A Contract With Ourselves. In the last episode of the season, we talk about using a contract to keep writing.

Jane and Maureen discuss Space Opera; their favorites, and some of the pitfalls of writing it.

What are some tropes and are they okay in a story? How can they help your writing, and how can they hurt?

Fanfiction has long been a place where writers flex their skills and learn techniques! In this episode Maureen and Jane talk about what we love about fanfiction, what fanfiction can teach you about writing original fiction, and a few fanfiction habits that might not translate as well to original fiction. Mentioned in this episode: https://archiveofourown.org/

Making yourself write versus tools for writing, practice and technique.

Maureen and Jane discuss what to do when you feel like your writing has hit a plateau. Hitting a plateau is a natural part of gaining skills and confidence as a creative! How do you recognize when it's happening to you, and what can you do? They share practical tips that have worked for them.

Maureen and Jane discuss their favorite writing technique -- the one tip that helped them evolve their writing in a new way. Also, they talk about early encounters with writers that made them want to become writers! Mercedes Lackey, Andre Norton, and Anne McCaffrey. Magical dragons! Telepathic horses!

Jane says Creativity is a Practice--how to cultivate your writing practice, what to do when you're stuck, and how to keep going.

The first episode from The Story Kitchen podcast where Miyuki Jane Pinckard and Maureen McHugh discuss fiction writing, community for writers and how to navigate bad feedback. Story Kitchen is a place for fiction writers--to talk about practice and technique and take classes. Find our website at storykitchenstudio.com and sign up for our newsletter.