For this week on How to Write Good, I interview The Band Eden. They are an alternative rock band from Wisconsin. You are really just going to have to listen to it.

The Band Eden's Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/thebandedenofficial/

Here is one of the drummers Tyler mentioned:
Jojo Mayer: http://www.jojomayer.com/
(The other band has sixteen drummers or something like that.)

Set for the Fall was the other band that was mentioned.

My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

We are going to deviate from writing itself to talk about an idea that I believe is one of the most important things in life. Most people have children. Some people are good parents, and some parents make me feel sorry for their children. One of the biggest gifts that I think any parent can give to their children is that of sacrifice. It is part of being a parent. Some people become bitter about the sacrifice they have to make for their children, but perhaps if a person is willing to sacrifice, they can become aware that the depth of their life is greater because of that sacrifice. Sacrifice does not just mean giving up material things for your children. It also means becoming uncomfortable when training your child how to act by fighting against your own fear to show your child not to fear, to encourage your child to risk when it is appropriate, even when that risk scares you as well, and to let your children grow up when the time comes.

This episode is dedicated to my parents. They have certainly given up so much to provide for their children.

My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

We continue with my writing rules. I don't know whether people don't have much faith in themselves or whether it is used as an excuse, but I have met many people who use the excuse that they are not creative. People will often say that they do not have the same bursts of insight like a creative person. This rubs me the wrong way because I know that creative people often don't feel creative themselves. Instead, they have developed a habit in which they produce their art and become creative by sheer force of will (or something like that). This week's writing rule is that creativity is a habit.


My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

I've got a (likely) stupid pet peeve. When I was putting together my book, I saw a lot of author headshots. One thing I noticed about these headshots is that they presented many authors as sophisticated intellectuals. What I have noticed since that time is that if you do any type of creative work or are in a prominent position, your public relations team wants to present you in this same way. Very few people actually play out what this is presenting in their real lives. Maybe Nietzche always acted in this intellectual, thoughtful, brooding manner, but that may have just been because of his health issues. Everyone else is generally normal. Now, I don't think there is an issue with looking good at certain times, but I think it is important to realize who these people are: just regular people.

Here are some author headshots that I don't like:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8719.Donna_Tartt
https://lithub.com/kamila-shamsie-is-bringing-pakistani-history-to-a-global-audience/
http://colummccann.com/
https://www.vulture.com/2018/07/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie-in-conversation.html

Here is Michael Perry's Headshot (The first one is Michael Perry, but it was not the one I was talking about):
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d32cjIKddVo/VW3OHgMppDI/AAAAAAAAB4I/9F2IvoAAszA/s1600/perry_headshot.jpg

And here is Emily St. John Mandel's:
https://res.cloudinary.com/allamerican/image/fetch/t_face_s270/https://speakerdata2.s3.amazonaws.com/photo/image/841374/EmilySJM1.jpg

Here is some stuff about Stephen King's drug addiction (I am glad he is clean now):
https://detoxtorehab.com/celebrity/stephen-king-alcoholism-drug-addiction-and-fame


My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

On this episode of How to Write Good, I have my first guest of the year. Evan Swonke joins me. One thing that has been going through my head has been changes in music. Since Evan is a musician, we dive into how rebellious music does not exist in the mainstream and how mainstream music no longer has anything left to rebel against. We talk about the value of rebellious music (and rebellious art in general), but we also dive into how technology has changed different forms of art.

Check out Evan's podcast here:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/192139
https://www.facebook.com/podwarspodcast/

My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

Recently, there was a controversy around the actor Bryan Cranston. The actor who played in Malcolm in the Middle and more recently in Breaking Bad starred in a movie called The Upside where he plays a wealthy, quadriplegic man. Some say that he is should not have taken the role in the movie and stated that someone who was disabled should have played in the movie instead. The controversy brings up a question in my mind: Should artists, especially authors, write from perspectives not their own?


Here is an article on the controversy surrounding Bryan Cranston:
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bryan-cranston-defends-playing-quadriplegic-in-new-movie-the-upside

A couple articles on understanding other cultures:
https://www.asme.org/engineering-topics/articles/business-communication/communicating-across-cultures

https://barendspsychology.com/cross-cultural-relationships/


My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

This week on How to Write Good, I continue with my rules. Sometimes, I run into something that I continue to go back to again and again. One of the things that has stuck with me since I read it is a personal essay by Annie Dillard called "Seeing." In the essay, Annie talks about how she used to hide pennies so people would have a surprise they can find. She then connects this idea of pennies to finding small but beautiful things in the world. In my own life, I have found her ideas to be connected to Mark Twain, Zen, mindfulness, liminal spaces, and cliches. And I love cliches.


Seeing by Annie Dillard:
https://aimeeknight.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/seeing.pdf

Here is an article on liminal spaces (very interesting):
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/general/understanding-how-liminal-space-is-different-from-other-places/

A few articles on liminal space and liminal experiences and thinking:
1) https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-creativity-cure/201306/creativity-and-the-liminal-space
2) http://www.liminality.org/about/whatisliminality/
3) http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198183983.001.0001/acprof-9780198183983-chapter-1
4) https://medium.com/@davegray/the-roots-of-liminal-thinking-3be4bea6fd63

A summary of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance/summary

An article to give a more comprehensive explanation of mindfulness:
https://www.mindful.org/what-is-mindfulness/



My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

This week on How to Write Good, I talk about starting over. One of my biggest fears is that I am doing something wrong and that I am going to find years down the road that because I have been doing something wrong, I will have wasted my time. I think a lot of people think the same way. This stops a lot of people from moving forward. For those of you who are starting out, the answer is planning and perseverance (easier said than done), but what about those of us who have found yourself at a point of failure? What about those of us who have spent the time and have the choice to give up or start over? We often think that we are starting at square one again, but that is not really true.

I could not find a way to share the pictures of my car accident easily. Maybe someday. :)

My Website:
www.danielpoppie.com

HTWG Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood

HTWG Twitter:
https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast

HTWG Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood

One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet:
https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet

Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen
http://ccmixter.org/files/moolen/32827

The seminal chapter of One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet. Hosea arrives at his parents' house for their thirtieth anniversary with the fear of telling them that he is engaged, but this fear quickly goes away when he discovers something else, something wrong, very wrong.

Thanks for checking out my story, One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet. If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review on iTunes.

Find out more about me and other work that I am doing at www.danielpoppie.com. Follow me on Facebook @howtowritegood, Twitter @HTWGPodcast, and Instagram @howtowritegood.

Info Intro Music: Purple Nurple by Alex Beroza
Story Intro Music: Longing for Tumbleweeds by Admiral Bob
Story Music: Silence Await by Analog by Nature
Exit Music: Hidden Blues by Pitx
Nighttime sounds and Car Door Close sound by Mike Koenig
Party Crowd sounds and Hard Shoes sound by Daniel Simon

On this episode of How to Write Good I talk about the plethora of remakes, sequels, and based-on-a-true-story movies that are coming out in 2019. I discuss why we go see movies, why moviemakers make movies, and how I expect the movie industry to change in the next 10 to 15 years. Remember to stay in touch at my website at www.danielpoppie.com and follow How to Write Good on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get all the latest updates on what is happening with the podcast.