A Writers Life

Do we rebel against certain conventions in a clumsy attempt to be unique? Dan covers a lot of topics this episode, everything from sympathetic characters to gaining insight from our natural inclination to controvert things that work in literature.

Visit http://awlshow.com for complete show notes.

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Mentioned on the show

Antifogmatic by Punch Brothers

The Phosphorescent Blues by Punch Brothers

Deadfall Hotel by Steve Rasnic Tem

That Thing You Do (Love this movie!)

Yeah, he exists: Chet (effin’) Hanx

…and his “music” video

Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke

Growing Pains: Season 1

Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King

Seize the Day by Saul Bellow

Dan’s Recommendation of the Month

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Email your poetry or questions to: [email protected]

Copyright 2015 - Pale Fire Creative

The most skillful writers know how to manipulate time. Today DB gets disects the ins and outs of a writer's life and ponders the irony of loving something so much one finds ways to avoid it.

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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

Herzog by Saul Bellow

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón 

Of the Farm: A Novel by John Updike

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mailto:[email protected]

General questions: mailto:[email protected]

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How important is finding a daily rhythm in a writer’s life? If it’s broken and we find ourselves not doing our job, how do we get that rhythm back? Dan talks about how important it is both to find it and, once in a while, lose it.

Also on the show Dan gives 5 ways to write more like Neil Gaiman, the award winning author of such works as Neverwhere, Coraline, American Gods, and several short story collections.

Visit http://awlshow.com for complete show notes.

Mentioned on the show

The works used as examples on the show all came from Neil Gaiman’s short story collection, Fragile Things

Other Works by Neil Gaiman:

Anansi Boys

The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel

Neverwhere

Coraline

American Gods

Other Mentions:

Rabbit, Run by John Updike

The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

Seize the Day by Saul Bellow

The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Dan’s Recommendation of the Month

Leaf Storm and Other Stories

by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez

Buy on Amazon:

http://bit.ly/Leafstorm

Email your poetry to: [email protected]

General questions: [email protected]

Creating broad, rounded characters is not easy. This week Dan talks about what it takes to become a "real" writer and gives some unique ways to give the characters in your novel or short story the added dimension they need to be believable.Visit http://awlshow.com for complete show notes.

Dan’s not a fan of writing prompts. But if you have to use them they should serve a twofold purpose.

Join Dan as he talks about the joys and frustrations of writing and

Mentioned on the show

Dangerous Visions by Harlan Elision In which his story ‘The Prowler in the City at the Edge of the World’ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prowler_in_the_City_at_the_Edge_of_the_World appears as a sequel to Robert Bloch’s “A Toy for Juliette”

Space Raptor Butt Invasion by Chuck Tingle The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown Star Wars Novels Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin Ulysses by James Joyce enter link description hereA&P by John Updike

Buy on Amazon: http://bit.ly/Leafstorm

Contact

Email your poetry to: [email protected] General questions: [email protected]

All links are affiliates in support of this wonderful program and its very, very good-looking host.

This is a production of Pale Fire Creative © 2015 http://www.palefirecreative.com

How deep does Impostor Syndrome run in a writer? Can a brother ever snap out of it and make the jump from poseur to”real” writer.

Also on the show, Dan defends his assertion that Garcia-Marquez is better than Hemingway and then gives some tips on how to become a competent self-editor. Not an easy thing to do, but absolutely essential to art of writing well.

Get a FREE copy of Rilke’s ‘Letters to a Young Poet’

Just go to iTunes and leave a written review. When you’re done, email Dan ([email protected]) with your name, address and itunes nickname and he will send you a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke’s famous work ‘Letters to a Young Poet’.

The first six to email will get the book and maybe some other cool stuff too.

A Writer’s Letters

Sign up now for Dan Black’s monthly newsletter. Plus get writing tips, essays, recommendations, book discussions and who the heck knows what else. This content is only available in the newsletter, so sign up now and don’t miss out!

Mentioned on the show

Leaf Storm

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

How Benjamin Franklin learned to write

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez

Need proof that some people need to stop writing? Here you go :

Sex Raptor Butt Invasion by Chuck Tingle (Yep, this exists)

[Taken by the T-Rex by Christie Sims](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FI9JFFO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00FI9JFFO&linkCode=as2&tag=palfircre-20&linkId=Y3SNSDFHKVOPRQUH)

A little info on wild strawberries

Dan’s Recommendation of the Month

Leaf Storm and Other Stories by Gabriel Garcia-Marquez

Buy on Amazon: http://bit.ly/Leafstorm

Your Kindness Makes Us Squeal with Delight!

Support through Patreon or PayPal.

Contact

Email your poetry to: [email protected] General questions: [email protected]

All links are affiliates in support of this wonderful program and its very, very good-looking host.

This is a production of Pale Fire Creative © 2015 http://www.palefirecreative.com

What can Ray Bradbury teach us as writers? Quite a bit, Dan thinks, so in this installment of the program DB gives us a few things to take away from Ray’s life and work that might assist our becoming better writers.

Also, have you ever heard that little voice in your head telling you there’s something wrong in your writing? Dan has that voice and a few more besides. Should we heed these subconscious ramblings? Dan gives his opinion on the matter and also tells us how he pitied the wrong people at a book sale.

Get a FREE copy of Rilke’s ‘Letters to a Young Poet’

Just go to iTunes and leave a written review. When you’re done, email Dan ([email protected]) with your name, address and itunes nickname and he will send you a copy of Rainer Maria Rilke’s famous work ‘Letters to a Young Poet’.

The first six to email back will get the book and maybe some other cool stuff too.

A Writer’s Letters

Sign up now for Dan Black’s monthly newsletter. Plus get writing tips, essays, recommendations, book discussions and who the heck knows what else. This content is only available in the newsletter, so sign up now and don’t miss out!

Mentioned on the show

Paris Review article with Ray Bradbury: Click to go

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Small Assassin - a short story collection with the eponymous story about the killer baby.

An Article on Ray and Walt Disney’s relationship @ mouseplanet.com

Two free books from Audible for testing out their service

Dan’s Recommendation of the Month

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro http://amzn.to/1DQsdAb

Your Kindness Makes Us Squeal with Delight!

Support through Patreon or PayPal.

Contact

Email your poetry to: [email protected] General questions: [email protected]

All links are affiliates in support of this wonderful program and its very, very good-looking host.

This is a production of Pale Fire Creative © 2015 http://www.palefirecreative.com

Should you “have something to say” in your book / short story / poem / screenplay? On today’s show Dan addresses talks about moralization in an artist’s work and how it might rob it of depth and authenticity. Also, Dan talks about Kazuo Ishiguro’s new book “The Buried Giant” and James Wood’s review in the New Yorker.

A Writer’s Letters

Sign up now for Dan Black’s semi-weekly letter. Plus get writing tips, essays, recommendations, book discussions and who the heck knows what else. This content is only available in the newsletter, so sign up now and don’t miss out!

Mentioned on the show

The Buried Giant by Kazuo ishiguro

Austerlitz by WG Sebald

Prism by Katty Perry

1000 Forms of Fear by Sia

James Wood’s review of The Buried Giant

HBO NOW

Two free books from Audible for testing out their service

Dan’s Recommendation of the Month

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro http://amzn.to/1DQsdAb

Your Kindness Makes Us Squeal with Delight!

Support through Patreon or PayPal.

Contact

Email your poetry to: [email protected] General questions: [email protected]

All links are affiliates in support of this wonderful program and its very, very good-looking host. This is a production of Pale Fire Creative © 2015 http://www.palefirecreative.com

Is our writing adding to the noise, or do we have something different to offer? What are we looking for as writers? Dan tries to flesh out these questions and comes to a conclusion as to whom we write for.

A Writer’s Letters

Sign up now for Dan Black’s semi-weekly letter. Plus get writing tips, essays, recommendations, book discussions and who the heck knows what else. This content is only available in the newsletter, so sign up now and don’t miss out!

Dan’s Recommendation of the Month

The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro http://amzn.to/1DQsdAb

Your Kindness Makes Us Squeal with Delight!

Support through Patreon or PayPal.

Contact

Email your poetry to: [email protected] General questions: [email protected]

All links are affiliates in support of this wonderful program and its very, very good-looking host. This is a production of Pale Fire Creative © 2015 http://www.palefirecreative.com

Dan meets the most beautiful girl he's ever seen and gets into certain narrative voices that can poison your novel.

Your Kindness Makes Us Squeal with Delight!

Support through Patreon or PayPal.                     

Contact

Email your poetry to: mailto:[email protected]

General questions: [email protected]

All links are affiliates in support of this wonderful program and its very, very good-looking host. 

This is a production of Pale Fire Creative © 2015 http://www.palefirecreative.com