Welcome to Episode 65- How Aliette de Bodard writes

Hello, my friends, I hope everyone is having such a good week of writing. Today's episode is with Aliette de Bodard. This is a fun episode with a hugely prolific writer who is also working a full-time job and is a parent. So, for those of you who are jugging your writing with a full-time life, this episode is absolutely for you.

I want to say thank you to Aliette one more time.

And now, my friends, without any further ado, here is the episode with Aliette de Bodard.

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Welcome to Episode 64- How Jayne Ann Krentz Writes

Here we are with another interview with an insanely prolific author. Jayne Ann Krentz has over 35 million books in print, which is just an absolutely insane number. Jayne Ann shares so much wisdom and insights and with that many books in print, you can feel good knowing what you hear is the real deal.

I want to say thank you again to Jayne Ann for her time. This interview was a blast.

And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Jayne Ann Krentz.

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Welcome to Monday Motivation - Tools in the Toolbox

So we just ran one of our amazing and awesome challenges where Libbie Hawker, author of like 40-novels and the bestselling outlining book, "Take Off Your Pants."

Our challenges are designed to break down tough concepts like plotting and outlining into bite-sized chunks, but sometimes this leads to writers believing that there is a universal right or wrong way to create. With this idea, it is easy to get stuck on plotting and outlining, and designing a novel "the right way." And, sometimes, that means some writers wind up focusing more of getting the tool right than their story right.

And so I want to encourage you to two things in your writing life. The first thing is to study writing craft broadly. Learn about the snowflake method and the hero's journey. Study character. Pacing. Dialogue. Chop up your favorite novel to see how the author used different beats to move the story forward.

But, I also want to encourage you to look at these tactics as tools. They aren't the point of writing, but they are a tool you can use to tell your story. So bend them, or break them, or don't even use them. Do whatever you need to do to move your story forward.

Thank you so much for listening, and I hope you have a wonderful week of writing.

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Welcome to episode 63, How JA Jance Writes.

This is another interview where I just pinch myself to make sure I'm actually doing this. To interview someone with other 60 published books with a love for storytelling is a dream come true. JA Jance has such a presence. In this interview, we discuss how she was influenced by the Wizard of Oz, how she overcame people telling her she couldn't write because she was a woman and her secrets for writing great long-running series.

I want to say a special thank you to JA Jance. This is a fun one.

And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with JA Jance.

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Welcome to Episode 62 - How Jason Pinter Writes

Interviewing Jason was so fun because not only is Jason a bestseller author, he is also a publisher as well. This perspective is so wonderful. In this interview, you get both sides of the writing and publishing process. Add on top that Jason was such a wonderful and warm guest. I'm just saying... this interview is great.

I want to take a quick moment and thank Jason for this interview.

And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Jason Pinter.

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For a lot of you, I know 2020 was an intense year. And, unfortunately, we've kicked off 2021 with a bang. In our world there is political and social instability. So many of you have lost your jobs or face economic insecurity. The past season has been a challenge.

And... I feel you. I started a new business in 2020... arguably the worst timing in history. Ha.

This show, and all of How Writers Write is not political. And that isn't because I don't have my own personal politics. I mean, I studied political science in undergrad. Of course I have my beliefs, and like many of you I am very passionate about what I believe and stand for.

I keep politics out of How Writers Write because I believe in something more important: our stories. I have this north-star belief that our stories are the most powerful thing we have to share. To authentically tell the stories that are begging to come out of us is one of the most fulfilling and healing activities we can do. And to learn how to listen—to really listen— to another person's story is just as powerful.

I believe the world would be about one billion times better if we authentically told our stories and learned to compassionately listen to others.

What is more healing, more understanding? In what way can you empathize with another? In what other way can you be better understood?

Oftentimes, I'm like many of you, I feel totally powerless in a world that seems to be disintegrating. I can so easily spiral into despondency. And when I hit the bottom of that despair, the one thing I come back to, the one thing I know i can do, is to tell my story, listen to others, and encourage around me to do the same.

Take care of yourself. Feed your soul. Tell your story.

Thank you so much for listening, and I hope you have a wonderful week of writing

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Welcome to Episode 61 - How Alix Harrow Writes

Episode 61 is a good one, my friends. Alix Harrow has such a wonderful perspective on the writing life.

And good news! This episode will be available on YouTube in late January so if you want to see the video of Alix and I that will be available.

I want to say a special thank you to Alix for her time and graciousness.

And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Alix Harrow!

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Before the pandemic, one of my favorite places in the entire world was the Met. I loved to wander around until my feet hurt. I'm not an art historian and really don't even know that much about it, and I think that is what made the experience so great. I wasn't able to analyze the halls and halls of priceless work, instead, I just got to experience and react to them.

You know that overwhelming reaction you have when you stumble on a piece of art and it just places you in a time-warp? Sometimes, good art activates a feeling you haven't felt in a long time. Or it reminds you of your humanity. Ah... I miss art museums!

Imagine, now, that there is an art museum that you could walk through with just halls and halls of frames. No pictures. No art. Just frames.

And each frame was a different perspective on your writing life. Think about all the different perspectives you could have about every little thing that happens. The obvious ones are the frames of "this is good" or "this is bad." But, there are so many other frames, like "I am good. I am bad."

And what if there were multiple frames for each and every moment of your writing life? Each morning or afternoon or evening when you sit down to do your work, what if each of those moments had a frame with a different perspective. And so the morning you didn't write as much as you wanted, there was a frame for "this is good or bad."

The question the frame begs is "this is this or this is that," it is "what makes this good or what makes this bad?" The frame becomes the "what." The perspective, the choice.

Imagine a morning where maybe you didn't write as much as you wanted. And you had the choice to stand in front of the "this is awful and I'm awful" frame or stand in front of the "I took a step and I'm proud of myself, and tomorrow I'll do better."

Imagine how the picture inside the frame would change between the two. What color would be the awful picture? What about the second picture, where you show yourself grace?

As we kick off a new year, one of the most powerful decisions you can make is to choose the frame in which you want to look at your writing life. In 2021, there will be endless moments where your expectations will be met or not met, moments when you'll need to decide on your frame. And the thing is, you will decide, whether it is with awareness or by default.

You control the frame.

And so, in that way, the frame you put around your writing life becomes the picture.

Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for joining me on this journey. And I hope you have a wonderful week of writing.

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Welcome to Episode 60 - How Karen M. McManus Writes

This was a fun episode to close out in 2020. It isn't every day that I get to interview a #1 NYT best selling author, and Karen was such a wonderful guest. I'm thrilled to have this interview as number 60... 60! What a crazy fun ride this has been.

I want to say a special thank you to Karen for her time and graciousness.

And now, without any further ado, here is the interview with Karen M. McManus!

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