Podcasts about diy mfa radio

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode ends our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 10 – Embrace the Journey. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: My end-of-year process for taking stock and evaluating my progress. Why you need to understand your natural tendencies before setting goals. The importance of giving each year a theme or name. How to use that yearly theme to course-correct or keep yourself on track For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/485

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 9 – Take Baby Steps. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: The importance of dreaming big but executing through small “baby steps.” How goal setting is a lot like climbing a mountain. The “plant the flag” moment, what it is and why it matters. Why it's essential to reverse-engineer the action steps toward your goals. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/484

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 8 – Track the Money Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: Why it's so important for writers to talk about and track money. The two “magic numbers” of publishing, what they are and why they matter. Five essential questions to think strategically about IP.  The trifecta of success, and how to consider ROI (return on investment). For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/483

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 482 – Practice, Practice, Practice Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: The importance of a practice-based approach in writing. Different types of practice, and why “deliberate practice” is most effective. The four essential components of a writing practice and why they matter. Why it's important to iterate on your practice to make sure it's working for you. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/482

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson #6 – Balance is Fallacy. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: How finding balance is not about rigidly compartmentalizing your life. What it means to “honor your reality” and how it relates to balance. Why we should be wary of blanket advice and shouldn't follow any advice too rigidly. Why it's so important for us to acknowledge and honor our real-life constraints. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/481

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 5 – Choose Abundance Over Scarcity Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: Why so many people in publishing (and other fields) hold on to a scarcity mindset. How scarcity can serve as a safety net for writers who harbor self-doubt. The way an abundance mindset can set us up for writing success. The importance of equity in abundance, and making sure all writers can shine. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/480

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 4 – Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: Why complacency is the enemy of personal and professional growth. The growing pains that come from failing better and why failure is so hard. How I embraced failure for an entire year, and how it helped me grow DIY MFA. The malleable nature of comfort zones, and why we must keep challenging ourselves. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/479

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 3 – Embrace the Power of Iteration Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: Two competing philosophies on failure from Yoda and Samuel Beckett. How these two highly-quotable figures are actually not all that different from each other. What it really means to make a commitment to the work and to your writing. Why it's so important to embrace imperfection and accept potential failure. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/478

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 2 – Act “As If” Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join   In this episode I discuss: How acting “as if” is not the same as “fake it ‘til you make it.” Ways in which acting “as if” helped me build DIY MFA and this podcast. Why it's important to be completely truthful when you act “as if.” How when you step forward with confidence, eventually your mindset catches up. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/477

Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode kicks off our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 1 – Jump First, Build After. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA, so you can get the “knowledge without the college.” You'll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You'll also receive Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you'll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it's free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.   In this episode I discuss: Why it's important not just to build something, but build the right thing. How failure plays into innovation, and why we should accept it rather than avoid it. How originality is about the execution of the idea, rather than the idea itself. Why it's crucial to embrace the concept of “good enough.” For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/476

Have you ever considered going back to school for a Masters in Creative Writing? This week's guest did, but she realized what a privileged position she was in. Not everyone can afford the time and money to go back to school. So she set out to create a program that brings together the best of the MFA experience while allowing students to complete the coursework on their own timeline for a fraction of the cost. Thus was born DIY MFA.Gabriela Pereira is an entrepreneur, TEDx speaker, and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community. As the instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to challenge the status quo of higher education. She speaks at national conferences, industry events, and college campuses, and also hosts the podcast DIY MFA Radio.Question of the week:  What part of the DIY MFA program is the most exciting for you? Let's chat on the Facebook page @AuthorWheel.Follow Us! Gabriela Pereira:Website: https://DIYMFA.comCourses: https://diymfa.com/join/ (DIY MFA Starter Kit)Twitter & Instagram: @diymfaThe Author Wheel:Website: www.AuthorWheel.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorWheelGreta Boris:Website: www.GretaBoris.comFacebook: @GretaBorisAuthorInstagram: @GretaBorisMegan Haskell:Website: www.MeganHaskell.comFacebook & Instagram: @MeganHaskellAuthor Support the showFREE Mini Email CourseHave you ever struggled to explain to others exactly what you write? Or wondered which of the many fiction ideas running through your brain you should tackle? If so, The Author Wheel's new mini-course might be your solution. 7 Days to Clarity: Uncover Your Author Purpose will help you uncover your core writing motivations, avoid shiny-thing syndrome, and create clear marketing language. Each daily email will lead you step by step in defining your author brand, crafting a mission statement, and distilling that statement into a pithy tagline. And, best of all, it's free. Click here to learn more!

Gabriela Pereira, my friend and the founder of DIY MFA, interviews me about creative flow. I share my strategies for building focus and reducing decision fatigue, and we do a major deep dive into one of my favorite topics: how to end the never-ending cycle of burnout and design a sustainable creative career. More from the episode Tips for transforming your creative practice into a habit you don't have to think about What are your “circles of control”? How can acknowledging them help ease your overwhelm and give you more agency? How hustle culture negatively impacts creatives and leads to cycles of burnout The number one thing you need to consider when designing a sustainable creative career We explore alternative paths to making a living as an author, and business models that harness your unique toolkit and experience About Gabriela Pereira Gabriela Pereira is a writer, teacher, and self-proclaimed word nerd who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in creative writing from The New School and teaches at national conferences, local workshops, and online. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and offers short audio master classes. Her book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community is out now from Writer's Digest Books. Connect with Gabriela DIYMFA.com Additional Links Hustle Culture is a Scam. Here's How You Really Reach Creative Career Success.For full transcripts, show notes, and more episodes, head to https://jessicaabel.com/acpod/

Matty Dalrymple talks with Gabriela Pereira about WHAT WRITERS CAN LEARN FROM SHORT FICTION, including the importance of seeing the full story, matching the message to the medium, letting the reader fill in the details, asking why something works (as well as why it might not), and assessing your work for purpose. We also talk about her program, DIY MFA, and how one of the drivers behind that program was her belief that with traditional MFA programs, one size fits some. Do any of those topics pique your interest? Check out 2 MINUTES OF INDY https://bit.ly/2MinutesOfIndy, where over the week following the airing of the episode, you'll find brief video clips from the interview on each of those topics. You can also catch up on some highlights of previous episodes there. Show notes at https://bit.ly/TIAP164 Did you find the information in this video useful? Please consider supporting The Indy Author! https://www.patreon.com/theindyauthor https://www.buymeacoffee.com/mattydalrymple Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists, and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and is the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals. She is also the author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and speaks at college campuses and national conferences. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mark McGuinness. Mark is an award-winning poet, author, podcaster and host of The 21st Century Creative, as well as a coach for creative professionals. He is also someone I've had the pleasure of calling a colleague and friend for nearly a decade. When Mark told me about his latest project, a new podcast titled A Mouthful of Air, I knew I had to bring him on DIY MFA Radio to talk about it. The podcast centers around poetry, and episodes alternate in focus between contemporary works and the classics. For episodes featuring contemporary poets, Mark invites them to read a single poem and talk about the writing process behind it. In other episodes, he reads classic poems and talks about what we can learn from them as writers. This is an awesome podcast, and one that writers of all genres can learn from and enjoy. A Mouthful of Air has been awarded funding for the first 2 years of the show by Arts Council England, and I can't wait to see where it goes!   In this episode Mark McGuinness and I discuss: What effects a good poem can have on the reader that transcend academic understanding. What method poetry is and the writing processes of contemporary poets. How reading poetry out loud—even just to yourself—enhances the experience.   Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/387

PubTalk Live is a publishing talk show, broadcasting live to YouTube every 2nd and 4th Saturday at 9pm Eastern. Host Sarah Nicolas is joined in each episode by a Guest Co-Host and at least one Special Guest. They talk about all aspects of the book publishing industry, including its intersections with other media and libraries. This episode of PubTalk Live features Guest Co-Host EJ Wenstrom and Special Guest Gabriela Pereira. →EJ Wenstrom https://www.ejwenstrom.com/ https://twitter.com/EJWenstrom https://www.facebook.com/ejwenstrom https://instagram.com/ejwenstrom https://amzn.to/3s7ea3v →Gabriela Pereira https://diymfa.com/ Free DIY MFA Starter Kit: http://diymfa.com/join DIY MFA Radio: http://diymfa.com/podcast https://twitter.com/DIYMFA https://amzn.to/3uHd9ka →Your Host, Sarah Nicolas: www.sarahnicolas.com | @sarah_nicolas on Twitter | @presidentSarah on Instagram →Become a PubTalk Live patron: https://www.patreon.com/pubtalklive →Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/sarahs-place →Subscribe via email: http://eepurl.com/gE3ahb →Originally streamed at: https://youtu.be/50TW8UIT528 →PubTalk Live Logo adapted from art from freepik.com. --News-- →Amanda Gorman, bestselling poet. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2021/04/07/amanda-gorman-the-hill-we-climb-tops-usa-today-bestseller-list/7122126002/ →Mike Pence book deal. https://www.thewrap.com/mike-pence-simon-and-schuster-book-deal/ (ooh related: https://newrepublic.com/article/161907/andrew-cuomo-got-4-million-book-deal-scandal) →Bologna Children’s Book Fair. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/international/trade-shows/article/86051-bologna-children-s-book-fair-to-be-virtual-cancels-live-event.html →Publisher’s Weekly state of the industry. https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/86010-publishing-industry-insiders-share-insights-into-opportunities-challenges-ahead.html →Sarah: (content warning for transphobia) The Women’s Prize for Fiction & Torrey Peters. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2021-04-07/womens-prize-stands-by-nomination-of-trans-author-torrey-peters →Serial Box, now Realm. https://www.realm.fm/blog/serial-box-is-now-realm →Book awards! https://pen.org/press-release/2021-pen-america-literary-awards-given-to-top-literary-stars-of-the-year-lifelong-luminaries-of-literary-excellence/ https://www.gf.org/announcement-2021/ https://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/april-9-2021/new-york-public-library-announces-finalists-2021-young-lions --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

"Life is what happens while you're making other plans." How many times has the universe interrupted or curtailed those dreams we set up for ourselves? In Gabriela Perreira's case, a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and the medications involved in treating it, led her to a life-altering choice. She'll talk about the journey from early diagnosis to acceptance to sharing her diagnosis to help other people, and assure them, they are not alone..We are not our disorders or disease. In the best case scenarios, we are able to come to terms with what life throws us and find grace and discover other ways to live life as richly as  we imagined. Gabriela Pereira is the founder of DIYMFA.com, the do-it-yourself alternative to a Masters degree in writing. She is also a speaker, podcast host for DIY MFA Radio, and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community.

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Marilyn Singer. Winner of the National Council of Teachers of English Award for Excellence in Poetry, 2015, Marilyn Singer has written more than 100 books in many genres. She created a poetry form, the “reverso,” featured in three of her award-winning collections:  Mirror Mirror, Follow Follow, and Echo Echo. She co-hosts the Poetry Blast, which features children’s poets reading their work, at the American Library Association conference and other conventions. Marilyn lives in Brooklyn, NY and Washington, CT with a dog, a cat, and two doves, as well as her favorite dance partner, who also happens to be her husband.  On a more personal note, Marilyn is someone I consider a dear friend. We first met while standing in line for a book signing at BookExpo when I was just a newbie and I remember thinking “OMG this amazing author is talking to little ol’ me!” I’ve had the pleasure of featuring her on this show before (she was one of my very first interviews) and her books are among my children’s absolute favorites. So it is truly a pleasure and an honor to welcome the fabulous poet and children’s book author, Marilyn Singer back to DIY MFA Radio! In this episode Marilyn and I discuss: The inspiration behind Follow the Recipe Tying together the illustrations and poems Structuring a book of poems The reverso form The power of constraint in poetry How to get started writing poetry Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: www.diymfa.com/306

Hey there word nerds!  Welcome to the three hundredth episode of DIY MFA Radio! The original plan for this episode was to unveil our first-ever DIY MFA live event—Writer Igniter LIVE—which we were planning for October. In light of current events, we’ve put the planning  for that on hold. That said, we still wanted to honor this special milestone episode by doing something a little bit different. To that end, I’ve gathered Team Awesome together to talk about a new approach we’ve been taking with DIY MFA. While from an outside perspective DIY MFA has been chugging away as it always has been, over the past three months the team and I have been doing a lot of internal work, getting our house in order and making key shifts to how we approach the work that we do. One of these key shifts is the concept of building mental theme parks.  Now, theme parks hold a special significance for me. For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated with theme park design. Most kids go to Disney World for the rides; I was that weirdo kid begging her parents to let her take the behind-the-scenes tour of the underground tunnels.  When I was twelve or so, I decided I wanted to design a ride for Epcot Center. You see, while the World Showcase features many different countries, there isn’t a single one from South America. (Sorry Mexico, but you’re not in South America). I thought it was a travesty that an entire continent would be overlooked like that, so I decided to design the Brazilian Pavilion (I mean, the marketing copy practically writes itself. Most normal kids spend their summers traveling or going to camp. I spent my summer researching 18th century Brazilian architecture, drafting up design drawings, and brainstorming possible corporate sponsors. I even mapped out a ride. I designed everything, from the menus of the pavilion restaurants to the types of souvenir shops and what they would sell. Then I packaged everything together and mailed the envelope to Mr. Michael Eisner, CEO of Disney. A few months later, I got a reply with a bunch of legal mumbo-jumbo about not being able to consider unsolicited submissions, blah blah blah.  The result was disappointing. As a kid, I didn’t care about the money, I just wanted to see my idea out in the world and getting the envelope sent back without them even considering the concept was hard. Still, that one experience has shaped my life in many unexpected ways. I continue to be obsessed with theme parks and other themed environments (Las Vegas, etc.) and this idea of “theming” is woven into everything I do as an author, teacher, and entrepreneur. To this day, I think of everything I build—whether it’s a book, a course, or a podcast—I think of it as an experience I’m creating for the audience (i.e. you, my word nerds). This idea of DIY MFA as a theme park for the mind has become central to our team and what we do at DIY MFA. Listen in as Team Awesome and I jam about DIY MFA and building theme parks for the mind. In this episode Jeanette, Bess, Lori and I discuss: How DIY MFA is like a theme park for your mind How this DIY MFA theme park is designed and operates The different roles of Team Awesome in the park How we’re moving forward as a team and a business during Corona Virus and beyond Team Awesome’s tips for being creative in spite of Corona Virus Free DIY MFA resources to help writers right now What’s ahead for DIY MFA this year Plus, their #1 tip for writers. For more info and shownotes: www.diymfa.com/300

Do you really need an MFA? No, but you do need a framework for making progress. DIY MFA is a book and community created by author, speaker, and entrepreneur Gabriela Pereira. We chat about the key pillars—write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community—and tackle topics like self-doubt, guilt, and how to survive conferences as an introvert. Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers, artists and other creatives to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in writing from The New School and speaks at college campuses and national conferences. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and book industry professionals and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community. Connect: Read: DIY MFA Listen: DIY MFA Podcast Instagram Twitter Pinterest Facebook EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Why necessity inspired Gabriela to start DIY MFA How to use an “Angst Jar” to help overcome with The difference between reading for pleasure and reading for purpose How to build a writing community (and why you should) The 10% rule for creating achievable writing goals Why you need a personalized reading plan (and how to create one) How to survive conferences and events as an introvert Why she plans tomorrow today LINKABLE MENTIONS Books mentioned on the show: The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, Travels With Charlie, On the Road, The Alter Ego Effect by Todd Herman The 10% rule, inspired by Guy Kawasaki and James Scott Bell The psychological phenomenon of Parkinson's Law North Carolina Writers' Network

We talk about the pillars of a writing life, why Gabriela wanted to create a do-it-yourself DIYMFA, and that old favorite: Imposter Syndrome. Join me for a wide-ranging conversation with DIYMFA.com's Gabriela Pereira. She is a speaker, podcast host for DIY MFA Radio, and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community. To find out more about DIYMFA's flagship course (enrolling new students now) go to https://members.diymfa.com/sdsd/ 

  Hey there word nerds! Today is one of my absolute favorite episodes of the year because it’s our annual ThrillerFest Debut Authors panel and I am so delighted to have August Norman, D.A. Bartley, Paula Munier, and John McMahon on the show. Every year, I have the pleasure of attending ThrillerFest, which is a fabulous conference put on by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). I’ve attended every year since 2012 (except 2014 because Lady Bug had just been born) and this is one of my favorite conferences of the season. It’s a very collegial event, with seasoned writers and debuts supporting each other. This particular debut authors panel has been a tradition at DIY MFA Radio for a few years and I always have a blast chatting with the debut authors about the craft and business of writing. Each year, we choose a theme and this year it’s “when big suspense happens in small town settings.” As you’ll hear in this interview, each of these authors has a unique take on this topic. In this episode August, D.A., Paula, John and I discuss: Building a compelling setting for suspense. The fine art of choosing what to leave in and leave out. Pacing techniques to ratchet up suspense. Challenges of small town settings. The debut author experience. Plus, each of their #1 tips for writers. For more info and shownotes: DIYMFA.com/263

Gabriela Pereira is the founder of DIYMFA.com, the do-it-yourself alternative to a Masters degree in writing. She is also a TedX speaker, podcast host for DIY MFA Radio, and author of the book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community. On this episode of Write About Now, she talks about how master's degree programs fail many writers, the myths we believe that hold us back from reaching our potential, and how to overcome imposter syndrome. To learn more about the podcast, visit writeaboutnowmedia.com.

Hey there word nerds! Today I am so excited to be speaking with NoNieqa Ramos on the show! NoNieqa is an award-winning educator, literary activist, and writer of “intense” young adult literature. She is also a passionate supporter of the #weneeddiversebooks and #ownvoices movements. Her debut novel The Disturbed Girl’s Dictionary has gotten stunning reception including a  Booklist starred review that called her “a voice to watch” with “exceptional writing and compassionate realism.” NoNieqa is currently joining us live from the school where she teaches (and where her book is set). Listen in as we chat about her amazing debut and how to create strong characters that elicits an emotional response from readers. Also, just a quick heads up, for the first time ever on DIY MFA Radio we have a teeny bit of explicit language towards the end of the interview. Due to the nature of the discussion I decided not to bleep anything out, but I wanted to let you know in case you have small children in the room or you, yourself, are not comfortable with explicit language. Now let’s dive into the interview! In this episode NoNieqa and I discuss: Tips for getting inside your character’s mind. Why you should make the reader work to piece the story together. The art of writing a realistically flawed character. Using language to show a character’s true voice without losing your reader. The importance of knowing what you are not willing to surrender in your writing. Plus, NoNieqa’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/202

Hey there word nerds! OMG DIY MFA Radio is 200 episodes old! Whether you’ve been with me since the beginning of this journey or are just tuning in now, thank you for listening. Since this is our 200th episode, we’re doing things a little bit differently. Instead of being the interviewer, my producer Marielle Orff takes over the show and puts me in the hot seat. In case some of you don’t know her yet, Marielle is the content strategist at DIY MFA. As such she as her fingers in pretty much every piece of content that gets sent out by us. She edits the podcast and helps curate the lineup, manages the articles that go up on the website, and helps curate the newsletter and our social media. As such it seemed only natural to have her interview me for your 200th episode extravaganza! Listen in as Marielle and I geek out about podcasts, platform building, and give you an inside look at what’s coming up in DIY MFA. In this episode Marielle and I discuss: Getting from no to yes with publishers, agents, and podcasts. Pitching faux pas, and how to avoid them. Sustaining a huge project for the long haul. Putting yourself out there while still finding your voice. An inside look at the wish list of DIY MFA Radio! Plus, both of our #1 tips for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/200

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting debut novelist Kate Greathead on the show! Kate is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Her work has appeared in some pretty impressive places such as The New York Times and Vanity Fair, and she is a 9-time Moth Story Slam champion. Her debut novel Laura & Emma takes place on the Upper East Side in New York City where Kate spent her formative years, though she currently lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the writer Teddy Wayne (who has appeared on DIY MFA Radio previously). Listen in as we chat about this amazing book, and get an honest look at what being a working author really looks like. In this episode Kate and I discuss: The art of “stealing” your story’s structure. Showing the bizarre of a normal setting with micro details. Why you should craft a protagonist that makes readers cringe Knowing when to use the bulldozer in your revision process. Tips to deal with the pain of slashing out scenes. Plus, Kate’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/197

In today’s episode we talk about Writing. Knowledge without the college. How to improve your writing by thinking like a copywriter. The concept of innovation. In order to write – you need to read. TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS PODCAST EPISODE: DIY Cast it, fix it and test it Join other writer groups/forums to connect, discuss Where to start GABRIELA PEREIRA SAID: “I just don’t want to go through the pains of getting accredited in the USA” “You don’t need a Diploma in order to be a writer” “Make it part of your Branding” “Hire someone for the graphic design” “Have an Editor” “Story telling is a design” HEAR MORE ABOUT GABRIELA PEREIRA: In a past life, Gabriela worked in the toy industry, creating educational activities and games for toddlers, preschoolers, and tweens. She has taught several writing courses in New York City and gives keynotes on college campuses as well as training programs on creativity in the workplace. She is a writer, teacher, and self-proclaimed word nerd who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers to take an entrepreneurial approach to their education and professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in creative writing from The New School and teaches at national conferences, local workshops, and online. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors and offers short audio master classes. Her book DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community is out now from Writer’s Digest Books. To join the word nerd community, go to: DIYMFA.com/join. Her favorite thing to do is come up with dastardly plans for new writing courses, and create innovative resources to share with her word nerds. When she’s not building cool stuff, Gabriela loves to write middle grade and teen fiction, with some “nerdy fiction for grown-ups” thrown in for good measure. She is represented by Jeff Kleinman at Folio Literary Management and her book, DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community, was published in spring 2016 from Writer’s Digest Books. As always, Gabriela has several other top secret plans in the works and the best way to stay in the loop is to sign up for her. FAVOURITE QUOTE TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD “The whole world are stories” BOOKS YOU SHOULD READ Anthology of short form work/literature The Art of a Short Story by RS Gwynn CONNECT WITH GABRIELA PEREIRA Website Facebook Business Page LinkedIn Twitter CONNECT WITH SASHKA Click to join Sashka’s Facebook community: Branding & Marketing Magic Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter LinkedIn Want to be a guest on the podcast? Apply to be featured on the No Name Brand Podcast here. SUBSCRIBE ON ITUNES AND SOUNDCLOUD.

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Karen Dionne on the show. Karen was the first author I ever interviewed on DIY MFA Radio, and is now the first author that I've brought back for a second solo interview because she’s just that awesome. In this episode we discuss Karen’s novel The Marsh King’s Daughter, the very book she was working on way back in 2014 when I first interviewed her, and I have a feeling this book will be one of the summer’s biggest hits.     In this episode Karen and I discuss: How to write the book that’s in you by mining what you know, and why this can make a bizarre setting not only unique but memorable. How to write complex characters that will jump off the page for readers. How to write a relatable villain, and why showing that your bad guy isn’t all bad makes the story more engaging and keeps readers flipping pages. How to hit your reader with a major shift in chapter one. How switching gears in what you write can help you reach your writing goals. Plus, Karen’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/153

Have you been struggling to find time for writing in your busy life? Are you sitting on a good idea, but can’t focus to get it done? Today on Financial Fluency, I’m pleased to have Gabriela Pereira with me. Gabriela is the author of DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community and founder of DIY MFA, the do-it-yourself alternative to a Master's degree in writing. She created DIY MFA to help writers around the world get the "knowledge without the college." Gabriela’s mission is to empower creative individuals to take an entrepreneurial approach to writing. On the show, Gabriela mentions she’s had many prior lives, and jokingly considers herself to be part feline because of that. She worked as a psychology researcher for a while then went on to design toys before founding DIY MFA. Gabriela admits it was an accident; she didn’t found DIY MFA, it “found” her. On this episode, you’ll hear how that accident came to fruition and where she is today. Gabriela starts off by sharing where the idea for DIY MFA began. Gabriela admits she went to school to get her MFA for all the wrong reasons. She didn’t know how to get published, but she knew she was good at writing. It wasn’t until she was sitting in her commencement ceremony expecting to feel like a writer, and she didn’t feel it, that the DIY idea came to her. She talked to a lot of people, and she realized a fair amount of them could not go on to obtain their MFA as she did. Gabriela thought about how she could share what she learned in the MFA structure and how to help people construct their DIY MFA themselves. Gabriela did what everyone did with a blog in 2010—she wrote about it, and her question was simple:  "If there was a DIY MFA would you do it?”  Fast-forward to 2012, Gabriela is nine months pregnant and attending the Writer’s Digest Conference in New York City. At the conference, she finds herself talking to a guy who asked to hear her “pitch slam.” (It’s kind of like speed dating for writers - you pitch your book idea to an agent.) To Gabriela’s surprise, this man ended up being a Writer’s Digest agent. After hearing her pitch, he gave her his card and said to send him the book proposal. Gabriela notes before jumping the gun she contacted an old colleague, Jeff Kleinman. After talking to him, she ended up signing him as her agent. The first thing he told her was that her site and social numbers needed to improve, so Gabriela spent two and a half years building her platform. She grew her business, spoke at conferences, made connections, and got her name out there. At the end of December of 2014, she signed the book writing contract, and DIY MFA took off.  Gabriela believes people should write their book; it’s an accomplishment that gives the author three extra tools for their writing toolbox. Publishing a book is a credibility builder for your career. Writing your book gives you visibility as an author. The journey of writing the book makes you clarify your ideas.   Gabriela’s Writing Techniques Writing advice from Gabriela to help you power through writing a book. Pick one. Zero in and make a choice on what you want to do, what you want to write about, and figure out where your heart is. Stick with it until the end. Remember, if you say “no” to something, you’re saying yes to the thing you want. Revise. Take your revisions as far as you can. Start editing the important part of your book: voice, characters, plot. After you’ve reviewed those elements to make sense of your story, you can move to the scene-by-scene. Look at the dialogue and description. You don’t want to go through a manuscript line-by-line with a red pen if you’re going to end up deleting portions of the book. Keep writing. Avoid the “Shiny Object” syndrome, and focus on writing the one thing your heart tells you to do. Keep pushing through. Writing in the middle of the book is the most daunting task for a lot of writers. Keep thinking about the story and how to keep your readers along for the journey.   The great benefit of Gabriela’s advice is you can use this approach for any written project in your business.  To keep up with Gabriela and DIY MFA, visit the website here. Also, if you're a newbie to the writing industry, blogger, or established author, Gabriela has a writing podcast for you: DIYMFA.com/iTunes (iTunes), DIYMFA.com/StitcherRadio (Stitcher Radio), DIYMFA.com/GooglePlay (Google Play).  You can also follow her on social media: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram   Resources DIY MFA Starter Kit DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community   Bio Gabriela Pereira is a writer, speaker, and self-proclaimed word nerd who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. As the founder and instigator of DIYMFA.com, her mission is to empower writers to take an entrepreneurial approach to their professional growth. Gabriela earned her MFA in creative writing from The New School and teaches at national conferences, regional workshops, and online. She is also the host of DIY MFA Radio, a popular podcast where she interviews bestselling authors. Her book DIY MFA: WRITE WITH FOCUS, READ WITH PURPOSE, BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY is out now from Writer’s Digest Books.

  Hey there word nerds! Today’s DIY MFA Radio guest has a fantastic double life. Author Frédérique Molay began her career in politics and administration as chief of staff for a commission of the French National Assembly. She then worked for local government in Burgundy, ran in the European elections, and was elected in Saône-et-Loire. She also writes crime novels and won France's prestigious crime fiction award the Prix du Quai des Orfèvres for The 7th Woman, which went on to become an international bestseller. We had our conversation through a translator, a different format than you’re used to from DIY MFA Radio, but I hope you’ll stick with it. Molay has some brilliant insights about writing and I’m so excited to share our interview. In this episode we discuss: Publishing foreign titles in the United States with Le French Book Vulnerability and idealism in writing Work life - family life - writing life balance. Plus, their #1 tip for writers. About the Author Writing has always been a passion for Frédérique Molay, author of the award-winning international bestselling Paris Homicide series. She graduated from France’s prestigious grande école the Institut d'Études Politique and has a Master's degree in Business Administration. She began her career in politics and administration as chief of staff for a commission of the French National Assembly. She then worked for local government in Burgundy, ran in the European elections, and was elected in Saône-et-Loire.At the height of this brilliant political career, Molay was also writing crime novels and won France's prestigious crime fiction award the Prix du Quai des Orfèvres for The 7th Woman, which went on to become an international bestseller. She took a break from politics to write Crossing the Line and The City of Blood, two other titles in the Paris Homicide series.       In addition to being a knight in the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin—an order of wine lovers who promote Burgundy wines—Frédérique also taught French in middle school for a short time, sharing her passion for writing with young teens.The political virus never left her, however, and in June 2015, while writing Looking to the Woods, Frédérique returned to politics, as chief of staff for a newly elected senator. She now splits her time between Paris and Chalon-sur-Saône, between police procedurals and politics. Looking to the Woods When a ten-year-old girl's mutilated body is found in a public park in Paris, chief of police Nico Sirsky takes action. But his elite team of homicide detectives isn't on the case for even twenty-four hours before a second child is found murdered and left to rot inside a middle-school classroom. With the City of Light on edge awaiting another gruesome discovery, the clock starts ticking for Sirsky to catch the elusive killer who calls himself the gamemaster. As the pressure mounts, Sirsky is also confronted with a conundrum in his personal life: his girlfriend is inexplicably pulling away from him. But he must once again put his own problems aside when the investigation turns up nothing but taunts from the killer. It will take an entire team of police psychologists, forensic specialists, and criminal investigators to uncover the truth hidden in a web of murder more tangled than any of them could have imagined. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/130

  Hey there word nerds! Thanks for being here with me today. I’m so excited to share this interview with you. It’s a little bit different from what I usually do. Instead of being the one hosting the interview, in this episode I’m sharing an interview that I gave for my friend Joanna Penn on The Creative Penn Podcast. You might remember Joanna from episode 106 when she came on DIY MFA Radio and I got to interview her! She is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers under J.F.Penn and also writes nonfiction for authors. She’s also a professional speaker and award-winning entrepreneur. Her site, TheCreativePenn.com, is regularly voted one of the Top 10 sites for writers. She is a self-publishing superstar and I’m thrilled that she had me on her show. Embed Episode Here In this episode Joanna interviews me about: How I started DIY MFA, where I got that first glimmer of the idea, and how I built it into what you see today. The writer’s need for validation and why that “stamp of approval” needs to come from within. Honoring and understanding your process, and how there’s no right way to be a writer. The importance of author identity, and being the best version of yourself, but still be authentically you. I also share some of my signature DIY MFA techniques, like: The Angst Jar—what it is and why it’s my go-to tool for handling rejection, imposter syndrome, and any other curve ball my inner critic throws at me. The Revision Pyramid and how to use it so you can rock your post-NaNoWriMo revisions and make your manuscript sing. Visual outline techniques and why I’m so obsessed with design and graphics. Hint: It comes from my former life as a toy designer and psychology researcher. DIY MFA (the book!) Have you ever... Dreamed of writing a book but had no idea where to start? Started a writing project, but couldn’t stay motivated? Struggled to carve out time in your life for your writing? Searched for a writing community, but didn’t know where to look? Been overwhelmed by all the writing and publishing advice online? Order your very own copy direct from the publisher by clicking this affiliate link. As with any affiliate products we promote on this site, when you purchase via this link, DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you supporting DIY MFA! DIY MFA is the definitive guide for writers who can’t–or don’t want to–go back to school. Inspired by material I’ve created and compiled since the inception of this website, this is more than a writing guide in book form. Based on proven techniques and graduate-style curriculum, DIY MFA won’t just help you improve your writing skills, it will empower you to take control of your creative life. If DIY MFA were a school, this book would be the student handbook. It’s a one-stop-shop with all the fundamental elements from the website in one place. If you are new to DIY MFA, this book is the perfect springboard to get you going, and if you’ve taken one or more of our courses, this book will supplement and expand on what you learned. DIY MFA: Write with Focus, Read with Purpose, Build Your Community will help you get that graduate-level experience without going to school. Don’t put your life on hold for two or three years and accrue a huge amount of student debt. Instead, learn to recreate that MFA experience for yourself and seamlessly incorporate writing into your life. This book will show you how. I wrote this book for word nerds of all stripes, but particularly with these three particular writer groups in mind. Writers in the trenches: If you’re one of these writers, then you are in the thick of it, actively engaged in a writing project at this very moment. You work hard to improve your craft and are hungry to learn tools and skills you can apply to work-in-progress. This book will give you the techniques you crave. Serious newbies: Just because you’re new to writing doesn’t mean you’re not serious. If you’re one of these serious newbies, then you are motivated to learn all you can, so you can start your writing journey on the right foot. Learn how with this book. Career authors who need a boost: No matter how experienced a writer you are, sometimes you lose “that loving feeling” and it’s hard to get those words on the page. This book can help shake up some of those stale habits and get you pumped up about your writing again. Warning: If you are dabbler or dilettante looking for a “magic bullet” solution or a shortcut to success, this book is not for you. Seriously, it might spontaneously combust in your possession. (Just kidding. Sort of.) For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/127

Hey there word nerds! Thanks for joining me for DIY MFA Radio! I’m especially excited for this episode because today I get to interview agent Mitch Hoffman. I first met Mitch at ThrillerFest earlier this year, where I heard him speak on a panel and later got a chance to talk further at one of those conference mix-and-mingle shindigs. Right away, I knew Mitch was someone I wanted to bring on the show, not only because of his unique background both as a former editor at a major publisher and now as an agent, but also because of his measured, thoughtful approach toward publishing. Given how much has changed (and continues to change) in our industry, I wanted my word nerds to hear from someone who has been on both sides of the agent-editor realm, and also who’s been in the industry long enough to know where the book business has been, where it is now, and where it could be going. And from getting a chance to chat with him for a bit at ThrillerFest, I happen to know that he’s a pretty cool guy to talk to. Mitch joined the Aaron Priest Literary Agency as a Senior Agent in 2015. A 20-year veteran of the publishing industry, he was most recently Vice-President, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing.  As an editor, Mitch published over 200 books, more than 60 of which were New York Times bestsellers.  Prior to joining Grand Central Publishing in 2007, Mitch held editorial positions at Dutton and Dell Publishing, and began his career as an intern at Farrar, Straus and Giroux (or FSG).  So, basically, he’s worked at three of the “Big Apple Five” publishers.   Embed Episode Here In this episode Mitch and I discuss: The difference between an agent and an editor, and why he made the switch from the latter to the former. The acquisitions process from a publisher’s perspective, and what really happens after an editor gets a submission letter from an agent. All the different people in a publishing house who help determine whether to acquire a book or not. What an agent can do for an author trying to get published, and how agents can help authors beyond that single book deal. Plus, Mitch’s #1 tip for writers. About the Agent Mitch Hoffman joined the Aaron Priest Literary Agency as a Senior Agent in 2015. A 20-year veteran of the publishing industry, he was most recently Vice-President, Executive Editor at Grand Central Publishing.  As an editor, Mitch published over 200 books, more than 60 of which were New York Times best sellers.  Prior to joining Grand Central Publishing in 2007, Mitch held editorial positions at Dutton and Dell Publishing, and began his career as an intern at Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Mitch is actively building a list of authors writing across the spectrum of fiction and nonfiction, including thrillers, suspense, crime fiction, and literary fiction, as well as narrative nonfiction, politics, popular science, history, memoir, current events, and pop culture. If you think your book might be a good fit, visit the agency website, read the submission guidelines and send him a query. Make sure you mention in your query that you heard him speak on DIY MFA Radio. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/126

Hello hello word nerds! Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with author Diane Saxton. As a journalist, Diane has written for Vanity Fair, The Huffington Post, Holiday Magazine and Greenwich Review and she has covered everything from torture victims to physics, animal rights activists, exotic travel, and movie producers. She brings this same passion and gift for storytelling to her debut novel, PEREGRINE ISLAND, which we’ll be discussing today.   In this episode Diane and I discuss: Building a story from a theme and a few core characters. The contrast between the male and female characters in the story. How sometimes writers don’t realize they’re making artful choices until after they’ve made them. The long and winding path that brought her to finding the perfect home for her book with She Writes Press. How writers can use their craft to honor the lives of those no longer with us. Finding your writing rhythm, even if it’s totally different from what works for other writers. Plus, Diane’s #1 tip for writers. About the Author Diane Saxton was a journalist with Vanity Fair UK, Holiday Magazine, and Greenwich Review, and covered everything from torture victims to psychics, animal rights activists, exotic travel, and movie producers. A new chapter opened up for her after interviewing Amnesty International US founder Hannah Grunwald. Alarmed that the stories of incredible and influential lives such as Grunwald’s could be lost as the Greatest Generation passes, Saxton began capturing their histories and compiled them into a 1,000 page biographical collection, which became the inspiration for her next book. She brings the same gift for storytelling with illuminating subtext to her debut novel, Peregrine Island. Saxton divides her time between New York City and the Berkshires, where she lives with her husband, dogs and horses. Peregrine Island Have you ever wondered what the impetus was to start a certain painting? Why the artist chose to immortalize a particular subject? What if you suddenly discovered that the painting in question, your painting, was valuable? In Peregrine Island, the Peregrine family’s lives are turned upside-down one summer when so-called “art experts” appear on the doorstep of their Connecticut island home to appraise a favorite heirloom painting. When incriminating papers—and other paintings—are discovered behind the painting in question, the appraisal turns into a full-fledged investigation. Flattered at first by the art museum’s unanticipated interest, the family members quickly change their attitudes with the arrival of detectives on their terrace and the illusory but repeated appearance of a stranger reported to be concealed in a cove. The now-antagonistic family—grandmother, mother, and child—consequently begin to suspect one another, as well as the shady newcomers in their midst. As the summer progresses and the investigation reveals facts about the Peregrines’ past that even they didn’t know, they learn that people are not always who they appear to be—themselves not excluded—and art is often a reflection of their own lives. More important, in uncovering the secret of the painting they come to realize that the love each unconsciously sought has been right in front of them all along. Though Peregrine Island is driven by a mystery, it is as much characterized by its ever-present sense of spiritualism, accentuated by the symbolism of the Sound, the soul of relationships, and the wisdom of the very young and the very old. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/119

Hello hello, word nerds! Welcome to our latest episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m speaking with Chad Dundas, the debut author of the historical sports novel: THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD. When publishing their debuts, writers have to contend with many different hurdles. They need to grab the attention of agents and editors. They need to hook readers from the very first page. And they must do all of this at a time when they don’t yet have a track record of success and a huge fanbase to rely on. Some authors might be tempted to play it safe, but not Chad Dundas. He chooses a topic--professional wrestling--that not many people are interested in. He sets his book in a world that most people don’t know much about: the traveling carnivals of the 1920s. And he opens his book with a chapter where at the end it’s unclear whether the point-of-view character is even still alive. As writers, I think it’s so important for us to hear not just from major bestselling authors with dozens (if not hundreds) of books under their belts. I also want you to hear from authors who are just a few steps ahead of where you are. I want you to know that you can take risks in your debut novel, and I want to introduce you to writers who are doing just that. In this episode Chad and I discuss: Starting your novel when something happens Researching to get the historical elements just right The craft of writing on a chapter level Reality versus fiction in your writing and your life Plus, Chad’s #1 tip for writers. More about Chad: Chad Dundas earned his MFA from the University of Montana, and his short fiction has appeared in the Beloit Fiction Journal, Sycamore Review, Sou’Wester, and Thuglit. Since 2001, he’s worked as a sportswriter for national outlets including ESPN, NBC Sports, Sporting News, Bleacher Report, and the Associated Press, as well as local and regional newspapers. A fourth-generation Montanan, he lives with his wife and children in Missoula. To learn more about Chad check out his website, or follow him on Twitter. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/115

Hey there, Word Nerds. Welcome to this week’s episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to Steven Rowley, the author of the novel LILY AND THE OCTOPUS about an important topic in writing: the author's voice. There are so many different voices that authors have to sift through when writing, from authorial voice to character voice to the critical voices that try to hold you back. Steven and I talk about how to differentiate between the voices, how to find what is useful for you, and how to shed what is weighing you down. In this episode Steven and I discuss: Working through hard emotions via writing. Articulating the distinct voices of different characters in a story. “Finding” your authorial voice. Protecting yourself from the voices in your own head. What to read when you need to replenish the well. Plus, Steven’s #1 tip for writers. About the Author: Steven Rowley has worked as a freelance writer, alternative weekly newspaper columnist, and screenwriter. Originally from Portland, Maine, he is a graduate of Emerson College and currently lives in Los Angeles. For more information about Steven and his ongoing projects, check out his website, or follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.   For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/114

Hey there Word Nerds! Thanks for joining me for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. You’re gonna love today’s guest. Today I’m speaking with one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction: Dean Wesley Smith. A USA Today bestselling author, Dean has published far over a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds upon hundreds of short stories across many genres. In total, he has over seventeen million copies of his books in print.His monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly, consisting of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and has not missed an issue yet. With over 60,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month, this magazine goes to show that consistency is king when it comes to modern publishing, especially indie publishing. In this episode Dean and I discuss: How to get out of your own way and get writing. Killing the sacred cows of publishing Giving your creative voice permission to play and putting the critical voice away. Running a small publishing company. Training yourself to shift gears from creative work to business work. Plus, Dean’s #1 tip for writers. More about Dean: Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer, Dean Wesley Smith published far over a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds and hundreds of short stories across many genres. He has over seventeen million of his books in print.At the moment he produces novels in four major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the old west, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, and the superhero series starring Poker Boy. His monthly magazine called Smith’s Monthly, consisting of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and has not missed an issue yet, with over 60,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, they wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown. Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as executive editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series. To learn more about Dean’s books and ongoing projects, check out his website. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/113

Hey there Word Nerds! Welcome back for another episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Jerry Jenkins, author of 189 books with sales of more than 70 million copies. He’s had 21 New York Times bestsellers, including the Left Behind series and he now shares his writing knowledge on his blog. Earlier this year, he launched his brand new Jerry Jenkins Writers Guild, a writing program that helps serious writers finish their book and get traditionally published. The Guild is already over 1500 members strong, and it is opening its doors to new members on September 19 for the final time this year. In this episode Jerry and I discuss: What inspired him to start writing Learning the business of publishing before you dive in Myths that come up about the process of writing and publishing The importance of editing for good writing and learning from the critique that others receive Plus, Jerry’s #1 tip for writers. About the Author Jerry Jenkins is the author of several novels, including both series and stand-alone. While most people know him as the author of the Left Behind series, Left Behind was actually his 125th book. His insatiable pursuit of great stories has also motivated him to write biographies of icons such as Hank Aaron, Orel Hershiser, Walter Payton, Meadowlark Lemon, Nolan Ryan, Mike Singletary, B.J. Thomas, and many other men and women. For the full list of his published books, click here. To learn more about Jerry or to check out some of his resources for writers, visit his website, or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. His writer's guild--which we discussed on the show--will be opening for registration soon. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/112  

Hey there Word Nerds! Thanks for joining me for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking with debut author Erin Petti. Her debut novel, The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee, us out now and it just might be one of my new favorites. Right away when I chatted with Erin, I felt like I had found a long-lost bestie. She lives in Massachusetts and loves to read about the same things I do: magic, dinosaurs, folklore, and ghosts. With a Masters in Education and a background in improv comedy, it’s no wonder that her fiction debut is part magic, part science, and totally hilarious. If you are a fan of Middle Grade fiction or have young people in your life who love to read, I highly recommend this book. In this episode Erin and I discuss: Writing characters’ “coming of age” moments The importance of setting to the narrative Incorporating real-life details into your fictional settings Plotting your middle grade series Diversity in books for young people Plus, Erin’s #1 tip for writers. About the Book: The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee is a fantastical adventure-mystery, where science and magic intertwine. Eleven-year-old Thelma Bee is never bored; in fact, she has curiosity and adventure in her blood. She spends her time running science experiments, practicing Spanish, and daydreaming about exotic landscapes. But Thelma gets more than she bargained for when a strange woman sells a jewelry box at her father's antique shop. That night, a ghost kidnaps her father, and the only clue is the jewelry box and a word a ghost whispered in her ear: "Return". Now it's up to Thelma to get her dad back, and it might be harder than she thought because here's someone wielding dark magic, and Thelma is pretty sure they're coming after her next. About the Author: Erin Petti lives by the ocean in Massachusetts and loves to read about magic, dinosaurs, folklore, and ghosts. She has a Masters in Education and a background in improvisational comedy. Erin lives with her husband, excellent toddler, and cat (who she suspects likes her better than she's letting on).  You can follow Erin on Twitter, or check out her website erinpetti.com for more information about her and her writing. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/111    

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you’ve joined me for another episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Delia Ephron, bestselling author and screenwriter. She’s the writer behind the novel and movie Hanging Up, as well as the screenwriter for movies like You’ve Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and Michael. She’s also a journalist and playwright, with her articles appearing in major markets like The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Vanity Fair, and her hit play Love, Loss, and What I Wore (co-written with Nora Ephron) running for more than two years off-Broadway and performed all over the world. Her newest novel, Siracusa, is a haunting drama about two failing marriages and how the lives of these two couples (and one pre-teen girl) unravel on a trip to Italy. In this episode Delia and I discuss: Keeping track of details when writing multiple points of view Getting into the heads of your characters and bringing that to the page. Knowing what details to share and what to withhold. Writing people who are real and complicated. Adapting stories versus creating new material. Plus, Delia’s #1 tip for writers. About SIRACUSA Bestselling author Delia Ephron wields her keen understanding of the human psyche to mine the ruins of relationships in SIRACUSA, a thrilling emotional opus set in Italy and performed by a pitch-perfect choir of four voices. New Yorkers Michael, a famous writer, and Lizzie, a journalist whose professional life is crumbling, travel in Italy with their friends from Maine – Finn, his wife Taylor and their daughter, Snow. “From the beginning,” says Taylor, “it was a conspiracy between Lizzie and Finn to be together.” Written Rashomon-style in alternating points of view, we see friendships and relationships bend and break as secrets are exposed and the couples careen toward Siracusa and disaster. “Couples collaborate,” says Lizzie, “hiding even from each other who is calling the shots and who is along from the ride.” Snow--Taylor’s lookalike daughter--drawn into the adult drama, moves to the center of the story and is the catalyst for conflict between the women (Taylor a mother, Lizzie not) as well as a pawn between Finn and Michael. She is the mystery at the heart of SIRACUSA. Is she shy or she is cunning? Do we want to protect her or should we fear her? Ephron’s masterful writing renders each adult character in stark detail--their inner monologue revealing darker truths about disappointments, envy and ambition. In a story that unfolds with the pacing of a psychological thriller, Ephron also delivers a powerful meditation on marriage, friendship, and the meaning of travel. As the vise tightens, Lizzie ponders: Is loyalty a more honorable pledge than love? Pinging between multiple points of view and painting a detailed landscape of both the human heart and the Ionian seaside, SIRACUSA is an electrifying novel about marriage and deceit. As it spins to its shocking and unexpected end, Ephron effortlessly shape-shifts between personalities, offering insight from every character, infusing each chapter with equal parts wit and mystery, and leaving it up to the reader to untangle the truth from a wide net of lies.   Delia Ephron is a bestselling author and screenwriter. She has written novels, including The Lion Is In and Hanging Up; humor books for all ages, including How to Eat Like a Child and Do I Have to Say Hello?; and nonfiction, most recently Sister Mother Husband Dog (etc.). Her films include You’ve Got Mail, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Hanging Up (based on her novel), and Michael. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times, O: The Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and Vanity Fair. Her hit play Love, Loss, and What I Wore (co-written with her sister, Nora Ephron) ran for more than two years off-Broadway and has been performed all over the world. She lives in New York City. To learn more, follow her on Facebook and Twitter, or visit her website. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/110

Hey there Word Nerds! Thanks for joining me for today's awesome DIY MFA Radio interview with author Ryan North. When one of my contacts over at Penguin told me Romeo and/or Juliet and asked if I wanted to bring the author on the show, my immediate reaction: “Shakespeare meets choose-your-own adventure? Yes please!” The fact that the play being parodied was Romeo and Juliet clinched it for me. Why? Because Romeo and Juliet is perhaps Shakespeare’s most overrated (and ridiculous) play. On one hand, this play features one of Shakespeare’s most complex, interesting and all-around badass characters (i.e. Mercutio). On the other hand, this play also centers around the star-crossed lovers--Romeo and Juliet--who might just be the two most banal, boring characters in all of literature. (In case you haven't noticed, have very strong opinions about Shakespeare.) I simply HAD to see how Ryan was going to apply his choose-your-own-path model to this particular play. Let's just say, the result did not disappoint. In fact, it was even more awesome than I anticipated. If you aren’t familiar with Ryan North’s work, he is a NYT bestselling author and cartoonist, and his first choose-your-own-path Shakespeare book, To Be or Not To Be, became Kickstarter’s most-funded publishing project when it first launched. Now with Romeo and/or Juliet he has crafted a story with over 40 quadrillion possible journeys for a reader to take. It’s sort of like a book-meets-video-game with over one hundred possible endings and original illustrations from amazing artists.   Embed Episode Here In this episode Ryan and I discuss: The power of memorizing poetry Choose-your-own-adventure and the art of storytelling Shakespeare's big mistake Keeping track of everything when your story has many moving parts Making sure that your characters have choices that feel real and have an impact while coping with the reality of the world they live in. Engaging readers in with the text Plus, Ryan’s #1 tip for writers. Romeo And/Or Juliet In this choose-your-own-path version of Romeo and Juliet, you choose where the story goes every time you read! Romeo and/or Juliet has over 40 QUADRILLION possible journeys for a reader to take. Readers can choose to play as Romeo or Juliet, as Romeo and Juliet together, as Juliet’s nurse, or even as an unlockable fourth mystery character. All of the endings—there are more than a hundred—feature original illustrations from incredible artists. Written with the unique humor that fans of Dinosaur Comics and the Adventure Time comics know and love, Romeo and/or Juliet turns the Bard's beloved play into fodder for madcap comedy. Shakespeare has never been this entertaining, or this weird. We can’t think of a better way to… “celebrate” the 400th anniversary (2016) of Shakespeare’s death. To learn more about Ryan, visit his website or follow him on Twitter. If you want to get your very own copy of Romeo and/or Juliet (and you totally should because it's hilarious!) we hope you'll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting DIY MFA! For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/104    

Hey there Word Nerds! I'm so glad you've stopped by today because I've got a great DIY MFA Radio interview for you. In this episode, I interview thriller author Steve Hamilton about his new book: The Second Life of Nick Mason. This book is a fascinating study on what happens when a fundamentally decent character makes some very bad choices. In this episode Steve and I discuss: Significant experiences for writers that inform your fiction Building stories around situations versus characters Projecting characters' arcs through a series Plus, Steve’s #1 tip for writers. About the Author Steve Hamilton is the two-time Edgar Award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Alex McKnight series and two standalone novels. His debut, novel  A Cold Day in Paradise, won both an Edgar and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel, and his standalone novel The Lock Artist won an Edgar for Best Novel of the Year, a CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller, and an Alex Award, given out by the American Library Association to those books that successfully cross over to the Young Adult market. He has either won or been nominated for every other major crime fiction award in America and the UK, and his books are now translated into twenty languages. His new book The Second Life of Nick Mason is the first in a new series and it's out now.  To learn more about Steve Hamilton, visit his website or follow him on Twitter or Facebook. About the Book A career criminal from Chicago’s South Side, Nick Mason got his start stealing cars and quickly graduated to safe cracking and armed robbery. But he left that life behind when he got married and settled down with his wife and their young daughter–until an old friend offered him a job he couldn’t refuse. That fateful night at the harbor landed him in prison with a 25-to-life sentence and little hope of seeing his wife or daughter ever again. When Nick is offered a deal securing his release twenty years early, he takes it without hesitation and without fully realizing the consequences. Once outside, Nick steps into a glamorous life with a five-million-dollar condo, a new car, ten grand in cash every month, and a beautiful roommate. But while he’s returned to society, he’s still a prisoner bound to the promise he made behind bars: whenever his cell phone rings, day or night, nick must answer it and follow whatever order he is given. It’s the deal he made with Darius Cole, a criminal mastermind serving a double-life term who still runs an empire from his prison cell. Whatever Darius Cole needs him to be–a problem solver, bodyguard, thief, or assassin– Nick Mason must be that man. Forced to commit increasingly more dangerous crimes and relentlessly hunted by the detective who brought him to justice in the past, Nick finds himself in a secret war between Cole and an elite force of Chicago’s dirty cops. Desperate to go straight and rebuild his life with his daughter and ex-wire, Nick will ultimately have to risk everything–his family, his sanity, and even his life–to finally break free. Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules for Good Writing Check out the original article from Elmore Leonard in the New York Times. The last rule (after #10) is what inspired Steve Hamilton's writing tip. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/101

Hello hello Word Nerds! Welcome back to DIY MFA Radio. OMG, you guys! It’s episode 100! I can’t even believe how excited I am that we’ve come this far. Today’s show is special because not only is it episode 100 and the first solo show I’ve done in quite a while, today I’m going to introduce a concept to you. I’ve been kicking this around for a long time, and I think it’s a direction that I’m going to be taking DIY MFA, so you get a sneak peek as to where DIY MFA is going. As you’ve probably already noticed, if you follow the website or the show, a few months ago I released the Storytelling Superpower quiz, a personality quiz like you see on Buzzfeed that will tell you your storytelling personality. Head on over and take the quiz if you haven’t already. When you finish the quiz, you’ll be prompted to sign up a video series. This video series is a mini master class that I put together to celebrate the launch of the DIY MFA book! In this episode I’m going to give you an overview of where the Storytelling Superpower concept came from, what it is, and where it might be going in the next few months. Embed Episode Here The Birth of an Idea I had this idea over the winter holidays. I started sketching out some ideas in my brainstorming notebook. I like to break things into categories, to put order to very complex concepts. For a while I had been asking myself how you really know what you’re good at as a writer. This is a fundamental piece to DIY MFA. I don’t believe in copying and pasting someone else’s success plan onto your own life. You never know if that thing that worked for someone else will work for you. This is where that iteration concept comes from. It’s so important that you figure out what you’re already good at as a writer, how you behave under natural circumstances and then you improve on the things that are working well instead of overhauling your whole process all the time. I started wondering how can a writer figure out what they’re good at? Wouldn’t it be great if we had a writer’s personality test that would help you figure out who you are when you’re on the page? I’m also a huge fan of personality tests. I have a masters in psychology from Cornell, and one of the things I loved studying was personality. I started thinking about what this assessment would look like. The Myers-Briggs test, you know the E/I N/S F/T J/P one, is basically a bunch of binary spectrums. People answer yes or no questions based on those four binary spectrums that then determine whether you’re introverted or extroverted, whether you’re a thinker or a feeler. Once you figure out where you fall on those spectrums, you get your personality composite, lumping together the parameters and synthesizing who you are based on your scores on the test. The Heart and Soul of Your Story I wanted to adapt that concept for writers, to take the framework and adapt it to the way writing works. What I came up with were the different types of factors that now make up the Storytelling Superpower quiz. I decided to focus on the character component because characters are the heart and soul of your story. You can have no plot whatsoever, you can have the most mundane world for your story, you can have really messy dialogue or description, you have something. If you don’t have solid characters, even if everything else is perfect, you’re not going to be able to get that book past square one. So that’s where we start. How do we determine what the character piece of the puzzle would be? I’ve mentioned the everyman versus larger-than-life heroic character. In a previous episode, I talked about the Opposite-is-Possible Theory, the idea that you need to show that the everyman character can do something grand, and that the heroic character can be vulnerable. But I started thinking that there had to be more than just those two elements to character. The other thing that drives character is what they want. That can be kind of hard to boil down to a binary thing. The character could want to go out on an adventure and see the world, or to find the love of their life, or to not be beat up by the bully at school. So I started looking at books that I loved to see if I could discover anything in common with the characters and their wants. At first it looked like they were all over the place. And then it hit me, people (and characters) want one of two things in their life. They either want to change something or they want to preserve something. This might seem really basic, but if you think about it, every single motivation that is at the crux of a book boils down to either change or preserve. In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy wants to go home, to go back to the way things were. In the Hunger Games, Katniss wants to get her family out of the horrible situation they are in and she wants to survive the games. At the beginning of the series, Katniss wants to preserve her own life, but by the end she wants systemic change. I talk in the video series about how the character’s want changes and how you can use that to modulate a character from one archetype to another. Even if you find that one archetype speaks to you more than the others, you can shift things around and adapt characters by shifting their wants. Four Character Archetypes You can have a regular joe character who just wants to change or preserve something, or you can have a larger-than-life character who wants to change or preserve something. That gave us four archetypes. So why are these archetypes important? The key isn’t to box characters in. You don’t have to shove your character into a particular category and then stick to that category come hell or high water. Instead, you can use these frameworks to understand what your characters are about at their most basic level. Then you can break the rules, shake things up. But if you don’t know what the rules are in the first place you can’t break them. Underdog The underdog is an ordinary Joe or Jane who wants to change something. This character doesn’t have a whole lot of amazing superpowers or skills or assets, but they want to move up, to change their life and the status-quo. You can play this dynamic out in any number of circumstances, like the classic “rags-to-riches” makeover story or a comeback story where a powerful character has a major setback and has to pick themselves back up. So even though the underdog character happens to be an everyman who wants to change, you can make that story play out in a lot of different ways depending on the situation you put that character in. Disruptor The disruptor is my favorite. It’s a larger-than-life character who wants to change something, whether that’s something small in their life or something large in the world around them. Usually the disruptor is the revolutionary, the character that wants to change the world. What I find interesting is that, when I look at the data for of all the archetypes in the quiz, the disruptor is the smallest slice of the pie. Why that is, I think, is because disruptors are very hard to like. So if you’re writing a disruptor character, help the reader find something in that character that they can relate to. Survivor The survivor is the same everyman character as the underdog, except that instead of wanting to change something, they want things to stay the same. The classic survivor stories are battles against nature, where some big disaster happens and the character has to struggle to survive. What makes this archetype so relatable is the everyman-ness of the survivor character. If the survivor can get through this, then so can we. Survivors are characters that have hope woven into them. No matter how bad things get, survivors believe that they can get back to when things were good. They don’t just give up, and that makes them compelling. Protector The protector is your typical superhero, larger-than-life, using their superpowers to protect the world, to protect others. What’s so great about these characters is that they’re noble and heroic, out there saving the world. They don’t have to be superheroes, either. It could be a doctor or a lawyer, someone who wants to save those that can’t save themselves. The thing you have to watch out for is that, because they are protective, they can sometimes overstep their bounds. Like the disruptor, the protector is larger-than-life, so the key is to show some vulnerability. With the protector it’s a little easier to do, though, because their goal is to protect those around them. Putting it all together The storytelling superpower goes way beyond just the character piece of the puzzle. When I had originally sketched out this idea, I had 32 or 64 possible archetypes because of how many different factors you can consider in connection with the character element, like the type of story structure, or the way the character’s want plays out throughout the story. In the future this could go into a lot of different directions! At some point I’d like to create a full assessment to see how writers perceive themselves based on these factors versus how their stories play out when you feed stories into a computer. Later this summer I interview a professor who is doing exactly that, so listen out for that! I could get really geeky with the stats and we could get all down in the weeds about this project. But then I remind myself of what the purpose is behind the Storytelling Superpower project. It’s about helping writers find their focus. The Storytelling Superpower is a tool to help you figure out what you are uniquely good at, what characters speak to you, and how you can implement these characters on the page and adjust them so that you can make your story even better. It can also help you choose which projects to work on, and which to put aside for now. The only way to improve as a writer is to dig into your own process and understand the way you operate as a writer. Then improve on that. So go, take the quiz. Then sign up for the video series. Or if you’ve already taken the quiz, you can sign up for the video series here. The course will be available until the big book launch event in NYC this August. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/100  

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so excited to share this week’s DIY MFA Radio episode with you. But first, some news. OMG word nerds, our next episode will be number 100 and I have something really exciting planned so make sure to watch your iTunes for that release. That episode will kick-off our weeklong Storytelling Superpower video series designed to help you figure out what stories and what characters you’re BEST at writing. To access the video series and download our cheat sheet describing all the Storytelling Superpower archetypes, sign up with your email at DIYMFA.com/STSPvideo. and get all those materials. You an also take Storytelling Superpower QUIZ to discover your unique superpower as a writer. Now onto today's episode. Today I'm delighted to interview Susan Breen. In addition to being the author of the new Maggie Dove mystery series, Susan is also a wonderful writing teacher and one of my very first mentors. Many listeners have heard me tell the story about how I took a horrendous writing workshop in college. By the end of that semester I was so shaken to my core that I did touch pen to page for seven (yes, seven!) years. Susan was the wonderful teacher who coaxed me back in to writing, and she's very likely the one responsible for my wanting to be a writing teacher myself. In this episode, Susan and I talk about one of my favorite writing topics (and likely a favorite of hers too, I suspect): Characters. Embed Episode Here In this episode Susan and I discuss: Where characters come from. Navigating stereotypes while writing characters. Character flaws as character development Making sure your characters think and using description to convey emotion Naming characters Plus, Susan’s #1 tip for writers. About Susan Breen: Susan Breen is the author of a new mystery series about Maggie Dove, a Sunday School teacher turned detective. The first book of this series–titled Maggie Dove–came out yesterday and the second will be out on October 4, 2016 Susan also teaches creative writing at Gotham Writers in Manhattan, where I took my very first writing class post-college. Her first book, The Fiction Class, was published by Penguin in 2008 and it’s a fabulous read. She’s also published stories and articles in places like Best American Non-Required Reading, ComposeJournal.com, and Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. Mother of three children who are now grown up and flourishing, Susan lives with her husband, two dogs and one cat in the Hudson Valley. To learn more about Susan, you can visit her website, or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/099  

  Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you joined me for this episode of DIY MFA Radio because it's going to be a juicy one. Today I’m speaking with L.S. Hilton, author of Maestra. She grew up in England and has lived in Key West, New York City, Paris, and Milan, and after graduating from Oxford, she studied art history in Paris and Florence. She has worked as a journalist, art critic, and broadcaster and is presently based in London. In this episode L.S. Hilton and I discuss: Writing a flawed, yet sympathetic anti-hero. Weaving intense elements like violence and sex into the narrative without making it gratuitous. The role of art as an influence in narrative. The difference between the British and the American editorial processes. Plus, L.S. Hilton’s #1 tip for writers. Resources: ABOUT Maestra Judith has come a long way from her mother’s grimy flat in Liverpool. She has taught herself French and Italian, consumed literature, and traveled through Europe learning to squash her accent and blend in with the cultured set. When she lands a job at British Pictures, one of the best auction houses in London, she believes her hard work and hard won knowledge has finally paid off, but quickly realizes the job is mostly fetching coffee for her odious boss Rupert. A chance encounter with a girl from her past leads to a gig moonlighting at a champagne bar as a well-compensated companion for lonely drinkers, because her best Sandro suit has been worn to bits and honestly, she could use some attention. When Judith believes Rupert has mistakenly purchased a forgery she sees her chance to distinguish herself in the department and save the House from a major faux pas. Yet, when Rupert discovers her closely examining the painting he instantly fires her. With nowhere else to turn and her perfect future in ruins she turns to an old friend from her youth: Rage. Feeling reckless, Judith accompanies one of the champagne bar’s biggest clients to the French Riviera, but something goes terribly wrong and she decides to shed her identity completely. Tired of striving and the slow crawl to the top, Judith realizes: If you need to turn yourself into someone else, loneliness is a good place to start. And she’s been lonely a long time. It’s time for a new woman, with much better clothes, to take whatever she wants, however she can get it. A glamorous, ferocious thriller, Maestra (G.P. Putnam’s Sons; On Sale April 19, 2016) is the beginning of a razor-sharp trilogy that introduces this darkly irresistible femme fatale whose vulnerability and ruthlessness will keep you guessing until the last page If you want to know more about L.S. Hilton, you can visit her website or follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.  For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/096

Hello, hello word nerds! I’m so excited to share today’s DIY MFA Radio episode with you! I’m speaking with Anders Ericsson and his co-author Robert Pool about their new book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (affiliate link). Anders Ericsson is a Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, where he studies how people become experts in various fields like music, chess, nursing, law enforcement and sports. More important, he looks at how expert performers achieve excellence by acquiring specific, complex cognitive mechanisms–ways of training their brain–through extended, deliberate practice. Today we’re going to talk about how writers can use similar techniques to improve their craft and take our writing from average to awesome. Robert Pool is a nonfiction writer specializing in science and technology and has worked as staff for both Science and Nature. He is the author of three previous books before co-authoring this one with Anders Ericsson. In this episode Anders, Robert, and I discuss: The biggest myths about talent. How to beef up your brain. The ceiling of achievement. The components of deliberate practice. Plus, Anders’ and Robert’s  #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/089

Hey there word nerds, I’m so glad you’re here! We’re doing something different for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. This week I'm speaking with Steve Berry and Raymond Khoury about the art of collaboration. As you may remember, Steve Berry has appeared on this show before, and this time I'm thrilled to welcome him back with a twist. Today I’m talking both with him and with fellow thriller author Raymond Khoury, about their recent ebook collaboration: Shadow Tag. In case you've been off the grid and don't know who these two awesome authors are... Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of several history-driven thrillers and his latest book The 14th Colony which will be out on April 5. Raymond Khoury is a former screenwriter and now the author of five consecutive New York Times and #1 international bestsellers. His latest book The End Game will be out on March 10. Their collaborative eBook is a phenomenal example of how two authors can work together to increase both their platforms and reach new readers. In this episode Steve, Raymond, and I discuss: The myth of “original” material The logistics of collaboration Cross-pollinating reader bases as a marketing strategy How to find a collaboration partner Plus, Steve’s and Raymond’s #1 tip for writers. Resources: Shadow Tag is out now, and you can pre-order Raymond Khoury's The End Game and Steve Berry's The 14th Colony. If you decide to purchase, we hope you'll consider doing so via these amazon affiliate links, where DIY MFA gets a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting this podcast! Steve Berry: History lies at the heart of every Steve Berry novel. It’s his passion, one he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, which led them to create History Matters, a foundation dedicated to historic preservation. Since 2009 Steve and Elizabeth have crossed the country to save endangered historic treasures, raising money via lectures, receptions, galas, luncheons, dinners and their popular writers workshops. To date, over 2,500 students have attended those workshops. In 2012 and 2013 Steve’s devotion to historic preservation was recognized by the American Library Association, which named Steve it’s spokesperson for National Preservation Week. Among his other honors is the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award; the 2013 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award given by Poets & Writers; the 2013 Anne Frank Human Writes Award; and the Silver Bullet, bestowed in 2013 by International Thriller Writers for his philanthropic work. A 2010 NPR survey named The Templar Legacy one of the top 100 thrillers ever written. Steve was born and raised in Georgia, graduating from the Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University. He was a trial lawyer for 30 years and held elective office for 14 of those years. He is a founding member of International Thriller Writers—a group of more than 2,600 thriller writers from around the world—and served three years as its co-president. To learn more about Steve, you can visit www.steveberry.org, or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Youtube. His new book The 14th Colony will be out on April 5. Raymond Khoury: Raymond came to writing thrillers from a career in screenwriting, which includes the BAFTA award winning BBC series SPOOKS (aka MI:5 in the US). THE LAST TEMPLAR began its journey to print as an original screenplay written in 1996. At the time, a book agent suggested turning it into a novel, and a major NY publisher, the first to read it, offered Raymond a $500,000 advance for the as-yet-unwritten novel, with one condition: "Lose the religion. It's boring. Change the Templars' secret to gold, diamonds, something people get excited about." After much tortured consideration, Raymond turned the offer down, his first potential paycheck from writing. Almost exactly ten years later, his novel, based on that screenplay--religion included--became a global bestseller, hitting #1 in multiple countries and getting adapted into an NBC miniseries. Raymond's thrillers are based on big themes that interest him such as international politics and conspiracies, fact vs faith, why we age and die, what do we really know about reincarnation, about mind control. He explores these themes in depth, with heavy emphasis on research, and often combines a historical angle to his stories. As such, some of his novels feature dual timelines: the bulk of the stories are set in the present day, interspersed with chapters that take place in the distant past. As Booklist puts it, "Khoury's thrillers engage the reader's mind, even as they move at a breakneck pace. Readers who like their thrillers to have a solid intellectual component will enjoy Khoury's books very much." Raymond's 7th novel, THE END GAME, is released on March 10, 2016. To learn more about Raymond visit his website, or follow him on Facebook. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/084  

On Win's Women of Wisdom today, Best-Selling Author, Win Kelly Charles welcomes Gabriela Pereira. Gabriela is the Instigator of DIY MFA, the do-it-your-self alternative to a Masters degree of writing. She earned an MFA from The New School and has helped hundreds of writers get the MFA experience without going to school. She teaches writing via conferences, workshops, and online courses. She also hosts the podcast DIY MFA Radio. When she’s not teaching or developing new courses, Gabriela enjoys writing middle grade and teen fiction, with a few “short stories for grown-ups” thrown in for good measure. Her book about DIY MFA will be out in July 2016 from Writer’s Digest Books. To lean more about Gabriela visit http://diymfa.com/. To learn more about your host visit https://wincharles.wix.com/win-charles. To learn more about the show visit http://winswomenofwisdom.weebly.com. To be on the show please fill out the intake at http://bit.ly/1MLJSLG. Be sure to FOLLOW this program https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/wins-women-of-wisdom/id1060801905

  Hi there Word Nerds! Thanks for joining me for today’s episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to Meredith Maran about her latest book: Why We Write About Ourselves. Following up on her previous collection: Why We Write, Meredith's most recent book is a collection of essays from memoirists, talking about why they write memoir in the first place. The lineup of authors featured in this book is a veritable who’s who of the memoir world, and the insights they share are no less awesome. Today I’m delighted to speak with Meredith and hear her take about writers love to write (and read) memoirs. In this episode Meredith and I discuss: Writing memoir and embellishing the truth How our perspective changes over the course of our lives, but our writing stays constant Pros and cons of being truly authentic in your writing The writer’s responsibility to protect the innocent (or the guilty) in their writing Plus, Meredith #1 tip for writers. About Meredith Maran: Meredith Maran is  a passionate reader and writer of memoirs, and the author of thirteen nonfiction books and the acclaimed 2012 novel, A Theory Of Small Earthquakes. Meredith writes book reviews, essays, and features for newspapers and magazines including People, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Tribune, Salon.com, and More. A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Meredith lives in a restored historic bungalow in Los Angeles. Her next memoir, about starting over in Los Angeles, will be out from Blue Rider Press in 2017. To learn more about Meredith and her work, follow her on Facebook and Twitter or visit her website. Why We Write About Ourselves: Twenty Memoirists on Why They Expose Themselves (and Others) in the Name of Literature is the follow-up to editor Meredith Maran’s last collection, Why We Write, this new book tackles one of the most popular literary genres: memoir. Meredith's new book features some of its most-read authors, including Cheryl Strayed, Anne Lamott, Nick Flynn, Sue Monk Kidd, and James McBride. Contributors candidly disclose the origins of their memoirs: a traumatic experience, like Darin Strauss or Ishmael Beah; family relationships, like Sue Monk Kidd, Edwidge Danticat, or Pat Conroy; or simply a knack for personal storytelling, like Sandra Tsing Loh or Anne Lamott. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/081

  Hey there, Word Nerds! So excited to have you here for a new episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m interviewing the New York Times bestselling thriller author, Brad Taylor. We'll be talking about the fiction vs. reality. As writers, we've all been told to "write what you know" but as with everything, there are pros and cons to incorporating our real-life experiences into our stories and novels. Brad Taylor's novels are a great example of finding that balance between fact and fiction. A former member of the Special Forces and now a security consultant, Brad uses his knowledge both of the military world and obscure international news, to craft thrillers that seem almost to anticipate real-world events. In this episode, he shares insights about his process: how he gets inside the skin of his characters and brings readers into the world of stories, making that world feel totally real.   In this episode Brad and I discuss: Writing what you know and balancing fiction and reality. How to get into the shoes of your character. Deciding which details and information to unpack for the reader. Plotting versus pantsing. Plus, Brad’s #1 tip for writers. About Brad Taylor: Brad Taylor served for more than twenty years in the US Army, including eight years in 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, commonly known as Delta Force. He also holds a Master’s of Science in Defense Analysis and, in addition to his writing, he serves as a security consultant on asymmetric threats. Brad pays close attention to obscure international news stories before mainstream media picks them up, so his books can read like prophecies, almost anticipating real-world events. He is a trusted and mediagenic expert who has been called to comment on breaking news for FOX, CNN, MSNBC, Al Jazeera America, and Newsmax on stories as diverse as the Charlie Hebdo attack, ISIS, the Sony hack, the death of Osama Bin Laden, and Tom Clancy. Brad is the New York Times bestselling author of eight previous Pike Logan novels. His latest book The Forgotten Soldier, is a fascinating departure from this series, where the characters (a close-knit group in a military Taskforce) face their most emotional challenge yet—hunting one of their own. If you want to know more about Brad you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/079  

Hey there Word Nerds! Welcome back to DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to Kirsten Oliphant, a writer with an MFA in fiction from University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has been blogging for eight years and has a lifestyle blog focusing on food and parenting. This year she launched the Create If Writing blog and podcast, which provide inspiration and authentic platform building tools for writers and bloggers. She also shares interviews with bloggers, writers, social media experts, and publishing insiders.  Kirsten is the mastermind behind the Free Email Course, where she helps demystify email lists for writers and bloggers, along with her signature course (Own Your List) that helps people grow, monetize, and manage their lists.When she’s not busy taking the email list world by story, Kirsten lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and four kids. In this episode Kirsten and I discuss: Why an email list is your most important communication option in a world full of options. The personal touch of email versus other social media. 15 Step Intensive List Growth Checklist Finding the email tech that’s right for you. Do's and Don't's to help keep your subscribers happy and engaged once you have an email list. Plus, Kirsten’s #1 tip for writers. Resources: If you want to know more about Kirsten, you can follow her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter or visit her website and join her email list! Email client options for you to consider when building your list (in alphabetical order): Aweber Convert Kit Mad Mimi Mailchimp Other awesome resources include The Persistence of Email Marketing for Book Publishers and the Creative Profitability Course. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/078  

Hey there Word Nerds! So glad you could be here with me for this awesome episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today we’re here with pop culture and sci-fi guru, Ryan Britt, talking about his new book Luke Skywalker Can’t Read, And Other Geeky Truths. This book is a blend of nerd-ilicious, mind-bending awesomeness, and fall-out-of-your-chair hilarity and as soon as I heard about it I just knew I had to have Ryan on the show. Listen in to hear us geek out about life, literature, and all things nerdy.  In this episode Ryan and I discuss: The differences between writing for and reading online vs. writing and reading a book What it actually means to be a geek now What benefits there are to being a geek now as a writer Plus, Ryan’s #1 tip for writers. Don’t forget, if you want to dig deeper, join me for a "Stop Dreaming, Start Doing" workshop on January 12 at 8pm ET. You can find more information at DIYMFA.com/openhouse. Also, DIY MFA 101 is open for enrollment. Learn more at DIYMFA.com/DIYMFA101 About Ryan Britt If the ghost of Marshall McLuhan were to merge with Chuck Klosterman, you’d have essayist Ryan Britt. Ryan has never met a monster, alien, wizard or superhero that didn’t require further discussion, and in his book he answers questions you’ve probably never thought to ask (but now that he’s brought them up, you’re probably wondering about them too). In his book, he tackles topics like: Does anyone in the Star Wars universe read books? Is Pete Best the Bilbo to Ringo Starr’s Frodo? And, what ever happened to Biff Tannen’s parents? If you’re a geek like me (and even if you’re not) you’re going to get a kick out of this entertaining manifesto for modern geekdom. But seriously, Ryan has written for The New York Times, Electric Literature, The Awl, VICE and The Morning News and is a consulting editor for Story. He was the staff writer for the Hugo Award-winning web magazine Tor.com, where he remains a contributor. About LUKE SKYWALKER CAN'T READ Britt recounts personal stories of coming of age amid the influence of 80s and 90s pop culture; how he learned to take his interests seriously from a big box store manager he nicknames Captain Space Pirate because of he was reminiscent of Harrison Ford; how his first “the birds and the bees” conversation came from asking his father about the pictures in an Omni magazine article entitled “Tyrannosaurus Sex: A Love Tail”; and how his next lesson in sex was from watching Jane Fonda in Barbarella, which quickly evolved into a life-changing epiphany. Britt’s thoughtful and fun meditations on everything sci-fi and pop culture spins insights on what many of us have not known about our favorite stuff. He shows us how monster movies are just romantic comedies with commitment issues, claims nobody should get mad about super hero remakes, and argues that killer robots are probably harmless authenticity-seeking hipsters. Luke Skywalker Can't Read tears down the wall between hardcore sci-fi readers and the mainstream, making it perfect both for cosplayers, or those who haven’t worn a costume since grade school. If you want to learn more about Ryan, follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website.   Also, if you liked this episode… Head over to iTunes, leave a review, and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available. Also, if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please share! For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/076 Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome.  

Hey there, Word Nerds. Thanks for joining me for another installment of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to Drew Chapman. Drew is a thriller author. His debut novel, The Ascendant, was published in 2014 and the sequel The King of Fear is currently being released as a serialized eBook and will be out in paperback come February 2016. A fellow New Yorker, Drew grew up in NYC, got a BA in History from the University of Michigan, then eventually moved to LA to work in the movie business. He directed an indie film Stand Off, was a writer on the animated feature Pocahontas for Disney, and most recently wrote and co-executive produced the second season of Legends (a spy show for TNT). Now working mostly in television, he has been writing for networks like ABC, Fox, and TNT. Drew lives in Seattle with his wife and kids. In this episode Drew and I discuss: The difference between writing for TV and film and writing novels. What his process is like for writing his characters. How the craft of storytelling differs based on the medium you choose. Writing serial fiction. The art of the info-dump. When to use back story and when to leave it out. "The thing that writers need to worry about is finding their voice. Know what you want to say about the world." ~Drew Chapman Resources: If you want to know more about Drew you can follow him on Facebook and Twitter or visit his website. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/073  

Hey there word nerds! Thanks for joining me today for DIY MFA Radio. I’m so excited to share this episode because I’m interviewing literary agent Janet Reid, AKA the Query Shark. *Cue shark music from Jaws in 3... 2... 1...* Janet is a literary agent at FinePrint Literary Management in NYC, where she represents mostly crime novels and thrillers, with some narrative non-fiction in history and biography as well. Her list of clients reads as a veritable who’s-who of bestselling authors. When she’s not doing busy being an agent, she blogs at JetReidLiterary.blogspot.com, and answers questions from writers, talks about what she loves about her job and the city, and (occasionally) rants about things that drive her crazy in publishing. Janet also runs the Query Shark blog, where she posts and critiques query letters submitted to “the shark” (with permission from the writers, of course). Writers have the opportunity to revise their queries based on her comments, and you can see the step-by-step revisions that took a query letter from meh to a resounding “YES.” Want to know what an agent really thinks about a query letter? The Query Shark blog will give you that inside look. IMHO, this site is hands-down the most valuable query resource available to writers online. Most importantly, Janet is a kind, sensible human being who helped make the publishing world a slightly less scary place for me, when I was a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed newbie writer. It is truly an honor to have Janet Reid, AKA Mme. Shark, on DIY MFA Radio today. In this episode Janet and I discuss: What inspired the Query Shark blog. What a query letter is and why you need one. Query pitfalls and pointers so you can make yours shine. What happens after your query gets accepted. When persistence pays off and when it doesn’t. Plus, Janet’s #1 tip for writers. To learn about Janet, follow her on Facebook and Twitter, or visit her literary agency blog or her website. You can also find her query-related pearls of wisdom on her Query Shark blog. For more information about FinePrint Literary Management visit their website. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/072  

Hey there, word nerds! Thanks for joining me for another episode of DIY MFA Radio. I’m so glad you’re here! Today I’m interviewing Jandra Sutton, the digital media coordinator for PR by the Book, a boutique literary PR firm based in Austin, TX and Nashville, TN. While her job title might not make sense, it's helpful to know that she is essentially a social media publicist. Her job is to connect authors with their online audiences in a meaningful way, whether that's managing a full social media campaign for the author or teaching him/her how to navigate the ins and outs of social media (DIY Social Media!) In this episode, Jandra and I will geek out over one of my favorite topics: social media. She'll share some pro tips specifically for writers and show you how to use social media to build your author brand and your career. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/057

This is our one-year anniversary of DIY MFA Radio and for this episode, Elisabeth and I decided to change things up. Since I'm usually the one doing the interviewing, this time around Elisabeth interviewed me about DIY MFA, writing, and other fun things. We also celebrated this milestone by doing a live Periscope broadcast of the unedited recording session and it was SO MUCH FUN. While you can't catch the Periscope recording anymore (they're only available for the first 24hours after the broadcast) we WILL be doing these live recording sessions again in the future. Stay tuned because it's going to be epic! For show notes and more info: DIYMFA.com/055

Hello and welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! I’m so excited to be sharing this interview with you from Thrillerfest! I met with Le French Book founder Anne Trager, and Le French Book authors Eric Giacometti, and David Khara to talk about writing thrillers for French and American markets. We had an amazing conversation andI can't wait to share it with you in this episode. Le French Book is a company that translates French mysteries and thrillers for the American audience. These books have been wildly popular in Europe and now they are available here in the United States, thanks to Le French Book and its founder, Anne Trager. I don't know about you, but after speaking with these fascinating authors, I can't wait to check out these books! For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/053

Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m interviewing Calee Lee, the founder and CEO of Xist Publishing, the largest independent digital-first children's publisher. She is also the author of more than 15  books for children. Dedicated to helping kids develop a lifetime love of reading, she founded Xist Publishing in 2011 to provide beautiful books for the touchscreen generation. Today she’ll share insights about alternative paths to publishing. For writers who don't want to go with abig 5 publisher but also don't want to self-publish, there is an alternate route. In this episode Calee tells us about medium and small press publishers, in particular her own company, Xist Publishing, which is a digital-first independent children's publisher. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/051

Hey Word Nerds! Welcoem to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. Back in June, I went on my first mini writing retreat right here in my howntown of NYC. I didn't go too far, just a couple of miles, but I got a hotel and spent about 24 hours immersed in my writing. In those 24 hours, I managed to knock out around 7000 words of the manuscript I've been working on. To give you some perspective, on a good week at home, I'm happy if I get 4000 words. And that's in a whole week! I discovered I could hammer out almost double the number of words in a 24-hour writing retreat than I do on a regular week at home. What a HUGE return on investment! This retreat taught me that occasionally putting my life on hold and immersing myself in writing (even if just for a little while) can have a huge impact on my manuscript. Especially since my first deadline is only a few weeks away. To learn more about this retreat, and get some actionable tips to help you create one of your very own, check out this episode. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/050

Hello and welcome to another exciting episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I'm so excited to interview Beatriz Williams. She is the author of international best sellers Overseas, A Hundred Summers, and The Secret Life of Violet Grant. Her new book, Tiny Little THing, hit bookstores on June 23 and is out now. I'm reading it right now and let me just say, it's incredible! In his episode, Beatriz and I talk about her creative decisions as she crafted this fascinating book. DIYMFA.com/049

Welcome to another interview episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m so excited to introduce you to author Joe Wenke, and share this interview with him. But first, a little background info. Joe Wenke is a writer, social critic and LGBTQI rights activist who has written several books. His most recent book--The Human Agenda--is about sexual orientation and gender identity, with a special focus on "finding common ground in our shared humanity."  In this interview, Joe shares insights and tips he learned about writing a piece of narrative nonfiction based on conversations and interviews. There is a lot of invisible craft behind this style of nonfiction and he pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of how he put this book together. For show notes and more info: DIYMFA.com/045

Hey there, word nerds! Thanks for joining me for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I want to share with you some survival tips for Book Expo America (BEA), the publishing industry’s premier trade show in the US. BEA 2015 is the Big Kahuna of trade shows in the US. If you’re in the book business, this is where you want to be. This event is centered on BOOKS, but writers can get a lot out of the expo as well. Because there’s so much going on, though, it can be a little overwhelming. Fear not! This Book Expo survival guide episode will give you all the inside details on how to make the most of this event. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/043

Hello and welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m so excited to interview bestselling author Steve Berry. Steve Berry is a New York Times and internationally bestselling thriller author and creator of the Cotton Malone series. His books have been translated into 40 languages, with more than 19 million printed copies in 51 countries. A 2010 NPR survey named one of his books--The Templar Legacy--one of the top 100 thrillers ever written. Clearly when it comes to writing books that captivate readers, Steve Berry knows his stuff. Listen in to learn how this bestselling thriller polished his craft and hear him share some of his top tips for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/042

Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I'm doing things a little bit differently. Instead of an interview, I'm bringing one of my team members on the show as a co-host and we'll have a conversation about books, writing and the creative life. This episode is part of a new series I'll be doing called "Behind DIY MFA," where I'll bring members of my team on the show as a co-host and we'll talk about what they do, both at DIY MFA and beyond. My goal with these behind-the-scenes episodes is for you to get to know the different people who help make DIY MFA awesome, plus hear their insights about books and all things literary. As you probably already know, I see DIY MFA as a collaborative and collective venture. While I may be the instigator, DIY MFA would not be nearly as great if it weren't for all the amazing people who have partnered with me on this project. My hope is that this series will showcase the incredible talent we have on this team, and help you get to know these awesome people. Our co-host today is the fabulous Sara Letourneau, author of the DIY MFA column Theme: A Story’s Soul. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/041

Hey there, word nerds! Thanks for joining me for today’s episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today we’re going to talk about a super important topic for any author: Social Media. Social media can be tricky for writers because there’s so much to wrap your head around. We’re going to talk about the nuts and bolts, basic information that you can put into practice right away. Social media, for better or worse, is here to stay. It’s fully integrated into our lives and has changed the way we communicate radically. As writers, our best approach is to embrace the opportunities that social media affords us, rather than trying to fight against it. In this episode, I’ll give you 7 steps to help you get a handle on social media, but in a way that's totally doable and won't take over your life. Most importantly, if you’re just learning these platforms, be gentle with yourself. Social media is constantly changing. You don't have to do all of it, or get everything perfect right away. You just need to understand enough so that you can use social media to bolster your writing career. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/040

Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. So glad you're here! Today I’m so excited to interview Stuart Horowitz from Book Architecture. Stuart is someone who is as excited about connecting with writers and helping them reach their goals as I am. We'll be talking about planning your novel and how to plot without a formula. Listen in for the interview and check out our show notes at DIYMFA.com/038. Take-home message: intelligent planning is not the enemy of creative genius.

Today's episode was inspired by a question I got from a listener. Got a questions about writing or publishing that you want to hear answered on the show? Just email gabriela[at]DIYMFA[dot]com with "DIY MFA Radio" in the subject line. I can't promise to answer every single question in an episode, but I'll pick the most frequent ones and use them to inspire show topics. Plus, you might just get a shout-out from me on the show. In this episode I talk about motivation and how to keep on writing even when you think you're failing and you feel like a fraud. I share the hard truth about imposter syndrome and give you some actionable tips to help you get motivated and get writing. For show notes and more info: DIYMFA.com/025

This is a very special episode for DIY MFA Radio because it features a wonderful writer--and one of my writing heroes--Jane Yolen. Known as the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" Jane Yolen has written over 360 books. But what truly sets her work apart is her artristry and versatility. She has written in just about every genre imaginable, and for just about every type of reader. Whenever I've heard her speak, Jane Yolen offers the perfect blend of practical advice and pure inspiration. This podcast episode is no exception. I am overjoyed to share this episode with you today. For show notes and more information, visit DIYMFA.com/015.

Welcome to the first episode of DIY MFA Radio! I am so happy to share this creative adventure with you. This weekly podcast will offer tips and techniques that you can apply to your writing practice right now. In this episode, I will tell you just how and why I started DIY MFA, and how it can help you to write more, write better, write smarter. For show notes and more details, DIYMFA.com/001