By Marissa Meyer
Writer's Block? Rejection? Impostor Syndrome? Writing is full of ups and downs, but we can still find plenty of joy on this creative journey! Bestselling author Marissa Meyer interviews writers and
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The podcast currently has 217 episodes available.
Marissa chats with Alyssa Colman about her Gilded Magic middle grade fantasy duology and her upcoming WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW in this jam-packed middle grade focused episode. Also discussed: the hallmarks of middle grade (themes, tone, voice), word counts, heavy and difficult themes in middle grade books, voice, humor, creating sympathetic characters, how middle grade characters defeat their villains, magic systems, standing out in a crowded market, and so much more!
Jennifer Laughran’s post about word counts: https://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/05/wordcount-dracula.html
Lisa Cron’s Story Genius: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781607748892
Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9780399579745
Dan Wells on Story Structure: https://youtu.be/KcmiqQ9NpPE?si=jVamtqLH3YPFYBub
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa and Joanne get together to tape this special episode (less than 24 hours after they met in person for the very first time!) as they embark on their LET IT GLOW tour! They answer listener-submitted questions on topics like their origin stories, the origin story for LET IT GLOW, writing fanfiction, the inside story on their collaboration, what they love about the characters, their favorite scenes and what they loved best about the process, how they started working together, a couple favorite holiday reads, and so much more.
For Lunar Chronicles and Renegades questions see Episode 200: Marissa’s AMA episode: https://www.buzzsprout.com/950767/episodes/15212600-ask-me-anything-marissa-meyer-talks-writing-books-life-and-more-for-our-200th-episode-celebration
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781952119613
How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9780394800790
The LET IT GLOW playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0putR6JHGHk0dcLwmEutqu
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Jill Tew about her debut dystopian romance, THE DIVIDING SKY. Also discussed in this episode: making the transition from the corporate world to writing sci-fi inspired by the corporate world, sci-fi worldbuilding, sci-fi as a cautionary tale (“if this goes on”), plotting out romance to make it feel organic, the irony of promoting a book about taking time and not getting caught up in social media—on social media, Jill’s Afronauts podcast, and so much more!
The Afronauts Podcast: https://www.afronautspod.com/
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Hari Conner about their queer regency graphic novel rom-com, I SHALL NEVER FALL IN LOVE. Also discussed in this episode: a non-typical (is there such a thing as typical?) road to finding an agent, mining real world history and Jane Austen texts for influences, using comics to make historical stories feel relatable, historical research for both text and illustration, the process of drafting a graphic novel, being the mastermind behind creating game books, and more!
Note: The release date for this book has been pushed back to 11/19.
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Amanda M. Helander about her debut romantasy, DIVINE MORTALS. Also discussed in this episode: how keeping diaries can be a first step in a writing career, publishing timelines and how there’s no such thing as typical, the frustration of fitting books into age categories and writing books in their margins, worldbuilding, planning for a duology, mining breadcrumbs from book one to create threads in book two, embracing limitations in characters, writing to make yourself happy, and so much more!
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgOrder The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Sabaa Tahir about the first book in her new YA fantasy duology, HEIR. Also discussed in this episode: Yosemite National Park, using the GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) technique, how the final, typeset draft can be a place where momentum requires deeper revisions (much to publishers’ chagrin), adding unexpected twists midway through a book to surprise the reader, the power of self-bribery, using our world to influence world-building and so much more!
Yosemite National Park: https://www.nps.gov/yose/index.htm
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgOrder The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with A. R. Vishny about her debut paranormal YA romance, NIGHT OWLS. Also discussed in this episode: the popularity of getting started with fanfiction, how much timing can matter in the submission process, the recent trend (again!) of vampires, the inherent challenges of writing vampire romance, the importance of knowing a character’s bagel order, creating a strong sense of place using real locations for inspiration, and so much more!
Cinder winery: https://cinderwines.com/
Village East by Angelika: https://angelikafilmcenter.com/villageeast
Sleep No More https://mckittrickhotel.com/events/sleep-no-more/
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgOrder The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
In this bonus craft episode, Marissa shares her steps and processes for revisions. Hint: they begin in the drafting process! Also discussed: celebrating milestones and accomplishments, the importance of letting a project simmer, how to know when to jump back in, making a plan to tackle revisions and the different methods, how many rounds of revisions are typical, things to watch for in each pass, crutch words and how to get rid of them, and so much more!
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgOrder The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Tigest Girma about her debut, a YA romantic vampire novel, IMMORTAL DARK. Also discussed in this episode: struggling with the young adult/new adult/adult labels, making the change to age down a book and characters and what that entails, writing morally gray characters, crafting an extreme enemies to lovers romantic storyline, creating a found family ensemble, planning subsequent books in a trilogy (second book syndrome is a thing!), and more!
Bonus: a new book announcement from Marissa!
We Could Be Magic - https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250379399
Joelle Murray: https://joellemurrayart.com/
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.orgOrder The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
Marissa chats with Adalyn Grace about WISTERIA, the conclusion to her Belladonna trilogy. Also discussed in this episode: the love of and uses for Pinterest, the phenomenon of finishing a book and forgetting having written it, writing a series with differing POVs, the rare book that’s “easy” to write, turning concepts into characters, favorite tropes, lush worldbuilding, and so much more. Bonus: A new book announcement!
Neopets: https://www.neopets.com/
MW definition of reify: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reify
MW Word of the Day: https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-of-the-day
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
The podcast currently has 217 episodes available.
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