Soap operas. Romance novels. Fan fiction. They're some of the most derided genres of writing – and they also happen to be the forms of writing most readily associated associated with women. On this episode of The BinderCast, Lux and Leigh check in with best selling author Danielle Paige about getting her start in soaps, updating The Wizard of Oz for the modern era, and why you should always end a scene with a bitch slap.

For more on Danielle, check out our show page on Bindercast.com

Join podcast rockstars Stephanie Foo (This American Life), Manoush Zomorodi (Note to Self), Ann Heppermann (The Sarah Awards), and Jenn Baker (The Minorities in Publishing Podcast) as they share tips, tricks, and strategies for succeeding in the world of podcasting. This conversation took place last November at BinderCon NYC. For more great BinderCon panels, head over to http://vimeo.com/ondemand/bindercon.

For many of us, writing is a lonely, solitary activity - so how do you make the transition to writing as a member of a team? Late Night with Seth Meyers writer and Totally Biased alum Aparna Nancherla talks about going from being a stand up comedian to a team member in a TV writers' room, and what she learned along the way.

For more on Aparna, check out our show page at bindercast.com.

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners: here's author Emily Gould reading from her book Friendship.

How do our families shape our careers? What role do mentors play in helping us get ahead? Award winning screenwriter Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married) shares how being the daughter of Hollywood royalty helped her get places that women of color don’t normally go – and how she persuaded Jonathan Demme to direct her first film.

For more on Jenny, check out our show page at bindercast.com.

Making it as a writer means dealing with a lot of rejection — and learning how to persevere through pretty tough times. Novelist and memoirist Sara Benincasa (Agorafabulous, DC Trip) opens up about how her struggles with mental illness gave her the resiliency she needed for a career in writing, and shares the best advice she ever got from Diablo Cody.

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners: here's poet Morgan Parker reading "In Search of Morgan, Season Three, Episode Twenty-Four."

How do you balance the writing you're passionate about with the work that pays your bills? Award winning poet and Little A editor Morgan Parker (Other People's Comfort Keeps Me Up at Night) shares how she finds time to write poems about Beyonce and the Real Housewives while making a living as a publishing professional.

For more on Morgan, check out our show page at bindercast.com.

A special bonus for BinderCast listeners: here’s Jillian Lauren reading a passage from her latest memoir – one that’s very relatable for just about any writer out there.

Who will give you permission to tell your story – and do you even need to ask for it? Bestselling memoirist Jillian Lauren (Some Girls, Everything You Ever Wanted) explains how writing two memoirs had an impact on her personal life, and what writers should (and shouldn't) worry about before penning a true life tale.