeford, Maine, held over three days in the gorgeous Maine woods in September, with one-on-one coaching both before and after the retreat. It's the perfect opportunity to give yourself the gift of time and focus so that you can make real progress on your memoir this year. Find out more at www.mainelymemoir.comDo you get KJ's Box of Chocolates email—for erratic doses of books and enthusiasms? If not, what are you waiting for? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
This week, we talk about some of our most memorable reading experiences.Follow us on Instagram:Gare @gareindeedreadsKate @thegirlwiththecookonthecouchBooks We Talked AboutThe Girl on the TrainGone GirlSave the Cat Writes a NovelTaylor Jackson SeriesThe Silent PatientThe Snow GardenVerityInto the Black NowhereNinth HouseHell BentThe TrapDaisy DarkerThe Long and Faraway GoneDark MatterThe Broken GirlsThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn HugoDaisy Jones and The SixDark CornersYellowface
Two years ago, Jennie Nash and I (this is KJ) got into a debate about what was the best, most helpful book for a writer's bookshelf. Almost instantly we realized that we couldn't choose just one (although if we could, I suspect it's Save the Cat Writes a Novel for me and Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit for Jennie, but even as I write that I'm having second thoughts in favor of Big Magic but I'm just SO ANNOYED with her right now because of the whole take-back-my-book thing) and, yeah. Anyway. It's summer reading time, and to my summer reading list I've added a few books about writing, starting with Rick Rubin's The Creative Act: A Way of Being and, yes. Twyla Tharp's book (it's taken me this long to get over my resistance but JENNIE IS ALWAYS RIGHT about these things) and adding, for a practical note, Save the Cat Strikes Back by Blake Snyder and The Trope Thesaurus from Jennifer Hilt. (Want my non-professional summer reading list? Subscribe to #AmReading.) If you're looking to add to your own professional summer reading, you can't do better than going back to the series of summer episodes that Jennie and I recorded as a result of that first debate. They're all listed and linked below, along with the books we discussed, and I'm putting the first of them (Episode 269) here—in which we debate, yes, Big Magic versus The Creative Habit.Since then, Jennie's published two Blueprint for a Book books: one each for fiction and nonfiction and, coming later this summer, memoir. They're all EXCELLENT and highly recommended as well.Working Bookshelf Episodes:* Inspiration (Big Magic versus The Creative Habit)* Plotting (Save the Cat Writes a Novel versus The Situation and the Story)* Productivity (Productivity with Deep Work versus From 2K to 10K)* Up Your Game (The Practice versus The Bestseller Code)* When You're Stuck (The War of Art versus Dear Writer You Need to Quit)* Getting Published (The Essential Guide to Getting Published versus 78 Reasons Why Your Book May Never Be Published and 14 Reasons Why It Just Might)* Writing While White (The Anti Racist Writing Workshop, Craft in the Real World, Writing the Other)* When You Don't Know Why You're Doing This (Start with Why versus How to Write an Autobiographical Novel)* Writer Comfort Reads (Bird by Bird versus Making a Literary Life)* Editing (Meander, Spiral, Explode: Design and Pattern in Narrative versus Blueprint for a Book)If you love a good writing retreat—especially one that comes with good solid coaching and the chance to meet others who are working on similar projects—here's one to check out. This fall, three Author Accelerator certified book coaches are offering Mainely Memoir, a retreat for women writers in historic Biddeford, Maine, held over three days in the gorgeous Maine woods in September, with one-on-one coaching both before and after the retreat. It's the perfect opportunity to give yourself the gift of time and focus so that you can make real progress on your memoir this year. Find out more at www.mainelymemoir.comHey - are you following Sarina on Instagram? It's a great place for romance goodness (and check out her (Surprise!) billboard at 34th and 7th Ave!). This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
If you didn't watch last week's excited ramble about revising, you might do that first, because this is the follow-up in which I screw up an entire revision…twice. Last week's episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfXcixMWM8E Links mentioned: Jessica Brody's site: https://www.jessicabrody.com/2020/11/how-to-write-your-novel-using-the-save-the-cat-beat-sheet/ Save the Cat Writes a Novel: https://amzn.to/3qr6LRu (affiliate link, yo!) This video is for: people who like watching me ramble; writing nerds; people into process videos. Anyone who wants to see me low-key dramatize either a roller coaster crashing into the ground (slash my desk), or me almost climbing out of a hole and then sliiiiiiiding back into it. This video is not for: anyone who wants to avoid the nitty gritty of creating shit. Sometimes it gets SUPER discouraging, y'all. Places you can find me: https://www.patreon.com/KrisRipper https://www.instagram.com/krisripper/ https://krisripper.com/irregulars
Jess here, because I hate outlining. Hate it. It sounds boring and feels like an assignment, writing stripped of all flow and joy. I asked KJ and Sarina to help me with this problematic mindset, because my novel in progress clearly needs a solid outline and yet every time I go back to work on it, I feel irritated, frustrated and blocked. Thank goodness for my accountability buddies, because they came through for me in this episode. In fact, the moment we logged off the Zoom call, I got back to work, refreshed, refocused, and engaged in the process of storytelling. Resources Jennie Nash and Author AcceleratorSave the Cat Writes a Novel#AmReadingJess: I've been watching Daisy Jones and the Six on Amazon Prime and re-listening to the audiobook, which features Jennifer Beals as Daisy. I needed more Taylor Jenkins Reid, so I finally downloaded the audio of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which I'm really enjoying. (Also mentioned: Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising)KJ: Amy Poppel's The Sweet Spot If you love a good writing retreat—especially one that comes with good solid coaching and the chance to meet others who are working on similar projects—here's one to check out. This fall, three Author Accelerator certified book coaches are offering Mainely Memoir, a retreat for women writers in historic Biddeford, Maine, held over three days in the gorgeous Maine woods in September, with one-on-one coaching both before and after the retreat. It's the perfect opportunity to give yourself the gift of time and focus so that you can make real progress on your memoir this year. Find out more at www.mainelymemoir.comHey you - yea, you! Are you following Sarina on Tiktok? Out of #AmWriting episodes and in need of another podcast? Check out A Bookish Home. I've been a guest, and it's a delight. Librarian and writer Laura Szaro Kopinski interviews a different author each week, so you can Add to your TBR list while getting the inside scoop on the winding road to publication. Coming up this spring will be Amy Poeppel, Sarah Penner, Maggie Smith and many more. Find it here on Apple podcasts or search it on your pod player of choice. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
If there's one craft book @catwynnauthor always recommends it's this one! SJ and Cat were totally honored to have a chat with Jessica Brody, who's trad published more than twenty novels and wrote the classic Saves the Cat Writes a Novel. Don't miss this episode! We discuss the emotional aspects of writing but in a really cool and useful practical way and answer the questions "Do all good writers know themselves?" You can find Jessica at www.jessicabrody.com You can find Cat Wynn on most platforms @catwynnauthor. Check out Cat's debut workplace romcom PARTNER TRACK at www.catwynnauthor.com, available where books are sold. Check out her holiday novellas HOLIDAY GAMES and HOTEL GAMES available on KU! You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms @sjtillyauthor. You can find LATTE DARLING on KU or available for order on amazon. You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms at SJTillyAuthor and on her website at www.sjtilly.com Check out her holiday novella SECOND BITE available on KU soon! You can find the pod on instagram @talldarkfictional and @tdfpod on Twitter and Tiktok. Music by Vincent Augustus @ https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vincent_Augustus --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/talldarkfictional/message
If there's one craft book @catwynnauthor always recommends it's this one! SJ and Cat were totally honored to have a chat with Jessica Brody, who's trad published more than twenty novels and wrote the classic Save the Cat Writes a Novel. Don't miss this episode! We discuss the emotional aspects of writing but in a really cool and useful practical way and answer the questions "Do all good writers know themselves?" You can find Jessica at www.jessicabrody.com You can find Cat Wynn on most platforms @catwynnauthor. Check out Cat's debut workplace romcom PARTNER TRACK at www.catwynnauthor.com, available where books are sold. Check out her holiday novellas HOLIDAY GAMES and HOTEL GAMES available on KU! You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms @sjtillyauthor. You can find LATTE DARLING on KU or available for order on amazon. You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms at SJTillyAuthor and on her website at www.sjtilly.com Check out her holiday novella SECOND BITE available on KU soon! You can find the pod on instagram @talldarkfictional and @tdfpod on Twitter and Tiktok. Music by Vincent Augustus @ https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vincent_Augustus --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talldarkfictional/message
The nerds review a couple movies they've seen, talk about the chinese spy ballon shot down near their home, a bartender gets in trouble for a drunk drivers crime, a 13 year old sleeps outside for 1000 days, a woman throws chicken at her boyfriend, a cat writes a sad letter and more! Check out our amazing sponsors! binoid.com use our code 'NERD' to save 10% on Nerds favorite thc edibles and other goodies! built.com use code 'VOMSHOW' to save 10% on all orders on the most delicious, keto approved protein bars! Twitter/Mewe/Parler/Gettr/Rumble: @voicesofmisery Gmail: voicesofmiserypodcast@gmail.com Instagram: voices_of_misery Discord server: voices of misery podcast https://tinyurl.com/VoMPodcastTees
Mentioned: - The Monsters We Defy 6 month book birthday spoiler chat - Feb 9, 2023, 8pm ET: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw3UlayiJV4 - Preorder Beastly Kingdom (The Bliss Wars, Book 2) - Thinkific course software - Whimsical software - Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody - Whimsical Save the Cat template - FaRoBub February 8, 2023 - Shop free fantasy romance books - My Author Newsletter - https://lpenelope.com/newsletter/ - "Pathway to Becoming a Published Author" panel - 2/21/23 Bowie Library, Maryland - My Events Page - ProWritingAid Fantasy Week - 2/27/23-3/7/23- https://lpen.co/fantasyweek - Lockwood and Co - Netflix - The Last of Us - HBO - The New Gurus - BBC Radio - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9sq The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Hey TDF listeners! Happy 2023! We're back and here's a quick catch up episode with some announcements and some gossip. This episode is just Cat and SJ but we'll be releasing an episode with Saves the Cat Writes a Novel author Jessica Brody soon! It's already been recorded, just not edited yet, sorry about that. But enjoy this catch up. We all get the 2023 we deserve. You can find Cat Wynn on most platforms @catwynnauthor. Check out Cat's debut workplace romcom PARTNER TRACK at www.catwynnauthor.com, available where books are sold. Check out her holiday novellas HOLIDAY GAMES and HOTEL GAMES available on KU! You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms @sjtillyauthor. You can find LATTE DARLING on KU or available for order on amazon. You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms at SJTillyAuthor and on her website at www.sjtilly.com Check out her holiday novella SECOND BITE available on KU soon! You can find the pod on instagram @talldarkfictional and @tdfpod on Twitter and Tiktok. Music by Vincent Augustus @ https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vincent_Augustus --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/talldarkfictional/message
Hey TDF listeners! Happy 2023! We're back and here's a quick catch up episode with some announcements and some gossip. This episode is just Cat and SJ but we'll be releasing an episode with Saves the Cat Writes a Novel author Jessica Brody soon! It's already been recorded, just not edited yet, sorry about that. But enjoy this catch up. We all get the 2023 we deserve. You can find Cat Wynn on most platforms @catwynnauthor. Check out Cat's debut workplace romcom PARTNER TRACK at www.catwynnauthor.com, available where books are sold. Check out her holiday novellas HOLIDAY GAMES and HOTEL GAMES available on KU! You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms @sjtillyauthor. You can find LATTE DARLING on KU or available for order on amazon. You can find SJ Tilly on most platforms at SJTillyAuthor and on her website at www.sjtilly.com Check out her holiday novella SECOND BITE available on KU soon! You can find the pod on instagram @talldarkfictional and @tdfpod on Twitter and Tiktok. Music by Vincent Augustus @ https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Vincent_Augustus --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/talldarkfictional/message
Finishing a draft is glorious.Realizing you have to revise it—especially the first time—is … not.That's the focus of this bonus episode. We're thinking, maybe it's post NaNoWriMo, it's December, and you're sitting on on a draft, a real honest-to-gosh draft of your first novel. And you should be thrilled, happy, pleased as punch.But since you're a #AmWriting listener, we know you know the next step is NOT pressing send on an agent query or designing cover art. Or even polishing each sentence to perfection. In this episode, you'll hear me (KJ) chat with three fantastic book coaches about what you do do to go from the drafting process to the revision process, the first steps in shifting your mindset, evaluating what you've got and figuring out how to make it better. Links from the pod: The 30 day revision process episodeCreating Character Arcs, KM Weiland Save the Cat Writes a Novel, Jessica BrodyMORE INFO: Head to www.nanonowwhat.com for free resources on the evaluating and revision process, and to learn more about these fantastic book coaches and how they can get you from NaNo success to a draft that's ready to pitch or publish.Hear from other #NaNoNowWhat coaches on #AmWriting: Rona Gofstein on Blueprint for a Book Step 3: Who Will Read My Book? Know Your MarketSam Skal on Blueprint for a Book Step 8: One Outline to Rule Them All (Even if You Hate Outlining)The guest coachesKayla Davenport has been an avid reader and writer her whole life, and now assists other writers on their own bookish journeys. She enjoys a wide range of genres, but her favorites are young adult fantasy and dystopian stories that delve into compelling characters and their struggles. She is the author of the young adult dystopian series Beyond the Gates, and is very involved in the online book community on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok under the name @thebooktubeturtle. Through her coaching business, Kayla Davenport Books, she works with writers at all stages of the process, from initial idea to publication, but her specialty lies in revision work, identifying the hidden gaps in stories and helping writers fill them in and take their manuscripts from good to great. Stacy Frazer is a formerly repressed creative soul turned speculative fiction writer, YA fantasy author, Author Accelerator certified book coach, and the founder of Write It Scared. Her mission is to help fiction writers let go of the self-doubt spiral and find clarity and confidence in their stories so they can finish their books. Stacy firmly believes that the only creative license required to write a novel is one's lived experience and that you can learn all the tools to craft a book that makes you proud!When not writing, reading, or working with writers, you can find Stacy hanging with her daughter or on the trail with her big goofy labrador, Gus Gus. To connect with Stacy, please visit her website: www.writeitscared.co. You can also email her at Stacy@writeitscared.co or follow her on Instagram @WriteitScared.Sam Cameron has spent the past decade as a writing tutor and high school history teacher. She loves helping teenagers find their voice and discover the world around them. Coaching YA authors is the perfect marriage between her love of story, my passion for teaching, and her firm belief that all teens deserve to see themselves represented in great books! Her coaching super power is diagnosing the fatal flaws of a manuscript and helping writers figure out how to fix them.Writers, I've got exciting news from Author Accelerator. Applications for Author Accelerator's new 2-year scholarship program for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color opens this month! The Author Accelerator team developed this scholarship as a way to amplify diverse voices and perspectives that are under-recognized in the publishing world.The newly launched Author Accelerator Book Coach Certification Scholarship provides one year of professional mentorship and feedback for up to three students of color as they complete the Book Coach Certification program and one subsequent year of career coaching and mentorship as they launch their business. If you're Interested in Applying, the scholarship window opens November 15th and will close January 15, 2023. The program will kick off in March 2023. To learn more, visit bookcoaches.com/equity. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
How do you answer the question, "What do you want for Christmas?" In this episode, Kenny shares 12 gift ideas for writers. Physical Gifts: 1. Noise Cancelling Headphones 2. Blue Light Glasses 3. Laptop Stand 4. Travel mug, coffee cup, or sticker with an encouraging saying or a phrase stating what you want to be ex. Future Best-Selling Author 5. A Gift Card to your local bookstore Books: 6. Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody 7. The Ten Commandments of Author Branding by Shayla Raquel 8. The Secrets of Character by Matt Bird 9. The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi 10. Author Your Dream by Kenny MacKay Program/Subscriptions: 11. Grammarly 12. Milanote
Mentioned: - Jane Friedman Electric Speed newsletter - https://janefriedman.ac-page.com/jf-espeed-30 - Opal HD web camera - https://opalcamera.com/ - Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV - Whimsical - online whiteboard software - https://whimsical.com/ - My Save The Cat Whimsical template - https://lpen.co/stc-whimsical - Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers - http://www.bsfwriters.com/ - Galaxy's Edge magazine - https://galaxysedge.com - Becca Syme kickstarter (ended) - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/beccasyme/the-author-stuck-list - Canva AI image generator: https://www.canva.com/features/ai-image-generator/ - Midjourney AI image generation - https://www.midjourney.com/ - My Canva images from text "A green dragon flying over a post-apocalyptic city near the water during sunset." - Artbreeder - https://www.artbreeder.com/ - Lab grown meat - https://www.freethink.com/science/lab-grown-chicken-upside-foods - our science fictional future is upon us - Imaginary Worlds podcast - Indigenous Futurism - https://www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org/ - Brain Food newsletter - https://fs.blog/brain-food/november-13-2022/ - Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://amzn.to/3j74GTZ - https://onestopforwriters.com/ deal on 6 month plan - 40% off! Coupon code: BF2022. The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - http://lpen.co/footnotes Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Understanding the Denouement as well as John Barth's idea of the “complexified equilibrium” and Jessica Brody's “Five-Point Finale” with authors Rebecca Rolland and Rishi Reddi. Rebecca Rolland is the author of the Art of Talking with Children (HarperOne, 2022), a combination memoir and parenting/education guide that will be translated into over 10 languages. She's also a poet, essayist, and novelist, winner of the Dana Award for Short Fiction, with three poetry collections published and a fourth one coming out next year. She lives in Boston with her family.Rishi Reddi is the author of the novel Passage West, a Los Angeles Times “Best California Book of 2020” which tells of the early South Asian immigrants to California, and Karma and Other Stories, which received the 2008 L.L. Winship /PEN New England Award for Fiction. A National Book Critics Circle Emerging Critics Fellow for 2021-2022, her reviews, essays and translations have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Review of Books, Kirkus Reviews, LitHub, Alta Journal, and Partisan Review, among others. Rishi has received fellowships and grants from the MacDowell Colony, Bread Loaf, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the U.S. Department of State. She lives in Cambridge, MA, and is the Director of Environmental Justice in her day job with the government of Massachusetts. Find John Barth's essay Incremental Perturbations in Julie Checkoway's (editor) Creativing Fiction. And Jessica Brody's 5-Point Final can be found in her craft book: Save the Cat Writes a Novel.Find these and more of fave craft books as well as our panelists' most recent publications on our Bookshop page: https://bookshop.org/shop/the7amnovelist This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com
According to Jessica Brody's Save the Cat Writes a Novel, the Fun & Games beat is pivotal for laying the groundwork of your story as you move into the second act while getting your characters moving. So how to do it? And how do the Fun & Games lead to your book's all important Midpoint? To help us out, we talk to authors Annie Hartnett and Sara Shukla.Sara Shukla is an editor and writer for Cognoscenti, WBUR Boston Public Radio's ideas and opinions page, and a graduate of Grubstreet's novel incubator. Her novel, Pink Whales, a humorous take on lies, drugs and yacht clubs in an exclusive seaside New England town – think “Mean Girls,” but moms — is forthcoming from Little A. She has writing in the Los Angeles Review of Books, short humor in McSweeney's and elsewhere, and interviews in Dead Darlings. She lives in Mass. with her husband and three kids. Annie Hartnett is the author of two novels: her first was called Rabbit Cake and her new novel, Unlikely Animals, just came out in April with Random House. Along with the writer Tessa Fontaine, Annie runs bi-weekly accountability groups – workshops designed to give you community and support on your writing projects without the pressure and confusion of feedback. Annie is also the co-host of the Here to Save You podcast, a podcast about writing while parenting young children. Annie lives in Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and their dog. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit 7amnovelist.substack.com
She's far more excited about exploring the millions of ways a romance can go wrong, rather than right. Amanda Jane Schiller, a mom of one preteen and contemporary romance novelist, is on the show today. In this episode, Amanda discusses the book that completely altered her previous views about writing and became the catalyst for her own writing style. She not only defines books about “romance gone wrong” but also gives us a sample of the psychological curiosities she gets to play with as she explores her character's past. Amanda also shares how she prepared herself for self-publishing so that the process wasn't overwhelming, as well as what resources helped her most. And I give detailed examples of what it means to “read like a writer” and some of the other best writing advice I learned at university. We also have an in-depth conversation about pursing our passions as adults, the roundabout ways we got here, and the messages we're passing on to our kids. And, as always, we discuss which books we and our kids love most. Get her books: – Wicked Games and Wasted Years: Part 1: https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Games-Wasted-Years-Part/dp/B0962N9JTX – Wicked Games and Wasted Years: Part 2: https://www.amazon.com/Wicked-Games-Wasted-Years-Part/dp/B09WCJWNPS Connect with Amanda: – Blog: https://www.patreon.com/amandajaneschiller – Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/ajschiller – Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amanda.schiller.9 Books discussed during the show: – The Coldest Winter Ever by Sister Souljah – The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien – Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery – The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle – The Neverending Story by Michael Ende – Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams – Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – The Bad Guys series by Aaron Blabey – Dead Boy by Laurel Gale – Fearless series by Francine Pasco – The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern Resources mentioned during the show: – Reedsy.com – Vellum – KDP (Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing) – Draft2Digital For more content on writing, parenting, and life, visit LifeBeyondParenting.com. Free your creative self too. Download your free copy of my guide, 5 Steps to Help You Start Writing Today: https://lifebeyondparenting.com/5-steps-start-writing.
Welcome to the Indie Writer Podcast where we talk about all things writing and indie publishing. Today we are excited to talk about Beach Reads with Annie McQuaid. Annie McQuaid is a Boston native, but grew up in North Carolina where the winters are much easier to handle! She's been writing since she can remember and holds a B.A. in Communications and Creative Writing from Elon University. In April, 2022, she was selected as a Kiss Pitch mentee for a two-month-long writing mentorship program. In her day job, she works as a Marketing Director for Cengage publishing where she gets to be a storyteller every day. KEEP UP WITH OUR GUEST! Twitter - @AnnieWithAnE RESOURCES/BOOKS MENTIONED: Beach Read by Emily Henry The Idea of You by Robinne Lee People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle Something Wilder by Christina Lauren The Bodyguard by Katherine Center The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert Jagged Little Pill by Eric Smith Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert When Life Gives You Vampires by Gloria Duke Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody On Writing by Stephen King The Emotion Thesaurus _______________________________________ Check out the following books by our Patrons! Deadly Declarations by Landis Wade Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Want to see your book listed? Become a Patron!
Collectively Tess & Karen have written more than sixty books so it's not surprising that they've picked up a few skills along the way. On this episode they discuss the art of creating complex characters who will strike a chord with readers. Using specific examples from movies and books, they describe methods writers can use to get their characters to the next level. They hope you find it interesting and useful! Books mentioned:Save the Cat by Blake SnyderSave the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica BrodyTess's Presentation on Characterization
Recorded on July 18th, 2022In this episode, I talk about writing process—how they have helped me, how they could help you—and I share my entire writing process, from idea to complete story that can then be published (hopefully!) I also tell you about the not-so-fun thing that happened this week... and the awesome one!Mentioned in this episode:Stephanie Ellis: https://stephanieellis.orgHorror Writers Association's Mentoring Program: https://horror.org/hwa-mentors/The Author Life Community: https://theauthorsuccessmastermind.comJ. Thorn: https://jthorn.netCrys Cain: https://www.cryscain.comThree Story Method: https://theauthorlife.com/threestorymethod/Zach Bohannon: https://zachbohannon.comThe Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction: http://www.sfsite.com/fsf/The Dark Magazine: https://www.thedarkmagazine.comApex Magazine: https://apex-magazine.comStephen King's On Writing: https://bookshop.org/a/85049/9781982159375Rachael Herron's Revision Process: http://www.howdoyouwrite.net/episodes/108Brandon Sanderson's Free Writing Workshop: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSH_xM-KC3Zv-79sVZTTj-YA6IAqh8qeQStory Grid Foolscap: https://storygrid.com/the-foolscap-method/Story Grid Obligatory Scenes and Conventions : https://storygrid.com/conventions-and-obligatory-moments-for-genre/Save the Cat Writes a Novel: https://bookshop.org/a/85049/9780399579745Lisa Cron's Story Genius: https://bookshop.org/a/85049/9781607748892Scrivener: https://a.paddle.com/v2/click/49535/150971?link=1570Story Grid Five Commandments of Storytelling: https://storygrid.com/five-commandments-of-storytelling/Rachael Herron's How Do You Write Podcast: http://www.howdoyouwrite.netRead the full transcript of this episode: https://leftie-aubes-writing-podcast.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-2-writing-process/transcriptSupport the show (and my writing career!): https://ko-fi.com/leftieaubeTag me on your screenshots of the show @leftieaube and follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leftieaube/⬇️ Visit my Bookshop page: https://bookshop.org/shop/leftieaube ⬇️When you buy a book from this page, you are supporting an indie bookstore, the author of the book AND me, all at the same time!Try out Scrivener (my favorite writing tool ever, the one I use to write all my novels!): https://a.paddle.com/v2/click/49535/150971?link=1570This podcast is recorded and edited using Descript: https://www.descript.com?lmref=V_4suQIt is hosted by Simplecast: https://simplecast.comIntro music credit: “Cinematic Cello Arpeggio Trailer” by Gregor Quendel, found on Free Sound https://freesound.org/s/555995/Disclaimer: Some of the above links are affiliates. At no extra cost to you, I'm receiving compensation for any purchase made through those links. Buying through those links supports my writing journey, which I highly appreciate!
Kelli and Zara talk about craft books, a seemingly ubiquitous and essential element of any writer's toolkit. But are they really needed? Save the Cat Writes a Novel: https://amzn.to/3nyAN0X On Writing: https://amzn.to/3AEhJ9p Bird By Bird: https://amzn.to/3R4vJyJ On Romance: https://thewriteishpodcast.podbean.com/e/genre-gossip-on-romance/ Architect vs Gardener: https://thewriteishpodcast.podbean.com/e/architect-or-gardener/ Bullies, Bastards, and Bitches: https://amzn.to/3RazDWP - https://ko-fi.com/writeish
Mentioned: - The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne – https://amzn.to/2Yw6Elx Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV - Sarah Beth Yoga - https://www.youtube.com/c/sarahbethyoga - Yoga with Kassandra - https://www.youtube.com/c/yogawithkassandra - Yoga with Bird - https://www.youtube.com/c/YogaWithBird - A Midsummer Night's Dream @ Old Globe Theatre, San Diego, CA - https://www.theoldglobe.org/pdp/22-season/a-midsummer-nights-dream The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - http://lpen.co/footnotes Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Today I'm joined by NYT best selling author, Aiden Thomas, who launched his debut YA novel, Cemetery Boys, during the first year of the pandemic. His second book, Lost in the Never Woods, came out in 2021, and because this pandemic is apparently never ending, his third book, The Sunbearer Trials, will be his 3rd release, out on September 6th! Aiden is one of the most delightful humans, and I'm so excited for you to hear from them directly in today's interview. Books recommended by Aiden in this episode: Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories by Charlie Jane Anders Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody [Click the book titles to order your copy from Aiden's favorite indie: Powell's Books!] *** Love the podcast? Then you've got to get on my email list. Go to IsabelSterling.com/join to make sure my best advice for staying in love with writing and banishing burnout goes right to your inbox. When you sign-up, you'll get a PDF with the 5 Causes of Writer's Block so you can figure out why you're stuck and get back to writing. That's IsabelSterling.com/join - See you next week!
Mentioned: - Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV - The Anatomy of Story by John Truby - https://amzn.to/3wwAzLE - Dan Wells' 7 Point Plot Structure - https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/story-structure/seven-point-story-structure/ - Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland - https://amzn.to/3Mc5pjD - The Creative Penn podcast - https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/ - Storyist writing software - https://storyist.com/ - Scrivener - https://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview - Notion software - https://notion.so - ClickUp project management software - http://clickup.com - My author publication DB video & template - https://lpenelope.com/2020/08/manage-your-published-book-details-with-notion/ - Asana project management software - https://asana.com/ - "Second Brain" - a good, very short overview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBOHUBTsvHk - BB Edit - text editor - https://asana.com/ - Google Keep - https://keep.google.com The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - http://lpen.co/footnotes Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Mentioned: - Structuring Your Novel by K.M. Weiland - https://amzn.to/3Mc5pjD - Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody – https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV - Agents vs. attorneys - https://kriswrites.com/2022/04/27/business-musings-attorneys/ - Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - Moonknight The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - http://lpen.co/footnotes Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Jamie Nash hops on the podcast to chat about his screenwriting journey, 80s Horror and Comedy films, Writers/Blockbusters Podcast, and his new book 'Save the Cat Writes for TV', the newest addition to the late Blake Snyder's series of screenwriting books known as the Save the Cat series. This episode's pretty epic and I'm glad Jamie could talk with me. We hope you like it! Connect with Jamie Nash on Twitter: @jamie_nash. Theme Song: EMOTION by MuhTeyOh. Follow the show on all social media platforms @josiahsvoicepod. This episode is sponsored by Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. HTTP://anchor.fm/app Listen to this episode at www.newsly.me or download the app on IOS or ANDROID. For a Free 1 Month subscription use my PROMO CODE: J0S1AHV01CE. Enjoy. SHOW NOTES --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app
Episode Show Notes In this episode we cover: What Save the Cat is What the main beats are Mistakes to avoid with Save the Cat How to use save the cat beats with dual POV This week's question is: What are your favorite tropes? Recommendation of the week is: A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee Apple Kobo Amazon UK Amazon USA ***this show uses affiliate links Links I mentioned are: 35% Birthday discount until 18th March. Use code: BIRTHDAY35 Sacha Black's Shop The Senses Course Preorder the Rebel Anthology Find out more about Jessica at: JessicaBrody.com Twitter Instagram Rebel of the Week is: River If you'd like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com 1 new patron this week, welcome and thank you to Verona Rae. A big thank you to my existing patrons as well. If you'd like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack
Welcome to the Indie Writer Podcast where we talk about all things writing and indie publishing. Today we are excited to talk about First Contact Scifi with Fernando Crôtte. Ferd is a late bloomer author, with his debut novel Mission 51 being published at age 66. Ferd lives in Winston Salem, NC and is married with four children, and eleven grandchildren. He works as an Internal Medicine Hospitalist, and in his free time enjoys birding, photography, and flying. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Story by Robert McKee Steering the Craft by Ursula K Le Guin Save the Cat Beat Sheet Calculator The Twilight Zone Outer limits KEEP UP WITH OUR GUEST! Buy Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Twitter - @FerdCrotte Instagram - @ferdc55 Facebook - ferd.crotte Website - https://thebestparts.net _______________________________________ Check out the following books by our Patrons! Deadly Declarations by Landis Wade Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Want to see your book listed? Become a Patron!
Open Mur's newest, STATION ETERNITY, will be out on October 4 2022 (Cover So Pretty) 2022 Word Count: 29193 Heading for Boskone Good News Good News Hugo nominations are open for 2022 Team Rejection count: 42 Main Topic: Ending Your Stories Ambiguous endings: where lies the story satisfaction? The endings structure of romances Save the Cat Beat Sheet for story parts Advice on Endings from James Patrick Kelly “Beginnings, Middles, and Ends” by Nancy Kress “Save the Cat Writes a Novel” by Jessica Brody February 17, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 15 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License
I have a sneaking suspicion that many of you have either a book publishing or a book writing goal for 2022. Why not end the year out prepared and ready to roll up your sleeves in the new year and get that book out of your heart and mind and into a sellable format? You can! And I'm here to give you the tools to do it (including marketing). So kick back and take lots of notes, because you're gonna learn TODAY! After Show Notes Resource Links Mentioned in the Podcast Poor Little Mixed Girl - The first book in my series Publisher Rocket - To help you with keywords, genres, and book marketing research Lynessa Layne's Interview - Explaining how her books are in airports and Indie book stores. Write to Market by Chris Fox Save the Cat - Book on Screen Writing Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody My YouTube Video on How I Use The Save The Cat Method to Outline Books Book Marketing GEMS - The Facebook Group *Some of these links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase I may receive affiliate compensation from the seller or platform. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/lamonique-mac/message
Kay & Rob interview Jamie Nash about his book, the latest in the StC series, and talk writer's rooms, pitching, staffing, specs, broken compasses, and why the StC formula doesn't always fit the structure of a pilot. Our Weekly Resources: Jamie's Book -- Save the Cat Writes for TV Jamie's Podcast -- Writers/Blockbusters Notes From the Episode: Aleem Hossain's No Film School Article Wild Life Trailer Ellen Sandler's TV Writer's Workbook Jamie on Twitter Rob's YouTube Channel How to Make a Movie for $1000 Kay's Twitter Rob's Twitter Email us(!)
This week on Dear Writer, we shared some more resources that we've found useful. Sarah discussed 'Save the Cat Writes a Novel' by Jessica Brody, a version of Blake Snyder's original 'Save the Cat' series for screenwriters which Jessica Brody adapted for novelists. Ashley reviewed an article called 'The Rise of Strong Female Characters in YA Fantasy' by Lidia Elsdon in theJournal YA Hotline, 2020, Issue #112, Feminism and Fantasy. You can find the full article here: https://ojs.library.dal.ca/YAHS/article/view/10294
What does it take to write a book from beginning to end? The novel-writing process probably looks very different from writer to writer, but on this mini-episode, Tiffany describes her writing process from the first seed of an idea, all the way to a completed book. The writing tools she mentions in this mini-episode are Scivener, a word-processing program designed specifically for novels and other long texts, and Save the Cat Writes a Novel, a book that outlines an ingenious strategy for plotting works of fiction. If you curious about how Tiffany landed her literary agent, listen back to Bittersweet Moment #47: How to get an agent with PitMad. ------------------------------------- ADVERTISE WITH US: Reach expats, future expats, and travelers all over the world. Send us an email to get the conversation started. BECOME A PATRON: Pledge your monthly support of The Bittersweet Life and receive awesome prizes in return for your generosity! Visit our Patreon site to find out more. TIP YOUR PODCASTER: Say thanks with a one-time donation to the podcast hosts you know and love. Click here to send financial support via PayPal. (You can also find a Donate button on the desktop version of our website.) The show needs your support to continue. SUBSCRIBE: Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you never miss an episode. Click here to find us on a variety of podcast apps. WRITE A REVIEW: Leave us a rating and a written review on iTunes so more listeners can find us. JOIN THE CONVERSATION: If you have a question or a topic you want us to address, send us an email here. You can also connect to us through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Tag #thebittersweetlife with your expat story for a chance to be featured! NEW TO THE SHOW? Don't be afraid to start with Episode 1: OUTSET BOOK: Want to read Tiffany's book, Midnight in the Piazza? Learn more here or order on Amazon. TOUR ROME: If you're traveling to Rome, don't miss the chance to tour the city with Tiffany as your guide!
In this monthly q & a session, the guys answer listener questions. Whether you're traditionally published or indie, writing a good book is only the first step in becoming a successful author. The days of just turning a manuscript into your editor and walking away are gone. If you want to succeed in today's publishing world, you need to understand every aspect of the business - editing, formatting, marketing, contracts. It all starts with a good book, then the real work begins. Join international bestselling author J.D. Barker and indie powerhouses, J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon, as they gain unique insight and valuable advice from the most prolific and accomplished authors in the business. Join us on Patreon and ask your question LIVE on the podcast! https://www.patreon.com/writersinkpodcast Questions asked: Hey guys, this is Rebekah Bryan, or Bek. My question is, what are different considerations, if any, for writing, publishing, and marketing nonfiction compared to fiction? And do you have any tips for someone who is looking to dabble in nonfiction? Thanks! How would each of you describe “show, don't tell?” Besides writing, what would you recommend to do to grow in the craft when in person events are not feasible? What are each of you going to dress up as for Halloween? Do you think Tolkein would be able to get Lord of the Rings (not The Hobbit) accepted for traditional publication today? Why? How would you go about inventing a religion for a fantasy/horror story? Where would you start? I'm curious what Stephen King collection JD asks his mentees to read, and what questions are on the character sheet he uses before he starts writing a character. With J. recently finishing Save the Cat Writes a Novel, I'm wondering how each of you use it when you're writing fiction. What % of fiction books do you think are bought and never read? I ask this because I often buy a book based on a logline alone but never get around to reading it. It is something you never hear writers talk about and shows the value of a great logline. Links: J. D. Barker - http://jdbarker.com/ J. Thorn - https://theauthorlife.com/ Zach Bohannon - https://zachbohannon.com/ Story Rubric - http://storyrubric.com Nonfic Rubric - http://nonficrubric.com Proudly sponsored by Kobo Writing Life - https://kobowritinglife.com/ Music by Nicorus - https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep Voice Over by Rick Ganley - http://www.nhpr.com and recorded at Mill Pond Studio - http://www.millpondstudio.com Contact - https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/ *Full disclosure: Some of the links are affiliate links. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/writersink/support
Welcome to the Indie Writer Podcast where we talk about all things writing and indie publishing. Today Becca and Jacqui are talking about Writing Complex Villains with JF Dubeau & Anna Mocikat! Anna Mocikat is the award-nominated, internationally published author of Behind Blue Eyes, the Tales of the Shadow City series and the MUC series. Before becoming a novelist, she graduated from Film School and worked as a screenwriter and game writer for over a decade. Anna Mocikat lives in Greenville, South Carolina. J.F. Dubeau is a writer of science fiction and paranormal horror. His debut novel, The Life Engineered was chosen for the Sword & Laser Collection on Inkshares. His second book, A God in the Shed was chosen as part of the Top 20 Horror Novels of 2017 on Goodreads and has been optioned for television to be produced by Akiva Goldman. He's also the writer of the Achewillow podcast, a ‘cozy' horror fiction podcast. Song of the Sandman, the sequel to A God in the Shed is to be released in October of 2021. Keep up with guests: Anna Mocikat: Twitter - @anna_mocikat Instagram - @annamocikat Facebook - amocikat Website - https://www.annamocikat.com J.F. Dubeau: Twitter - @jfdubeau Instagram - @j.f.dubeau Facebook - jfdubeau.writer Website - https://www.jfdubeau.com/ Archewillow Podcast Resources Mentioned: Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee _______________________________________ Check out the following books by our Patrons! Proliferation by Erik Otto Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Want to see your book listed? Become a Patron!
In this special edition of our Ask a Musa series we're talking to our Hermanas post-mentorship program to find out how the mentorship program works, how to make the most of your mentorship experience, and valuable lessons learned. Resources Mentioned: Francesca Lia Block Writing Workshops Highlights Foundation Highlights Foundation Latinx Symposium SCBWI Resilient Writers Writing Group Rhonda Douglas Save the Cat Writes a Novel Story Genius Wired for Story Deadline City Podcast Kidlit Latinx Facebook Group Kidlit 411 Facebook Group #MSWL Twitter Hashtag The S*** No One Tells You About Writing The Manuscript Academy The Manuscript Academy Podcast Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need The Scene Book Writing Picture Books Revised and Expanded Edition: A Hands-On Guide From Story Creation to Publication Storyteller Academy Romy Natalia Goldberg - Twitter | Website Valerie Jauregui - Twitter Verena Rodriguez Saavedra - Instagram | Facebook Ashley Jean Granillo - Twitter | Website Ines Lozano - Twitter | Instagram | Clubhouse | Website Visit the Hermanas Mentorship page on the Las Musas website for more information about our mentorship program.
This week's episode is all about lifelong learning! While we're not going back to school ourselves, we talk about how we try to incorporate learning into our lives through the excitement of a new hobby, online classes, and non-fiction reading and listening. We also chat about our alternate life college majors, all of Becca's hobby love affairs, and Grace's tendency to fall down an information rabbit hole. We also hear from YOU about what you do to be lifelong learners! We hear from listeners blogging about women in history, becoming certified yoga teachers, finding out they have a passion for science, and more! We also catch up on what we did when Grace was in NYC and how our social batteries are LOW. Becca Radical Candor by Kim Scott on Management Rework by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard Save the Cat by Blake Snyder Your Screenplay Sucks by William Akers Save the Cat Writes a Book by Jessica Brody Story Genius by Lisa Cron Monkeys with Typewriters by Scarlett Thomas Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott Grace Untamed by Glennon Doyle Daring Greatly by Brene Brown Quiet by Susan Cain Joyful by Ingrid Fettell Lee Obsessed by Emily Heyward The Third Door by Alex Banayan Some Masterclasses we love Kelly Wearstler, Robin Roberts, Bobbi Brown, Anna Wintour, Issa Rae, Shonda Rhimes, Aaron Sorkin, Judd Apatow. AFI 100 List What We're Reading: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab Instagram: @kleekai_luna @Madewithlovebytomdaley Obsessions: Whole Foods Mineral Waters Habit -- Daily Tracker August Book: Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé Sponsor: Rent The Runway - take 40% off 2-months of an 8-item plan with code BOP at renttherunway.com Olive & June - go to oliveandjune.com/BOP and use the code BOP for 20% off your first Manicure system Better Help - go to betterhelp.com/badonpaper and use the code for 10% off your first month Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more! Like and subscribe to RomComPods. Available wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit Grace's blog, The Stripe. New posts daily! Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Grace on Instagram @graceatwood and Becca @beccamfreeman.
Today on the podcast, we have book editor, author, professional encourager and just all around amazing human, Amanda Cleary Eastep. I got to meet Amanda several years ago at a writing conference when she was part of a panel representing Moody Publishing. During this conversation she shares what it's like to be a book editor at Moody Publishers, as well as a middle-grade books author, which means she writes books for kids ages 8-12, and we look at what draws us as people to stories that captivate children and adults alike with their unique humor, whimsy, wonder, fun and freedom. We talk quite a bit about the concept of the moral imagination, and how stories can touch parts of us and unlock parts of our imagination and our faith, how we engage good and evil and more. The master of this process is Jesus Himself. His stories affect us emotionally, intellectually, and hold space for us to place ourselves in a story and decide who we will be because of it. Amanda is such a kind and wise woman who is still figuring out how to surrender her life and her dreams to Jesus, and I loved getting to hear how modeling honesty, humility, and just imperfectly but persistently expressing love to the kids in your life matters more than we know. As a Mom, step-Mom, working Mom, and all the things, I love Amanda's reminder that kids may bear witness to some of your greatest failures, but they also can have a front row seat to grace and redemption in your life and that's a story they need to know. I also appreciate how Amanda brought up how to engage kids who are NOT readers with stories whether that's about discussing movies, stories of people in your family or historical stories from where you're from or somewhere they're not, we are surrounded by stories that can engage the hearts and faith of kids. We also round out this episode with my daughter coming on, again, to interview “Ms. Amanda,” and it's sweet and hilarious to hear our girl's insights. Amanda very patiently talked with NB and me about her real life experiences with tornados, feelings and faith and it's just the sweetest. I hope you'll love this episode, here is my conversation with Amanda Cleary Eastep. Episode Partner: Armor Up, Warrior Princess Instagram Facebook Connecting with Amanda: -The Tree Street Kid series -Facebook -Instagram References: -Ann Swindell and the Writing with Grace Conference -Moody Publishers -Maggie Combs - Motherhood Without All the Rules - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle -Founders week at Moody Bible College -Jamie Janosz and ”Today in the Word” -Roseanna M. White, our conversation, her book we mention Dreams of Savannah -Trillia Newbill -The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis -The new edition of Little Pilgrim's Progress (illustrated edition and its GORGEOUS) -Tending the Heart of Virtue: How Classic Stories Awaken a Child's Moral Imagination by Vigen Guroian -Dr. Russell Moore- not just instructing a child about morals, but engaging their imagination and giving them a vision of something better -Frederick Buechner- described it “story has value in itself” -Marvel series -Harry Potter series -Dorena Williamson's conversation with me part 1 and 2 -The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis -Trillia's books for kids -15 beats method from Save the Cat Writes a Novel -”Bueller, Bueller” Ferris Bueller's Day Off -Our conversation with Mr. Randall Goodgame -Star Wars Battlefront 2 -bomb shelter -The “Twister” cow moment -”Food, FOOOOOOD” from “Twister” -the Dinner at “Aunt Meg's” house from “Twister” -”While You Were Sleeping” -The Hunt for Fang -The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis -the audible presentation of Jack vs. the Tornado -Zach Cantrell // other books he's narrated -The science and history facts printables from Jack vs. The Tornado -The Flying Flamingo Sisters book -”Life Lessons for Anxious Kids” devotional Scripture Hebrews 10:24-25/ 1 Thessalonians 5:11-spurring one another on Romans 12:21-overcome evil with evil but overcome evil with good Luke 15:11-32-The prodigal son parable Genesis 1 - “in the beginning…” The book of Revelation Revelation 19:7-10-a literal or metaphorical feast Isaiah 65:17-19-the new heavens and the new Earth John 15:4-7 / Colossians 1:27-28-the best thing in me is Christ in me Galatians 5:22-23-the fruit of the Spirit Psalm 91:4 -we are sheltered by God Connecting with Emily and Simply Stories Podcast:Instagram (Em life // Podcast Life)FacebookTwitterBlog *Intro and Outro music is from audionautix.com
Vanessa Lillie is the Amazon Bestselling author of Little Voices, which received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and Best Debuts 2019 by Bolo Books. She's a Board Member of Sisters in Crime and has a weekly column in The Providence Journal. Her recently released thriller, For the Best, was a “must read” in POPSUGAR and CrimeReads. In early 2022, she'll release a coauthored Audible Original project called Young, Rich, Widows.Notes:Website: www.facebook.com/vanessalillieauthorTwitter: www.twitter.com/vanessalillieFacebook: www.facebook.com/vanessalillieauthorInstagram: www.instagram.com/vanessalillieBooks mentioned in the podcast:Story Genius by Lisa Cron: http://wiredforstory.com/story-genius-1Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody https://www.jessicabrody.com/books/non-fiction/save-cat-writes-novel/about/****************************Sisters in Crime was founded in 1986 to promote the ongoing advancement, recognition and professional development of women crime writers. Through advocacy, programming and leadership, SinC empowers and supports all crime writers regardless of genre or place on their career trajectory.www.SistersinCrime.orgInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/sincnational/Twitter: https://twitter.com/SINCnationalFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/sistersincrime
Save The Cat is a series of books and writing philosophy originally focused on screenplays, so it makes sense that it might not be on the radar of playwrights. However, Save The Cat ideas have been used successfully in other mediums such as fiction, television, and in theatre. Jamie Nash, author of Save The Cat Writes For TV, shares some ideas on how playwrights might use these ideas in theatre. https://twitter.com/Jamie_Nash (https://twitter.com/Jamie_Nash) https://savethecat.com/tv-writing/save-the-cat-writes-for-tv-is-now-on-sale (https://savethecat.com/tv-writing/save-the-cat-writes-for-tv-is-now-on-sale) https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1912178/ (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1912178/)
You CAN write a book without a plot (check out Anne Tyler’s Redhead By the Side of the Road if you doubt me, I swear to you that the most plotty thing that happens in it is the protagonist making a sandwich and yet you still want to keep reading). But if you’re not Anne Tyler (and I’m not), you ‘re going to need a nice plot arc to keep your pages turning—but not at the expense of your character’s emotional journey. How to get to both? How about a little help from a nice book? In our new summer series, The Working Bookshelf, KJ and guest host Jennie Nash pull their favorite writing books off the shelf and debate: which is better and why—until invariably, they get distracted and just start talking about the topic at hand. Funny, fresh and full of frank advice, when KJ and Jennie get going they’re hard to stop.This week, it’s Save the Cat Writes a Novel versus The Situation and the Story. In a new twist, you can also watch these episodes on YouTube. Find Episode 2 HERE.And, for your looking-forward pleasure, here’s the whole series, dropping once weekly all through the summer of 2021.1. Inspiration2. Plotting3. Productivity4. Up Your Game5. When You're Stuck6. Getting Published7. Writing While White8. When You Don't Know Why You're Doing This9. Writer Comfort Reads 10. Editing This special season of the #AmWriting podcast is sponsored by Author Accelerator. Author Accelerator hand-matches writers with book coaches who have been rigorously trained to provide motivation and inspiration and give writers the support we need to stop making excuses and get the job done. Find out more, and get book coach Jennie Nash’s weeklong find-your-foundation writing challenge at authoraccelerator.com/amwriting. Author Accelerator also trains book coaches to build their own successful coaching businesses. For more on becoming a coach, go to https://www.bookcoaches.com/. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
This month, Janet and Lon join JP and Crys for another book club, this time reading Save the Cat! Writes A Novel by Jessica Brody. They discuss hot takes, how it compares to other methods, and what they liked and disliked about the book. Show Notes Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody […]
Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? , Do you write every day? , Where does your inspiration come from?, What's your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.This month, I talked to Briana Morgan, a horror author from Georgia.Her book recommendations are On Writing by Stephen King and Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!***Come join The Writing Sparrow on its very own Facebook fan page or its very own Instagram account!To find out more about Briana, check out her website , find her or Twitter , follow her on Instagram, or support her on Patreon.Find out more about Sarina and her books on her website, and find her on Instagram and on Facebook.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/sarinalanger)
A breakdown of my very painful process of getting back on track with this manuscript. Mentioned: - In the Heights - The Plot Whisperer by Martha Alderson - https://amzn.to/3pPL4pM - The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne - https://amzn.to/2Yw6Elx - The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr - https://amzn.to/3wywbLf - David Corbett "The Compass of Character" - https://davidcorbett.com/teaching.php - Story Genius by Lisa Cron - https://amzn.to/3wl96LN - Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland - https://amzn.to/3vls5Ez - Enneagrams Relationships - https://www.enneagraminstitute.com/the-enneagram-type-combinations - Sequences - https://medium.com/your-first-novel/what-is-a-sequence-in-a-novel-or-a-movie-ddd9f0f35d78 - Screenwriting Tricks for Authors by Alexandra Sokoloff - https://amzn.to/2P4HUNW - Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody - https://amzn.to/3xf7TFV - Write Your Novel from the Middle by James Scott Bell - https://amzn.to/35eBwLu - Dramatica Plot Steps - https://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/plot-outline.html - http://onestopforwriters.com/ - Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes - https://amzn.to/3vob3FQ - Anne Aguirre's Ars Numina series - https://amzn.to/3ec95nc The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - http://lpen.co/footnotes Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
If you've spent any time at a writers conference or workshop, chances are you've heard at least one person bring up Save the Cat. Today we're talking about Blake Snyder's famous formula for screenwriting and how it has been adapted for fiction writing and television. Books Referenced: Save the Cat Save the Cat Strikes Back Save the Cat Goes to the Movies Save the Cat Writes for TV *Side Note: Melissa was wrong. There are 7 total books available, including Save the Cat Writes a Novel and Save the Cat Goes to the Indies! So if you like the main book, definitely check out the expanded guidance for different mediums or problem areas. Don't forget to leave a review and let others know about the show! Follow us on Twitter - @geekymary and @MelissaAnnLong
This week Nicole discusses her process for writing a short story for the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge. Sign up to receive Friday Night Writes emails, including the link to the monthly Writing Prompt Party! https://mailchi.mp/cc1507dc3fbd/friday-night-writes Mentioned in this episode: NYC Midnight http://www.nycmidnight.com/ NYC Midnight (genre page) http://www.nycmidnight.com/genres.htm?fb_comment_id=862244960556015_1111441145636394 PIXAR Story Structure https://www.aerogrammestudio.com/2013/06/05/back-to-the-story-spine/ Save the Cat Writes a Novel https://www.jessicabrody.com/save-the-cat-starter-kit/ Test Yourself for Hidden BIas https://www.learningforjustice.org/professional-development/test-yourself-for-hidden-bias Stop Dreaming Alone Clubhouse Club https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/stop-dreaming-alone Sign Up for Kim’s Freebies (Including the Intuition Workbook) https://kelekilove.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=37bec99c15f558056a43d42c6&id=c7395a1c4d Kim A Flodin on IG https://www.instagram.com/kim.a.flodin/ WimHof FB Page https://www.facebook.com/icemanwimhof HASFIT YouTube (the resistance band people Kim follows on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/user/KozakSportsPerform Buteyko Breathing https://www.buteykobreathing.org/ Stop Writing Alone Episode 107: What is Clubhouse? https://stopwritingalone.com/2021/02/04/107/ Introduction to Friday Night Writes with Stop Writing Alone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2syi6s1pDYs&t=1s Join the Stop Writing Alone with Nicole Rivera FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2205774733034348/ Stop Writing Alone Bookshop https://bookshop.org/shop/Stopwritingalone NV Rivera YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpPlp1EVzQhDFPdGp5w2KoQ?view_as=subscriber Stay connected to learn about all Stop Writing Alone stuff -- get on Nicole’s email list: https://mailchi.mp/ff8df93e57dc/penpals Buy Nicole a coffee (AKA support the podcast!) https://ko-fi.com/stopwritingalone Places to connect to the STOP WRITING ALONE community and introduce yourself: Stop Writing Alone FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/stopwritingalone/ Join the Stop Writing Alone with Nicole Rivera FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2205774733034348/ Stop Writing Alone website: https://stopwritingalone.com/ Join the Stop Writing Alone email list: https://mailchi.mp/ff8df93e57dc/penpals Stop Writing Alone Instagram account https://www.instagram.com/stopwritingalone/ Nicole’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nv_rivera The Stop Writing Alone voice number (call to introduce yourself!): (646) 907-9607 When you find a group of people who lift you up on a daily basis, it is important to share their awesome. Here are links to the women in Nicole’s Mastermind group (currently going by the name The Voxer Vixens!). Please support these women who do so much to support Nicole on a daily basis! Kim A. Flodin https://www.kelekilove.com/ Lisa Murray https://ihavedreamsdammit.com/ Claire Oldham West https://slimmingstories.podbean.com/ Johanna Jaquez-Peralta https://www.instagram.com/latina_livin_keto/ Emma Isaacs https://www.instagram.com/emmaisaacsdesign/
In this episode, Shaunta, Kristen, and Juneta sat down with the AMAZING Jessica Brody to talk about her book 'Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need'. Check out Jessica Brody and get 50% off the Writing Mastery Academy!Snag a copy of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel.Take this quiz to find out what type of writer you are and stay up to date on all things Ninja Writers.Click here to get the first month of the Ninja Writers Club for $5!
Subscribe, Review, & Share!Connect with us @BooksOnTheMic.comFacebookInstagram @booksonthemicTwitter @books_micSupport the Show & get your exclusive pass at Patreon.Thank you for your support!Connect with Amey @www.ameyzeigler.comFacebookInstagramTwitterREAD Baker's Dozen a romantic suspense novel available on AmazonREAD 2019 Swoony Winner for Best New Adult Romance The Swiss Mishap on AmazonREAD Summer of Sundaes available on AmazonREAD August Blues on AmazonAmey's Book RecommendationsSave the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica BrodyStory Genius by Lisa Cron
Author Maggie Ann Martin shares how she outlines in a three-act structure during her drafting process. Tune into the next episode of Oh Draft! to learn about setting goals and meeting deadlines on your journey to writing a book in 45 days! You can view and download Maggie's complete Outlining Guide by visiting MaggieAnnMartin.com/OhDraftPod and subscribing to her podcast newsletter. Once you're signed up for the newsletter, you will gain access to all of her drafting materials. *You must confirm your subscription to Maggie Ann Martin via email before you will receive any of the resources. Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody: https://www.jessicabrody.com/books/non-fiction/save-cat-writes-novel/about/ Kat O'Keefe's (Katytastic) HOW TO OUTLINE | 3 act 9 block 27 chapter example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe3eodLF_Uo&t=1s Alexa Donne's 3 Act Story Structure for Authors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ugwPlaZasYRead Maggie's Young Adult Books:The Big FTo Be HonestFollow Maggie on Social:Instagram: @maggersannTwitter: @maggersannFacebook: /maggieannmartinwrites
At the beginning of the year, I set a goal for the books I wanted to read. I stuck to my list as best I could, however, like the outlines for my own books, the path was not followed. I hope everyone met much of their goals in 2020 despite the zombie apocalypse and I hope we all find greener pastures in 2021. Onwards! Books I finished in 2020: · Starsight by Brandon Sanderson · Fall of Hades by Richard Paul Evans · Paloma by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. · Diving into the Wreck by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. · Death Without Company by Craig Johnson · #1 in Customer Service The Complete Adventures of Tom Stranger by Larry Correia · Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie. · The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien Books I finished that were not on my list: · Nameless Series by Dean Koontz 1-6) · The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis · Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (1-6) · Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury · The Science of Sci-Fi by Erin MacDonald · Power Moves by Adam Grant · Save the Cat by Blake Snyder · Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody · The Sandman audio drama by Neil Gaiman Books NOT finished in 2020: · Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. · Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia · The Forbidden Door by Dean Koontz. · The Night Window by Dean Koontz. Books not on my list that I did not finish: · The Daughter of Sherlock Holmes by Leonard Goldberg · 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami · The Grand Biocentric Design by Peter Ganim --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/alex-g-zarate/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/alex-g-zarate/support
Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody https://amzn.to/2VhFD6Y Plottr - http://getplottr.com My Scrivener Template - https://lpenelope.com/extras/resources-for-writers/ Campfire - https://www.campfiretechnology.com/ Ergo 2 chair - https://www.autonomous.ai/office-chairs/ergonomic-chair The New York Times "Just How White Is the Book Industry?" https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/11/opinion/culture/diversity-publishing-industry.html Deadline City - "The Library" - https://deadlinecity.com/2020/12/09/season-3-episode-8-the-library/ Agent DongWon Song on the canon - https://publishingishard.substack.com/p/drinking-from-a-poisoned-well The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - http://lpen.co/footnotes Support the show - http://frolic.media/podcasts! Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
On today's episode, we're talking about National Novel Writing Month(or NaNoWriMo for short). We're joined by guest author Millie Florence, and we'll discuss prep, writing routines, and fallback plans for getting the words on the page and writing your way through the month. RESOURCES MENTIONED NaNoWriMo.org Reverse NaNoWriMo Plan Sisters in Crime Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott No Plot? No Problem! by Chris Baty Wired for Story by Lisa Cron Spilling Ink by Mazer and Potter CONNECT WITH OUR GUEST: https://millieflorence.com/ Honey Butter by Millie Florence Lydia Green of Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence _________________ Check out the following books by our Indie Writer Podcast Patrons! Proliferation by Erik Otto Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Want to see your book listed? Become a Patron! __________________________ We want to thank all of the wonderful members of our writing bloc community. You can find us on Twitter or Facebook, or online at WritingBloc.com. Thanks everyone, and happy writing.
This one went MUCH better, so for me, Saving the Cat is better than Snowfall. It's still a long video, so it's only on Twitch till October 14, 2020. Tuesday we cover the Story Grid method (live -- it'll be on the feed next Thursday)! Save the Cat Writes a Novel October 1, 2020 -- Copyright 2020, Mur Lafferty -- BY-NC-SA 3.5 License -- murverse.com
Have you ever wanted to write a fiction book? Maybe you read a lot of books and want to know what the process is like from idea to print. In this episode, I’m chatting with Kristi Dosh, whose pen name is Savannah Carlisle. Kristi has already published non-fiction books and now she writing a romance novel. In addition to explaining why she is using a pen name, she is also going to explain why she is building a personal brand for her pen name. Personally, I believe this is one of the most entertaining episodes I’ve recorded in a while. Some resources mentioned in this episode: IG: @SavvyCarlisle MasterClass Save the Cat Writes a Novel Romancing the Beat Please subscribe to this podcast and leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.
Episode Show Notes This week's questions is: What self care do you do? Book recommendation of the week is: Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Kobo Apple Amazon UK Amazon USA Please note these are affiliate links. *** Find out more about our guest Kay Hutchison on her website: www.kayhutchison.com (also www.bellemedia.co.uk) LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Twitter Youtube *** Join me for the The Anatomy of Prose: How to Breathe Life into Your Story, Characters and Sentences Webinar Rebel of the Week is ANONYMOUS! If you'd like to be a Rebel of the week please do send in your story, it can be any kind of rebellion. You can email your rebel story to rebelauthorpodcast@gmail.com or tweet me @rebelauthorpod *** No new patrons this week, a huge thank you to all my current patrons, you help not only to keep the podcast running. You make me feel like my potty mouth antics are worthwhile. If you'd like to support the show, and get early access to all the episodes as well as bonus content you can from as little as $2 a month by visiting: www.patreon.com/sachablack That's sacha with a C not an S THIS WEEK'S EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY KOBO WRITING LIFE Visit Kobo Writing Life here, read the Kobo Writing Life blog here, and listen to their podcast here.
Welcome back. This week Ryan and Jigisha visit the children's library. The first place winner of the "I Survived" Short Story Contest will read her story for us. Please visit the KPL Digital Archives to read entries from all the talented young writers. Next we speak with author Eileen Moskowitz-Palma regarding her latest book "Camp Clique" . This is a fun episode that will take you back to your summer camp days.Books mentioned in podcastSave the Cat Writes by Jessica BrodyBecoming by Michelle ObamaUntamed by Glennon DoyleGuest List by Lucy FoleyThe Dutch House by Ann PatchettYear of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
Write every day. Don’t read fiction while you’re writing fiction. My way or the highway. In a burst of frustration, we’re reminding ourselves—and you—that there’s no one way to get this job done, and if your way is counter to what some of the greats might tell you (we’re looking at you, Stephen King, even though we love you), that doesn’t mean it won’t work.A few links from the episode:Minisode: #AmQuerying: How to write a fiction query letter that makes an agent ask for moreBecca Syme: https://betterfasteracademy.com/beccasyme/#AmReadingSarina: Notes of Silencing by Lacy CrawfordJess: Unacceptable by Melissa Korn & Jennifer LevitzUnspeakable Acts by Sarah WeinmanKJ: Big Summer by Jennifer WeinerThe Vanishing Half by Brit BennettOur amazing sponsors: Dabble Writing Software, which I can’t wait to use to line up all my scenes and plot points AS SOON AS I START FIGURING OUT WHAT THEY ARE and which you should absolutely try.And Author Accelerator. Jennie Nash is doing a Facebook Live coaching of a memoir outline on August 14, 2020—that’s next week. I can’t wait, I love watching her do these. Sign up here, or just go learn more!KJ Dell'Antonia 0:00 Writers, KJ here. Have you heard me talk about Dabble yet? I mean really listened. Dabble writing software is our new sponsor, and we love them. Sarina and I can't stop playing with the outline piece of it, which is every bit as flexible as a bunch of post it notes on your desk and a whole lot more portable. You can track everything that belongs within a scene, how that scene fits into multiple plot lines, and where that scene belongs in the book. And you can move it with the flick of a mouse. It's honestly a little too much fun. We don't want to encourage you to procrastinate, but getting your storyline right isn't procrastination. It's part of the work. So try out Dabble and let us know if it helps you get your work done by downloading a free trial at dabblewriter.com. Is it recording?Jess Lahey 0:50 Now it's recording.KJ Dell'Antonia 0:52 This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone and try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. Jess Lahey 0:56 Alright, let's start over.KJ Dell'Antonia 0:58 Awkward pause. I'm going to rustle some papers. Okay. Now one, two, three. Hey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia and this is #AmWriting. The podcast about writing all the things, fiction, nonfiction, short pieces, long pieces, entire books, be they small or long, pitches, proposals, and as I say every week, this is the podcast about sitting down and getting your work done or not, but trying. I am, as I've previously stated, KJ Dell'Antonia. I am the author of the novel The Chicken Sisters, which will be out in December of this year, which is 2020. I'm the former editor of the Motherlode blog at the New York Times where I still sometimes contribute and the author of How to Be a Happier Parent, which is out in paperback and available everywhere now. And I'm Jess Lahey, the author of The Gift of Failure. And I have a new book coming out in April. I just finished the galley edits so it feels real, called The Addiction Inoculation. And you can find my work right about now when this thing comes out in the Washington Post, but I write for lots of different places.Sarina Bowen 2:19 And I'm Sarina Bowen. I'm the author of 35 romance novels. And you can always find more of me at Amazon Apple books and everywhere romances are sold.So today's topic is kind of about keeping your head in the game.Jess Lahey 3:06 It absolutely is. I'm optimistic. I'm going to go with the it is about keeping your head in the game. What is our topic for today, Sarina?Sarina Bowen 3:14 It's myths about writing. All the things that we have absorbed over the years that may or may not be true. And myths come from a place of cultural reference. So these myths aren't out of left field, but we still want to examine them just to make sure we're taking the right advice.Jess Lahey 3:36 Well, I think it's important to do that because some of these myths come from people. I mean, heck, if we took our oft cited David Sedaris advice about never, ever asking for anything, and that became sort of the way that writers were supposed to do things, then not a lot of writers would get stuff done. It happens to have worked beautifully for him. There are a couple of other authors that I'm going to cite while we're talking about some of these, and it can become the word of the writers. And it's not necessarily so because writing is different for different people.Well, I think in particular, there is one myth that we really want to blow up today for all of our sakes. And that myth is the 'you must write every day'. Am I right?It can be a goal.And you know, I think we often make it sound like we do write every day. And we often do write every day. But I think what we don't talk about is that it is seasonal and cyclical. And that writing can sometimes mean other things.Sarina Bowen 4:45 So I came up with the idea of myths, I mean, it entered my brain this weekend when I was listening to a talk by a writing coach named Becca Syme. And she was speaking at an event called Inkers Con that I was enjoying listening to. And she does some myth busting in hers but what she got to was that you have to examine the premise of these myths, like what premise are we accepting if we go along with it and KJ just said writers write every day and I would say that there's an even deeper premise to that one which is writers right because they must, and this one always makes me roll my eyes. Because I am definitely a writer. You know, my whole career is set up around this, but I have never once looked in the mirror and said, I'm a writer because I must, it's a compulsion for me. It's not it's actually my job and some days I just don't feel like doing it.Jess Lahey 5:55 I think that for me, it's how I best express myself. I mean, I always would rather express myself in the written word than trying to explain something to someone orally. And that's just my preference for how I tend to make the best contribution. Do I have to write? In fact, if someone said I couldn't write for the rest of my life, I think I could be okay. I think I'd be fine. I may not be as well understood, but I think I would be fine. I'd have to make more phone calls. Oh my gosh, that would be the worst.Sarina Bowen 6:33 You know, Jess, you just reminded me of that thing that happens at the very end of Spinal Tap the rockumentary. At the very end, when the credits are rolling, they asked each band member in turn, like, 'If you couldn't have rock and roll, how would you go on?' And the first one says something like, 'Well, but I'd still have the sex and drugs.' And then the last one is like, "Well, I could work in a shop.'Jess Lahey 7:19 But yeah, I think that the whole I have to write or I will perish is along the lines of I couldn't live without you because I just don't think those are healthy ways to think about the world, but that's just me.KJ Dell'Antonia 7:33 And you know, it is true that there are easier ways to make a living. So, you know, you probably aren't doing this unless you want to do it, but I feel like have to is awfully strong. So the you have to write every day...Stephen King, every day including Christmas, right? Or whatever your holiday of choice is, just every day, sit down every day. When I am working on something, I do write every day, generally including weekends. Sometimes I can't. Sometimes you're spending 12 hours taking a hike with your family. I guess what I'm trying to say is just you don't have to. It is possible to stop for a week or a couple of weeks, or I have somebody that I was reading said in between every book they spend like a month just gardening. I don't remember who it was. But yeah, when you're in the midst of something, writing everyday is a good way to keep your hand in, and make sure that you know where to start, and that you're still going, and that it's going fine. And especially if you have deadlines or goals. But when you're in between things, like I just turned in a manuscript and I don't know what's gonna happen with that manuscript, but because someone else has it, it's pencils down for me. And I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do next. But if I was writing 1000 words a day without knowing what I was going to do next, that would not be pretty.Jess Lahey 9:59 I have to second your thing about writing every day when you're working on something because if I don't write every day when I'm working on something, I number one get lost. Like, I can't find where my brain was when and then it takes me like two hours to sort of get back into it. But I also feel like it gets stale for me a little bit. So when I'm working on something, I absolutely have to work on it every day. Sorry, Sarina, what were you gonna say?Sarina Bowen 10:26 I was just gonna go one step worse than that, which is I get afraid of my own project.Jess Lahey 10:31 Really? Interesting.Sarina Bowen 10:33 Yeah, I develop a fear about it. That I won't like it as much when I go back and I won't want to continue. It's just a fear of the unknown.Jess Lahey 10:44 It varies for me. There are times when even in mid-massive draft, serious know what I'm doing, have it all, sometimes you have to drive someone somewhere that's 12 hours away. But sometimes I make it an affirmative decision to just be like not today, this day gets a cross. And I love those days.KJ Dell'Antonia 11:37 And that's okay, too.Jess Lahey 11:41 The week after I finished my manuscript and I went on vacation with my husband and my in-laws, it was so nice to say I am not writing this entire week and that can be incredibly freeing. And as it turns out, my brain had the space to think about other things and to sort of muse on other topics. And it was really, interestingly, a very productive week for me from a brain standpoint, but not at all from a writing standpoint, it was just so freeing.But even mid project, sometimes there's just a day when you either can't or choose not to. And I don't find that that stalls me at all, it's fine. You know, that maybe shouldn't be every other day. But yeah, you don't have to write every day. So cross that one off.I can relate to what Sarina said about getting afraid of things. Because I'm sure you've had this moment where you get that email about edits that need to be done and it feels so massive and unwieldy until you actually start and get into the document. And for me, my work always feels manageable when I'm in it, and it's only when I stop being in it that it starts to feel like something I can't even start. So for me it's a bit of self preservation to stay as in it as possible. Otherwise it gets out of my arms and it starts to feel like just something that's way too big. So it's definitely something I have to do for my own, just moving forward kind of thing. Sarina Bowen 13:11 Okay, KJ, what else you got in the myth box?Jess Lahey 13:14 Oh, well, my current favorite myth is you shouldn't read anything similar to what you're working on while you're working on it. When I was just getting started as a writer, I tried to follow that but it's just not what I have found to be true. First of all, whether I'm writing fiction or nonfiction, I find that reading things in the genre or something similar, it's not like I'm suddenly going to rewrite The Bromance Book Club by accident. I feel like it's helpful, because it can be very freeing to be reading along and see what another author has done. Or how they've transitioned, or to realize that, gosh, I really enjoyed that book. And I feel like the character's mother was a total force and presence, but I go back through and I count and she only appeared on the page four times. That's amazing. So I can do that. And sometimes if I'm stuck. I'll go and find the book where I know that an author has done something that I'm trying to do really, really well and either just reread it for inspiration or actually tear it apart. What do they do? What did they do here? What did they do there? Yes, dissection, our favorite thing. So I totally read in my genre when I'm writing. Regardless of what I'm writing.Sarina Bowen 14:56 I tend not to, but also I work in a very tight corner of genre fiction. And so even though I might be reading a romance while I'm writing a romance, I like to work out of genre in my reading because I feel like I find the parallels more available to me there.Jess Lahey 15:18 But you're still reading. I mean, a lot of people say, 'Well, when I'm writing fiction, I'm not reading fiction.' And I'm like, Whoa, that's big. And I've actually heard people say that, like that's a really big chunk to let go of.Sarina Bowen 15:35 Right. Sometimes when I do read really tightly in my own genre, when I'm writing it makes the possibilities feel smaller, not larger, because I can see all the ways that we're all fishing in the same pond. Like they become more obvious to me even if the book isn't similar at all.Jess Lahey 15:54 Well, and sometimes I just feel like you know, if I rewrite someone that has really knocked it out of the Sometimes it's just like, oh, that's the only possible way to do that. And now I feel small and lost. And as though I will never come up with anything as brilliant as that particular logline, or plot twist, or whatever. So there's that, but I'm not going to stop reading because of it. I think I've said in the past that for nonfiction when I need a real hit of a voice that if I'm feeling a little bit not on top of my game, or I'm not feeling like an expert, if I go to a book where the expert voice is really, really strong it's kind of like it's like a rah-rah-rah kind of thing. It's like watching you know, a master musician right before you need to go on stage and be a master musician yourself. It's that sort of feeling of Okay, I can emulate that. It's sort of a fake it till you make it kind of thing. If I get this boost, then I can sort of feel like I'm ready and up to the task. So that for me is an important part. It's not that I'm reading the whole book, it's that I'm dipping in for that expert voice, which is good for me.Yeah. And sometimes let's say I'm sitting here thinking, Okay, I've got my person I know who I'm gonna write this next book about, and I kind of know what they want and where it's going to be. But I need to figure out what makes them act, like I need an inciting incident (as I think the story grid people would say) I need a thing, I need what makes them mad, I will think back to like the last four or five books that I read and liked and think well what pushed that roller coaster off onto the ride. And it's not that I am now going to be like, I know, his wife left him, because my character is not a man and isn't married. It's just a way to sort of remind yourself of some of the things that move characters in books that you love. And hopefully help inspire some ideas. Honestly that one I'm still kind of struggling with...Sarina Bowen 18:09 I saw a brilliant tweet that was kind of on this topic. It's a tweet by Rachel Hawkins who is a lovely YA writer and she tweeted this out on July 17. And I loved it so much she says, 'Me writing books, man I hope this is not stupid. Me reading books/watching TV/consuming basically any media. This is so stupid. I love it so much. Oh, I have room in my heart for the stupidest of things. Thank you.' I hope I've done it justice. But she did such a great little play act there of the different ways we hold ourselves accountable of our own work versus reading that thing that you are enjoying so much or that inspires you.Jess Lahey 18:58 Right and sometimes just realizing how goofy the inciting incident, or the resolution, or the reason that someone was doing something was, and yet why you sort of went right along with it happily, that's super helpful.I've said it once and I'll say it again, some of my favorite writing is my favorite because you can tell that the author is really loving the writing. And Sarina, some of my favorite stuff that you have written is stuff where I can just feel that you're having a good time while you're writing it. So I think that's an important part of it. So yeah, I love that idea of not holding ourselves to impossible standards. What else do we have?Well, I know we wanted to talk - today, I set my timer with the idea that I was going to spend 55 minutes noodling around on the plot of what I hope will be the next thing I'm writing and I've got several pages of assorted noodling. But the way that I get myself to the point of noodling is I'll stack up like a couple of plot books near me and maybe even pick one up and read a little of it because as I'm reading it I'm saying, Okay, if you're not really punishing the character, then nobody's gonna stick with you. I'll find my brain going, Okay, how am I going to punish my person? Like how's this gonna go badly once they make this choice and that kind of thing. So they fire me up. How's this for a myth? Plotting books are for amateurs. I don't know that that's a myth, but I think it's a feeling that we have. Like if I can't do it without resorting to looking at Save the Cat Writes a Novel then I shouldn't be doing it at all. In which case I shouldn't be doing it at all.Sarina Bowen 21:07 Yeah, we're able to give that myth a pass, aren't we? Jess Lahey 21:12 I think so. KJ Dell'Antonia 21:12 Yes. I love sitting down with a good book that tears up the hero's journey and tells you exactly what the twisty points are and what what the required elements are. And fine do them, don't do them, whatever. But using that map can be so great. So that's the myth. That if you use a map like that, you're gonna produce formulaic fiction. Jess Lahey 21:41 But you're hitting on something really important, though. Is that if you're talking about hero's journey, what you're talking about then is that some of that's happening anyway on a really subconscious level. So I think one of the things - there's this tension between it should just happen and that vision of Stephen King going down to his mental basement and channeling the magic satellite. And he talks about I don't know where the book's going because if I'm surprised by my own story, then the reader will be surprised. But I know for a fact that I have no mental basement where I'm going to go where the people in the basement are going to allow me to channel a book and that it's going to be well plotted and it's going to be well executed. And that just isn't a thing for me. And I think that comes from a place of yearning, because wouldn't it be a) super fun and b) wouldn't it be just so fantastic to be such a natural at storytelling that you just have to quiet your mind and go to your basement place and suddenly you're able to channel books and not that it's that easy for him, but that there's that myth that it should be that easy. And I think that's what gets us in trouble.Sarina Bowen 22:57 So the premise there is that novelists are born and not made. And that is such a dangerous premise because many of the people who grow up loving books so much and read them incessantly, just have never had a minute to analyze and dissect the manipulation that a good novelist is creating on the page. And, you know, the idea that we wouldn't ever have to read a book about that is dangerous.KJ Dell'Antonia 23:32 Yeah. I mean, personally, if I sit down and just grab a couple of characters and start writing, you know, will it be decent writing? Yes. Will it be entertaining? Yes, for about a page or maybe two. But, you know, without some idea of what their problem is and what they're going to do to fix it and how it's going to go wrong. I'll just write a conversation for a really, really, really embarrassingly long time.Sarina Bowen 24:11 I mentioned earlier that I had listened to this talk by Becca Syme and she had hit all these myths. And one of the ones that she gave really spoke to me because on the face of it, it's not a myth at all. And this was the one she said, You can't edit a blank page. And at first, I was like, hang on, you really actually can't. But what she meant was that not everybody assembles their plot in the same way. You know, some people really need to think for a nice long time before they're ready to write. And I think I am one of those people. Jess Lahey 25:03 I'm one of those people definitely.KJ Dell'Antonia 25:05 We were talking about that when we were walking the other day that, you know, you and I are both trying to develop a new plot. Basically, we're both noodling around. And whether that's scribbles and paper or just sort of mental scribbles, we are editing that, in some sense to find who we're going to write about and what's going to happen to them and what they're going to want without having actual words. So, you can't stick commas onto a blank page, or at least not with any degree of productivity, but you can edit your mental vision of where you're going. Or your scribbled notebook vision of where you're going. Jess Lahey 25:51 Isn't that really what I'm doing? I'm still trying to finish my Author Accelerator Inside Outline for this novel idea that I have and isn't that just sort of front loaded editing because I'm saying, oh, this doesn't actually move anything along. And especially since Jennie forces you to be so concise with your Inside Outline, it forces you to say, what is this actually adding to the book. And later on, if I want to have a whole entire chapter about them sitting talking about food for an entire chapter, I can stick that in later if I want, but at least at the beginning, I'm not wasting a lot of time by adding something that I think I need that will end up having no place in the book.KJ Dell'Antonia 26:30 Right. You can write different ways, like some people would rather write it all and sort of figure out where it's going that way. But you can edit your mental page, I guess is what we're arguing here.Jess Lahey 26:50 Well, Sarina has talked extensively about her efficiency and the outlining and how those two things are linked. Sarina Bowen 26:58 I'm starting to figure out that outlining for me isn't quite as simple as I had thought that it was, and that there are productive kinds of outlining for me and non productive ones. So that's what I've been chewing on and why that you can't edit a blank page thing really spoke to me.KJ Dell'Antonia 27:17 I find I do a fair amount of scribbling in the notebook that I never go back to. Jess Lahey 27:23 Yeah, I do that, too. KJ Dell'Antonia 27:34 I write it down now sort of knowing that I will probably never go back and look at it. But there's something about putting it in ink on that piece of paper that I don't know locks it in for me.Sarina Bowen 27:47 I do that too all the time. There's just a certain number of rocks I have to turn over until I find the thing I'm looking for.KJ Dell'Antonia 27:54 That is a good way to put it.Jess Lahey 27:56 I think that gets back to where we were in the beginning, which is I think best in the written word on the page. And it isn't until I sit down and start writing those things that I actually get to the bottom of what's silly, stupid, works, doesn't work. I can think about it all I want, but I'm not going to know if that thing whether that's in an essay, or a nonfiction book, or a fiction book, whether it's going to work in the end until it's actually down on the page and I can look at it.KJ Dell'Antonia 28:22 Yes. So here's the thing. 800 word essay, I think well while I'm writing it. I can do that, because even if I write 1600 words, and then have to figure that out, that's fine. 90,000 word book, not a good plan. For me. I think maybe I could get to a point where it might work because I have written more books. But right now, not an efficient use of my time. Yeah, I was just telling you guys that I have a big feature coming out and the outline at one point was longer than the word count for the feature. But it was a very useful exercise because we had to go through that process to figure out what was going to end up at the end. And we couldn't have done that without outlining first.Jess Lahey 29:14 We've had some really good ones. And I think with all the myth stuff, it's just reassuring to know that there aren't a lot of wrong ways to do this writing thing. I mean, if words are getting down on the page, and it's fulfilling to you and you're feeling good about what's happening, I don't care if some other writer says you're doing it wrong. I very specifically had a writer, look me in the eye and tell me I was doing something absolutely wrong. And it was the most crap advice I've ever gotten on writing, but realizing that was actually really helpful to me because I went, oh. And even the fact that I now look at this author that I really respected and see that she might be wrong about this, that demystifies the process for me a little bit and I think I'm gonna be okay. So I love when we can bust some myths up.Sarina Bowen 30:05 Yeah, we're busting them. I would say just that the overarching theme here is examine your own premise like if you look at your process like it's a changeable, mutable thing, then it's a very productive way to try to examine your process. Everybody wants to go faster. Everybody wants to write better work than they did last week. And looking at your process and what other people think about it from a couple paces back is usually a pretty helpful thing.Jess Lahey 30:40 Absolutely. KJ Dell'Antonia 30:42 You know, and maybe that this has been a huge multi-month endeavor in recognizing that the rituals that we maybe once had and the places that we like to write, and the ways that we like to do things were not available to us anymore, especially if you were in coffee shops, or you like to say to write in a room that did not contain multiple children and partners who were trying to ask you questions about why there is no food in the refrigerator. You know, we don't have that anymore, or maybe we need to find a way to find it. All three of us have lately been sort of wandering around going, oh, I can't, I just can't. And I guess busting the myths is kind of a way to try to find our way to say, okay, I can't do that, but maybe I can spend half an hour trying to figure out what my plotting book is that I would like to read and then actually sit down and read it and hopefully do a little. So now that we're done for the moment with our mythbusting, let's move on to what we're reading after a short break. Listeners, you know we're about to get into what we've been reading. And we've been reading some good stuff. But have you ever thought about how those books get so good? Or maybe thought you could be a part of making an author's novel, memoir, or nonfiction as good as it could possibly be, and get paid for the work? Author Accelerator has a book coach training program that students described as truly life changing. They dig into the mechanics, process, and emotion of coaching, but they don't stop there. Their program also helps you turn coaching into a profitable business that fits into your life. Find out more at authoraccelerator.com.Jess Lahey 32:54 Okay, people what have we been reading? If we haven't been writing as much let's hope some of us have been reading some things, I know I have.Sarina Bowen 33:01 I did I read a memoir like a grown up. And it was the terrific memoir that Jess mentioned on another episode, which is Notes on a Silencing by Lacey Crawford. It was terrific. And I want to shake everyone from her teenage years. And tell them what for. I had my typical reaction to memoir, which is always my frustration that people's early lives don't have a perfect narrative arc, like some of my favorite fiction. She did an amazing job, it's such a good book. And I enjoyed reading it very much, but it's always jarring to me. And also I had another typical memoir thought, which is how do people remember things from when they're 15? And she and I are just about the same age. She's a couple years younger than I am. So I guess we'll go with that. But finally, relating to today's discussion, there were just some things about her experience and the difficult traumatic experience that she had to process that I feel like made me a better fiction writer. And I feel more competent at tackling maybe darker backstories just having Lacey Crawford make me think about that kind of trauma in one's youth. So I enjoyed it very much.Jess Lahey 34:40 Oh, good. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I thought she did a spectacular job. KJ, what have you been reading? KJ Dell'Antonia 34:48 Oh, so I actually was able to go and sit by a pool by a beach last week. It was amazing and miraculous and made me feel as though the world was normal. In the process, I read two books. One of the things I read was total classic, perfect beach read even has the name. It was Jen Weiner's Big Summer. It is extremely fun. It is a taco of a book that is delicious, and fun, and wonderful, and amazing to eat, and yet has some substance to it. It was great. Amusingly, because she is Jen Weiner, it is of course marketed, and covered, and titled as though it is women's commercial fiction. It is absolutely 100% murder mystery. I don't think that's a spoiler because if you read the whole flap copy, you at least figure out that there's something along those lines going on. This is like right down to the set of amateur detectives drawing out clues on a blackboard classic, every I dotted, every t crossed, mystery, super fun, super well done, and with all the wonderful themes of women's fiction that she usually has. And yet it also has this mystery, which is really fun and entertaining. And it's also just amusing that when you've got multiple best selling commercial women's fiction books, you can write whatever you want and call it commercial women's fictions. And I love that and support it. Go Jen. So that was one of them. And the other is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. So I go on my vacation. I read about the first half of The Vanishing Half, it is amazing is wonderful, but it's also the kind of book that when you are reading it, you do not wish for anyone to poke you and ask for sunscreen. You're deep in it and it's kind of a grumpy book in some ways. And it is really, really good. This one's the story of two twins who started out in 1950's Louisiana. They're black girls, they run away from home. One of them decides to pass as white, the other does not, and it comes forward, not the present, into like the 70's and 80's. But in a really amazing, and fascinating, and wonderful way. I loved it was really good. Excellent one, well worth your hardcover dollars.Jess Lahey 38:12 Excellent. I've been reading some really good stuff too and now I'm excited I have two more books to read. I listened to Unacceptable by Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz. Melissa Korn is at the New York Times, Jennifer Levitz is at the Wall Street Journal and this is the story of the Varsity Blues college admissions scandal case. And it is so good. The level of reporting is incredible. They do an incredible job; they read everything, all the details are there. She does all the characterizations really well. So it's not just some extra bits that could have been added on to the articles you've already read. This is a really deep dive into how the whole thing came together and it's beautifully done. I can't recommend it highly enough, especially if you like that sort of thing. You know, procedural, but also juicy, all kinds of stuff. And then I also picked up a book - I follow Sarah Weinman on Twitter and I saw that she was talking about a new collection she has called Unspeakable Acts. And it's a collection of true crime. She writes a lot about true crime. She has a blog about it. It's sort of like that best American Crime Stories that used to be published, but she was the editor of this really lovely collection and there's some really good stuff in there. There's something by Pamela Koloff and a couple of other writers that I just really love. So I happen to really like the true crime genre and these are nice sort of bites of true crime and beautifully written stuff it's a definitely a best of so I'm way into it. So Unspeakable Acts and Unacceptable are my two books, both huge thumbs up. One quick thing, if you are going to have people narrate a book in which (and this has nothing to do with the books I'm recommending) if you're going to have people narrate a book in which there are foreign accents, even just if they're British accents, especially if they're British accents, please get a narrator that can do the accents. I just had to return two books over the past two weeks that I couldn't listen to because the accents are so bad. So that's my rant for the day. KJ Dell'Antonia 41:18 Before we sign off, let me point out that some of the conversation that we talked about today, started with me shouting about not being able to figure out what plotting book I was looking for on our Facebook page, which is, of course, AmWriting on Facebook. And if you're not in our Facebook group, you should absolutely join it. We have a good time. There's a lot of people gathering up writing partners and creating accountability groups and asking questions, and it's friendly and fun, and lovable so you should do it.Jess Lahey 41:51 So that's really fun. In fact, recently we had someone finally admit that they've been lurking but they were inspired by all the people who posted there. And so guess what? They got a book deal. I mean, it's just the coolest, coolest place. I love it.KJ Dell'Antonia 42:05 Yeah, that was awesome. And secondly, if you want to get the show notes for this podcast and every podcast, please sign up to get our emails by going to amwritingpodcast.com. You can sign up for the free show notes or you can sign up to support the show. And if you support the show, then every week you will get either a writer top five, or a mini episode that drops right into your pod player. The mini episode from last week as you listen to this, which for me is still in the future is going to be me talking about great fiction query letters. So if you're interested in that, you'll want to hop over and give us a little support. But even if you're not we'd love to have you on the email list to get the show notes because then you always get the links to the books that we've talked about and everything else.Jess Lahey 42:57 Alright. Perfect. That was Beautiful. Until next week everyone, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game. This episode of #AmWriting with Jess and KJ was produced by Andrew Parilla. Our music, aptly titled unemployed Monday was written and performed by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their services because everyone, even creatives should be paid. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
We have trouble believing you haven’t already heard of our guest this week, Susan Wiggs, but just in case—she’s the author of many many novels, a multiple #1 New York Times bestseller and an overall amazing storyteller. Her current novel, The Lost and Found Bookshop, is on sale now and her most recent bestseller, The Oysterville Sewing Circle, is just out in paperback.We talk crafting a story, starting from the emotional journey versus the physical plot, building a character, choosing a setting and our collective addiction to writing books, and Susan reveals that she does indeed read fiction while she’s writing fiction—and it’s a good thing, too, because her reading list is long indeed. Links from the PodWriting the Blockbuster Novel by Albert ZuckermanThis American Life, Promised Land (the “I Wish” song episode)#AmReading (all Susan, and you’ll see why)Aging in Place by Aaron D MurphyBeing Mortal by Atul GawandeOn Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice MonroeHouse Lessons by Erica BauermeisterUntamed by Glennon DoyleThe Splendid and the Vile by Erik LarsonSabrina and Corina by Kali Fajardo-AnstineThe Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins ReidThanks to everyone who supports the podcast financially. To join that team, click the button below:But it’s all good. The pod is free as it always has and always will be. This shownotes email is free, too, so please—forward it to a friend, and if you haven’t already, join our email list and be on top of it every time there’s a new episode.Find more about Jess here, Sarina here and about KJ here.KJ Dell'Antonia 0:00 Hey, fellow writers this week we've got an outright amazing conversation with Susan Wiggs. Many, many times bestselling author of many, many novels, who really knows how to construct a story. And when getting the work done doesn't just take talent and dedication, but an understanding of the craft of creating a story. If you'd like to work with someone who understands that craft, head over to Author Accelerator and look into finding the right book coach for your work, or if craft is your jam, learn more about becoming a book coach yourself at authoraccelerator.com. Is it recording? Jess Lahey 0:36 Now it's recording.KJ Dell'Antonia 0:39 This is the part where I stare blankly at the microphone and try to remember what I'm supposed to be doing. Jess Lahey 0:43 Alright, let's start over. KJ Dell'Antonia 0:44 Awkward pause. I'm gonna rustle some papers. Okay, now one, two, three. Hey, I'm KJ Dell'Antonia. And this is #AmWriting. #AmWriting is the podcast, the weekly podcast, about writing all things, fiction, nonfiction, short things, long things, pitches, proposals, everything you have to write before anybody lets you write anything. And in short, this is the podcast about sitting down and getting that work done.Sarina Bowen 1:16 And this is Sarina Bowen. I'm the author of 35 romance novels. You can always find more about me at sarinabowen.com.KJ Dell'Antonia 1:26 And I am KJ Dell'Antonia, the author of the novel The Chicken Sisters, and also the book How to Be a Happier Parent, former editor of the New York Times' Motherlode blog, and still sometimes a contributor there. And we are so excited to welcome our guest this week. This is the first guest we've ever had that has rivaled Sarina in prolificness. We're so excited to welcome Susan Wiggs. She is the author of (I think I counted 37 but as soon as I let her talk, I'm gonna check) novels, multiple number one New York Times' bestseller and an overall amazing storyteller. When you pick up a Susan Wiggs book, you know that you're getting a fully built world and a story that's going to grab you and hold you tight and that you're going to be sorry when it lets you go. Her current novel is The Lost and Found Bookstore. And she's also got another novel just out in paperback - The Oysterville Sewing Circle. That one's just out right now. Am I right?Susan Wiggs 2:29 That's correct. It's just out in a paperback, the book club edition just came out.KJ Dell'Antonia 2:35 Ooh, cool. I love the whole book club edition and this edition.Susan Wiggs 2:41 I just love book clubs in general. So yeah, thank you so much for having me. This is such a thrill to talk to somebody who's not a fictional character.KJ Dell'Antonia 2:51 Yeah, we don't do much of that right now either. They're either fictional characters or they live in our house, that's all we got. So yeah, we are really excited - so, how many books is it before I even get started? Susan Wiggs 3:02 Oh, I knew you're gonna ask me that. And you know what? To be honest, I don't have a count. But I can tell you my first book was published in 1987. Huntington Zebra books, and I've published a book or two every year since. And so I've stopped doing the math. I just write my next book.KJ Dell'Antonia 3:27 But we will ask, you just because our listeners always want to know. How did you get started? Tell us how that first 1987 book happened, travel back in time with us.Susan Wiggs 3:40 You know what, you always remember your first time and I'll just leave it at that. I'll leave that to your imagination. But honestly, I was a young teacher just out of graduate school. I got myself through graduate school by reading really big, thick, romance novels, you know, the real bodice rippers all through the 80's. And so yeah, I had such a taste for them, and such an affection for them and a love for the form that I just wrote one. And I had no idea what I was doing. I wrote it on a typewriter. I didn't know about any writer's associations. I knew Writer's Digest, I was a subscriber to Writer's Digest, I always knew that I wanted to write and so I wrote a book called Texas Wildflower and I wrote it on a typewriter. It was this huge, unwieldy pile of pages. I was very proud of it, but I didn't know what to do with it. And so somehow, I wormed my way onto an editor's desk at Kensington Books, which had and probably still prints Zebra, Pinnacle, various ones like that and they're still up and going, and the editor's name was Wendy McCurdy, and she's still in the business. I believe she may be back at Kensington now. Anyway, she was delightful. You know, very young, probably as young as I was at the time, editor who called me up in the middle of a very busy life. I had a toddler, and dogs, and a house, and a teaching job. And I was very overwhelmed. And she called me in the middle of all that and said, 'We like your book, and we want to publish it.' And I was just floored. Yes, I was stunned. I didn't have an agent. And so I just said, 'Yes, where do I sign?' And so it's interesting that we would be talking about this right now because one of the things that I did because I didn't have a literary agent, I didn't really know how to negotiate any sort of contract. And one of the biggest blunders that I made that is turning out to be kind of a very funny and happy accident was I gave them the copyright back then. And I think now copyrights revert to the author if the book is out of print and unavailable for, I believe, three to five years. And I think I signed my name to something to say it was out of print and unavailable, but they had 16 years to reprint it. And in those 16 years, my books became rather popular. And so they never wanted to revert the rights to me because I would always say the book's not out, it's very old, don't you want to revert the rights to me? Because that way, the author controls his rights and creative control over that property and you know, you can resell it and things like that, but no, they kept hanging on to it. And so I'm sitting here, it is 2020 and I'm looking at a royalty check dated May 26, 2020 for that book, for Texas Wildflower that was first published in April 1987. Because they keep reissuing it, they still have it in print, they reissued it numerous times in different packaging. And as my books have evolved, the very original cover (you can probably find it on my website susanwiggs.com) was a very, very in your face bodice ripper cover. I just loved it, I thought was really cool. But as my books have become more mainstream and evolved into general fiction, or mainstream fiction, the covers look very upmarket now and rather sophisticated. It's basically the same book - at one point I did go in and do some light editorial work, and, you know, cringing the whole time because obviously after you know, 50 something books, I'm not that same writer that wrote Texas Wildflower - and so I had some rookie moments in that book, many of them, and yet readers still, they're drawn to something about that book. So, you know, it's still in print. So thank you, Kensington Books for keeping me alive on your list.KJ Dell'Antonia 5:40 That's a great story. And I love that it is still out there. And the cover thing is really funny because we have talked to a lot of authors and we've seen that same evolution many times. And I know Sarina and I are both really fascinated by cover art and why publishers and authors pick one style over the other and the new trend towards the sort of drawings instead of actual pictures of people.Susan Wiggs 8:48 All authors are obsessed with cover art. You know, even before I was published, I was designing the cover in my head, and I'm terrible at it, but I'm always gratified when I see the way that my books go out into the market because usually it's spot on, there have been some turkeys in my repertoire - no fault of mine or the publisher, sometimes they just don't turn out well, but the new book, The Lost and Found Bookshop, did you guys get a copy of it? Or the advanced reading copies? KJ Dell'Antonia 9:23 Yes, and I really, really love it. But do you know what, my copy doesn't have a cover. So I haven't seen it.Sarina Bowen 9:32 It's beautiful, though. I love the cover. Susan Wiggs 9:35 Well, the journey - that cover went through so many iterations. And the reason is that they try to build and this is a really great thing about publishers, if they're committed to an author, they really try to build you as a brand. And so you don't want each cover to be so unique that it doesn't even look like it could be by the same author. And so I had a rather good hit with The Oysterville Sewing Circle last year, and one of the big pieces and one reason that that book really struck a chord was it had an incredibly striking cover. It was like stark white with this blood red spool of thread on the front with a sharp pin sticking through it. And they wanted to build on that. But I wrote about a bookshop, so there's no sharp needles or anything. And so we really struggled with what this new book should look like so that it kind of accesses the spirit of the previous book, but also is inviting and beautiful enough to attract new readers as well. So I hope this cover does it. It hasn't hit the shelves yet, so I guess we'll see.Sarina Bowen 10:43 It's very beautiful.KJ Dell'Antonia 10:45 Yeah, I agree. And I can see how it looks with The Oysterville Sewing Circle, I've just pulled it up. Sarina Bowen 10:52 It's a lovely analogy to that other book but I also noticed that your that Oysterville has a new cover, too. Which is also very beautiful, and sometimes publishers do that. If they don't like a cover, but sometimes they do it just to catch the eye of people who didn't grab it the first time.Susan Wiggs 11:12 Yes, there's been three iterations of the Oysterville cover. The first one with a big spool of thread was the hardcover. And then there was a mass market paperback that came out in January. And because of the timer in the pandemic time, it was widely available only in essential markets like Walmart, the places that could stay open during the pandemic. And so it sold like wildfire. In March, it was the number four New York Times' paperback. And so there was this little paperback edition of it and then they decided for this summer to do a premium paperback, they're called trade size paperback, and it's a bigger edition and they add extra content in the back. I think there's a reading group guide, and article, and a recipe, and some other materials back there to give reading groups something to chew on. And then they decided, let's use a new image on this cover and the one that they did on that edition was actually a rejected hardcover look, you know, they they tried several looks, and they knew it was a pretty look, but they wanted to go out in trade paperback with that one. So no effort is ever wasted. That's what I am finding out. Yeah, my agent calls it four bites at the apple because the fourth bite is the audio book. And audio books are quite a big category these days and there was a slump during pandemic but as things are opening and people are going back to work and commuting again, there's an upturn in audio sales.Sarina Bowen 12:12 Mm hmm. Yes, I definitely felt that audio slump in April.KJ Dell'Antonia 13:04 I want to say, You have so many books under your belt and you were talking about how that first one is very, very different from the writer that you are now and we wanted to talk about how you go about now, structuring a new story. Because your stories are so - I've only read your later stuff, so I didn't read the earlier stuff. Your stories now are so tight, and they really don't have a lot of extraneous stuff, and I really would love to hear where you start from and I guess we'll start with that. Where do you start when you're looking to start a new book?Susan Wiggs 13:54 That's one of those things that probably didn't change a lot from the very beginning. What inspires us, you know, something has to grab you, and it's almost visceral. And for example, in The Lost and Found Bookshop, it was a very stark moment that I had. I was speaking with some elderly people that lived at my mother's assisted living place, and I'm in charge of my mom's elder care, she now lives with me. And so I do a lot of speaking with groups like that. And one question that I love to ask older people is, what if you got to have a do over, you know, what if you got to make a different decision in your life? And so, somebody said something like, 'I would have been a meteorologist, but women weren't allowed to do that back then.' And I thought, wow, you know, I want to write about somebody who does get that opportunity. You know, she does get to walk away from her very steady, predictable, corporate job and life. Unfortunately, what drives her to that point is very tragic, but she does get there. And suddenly she gets to make a new blueprint for her life. And so I was very inspired by that. And I realized that with every book, even from that very, very first one, it's a moment of profound change in a character's life, whether it's a decision that she has to make or some situation that's forced on her. And so I'm most fascinated by that. And it's always, you know, my characters, there's a lot of variety. They come from all walks of life, but she's usually the smartest person in the book, but she doesn't know it. That's the one thing I would say they have in common, but from there, the process has become not a routine for me, but definitely a journey that has familiar signposts, you know, I have to know my character and I get to know her in ways that come to me subconsciously or I consciously research her world. I build her world around her, what did she do? What does she fear? What was her family of origin? Like that's huge for me, because I believe that people, as adults are the sum of their family of origin, good, bad, indifferent, or usually a mixture of everything. And I sort of build the character, psychologically and physically, that way. And at that point, I kind of have a sketch. It's usually written down in sketchy notes, and then I figure out what does she want, what is her utmost desire? And I try to figure out what that is and then find ways for her to not be able to have that. I know, it's kind of mean, but that's where the story comes from. Because people read for the struggle, I do, you know, somebody wants something, you know, Dorothy wants to get back to Kansas or Luke Skywalker wants to destroy the Death Star. Whatever, the main character has to want something that is profoundly important to them. Whether it's you know, to revive a failing bookstore and look after her elderly granddad, or to create a women's support group for domestic violence survivors, which is The Oysterville Sewing Circle. There has to be a really powerful want that I believe I relate to and readers might relate to and once I have that, I'm off to the races. I sort of pick the setting, and I populate her world, and I create a plot, and I write an outline. And I say outline, it's really just a 5-10 page present-tense narrative that I then pitch to my literary agent and my editor, sometimes separately, sometimes, simultaneously and they usually have some feedback for me. I have a writing group that I meet with regularly here on the West Coast up in Puget Sound, which is where I'm broadcasting from. And through that process, I get a roadmap for my book and then I kind of disappear with my pen and paper for about six months and I do write with pen and paper it's kind of old school but it keeps the distractions at bay while I'm drafting the story.KJ Dell'Antonia 18:41 Wow, I want to come back to drafting with pen and paper. But Sarina and I often talk about (I'm only on like novel number two in terms of anything I'm going to try to sell) but...Susan Wiggs 18:53 Then you are light years ahead of 99% of everybody else, believe me.KJ Dell'Antonia 18:58 And I don't discount my treatment I'm super excited, my debut is coming out this summer, everything is going great. And I'm just literally, like, painful minutes away from giving the draft of the second book to my agent so we can figure out if maybe we can go out with it before the first one comes out. Susan Wiggs 19:23 You know, every writer is convinced that all the other writers have the answer. And we always want to pick each other's brain.KJ Dell'Antonia 19:29 Yes, it's easier for everyone else. Susan Wiggs 19:30 I want to hear how everybody else does it because I'm doing something wrong because I'm so stuck right now.KJ Dell'Antonia 19:36 Well, we often talk about whether you start from the emotional story or the plot story and it sounds like for you, it's almost always the emotional story.Susan Wiggs 19:46 Yes, because I have to have some sort of connection. Otherwise, I'm just writing a work report. And there's also something that really resonated with me, it was on that one of the very first podcasts of history This American Life, probably familiar with it, with Ira Glass. I don't remember the the specific episode but he talked about something called the wish song that appears in every Disney animated musical. The main character looks out at the landscape whether it's in the little French town for Beauty and the Beast or in the wishing well for Snow White or whatever and they sing a song, and the song expresses their wish. And so I don't give my character a wish song but I look for that deeply held emotional and sentimental desire, you know, the yearning that the characters expresses. And when you build the story around the character, then her emotional journey is really the plot. She has to do something she has to be in a world in a situation but her emotional journey is really where I go to get my deepest pieces of the story.KJ Dell'Antonia 21:39 And then when you're trying to take that emotional journey and marry it to a physical journey. Do you generally know where you're going from the beginning? Is it hard to figure out what physical journey will best tell that emotional story? I'm sure you're really good at by now...Susan Wiggs 22:00 Well i don't know but I do know that it's the fun part for me because I love to explore different settings. There are some writers who go back to the same setting again and again and it really works for them and they get known for being a writer of a certain region or something like that. For me, I love to travel and I'm such a fan of world travel. So I love to find what will bring out the deepest aspects of this character. Is it a city, is it a beach, is a lake, is it somewhere out in the countryside? What time period is it and so I have all these different explorations that I do where I find the perfect pairing. Because some of my stories, like The Oysterville Sewing Circle, it could take place anywhere in the world. It's a woman on a career path, who has a big complicated life situation, and she ends up forming a group for domestic violence survivors, but I ended up setting it in the most remote town in the most remote piece of beach on the Washington coast called Oysterville, because I felt like that was a metaphor for you know, this woman going out on a limb. And on the other hand, The Lost and Found Bookshop, I wanted a bookshop on like the cutest vintage street in San Francisco. Usually my setting is a place that I would love to be, a place I would love to visit. Some of my favorite books are books that make me want to go there, want to be there. So I've got a stack on my desk right now - I've got Ocean Boulevard, and there's a beach picture, and I've got hello summer, and there's another beach. We've got a theme going here. So the setting is something that I hope will play up aspects of the story and character in a metaphorical way. And so that's one of the things and then the other thing that I love playing with is, as a writer, we get to live so many different lives, we get to have so many different jobs. And so every main character I've ever written has a job that I fantasize about. She's a photographer, she's a dancer, she's a writer. Well, I don't fantasize about that, I know the grim reality of that, but I've always wanted to be a bookseller. And so The Lost and Found Bookshop was gratifying for me to write about that. But we're very lucky because we get to experience these things vicariously through our research and through the people that we write about. So it keeps it very exciting and fresh. We don't go back to the same job day in and day out.Sarina Bowen 25:08 Right. And a bookseller is an interesting observer of humanity in terms of who comes in to look at what. That's a really durable archetype, which is amazing.KJ Dell'Antonia 25:24 Hey, listeners, KJ here, before Susan tells you what she's been reading, let me tell you, that's a lot. Let's talk about what you're writing, or rather where you're writing, Sarina and I have been loving our new Dabble Writer software. I've already raved about how intuitive it is, and how much we love the plotting tool. But since this episode is about beach reads, and I hope you're finding a way to indulge in a summer getaway, I want to tell you that another cool feature of dabble is that you can use it anywhere and on any device. Online, offline, PC, Mac, Chromebook, Mobile, they all work and they're always synched up. So the edits you jotted into your phone yesterday are right there on your desktop today. We really think you'll like it and we'd love to hear what you think. So check it out with a free trial at dabblewriter.com and then get in touch.Sarina Bowen 26:25 But I wanted to take you back a second to the Disney wish song because that was really interesting to me. I'm actually not a big Disney watcher, as my kids are a little older now but, I hadn't really realized that before. And I love that you start from the character's wish. I find when I start, and I'm wondering how you get past this, but sometimes does that wish feel a little bit thin to you until you really dig in. It's like the chicken and an egg of character conflict.Susan Wiggs 27:03 Absolutely, totally. And I'm always so envious when I open a book, and the character has this life or death problem or situation, because my books are really personal and they're kind of intimate and they're very much about a woman's desires in her everyday life and she's not out saving the world or vanquishing bad guys or something like that. And so my stories - until I really dig into them - feel a little every day, a little mundane. And so I'm very sensitive about that and it possibly makes me work harder, all the harder on the aspects that are really going to bring the story to life for the reader and really going to get the reader involved and behind the character. And with The Lost and Found Bookshop, one of the things that the publisher did is they sent out a lot of advance reading copies to working booksellers, or actually furloughed booksellers because of the time that we're in, and the feedback that they got was so extraordinary that they ended up making a deck of quote cards with feedback from these booksellers. And it was really extraordinary to see how they experienced this book and what their feedback was. And so even though it was a woman who doesn't consider herself anything special, she was really special to these readers. So I'm really hopeful that when the book goes out into the world and is not my baby anymore, the readers will relate to that.Sarina Bowen 28:51 That's wonderful. And as you point out, those of us who write emotional journeys, you know, some days doesn't it seem super tempting to just kidnap your heroine on the first page?Susan Wiggs 29:02 Yeah, it does really and you know, have her like swept away by pirates or something just to get the action going, when instead she's got to give a presentation at work and it sucks and, you know, something like that. Actually, that's interesting that you brought that up because my original opening scene of The Lost and Found Bookshop was pretty much exactly that. She had a work situation at her corporate job and it does not go well. And it's very important to her. But I was concerned that the readers might not hook right into her because she's a little challenged by the situation and she's not a warm, fuzzy person in that moment. And that's a little risky to do, because you want your reader to like your protagonist right from the start. And so, I was apprehensive about doing that. So what I did is I added and this is something I sometimes do, I sometimes don't, I added a prologue. And the prologue put her in the most emotionally stressful situation I could find for her at that moment, so there's like just a one page prologue, it's really quick, but it's like, everything that I wanted the reader to know about this character, so that when they turn the page, and there she is in her work meeting, and she's sweating and nervous and that sort of thing, they can relate to her in a different way. So that was actually a writing craft moves that I made, you know, a lot of writing is inspiration and it's art and it's talent. But a good other segment of it is just knowing how to manipulate your craft and steer your craft towards the best experience for the reader.Sarina Bowen 30:59 It's been Powerful to realize at some point in your development as an author that you have got the spotlight in two hands and you can point it wherever you want.Susan Wiggs 31:10 It is and hopefully we know what to do with that spotlight. That's generally what revisions are for, right?KJ Dell'Antonia 31:19 Yeah. I sometimes find myself just thinking, I don't know, it felt kind of like this last time and it kind of worked last time. So I'm just hoping it's working now.Susan Wiggs 31:32 Yes. And it's hard when you're deep in the weeds of your draft of your novel, it's really, really hard to have the perspective that ultimately the reader is going to have and sometimes you just have to forge ahead on faith. KJ Dell'Antonia 31:48 So when you are lost in those weeds do you find yourself going back to that 5-10 page narrative that you mentioned at the beginning? Susan Wiggs 31:56 Um, no, what I usually do is go pull weeds in my garden or hike with the dogs or something, and try to walk away from it for a bit. And then I also do more research, a lot of times I'm stuck at a spot in the book, and I just need to read more about the situation, you know, whether it's more articles about elder care or more articles about this Spanish American War, which has a very weird, kind of interesting little spotlight in the book. So sometimes I just do more research. There's a very good book, there's so many good writing books, but one of them that was quite instructive to me a million years ago, it was called Writing the Blockbuster Novel by Al Zuckerman. He was (maybe still is) a big agent in New York, and he was Ken Follett's agent and he talks about when you get blocked the first thing you should do is go back and do more research into your setting, and your situation, and into the character's job. And I don't know that that resolves it every time for me, but it's very helpful.KJ Dell'Antonia 33:11 I love books like that. I love books that at least just tell me something to do when I'm stuck, anything, just just give me something I can get my fingers into.Susan Wiggs 33:24 Yeah, I'm a writing book junkie. I have probably 16 linear feet of books on writing and I have my favorites but there's always something that I can glean from most of these. I don't always work through them cover to cover but I love browsing through them, that's always inspiring to me as well.KJ Dell'Antonia 33:48 I love hearing that because I am so there. I love stuff like Save the Cat Writes a Novel and Write Your novel in 90 days and it doesn't have to be great. I don't know, I like dipping out and finding a roadmap from time to time, I think.Susan Wiggs 34:06 Yeah. It goes back to writers being convinced that every other writer has a secret and they're hiding it from us. KJ Dell'Antonia 34:14 I do have the secrets to how other people can write them that turn out to be the problem. Well, this is a great time to shift into talking about what we have been reading. In every episode, we like to just shout out something that we've been enjoying lately. And so I hope you've had some time to read and have something in mind that's been keeping you entertained when you're not writing right now?Susan Wiggs 34:46 Absolutely. I'm always reading and I've always got a couple of books going - one on the nightstand and one in the living room and one wherever I happen to be. And right now some of my books reflect where I am in my life. I think I mentioned that my mom has moved here, she's 90, she's a bit high maintenance right now. So I'm reading. Let's see, I've got a stack here. I'm reading Aging in Place by Aaron D. Murphy. Not very interesting, except when you need it. But the other one that I just love, and I've read it before, but I'm rereading Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. Medicine and What Matters in the End. And then for light hearted reading, I have the new Mary Kay Andrews, Hello, Summer, was just published. And a good friend of mine, Mary Alice Monroe has a new book out called On Ocean Boulevard. And it's like the ultimate summer read. It looks like I haven't started it yet, but I'm looking forward to that one. I have a book here that is a memoir. Because one of the things that my husband does, he does a lot of things, he's a designer, but one thing that he's been doing is he's been renovating old houses. And he's not really a flipper because he renovates them beautifully and then sells them or rents them. But anyway, I'm very preoccupied with old houses these days. So I found this book House Lessons by Erica Baumeister, who's written some of my favorite books. She wrote a book called The School of Essential Ingredients that I loved. And this is a memoir of restoring an old house called House Lessons: Renovating a Life.Sarina Bowen 36:58 And then for my birthday my husband got me Untamed by Glennon Doyle, amazing, amazing memoir about a woman's very extraordinary journey.KJ Dell'Antonia 37:15 I'm in the middle of that one might now myself.Sarina Bowen 37:18 She's a wonderful writer and then I bought well because Father's Day is coming up and and Jerry is not my father, but his sons are probably going to forget. So I bought him the new Eric Larsen, The Splendid and the Vile, which is a history of Churchill during World War Two. And I just love Eric's books and Eric's a good friend of mine and so I tease him I say that he's everybody's father's favorite writer. You could always count on somebody's dad liking an Eric Larson book, just like you can always count on somebody's mom liking a Susan Wiggs book. And then two more on my nightstand. This one is a collection of stories called Sabrina and Kareena, there was a there's a lot of controversy about a big book that was out earlier this year called American Dirt. And it focused some attention on Latino writers or Latin ex-writers. And so I decided that I did not have enough on my shelf and so a bookseller recommended Sabrina and Kareena by Kali Fajardo-Anstine. But it won the National Book Award and the stories are just lovely. I love them. And then finally, I just started this morning over coffee The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid and If you haven't heard of her, you will soon because her book, which was called Daisy Jones and The Six is about to be a very big series on, I think Amazon Prime, or maybe Netflix, and quite, quite the big hit. And I adored that book as well. So I know I'm gonna like this new one. And you wonder with all these books that I'm reading, do I have time to write? No, I don't. Do I have a deadline? Yes, I do.KJ Dell'Antonia 39:26 We fully understand.Sarina Bowen 39:29 But you know what, reading books keeps the craft alive. As a writer, you read a book differently than just a reader. And I say just a reader with a lot of respect, but it's kind of like my husband's an apparel designer. And he can look at any garment and see what it took to make that garment and he knows a lot of technical things about it that the casual person wouldn't even know and I think the same can be said, of writing and it is a little harder for me and probably you guys to, to really get into a book. Just because we're also noticing things that are not supposed to be noticeable.KJ Dell'Antonia 40:14 Every so often I'll be like, Oh, I bet that was a major subplot at some point, there's a reason that that dog is a German Shepherd or whatever, you know, and but now there's not and you can go in and out of that mode, right? Well, so it I think rather than say anything that I'm reading, just because we have a great list here, I'm gonna just ask you one last question, which is - do you read fiction while you're writing it?Susan Wiggs 40:49 Always? Yes, I do.KJ Dell'Antonia 40:52 We do, too! So many people don't - or say they don't. Susan Wiggs 40:56 Um, I would probably go through withdrawal symptoms if I couldn't read fiction, and so for some reason, it's not a problem for me personally to distinguish what I'm writing from what I'm reading. And you know that I don't know if that's true for everybody. But it doesn't seem to be a problem for me. Maybe it's telling that one of my first things that I remember writing for publication was when I was in seventh grade, they decided to publish a book report that I had written in the newspaper because I was supposed to do a book report on Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. And I was so destroyed by the ending of that book that I rewrote the whole ending of the book, and that was my book report. So my seventh grade teacher thought that it was interesting enough that you know, she published it in the newspaper. So that was one of my first publishing credits. I was rewriting John Steinbeck. So, I don't know maybe you need maybe you need that level of arrogance to kind of push your way into publishing.KJ Dell'Antonia 42:06 I think that you predicted your own future. Well, we have to respect your time but we are so grateful that you came and did this. I think this was a fantastic conversation about writing. I enjoyed it so much. Thank you.Susan Wiggs 42:21 Thank you so much. I'd love talking shop with you guys. You're amazing.KJ Dell'Antonia 42:25 It's great. So for our listeners, you're definitely going to want to look for The Lost and Found Bookshop and also maybe take a look at The Oysterville Sewing Circle. So, Sarina you want to take us out with our with our always final saying?Sarina Bowen 42:56 Until next week everyone, keep your butt in the chair and your head in the game. This episode of #AmWriting with Jess and KJ was produced by Andrew Parilla. Our music, aptly titled unemployed Monday was written and performed by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their services because everyone, even creatives should be paid. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe
Cruel and Unusual the Podcast Episode 15: The Boozing Barber (Gilbert Paul Jordan) & Robert Pickton We're road tripping to Canada, friends. Cady's enlightening the Cruel Coven on The Boozing Barber, otherwise known as Gilbert Paul Jordan, aka Gilly. Tori's talking about one of the worst assholes to ever exist, Robert Pickton, aka The Pig Farmer. These guys are really giving Canadians a bad name. WE LOVE YOU CANADA! But we hate these two losers. K. Love you, bye. Sources: Murderpedia Medium Time Toast Wikipedia The Vancouver Sun The Canadian Encyclopedia HOLY FUCK OUR TWO LARGE AND IN CHARGE ANNOUNCEMENTS: We have a PATREON! We have RAD AS HELL MERCH! Other mentions: Criminal Minds Save the Cat Writes a Novel Sponsors for THIS Episode: Anchor.FM Stalk Us: Visit Cruel Ink Media's Website "LIKE" The Cruel and Unusual Podcast Page on Facebook Join the Cruel Coven Facebook Group Follow the POD on Instagram Follow Tori on Instagram Follow Cady on Instagram --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/cruel-and-unusual-podcast/support
Is it November already? No, no it’s not. Tracy and Kyle decided that time, days, and months are irrelevant so they were just going to record something anyway. They give updates on their previous challenges, what they’re up to these days, and just generally discuss writing. Oh, Tracy read Save the Cat Writes a Novel! by Jessica Brody and that’s the whole reason we did this. That’s right. We’re proud to be on the Scavengers Network. And maybe they’re proud to have us? https://www.scavengersnetwork.com/ Follow us on twitter! @WHAMJuicePod And that’s the way the Moon Juice pours.
Join us as we chat about the year we're leaving behind us, and the year ahead. We'll discuss books we've read, how we feel about our past year as writers, and our resolutions for 2020 as writers and readers. Recommended Reading: Clock Dance by Anne Tyler The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend by Meryl Gordon Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Wired for Story by Lisa Cron Wanderers by Chuck Wendig Beartown by Fredrik Backman How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Devil's Call by J. Danielle Dorn The Electric Woman by Tessa Fontaine Celia at 39 by Jason Pomerance _________________ Check out the following books by our Indie Writer Podcast Patrons! Proliferation by Erik Otto Mission 51 by Fernando Crôtte Want to see your book listed? Become a Patron!
Hosts: Jacqui Castle and Cari Dubiel Guest: Jason Pomerance Join us as we chat about the year we're leaving behind us, and the year ahead. We'll discuss books we've read, how we feel about our past year as writers, and our resolutions for 2020 as writers and readers. Recommended Reading: Clock Dance by Anne Tyler The Seclusion by Jacqui Castle Bunny Mellon: The Life of an American Style Legend by Meryl Gordon Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Wired for Story by Lisa Cron Wanderers by Chuck Wendig Beartown by Fredrik Backman How to Stop Time by Matt Haig Devil's Call by J. Danielle Dorn The Electric Woman by Tessa Fontaine Celia at 39 by Jason Pomerance
Today my friend, Ceilidhe Wynn, and I are diving into the creative process behind writing. From blog posts to plotting a novel, we discuss what works for us, how to find your perfect writing process and specific books, online tools and tactics you can use to get words on the page. TOPICS EXPLORED IN THIS EPISODE: The gateway drug for writers [ 2:47 ] The creative process for blog writing [ 5:38 ] Where to keep crazy writer brain ideas [ 8:17 ] The tendency to want to start on the new and shiny thing [ 10:48 ] Where do keywords come into play in blog writing? [ 13:56 ] How to figure out your keywords [ 17:34 ] The ideal length of a blog [ 20:47 ] Snappy headline tips [ 23:50 ] The differences in the creative process between fiction and nonfiction [ 27:30 ] Changing perspectives on plotting [ 30:38 ] Resources for plotting a novel [ 34:46 ] Structuring a story using beats and misbeliefs [ 40:44 ] Slowing down the creative process [ 42:10 ] Why writing first thing helps maintain voice [ 48:00 ] Community is essential when you are writing [ 50:44 ] Quotable: Having a community that you can go to when you are writing is essential. ========== Resources discussed in this episode: HubSpot Google CoSchedule Headline Analyzer Cosmopolitan Magazine Stephen King On Writing Save the Cat by Blake Snyder Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Story Genius by Lisa Cron Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes ========== Learn more about Ceilidhe: Ceilidhe's episode 19 on The Otherwise Intelligent Woman Twitter: @ceilrubywrites Instagram: @ceilrubywrites Website: https://www.rubybarrett.com ========== Connect with Kattie: Online: www.kattiethorndyke.com Instagram: @kattiethorndyke LinkedIn: @kattiethorndyke
October holds a lot of opportunity for writers and creatives of all types. This week Nicole focuses on the things writers can do to prepare for a binge writing session as she, and many others are using the month of October to prepare for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Mentioned in this episode: JOIN A WRITING PROMPT PARTY with Nicole Rivera https://mailchi.mp/721ea58887e4/promptpartyfall2019 The Stop Writing Alone Shop (use password: peeps to access the site) https://stop-writing-alone.myshopify.com OctPoWriMo http://www.octpowrimo.com/ Inktober https://inktober.com/ Book In A Month https://www.amazon.com/Book-Month-Fool-Proof-System-Writing/dp/1599639882 Save the Cat Writes a Novel https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Writes-Novel-Writing/dp/0399579745/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2/138-2198631-5841951?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0399579745&pd_rd_r=71b94b02-48da-4df6-aa2c-f2d8d1c90a5a&pd_rd_w=VGF2r&pd_rd_wg=ZfLW7&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=FQ5BDW0RM4BMMVB50CDB&psc=1&refRID=FQ5BDW0RM4BMMVB50CDB Writing Down the Bones https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Down-Bones-Freeing-Writer/dp/161180308X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=writing+down+the+bones&qid=1569460366&s=books&sr=1-1 Bird by Bird https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=bird+by+bird&qid=1569460412&s=books&sr=1-1 NaNoWriMo https://nanowrimo.org/ Stay connected to learn about all Stop Writing Alone stuff -- get on Nicole’s email list: https://mailchi.mp/ff8df93e57dc/penpals Freesound - Nicole’s source for so many awesome sound effects and jingles https://freesound.org/ Buy Nicole a coffee (AKA support the podcast!) https://ko-fi.com/stopwritingalone Places to connect to the STOP WRITING ALONE community and introduce yourself: Stop Writing Alone FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/stopwritingalone/ Join the Stop Writing Alone with Nicole Rivera FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2205774733034348/ Stop Writing Alone website: https://stopwritingalone.com/ Join the Stop Writing Alone email list: https://mailchi.mp/ff8df93e57dc/penpals Nicole’s Instagram (be prepared for lots of #momlife exposure!): https://www.instagram.com/nv_rivera/ Nicole’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/nv_rivera The Stop Writing Alone voice number (call to introduce yourself!): (646) 907-9607 The EVERYONE CAN PODCAST crew. Here’s a list of podcasts made by my classmates coming out of Cathy Heller’s ECP course. This is one inspiring, creative, and informative bunch: The Soul Mammas Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-soul-mammas-podcast/id1393133041?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR1tjUxnEcrG1q_5m35ZzCduaS4fZJT2cYHl53CaWevMuRlcuvxBI6AFb3s How in the HELL Did I Get Here? https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-in-the-hell-did-i-get-here-the-podcast/id1448137091?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR2GyOaw93q3IplQLaF3_GZyzbgwEoxZFzB-uNQAoThKKghAKKCrVKYYohQ Creativity School https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/creativity-school/id1447571085?fbclid=IwAR28GwcZ9Tu81dH7aLtxFoX68-yYEisH3socPrcjmbN0Xk-YY3REgQ9L1Fc The Ready Pause Go Career https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ready-pause-go-career/id1446761976?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR0GXU0O9TjFUcpTTIx_qfypkV1oizQwE_nBjD8hAW4G7x6PXq9PYwgs5IY Food Tribe https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/food-tribe/id1440417232?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR0dADVs36_TgBDzSHIBmFB5JhY6wgag9RpnaX5B8NWjVvB1QTB7Cz5tkjU The DaddyBe Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-daddybe-podcast/id1447237794?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR1wUDvNi9dl3vvWzuGPlGydgxiU7evJWKYJrjY-cgrfaWRPRF_xsralitU I Have Dreams Dammit! https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/i-have-dreams-dammit/id1449508412?fbclid=IwAR0hmiKzF2ABgaqGwQVskxF-OQTV14v9uj1kTlLydvqFvST3kySb76YrKVw Lessons from a Quitter https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/lessons-from-a-quitter/id1412305413?mt=2 Do the Damn Thing https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/do-the-damn-thing/id1437481006?mt=2 Creative Cravings https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-cravings/id1451813556?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR3pbdpDTUdZHiowOls8Ixf03l4XraMUaB4bS66F3b9LQYrBe-p3uA6XpMo Elder & Wiser https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/elder-wiser/id1453289708?fbclid=IwAR34ZTDVUcdIcHtt9tA1b67Z-WhmDtzM2GnTC8x4huJaS-YOowi1ij1Od2o Hustle Heartbreaks https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hustle-heartbreaks/id1453207903?fbclid=IwAR2NAhma5OpBfR7P-XjMymAvDJhWVcvnizb5TqjZ5IncJIH4e8U49ai9nh0 Find Your Glee With Dinah G https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/find-your-glee-with-dinah-g/id1451375805?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR1_c5kV2wvsaFxwDe7zCMpyx047mtHl4eqskA0rc-FaPoIw-Hi8p84TYH0 Fiercely Human https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/fiercely-human/id1458152113?mt=2&fbclid=IwAR2naSYYKVM_alyHraRPfggoxpA_UrRVVTw8HhIW8X5PT76bJxYUaqgEIOE And our teacher… Don’t Keep Your Day Job https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-keep-your-day-job/id1191831035?mt=2
I have turned in my manuscript (let us all rejoice!) and muse on my ongoing struggle with perfectionism. This week’s best thing: Publishers Weekly starred review of Whispers of Shadow & Flame Links: Awario.com and Mention.com - for tracking online mentions AppSumo - deals on techies things VONA/Voices workshop for writers of color The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman The Shadow Warrior by Ann Aguirre Heinlein's rules for writing success Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast Website: https://www.lpenelope.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leslyepenelope Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/leslyepenelope Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorlpenelope Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
What’s a GM to do when their players start getting bored or distracted during a game? Guest GM Greg Teachout joins Andy and Chris to discuss a challenge that every GM will face at some point. Episode 10 appendix: D&D 2nd and 5th editions. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. Save the Cat Writes a Novel … Continue reading "Episode 10 — How to Deal with Bored or Distracted Players (with Greg Teachout)"
What’s a GM to do when their players start getting bored or distracted during a game? Guest GM Greg Teachout joins Andy and Chris to discuss a challenge that every GM will face at some point. Episode 10 appendix: D&D 2nd and 5th editions. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. Save the Cat Writes a Novel […]
Oh yeah! getting my learn on. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/adammesser/support
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Todays interview is with author Jessica Brody. Jessica Brody is the author of more than 17 novels for teens, tweens, and adults including The Geography of Lost Things, The Chaos of Standing Still, A Week of Mondays, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, Better You Than Me, the three books in the sci-fi Unremembered trilogy, and the forthcoming Sky Without Stars (a sci-fi reimagining of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, co-written with Joanne Rendell). She’s also the author of the Descendants: School of Secrets series, based on the hit Disney Channel original movie, Descendants and the LEGO Disney Princess chapter books. Jessica’s first non-fiction book, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel (a plotting guide for novelists) released in October 2018. Jessica’s books have been translated and published in over 23 countries and Unremembered and 52 Reasons to Hate My Father are currently in development as major motion pictures. She lives with her husband and three dogs near Portland, Oregon. Jessica talks us through her new fiction book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. She goes into detail about how to plot a great book that readers will love. What beats to include in your story to make the journey for your protagonist transformational. And how to categorise your story into a genre to help understand what ingredients it needs to work. In addition she shares some fantastic tips on how to be a more productive writer. This and more! Jessica also runs FANTABULOUS courses for writers on Udemy. You can find Jessica and purchase her books (Including Save the Cat Writes a Novel) at www.jessicabrody.com
I talk about Save the Cat Writes a Novel, and how useful I find the beat sheet from the system. murverse.com | BY NC SA Creative Commons
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