DIY MFA Radio

Hey there Word Nerds!

Today I'm talking to Nicholas Petrie, author of the stunning debut THE DRIFTER, an explosive thriller written with a strong literary sensibility. In our conversation, we tackle a topic that many authors often struggle with: how do we write about something when we have no first-hand experience with it?

This question goes deeper than "how do you write what you don't know?" After all, it's one thing to write historical fiction about a time period long ago and fill in those gaps using library research. But how do you write about characters whose experiences and backgrounds are different from your own without crossing the line and appropriating that experience in some way. We all know we should include diverse characters in our stories, but how does a writer actually do that without appropriating those experiences?

In this episode, Nick opens up about his process, and talks about how he portrayed the experiences of war veterans on the page even he has never been in the military himself. If you've ever worried about this question of appropriation, this podcast interview is a must-listen!

• The winding road to getting published.
• The importance of research in nailing your plot.
• The importance of language in nailing your prose.
• Writing characters who are different from you.

THE DRIFTER draws its considerable strength from Petrie's uncompromising portrayal of shattered war veterans, returned home and trying to reintegrate into the civilian world they left behind. The unforgettable protagonist, Peter Ash, came home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with only one souvenir: what he calls his "white static," buzzing claustrophobia due to post-traumatic stress. Ash is drawn back to the past when an old friend from the Marines commits suicide. When he goes to Milwaukee to help the man's widow, Ash makes a discovery—a suitcase filled with money and explosives—that leads him into an investigation of his friend's death, which may take him back to the world he thought he'd left behind. Suspenseful and thrilling, and featuring a compelling new hero, THE DRIFTER is an exciting debut from a fresh voice in crime fiction.

This is a gorgeous book, and if you're into crime fiction with a strong literary bent, this one will be right up your alley. If you choose to buy this book, we hope you'll consider doing so via this affiliate link (which gives DIY MFA a small commission at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

"I was never in the armed forces, but I swung a hammer for a living for many years," Petrie writes in talking about the genesis of Peter Ash and THE DRIFTER. As part of his extensive research, Petrie says he "talked with a number of veterans about their experiences. In the course of these conversations, I felt like I came to understand these men and women in a way that I hadn't before, and to truly admire them. Over and over, I encountered that extraordinary quality of character I tried to capture in Peter Ash—a happy warrior who sees every difficulty as a challenge to be overcome, and every challenge as an adventure. The more research I did, the more interested I became in the idea of what to do after your war is over. After the largest set of sustained military operations in decades, this is one of the singular challenges of our time. Many veterans come home and overcome these challenges, but some veterans have more difficulty, some due to physical injuries, some with the less tangible but no less real injuries of PTSD. I've tried to find both sides in this book."

A debut author, Nicholas received his MFA in fiction from the University of Washington and won Hopwood Award for short fiction while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. His short story "At the Laundromat" won the 2006 Short Story Contest in the Seattle Review. A husband and father, he runs a home appraisal business in Milwaukee. To learn more about Nicholas read his blog here, follow him on Facebook, or visit his website.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/083

Hey there Word Nerds!

Today I’m talking to Nicholas Petrie, author of the stunning debut THE DRIFTER, an explosive thriller written with a strong literary sensibility. In our conversation, we tackle a topic that many authors often struggle with: how do we write about something when we have no first-hand experience with it?

This question goes deeper than "how do you write what you don't know?" After all, it's one thing to write historical fiction about a time period long ago and fill in those gaps using library research. But how do you write about characters whose experiences and backgrounds are different from your own without crossing the line and appropriating that experience in some way. We all know we should include diverse characters in our stories, but how does a writer actually do that without appropriating those experiences?

In this episode, Nick opens up about his process, and talks about how he portrayed the experiences of war veterans on the page even he has never been in the military himself. If you've ever worried about this question of appropriation, this podcast interview is a must-listen!

• The winding road to getting published.
• The importance of research in nailing your plot.
• The importance of language in nailing your prose.
• Writing characters who are different from you.

THE DRIFTER draws its considerable strength from Petrie’s uncompromising portrayal of shattered war veterans, returned home and trying to reintegrate into the civilian world they left behind. The unforgettable protagonist, Peter Ash, came home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with only one souvenir: what he calls his “white static,” buzzing claustrophobia due to post-traumatic stress. Ash is drawn back to the past when an old friend from the Marines commits suicide. When he goes to Milwaukee to help the man’s widow, Ash makes a discovery—a suitcase filled with money and explosives—that leads him into an investigation of his friend’s death, which may take him back to the world he thought he’d left behind. Suspenseful and thrilling, and featuring a compelling new hero, THE DRIFTER is an exciting debut from a fresh voice in crime fiction.

This is a gorgeous book, and if you're into crime fiction with a strong literary bent, this one will be right up your alley. If you choose to buy this book, we hope you'll consider doing so via this affiliate link (which gives DIY MFA a small commission at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

“I was never in the armed forces, but I swung a hammer for a living for many years,” Petrie writes in talking about the genesis of Peter Ash and THE DRIFTER. As part of his extensive research, Petrie says he “talked with a number of veterans about their experiences. In the course of these conversations, I felt like I came to understand these men and women in a way that I hadn’t before, and to truly admire them. Over and over, I encountered that extraordinary quality of character I tried to capture in Peter Ash—a happy warrior who sees every difficulty as a challenge to be overcome, and every challenge as an adventure. The more research I did, the more interested I became in the idea of what to do after your war is over. After the largest set of sustained military operations in decades, this is one of the singular challenges of our time. Many veterans come home and overcome these challenges, but some veterans have more difficulty, some due to physical injuries, some with the less tangible but no less real injuries of PTSD. I’ve tried to find both sides in this book.”

A debut author, Nicholas received his MFA in fiction from the University of Washington and won Hopwood Award for short fiction while an undergraduate at the University of Michigan. His short story “At the Laundromat” won the 2006 Short Story Contest in the Seattle Review. A husband and father, he runs a home appraisal business in Milwaukee. To learn more about Nicholas read his blog here, follow him on Facebook, or visit his website.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/083

Hey there Word Nerds! I'm so glad you're here with me today. I am so excited to talk to you about this topic today, about the power of starting small and embracing the power of zero.

A lot of people resist starting at all because we have to start and zero. There are so many mental blocks that get in the way of starting small, and for good reason.

Going from small to big, from rough to polished, from amateur to professional, is not as hard as you might think. As Austin Kleon says in his book Show Your Work, technically it's all on the same creative spectrum. Going from nothing to something is WAY more difficult.

In a way, that's good news. it means that whatever that very first step is that you have to take, it's the hardest one. Still, taking the hardest step first is really rough, when you don't have a support network yet, when you don't have a track record of success to help you stand up to the negative self-talk that is filling your head.

Today we're going to talk about a few of the myths about starting small that might be keeping you from getting started.

1. I have to wait for the right time.
2. I can't do it.
3. Something (or someone) else is blocking me from getting started.

One thing that's important to defeating these mindset blocks is understanding the difference between resistance and blocks. I personally believe that blocks don't actually exist. If I'm having a hard time getting myself to sit down and work on something, I either trick my brain into working on it or I take away any other options until I get through it.

But resistance is different. Resistance is much deeper. It's based on fear or some other emotion deep in you that is causing you not to want to address a certain project. Resistance always exists for a reason. It's up to you to discover where it's coming from and then use that resistance as a compass to show you which way to go.

When you have a project and you are feeling the pain of having to take the leap from not being on the spectrum of creative progress to finally being on that spectrum, you need to be able to tell the difference between a block that you can blast through and resistance that you need to be mindful of and press into.

All of these myths are things we tell ourselves when we are trying to step onto the creative spectrum at the zero point. We have no words. We have no followers. It's easy to give in to the fear of being at zero.

The zero moment, that first glimmer of an idea that you have, it's the power of potential energy. But most of us don't realize when we're in it. When you're at zero you can do anything. You have nothing but uncharted territory ahead of you. The more people you have watching your creative process, the more aware you are of being watched.

So I challenge you to embrace your zero moment! Head over to Twitter and tweet out what you did to celebrate your zero moment, or what you plan to do if you haven't gotten there yet! Make sure to include the hashtag #zeromoment so that I can follow and celebrate with you.

And keep an eye out. There's awesome stuff coming, guys. Keep an eye on your inbox for more details. If you're not on the list yet, you can sign up here.

Also, don't forget to leave a review on iTunes! If you need a tutorial on how to leave a review (it's ridiculously complicated, folks) I've made one for you here. And thanks in advance! The more good reviews I get, the better my chances of getting more amazing people to come on the show. Great reviews means I can bring you even more awesome episodes. OMG, everybody wins!

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/082

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you’re here with me today. I am so excited to talk to you about this topic today, about the power of starting small and embracing the power of zero.

A lot of people resist starting at all because we have to start and zero. There are so many mental blocks that get in the way of starting small, and for good reason.

Going from small to big, from rough to polished, from amateur to professional, is not as hard as you might think. As Austin Kleon says in his book Show Your Work, technically it’s all on the same creative spectrum. Going from nothing to something is WAY more difficult.

In a way, that’s good news. it means that whatever that very first step is that you have to take, it’s the hardest one. Still, taking the hardest step first is really rough, when you don’t have a support network yet, when you don’t have a track record of success to help you stand up to the negative self-talk that is filling your head.

Today we’re going to talk about a few of the myths about starting small that might be keeping you from getting started.

1. I have to wait for the right time.
2. I can’t do it.
3. Something (or someone) else is blocking me from getting started.

One thing that’s important to defeating these mindset blocks is understanding the difference between resistance and blocks. I personally believe that blocks don’t actually exist. If I’m having a hard time getting myself to sit down and work on something, I either trick my brain into working on it or I take away any other options until I get through it.

But resistance is different. Resistance is much deeper. It’s based on fear or some other emotion deep in you that is causing you not to want to address a certain project. Resistance always exists for a reason. It’s up to you to discover where it’s coming from and then use that resistance as a compass to show you which way to go.

When you have a project and you are feeling the pain of having to take the leap from not being on the spectrum of creative progress to finally being on that spectrum, you need to be able to tell the difference between a block that you can blast through and resistance that you need to be mindful of and press into.

All of these myths are things we tell ourselves when we are trying to step onto the creative spectrum at the zero point. We have no words. We have no followers. It’s easy to give in to the fear of being at zero.

The zero moment, that first glimmer of an idea that you have, it’s the power of potential energy. But most of us don’t realize when we’re in it. When you’re at zero you can do anything. You have nothing but uncharted territory ahead of you. The more people you have watching your creative process, the more aware you are of being watched.

So I challenge you to embrace your zero moment! Head over to Twitter and tweet out what you did to celebrate your zero moment, or what you plan to do if you haven’t gotten there yet! Make sure to include the hashtag #zeromoment so that I can follow and celebrate with you.

And keep an eye out. There’s awesome stuff coming, guys. Keep an eye on your inbox for more details. If you’re not on the list yet, you can sign up here.

Also, don’t forget to leave a review on iTunes! If you need a tutorial on how to leave a review (it’s ridiculously complicated, folks) I’ve made one for you here. And thanks in advance! The more good reviews I get, the better my chances of getting more amazing people to come on the show. Great reviews means I can bring you even more awesome episodes. OMG, everybody wins!

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/082

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.

• 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

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

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.

• 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

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! I'm so happy you're here! Today I'm talking to Rachel Hulin, photographer and writer. Her photographs have been shown at Jen Bekman Gallery, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Wallspace Gallery, The New York Photo Festival, and ClampArt Gallery, by which she is represented. She's also worked as a photo editor in New York for many years at places like Rolling Stone, Radar Magazine, and Nerve.com. Her personal essays and art writing have appeared in The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, PDN, and The Photography Post, which she co-founded. She has lectured about her own work, professional practices, and about the role of social media in photography at ICP, SVA, Parsons, Brown University, RISD, and MIAD. Rachel's Flying Henry photograph series is also a children's book of the same name, released by PowerHouse Books in 2013. She has a BA from Brown University and an MA from NYU, and her new project is a novel, Hey Harry Hey Matilda. You can follow the escapades the story of Harry and Matilda on instagram (@HeyHarryHeyMatilda).

• The birth of a new idea.
• Refining an idea and the process of platform building.
• Crafting a narrative on social media.
• Marketing your book.

If you want to know more about Rachel's work you can visit her website.

And don't forget, we've got some really exciting things brewing at DIY MFA as we gear up for the book release this summer. If you want to be "in the know" hop on over to DIYMFA.com/join and sign up for our email list. You'll get a free starter kit, a subscription to our free "sort-of weekly newsletter," plus you'll be among the first to hear about any awesome new things we've got in the works.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/080

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so happy you’re here! Today I’m talking to Rachel Hulin, photographer and writer. Her photographs have been shown at Jen Bekman Gallery, The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Wallspace Gallery, The New York Photo Festival, and ClampArt Gallery, by which she is represented.

She’s also worked as a photo editor in New York for many years at places like Rolling Stone, Radar Magazine, and Nerve.com. Her personal essays and art writing have appeared in The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, PDN, and The Photography Post, which she co-founded.  She has lectured about her own work, professional practices, and about the role of social media in photography at ICP, SVA, Parsons, Brown University, RISD, and MIAD.

Rachel's Flying Henry photograph series is also a children’s book of the same name, released by PowerHouse Books in 2013. She has a BA from Brown University and an MA from NYU, and her new project is a novel, Hey Harry Hey Matilda. You can follow the escapades the story of Harry and Matilda on instagram (@HeyHarryHeyMatilda).

• The birth of a new idea.
• Refining an idea and the process of platform building.
• Crafting a narrative on social media.
• Marketing your book.

If you want to know more about Rachel’s work you can visit her website.

And don’t forget, we’ve got some really exciting things brewing at DIY MFA as we gear up for the book release this summer. If you want to be “in the know” hop on over to DIYMFA.com/join and sign up for our email list. You’ll get a free starter kit, a subscription to our free “sort-of weekly newsletter,” plus you’ll be among the first to hear about any awesome new things we’ve got in the works.

For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/080

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.

• 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.

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! 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.

• 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.

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