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 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.

• 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

• 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.

• 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

Welcome, today is DIY MFA’s monthly Craft Jam. Once a month, Christa and I jam about the craft. In these episodes, we do a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. 

This month’s episode is a deep dive into how to craft the perfect book ending.

• The three major components of an ending

• Types of endings for your story

• My top tip when choosing the the right ending

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/475

Welcome, today is DIY MFA’s monthly Craft Jam. Once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. 

This month’s episode is a deep dive into how to Nail Your Narration.

• Why narration is so important in your writing

• What to keep in mind when choosing a point of view and narrative voice

• Gabriela’s top tip on how to nail your narration

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/474

Today’s episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building, and more.

• Key aspects and methods to focus on during the revision process.

• The importance of feedback from others during revision.

• A helpful type of mindset to keep throughout your progress.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/473

Today’s episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month’s episode is a deep dive into Conferences.

• Should one attend a conference as a beginner writer?

• How to choose the right conference to attend.

• The nuts and bolts on how to prepare for a conference. 

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/472

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kathy Reichs. We’ll be talking about her book The Bone Hacker and how to craft a bestselling thriller series.

Kathy Reichs’ first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. To date, she has written twenty-two novels featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Kathy was also a producer of Fox Television’s longest running scripted drama, Bones, which was based on her work and her novels. One of very few forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology, Kathy divides her time between Charlotte, North Carolina, and Montreal, Québec.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

• How to write each book in a series with different aspects while keeping it entertaining. 

• Keeping the main character consistent but also allowing room for them to grow and change throughout a series. 

• Adapting a series to television, the differences and challenges of writing a television script vs. a novel. 

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/471

Today’s episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Lori and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building, and more. This month’s episode is a deep dive into Draft Zero.

• What exactly Draft Zero is and what comes next.

• Finding a routine that works for you and how to keep it from getting stale.

• Why you need to practice finishing and what to do when you get stuck.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/470

We’re back for another episode of our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Lori and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we’ll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month’s episode is a deep dive into how to weave your story’s world through world building.

• How character, plot, and world are all connected.

• Using the iceberg technique as your write.

• Creating a setting that can take on a life of its own.

For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/469