We want to be nice to characters, but stuff has to go wrong in stories.

You’ll get pushback during NaNoWriMo. Some people will make fun. Some will dismiss you. Some will be downright jackasses. BUT I am a skilled jackass-to-English translator, and I cover what some of those comments mean. Goal: 3333 words Mur’s status of project PUPPET: 2550 / 50000 words. 5% done! (Catching up! And you can get […]

It’s November 1. You walk into a tavern and discover you’re on a quest. There are metaphors and daggers involved. Goal: 1666 Mur’s status of project PUPPET: 0 / 50000 words. 0% done! (It’s been a rough day, okay? And you can get your own wordcount widget here.) I’ll be doing my writing this year […]

Note- I’m on vacation for the next week. No podcasts or streams unless they’re unplanned and off the cuff. I’m back on November 1 for the daily NaNo episodes! There is an ISBW NaNoWriMo Discord! You don’t need to support the Patreon to hang out! Also, this weekend (Oct 23-25) I’m Guest of Honor at MileHi […]

We chat about writing yourself into a corner, the “Sliding Doors” moment, a peek in to the way I think about this show. How the sausage is made, actually. But also, HOLY CRAP Tom Lehrer music is in the public domain! That is huge. Remember you can see this video on Youtube and you can […]

I talk how to keep up with versioning. Well. I try, anyway. That, plus the motivational power of 4thewords.com and more NaNo prep talk! Remember you can see this video on Youtube and you can catch the next episode LIVE on Twitch! Also, this weekend (Oct 23-25) I’m Guest of Honor at MileHi Con! Doesn’t […]

You will want to gain and keep momentum going in October as you prepare for NaNoWriMo. And good lord, folks, back up your computer and your work! Options: BackBlaze CrashPlan Google Backup Scrivener to Dropbox 4theWords.com (if you want you can use my referral code SKYOA08774) Support this show on Patreon!  See the video on […]

I wasn’t feeling well so we just did a Q&A with the chat. Thanks to everyone who helped keep the discussion going! Support this show on Patreon!  See the video on YouTube! Catch the next live show on Twitch! Twitch Schedule (All times Eastern Daylight Time): M- Lunch AMA, 12:30 T- Live ISBW, 12:30 Th- […]

Mur, recovering from a migraine, and Matt discuss the concept of “staying in your lane” when politics are a hot topic and perhaps your audience doesn’t want to hear your views.   Also, please vote.   NOTE- We are changing our formatting around here, and there will be, as the cute similes say, a lot […]

I discovered that the Story Grid method is more of an editing tool than an outline tool, but we talk about that. You can see more resources at the Story Grid website. NOTE- I am now on YouTube with these videos! So you don’t have to wonder what you missed in the stream!   ALSO […]