The Writing Show 2006 Archives

Announcing The Writing Show's first ever contest! This podcast will explain what the contest is about (we're looking for the best first chapter of an unpublished novel) and how to submit. We look forward to receiving your entry.

As long as writers have been putting ideas into words, there have been people trying to keep those words from being heard. Whether it's religion, politics, sex, or some other issue, the history of writing is full of books that have been banned, and those that people have tried to squelch. How do issues of censorship and intellectual freedom affect writers and publishers today? Join librarians Betsie Bush and Annie Coleman and host Paula B. as they explore the forbidden.

Betsie Bush has been working in libraries in many capacities for almost 20 years,including shelving and processing books as a teenager, circulation and book restoration as a graduate student, and professionally as a catalog and reference librarian. Currently she supports libraries across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as catalog librarian and trainer for the Superiorland Library Cooperative. In addition to providing library catalog maintenance and training to library staff in the region, she coordinates the Upper Peninsula Regional Digitization Center, a branch of the state's online digital history collection. Betsie earned her Master of Science in Information (formerly Library and Information Science) from the University of Michigan in 1999.

Annie Coleman is a part-time library clerk and a part-time graduate student working towards her masters degree in library science. Annie works in a small public library in the suburbs of St. Louis and hopes to be able to call herself a certified librarian in about a year. When she is not working or doing homework, Annie volunteers for LibriVox.org, maintains her Web site at www.anniecoleman.com, and records a podcast of free audiobooks. Her first audiobook was Pride and Prejudice and she is now working on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.

In this lively discussion, Betsie and Annie hold forth on:

* What intellectual freedom is

* Why librarians are so passionate about intellectual freedom

* Where the limits of intellectual freedom reside

* What sorts of materials tend to be challenged by library users

* What happens when someone wants a book removed from a library

* How the issue of censorship affects authors and publishers

* Which books have been banned over the years.

Writing for technical and trade publications can confer benefits above and beyond simple payment. Believe it or not, Writing Show host Paula B. started her writing career that way. What's involved in this kind of writing, and how can you get started? The answers come from three publishing experts at an information technology association, NaSPA, the Network and Systems Professionals Association.

Denise Rockhill has more than ten years' experience in niche publication marketing, advertising sales, editorial acquisition, and publishing.

Jenny Kasza began her tenure with NaSPA as editor of Technical Support magazine and is currently involved with that and other technical magazines.

Rachael Zimmermann edits Network Support magazine. Both she and Jenny work closely with writers to acquire editorial content for their specific publication. They also shape editorial direction, perform copy editing, and manage production. They work with advisory review boards to determine the quality of incoming articles and guide writers through the writing process.

Join Denise, Jenny, Rachael, and host Paula B. as they explore how to write for technical and trade publications, including:

* How they find writers for their publications

* What they look for in their writers

* How writers can benefit from being published in technical and trade magazines

* What the writing and editing process entails

* How long the production process usually takes

* What sorts of unrealistic expectations some writers have

* How to write a great how-to article.

There are a few rough spots in the audio on this podcast, but 99% of it is in great shape!

In 2003, Paula Berinstein and her husband did a really stupid thing: they started an online bookstore. In 2004, humiliated and a great deal poorer (but wiser), they closed it.

In episode 5 of "How Not to Run an Online Bookstore," Paula talks about what it took to get books to customers and what it was like to work with the inscrutable U.S. Post Office, including:

* Why books are so difficult to pack and ship

* How we solved the packing challenge

* How we schlepped a lot of stuff to the post office more or less elegantly

* How to avoid waiting in line at the post office

* Why we chose to use the U.S. Postal Service despite its drawbacks

* How Postal Service practices and behavior baffled us

* What media mail is and why media it isn't as attractive an alternative as it might appear.

Join Paula for this multi-part series that will be aired a little at a time. And for heaven's sake, don't do what she did!

This week, three writers get together to compare notes on how they approach their work. You may recognize yourself here, or you may be completely surprised. Whatever you think, you can't help concluding that writers are as varied as can be.

Denny Sayers is a professor of education at California State University-Stanislaus. He writes books for teachers that focus on technology, learning languages, and teaching students how to read and write. Brave New Schools (1997, St. Martin's Press) which he wrote with Jim Cummins is still in print, which is rare for a book on the Internet and global learning networks. His new book from Allyn and Bacon Literacy, Diversity and Technology, written with two co-authors, comes out in June.

Basil Munroe Godevenos is a blossoming writer. He's the author of Disjoint, a book of short fiction and poetry, he manages an online forum for writers, and he's an occasional blogger. Basil is currently working on a novel, a screenplay, and a comic book.

Robert Garrison from Seattle, Washington is an unpublished writer of short fiction and non-fiction and poetry, a technical writer for engineering computer programs and a legal writer of motions and other court documents. He has traveled the world extensively, is a mountain climber and climbing instructor, and a semi-regular blogger at Climber53.com.

Join Robert, Basil, Denny, and host Paula B. for a free-ranging discussion of how we write, including:

* How they get their ideas out of their heads and into written form and why they work that way (you may be surprised at some of the rituals they practice)

* What types of writing software they use

* What you can do to make sure your work never gets lost or destroyed (and how they learned the hard way)

* How they edit their work (and why they sometimes have to play tricks on themselves in the doing of it)

* How you can circumvent printer troubles (at least some of the time)

* How to get hard copy manuscripts across the country without having to print, pack, and ship them yourself

* How they motivate themselves

* Why they write.

This week, we visit with screenwriter Josann McGibbon Temkin, co-writer of the Richard Gere-Julia Roberts hit "Runaway Bride," who reveals what it's really like to write movies, work with a partner, and have your script produced by some of Hollywood's biggest names.

The writing team of Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott is best known for "Runaway Bride" with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. More recently, the two have been working on the highly anticipated animated movie event "Rapunzel Unbraided" for Walt Disney Animation. They have also worked on the upcoming "Chicken Little" for Disney and "Frankenweenie" for Tim Burton, and they wrote the story for "Three Men and a Little Lady."

Join us for this fascinating interview as Josann discusses:

* What it's like to work with a writing partner

* How she approaches the writing of romantic comedy

* Where the story should begin

* Where she gets story ideas

* How she works on her characters

* Why second acts are so difficult

* How to collaborate effectively

* What it was like to work on "Runaway Bride."

John MacKenna has done practically every kind of writing: novels, short stories, newspaper articles, ads, biographies, histories, documentaries. And yet he admits that after all these years, he makes only half a living from writing. If it's so difficult to support oneself by writing, what's a writer to do?

Join guest host Mick Halpin and John MacKenna as they explore the writer's life and conclude that in spite of the difficulties, it is a wonderful life indeed. In this fascinating interview, John talks about:

* What types of jobs he thinks writers should try to get, and why

* How experiencing life in all its varieties can enhance your writing, even if it feels like you're wasting time when you're not writing

* How doing different kinds of writing can enrich your work

* How deadlines can help a writer

* Why bestselling writers deserve our thanks as well as our admiration

* Why you need to write even if you haven't been struck by brilliance

* Why all writing is autobiographical

Melanie Solomon is the author of AA-Not the Only Way; Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives. She battled a ten year addiction and was unsuccessful in her attempts to recover through traditional 12-step programs. She finally gained control of her cravings and her life after a near-death experience led her to the conclusion that Alcoholics Anonymous could not be the only way. Her research into alternative methods of treating addiction led her to writing and self-publishing her book, which has since been picked up by a publisher.

Solomon teaches at the Huntington Beach School District Drug and Alcohol Program.

In this candid interview, Melanie explains:

* How writing her book changed her life

* How the book has generated controversy

* How she has been handling the controversy

* How her self-published book was picked up by a publisher

* How she's been marketing the book non-stop

* How, when she decided to do a book, she did everything in the wrong order

* How she keeps going even when she's overwhelmed with work and attacked by critics.

We promised you a surprise announcement from one of our most popular guests, and it's finally here! Nick Wilson of Performancing.com announces a new metrics app for blogs and Web sites. It's free, and it's cool! You can use it to measure traffic, find out what your visitors are looking for, and more.

Join us as Nick discusses:

* What Performancing Metrics does

* How to get the most out of the app

* How the app differs from other metrics programs out there

* Why Performancing is releasing this free tool

* Why you shouldn't worry about search engine optimization

* How to get the app and the accompanying API

* Why you should never leave your tea within reach of the cat

It's no secret that authors and publishers don't always get along as well as they might. What are the issues that separate them, and how can they work together more effectively? This week, an author and a publisher who do get along reveal why and discuss the misconceptions that so often lead to conflict.

Madge Walls' first novel, Paying the Price, was released in October 2005. Her Hawaii Real Estate Exam Book: A Study Guide to the State Section of the Hawaii Real Estate Exam is in its 8th edition. She lives in Colorado Springs, where she is employed by a builder and is at work on her second novel.

Sue Lutz Hamilton founded Dialogue Publishing, Inc. in July, 2004. The company's mission is to provide new authors an outlet to get superb mainstream fiction and niche non-fiction work in print and to conduct writers' workshops using the Amherst Writers and Artists method. Sue worked in the newspaper business for 15 years and radio for seven years before she started the company. Dialogue has published two fiction titles.

In this unusual interview, Madge and Sue candidly discuss:

* What kinds of misconceptions publishers encounter and how they hurt both parties

* How the economics of publishing affect author-publisher relations

* How the economics of publishing differ for small and large publishers

* How working together has surprised them

* How they've split up marketing responsibilities

* How Sue chooses the authors she works with

* What Madge did that finally got her book published.