Throughout literature, writers have invoked their own muses, asking them for inspiration and sometimes claiming to be a conduit through which the muses were speaking. Among musophiles: Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer, Dante, Homer, Virgil, and this week's guest.

A former nightclub singer, published songwriter, and restaurateur, Rita Schiano now makes her living as a freelance writer and editor while working on novels, screenplays, and teleplays. Painting the Invisible Man, the fictionalized story of her investigation into the decades-old murder of her father, is her second novel.

Please join Rita and host Paula B. as we contemplate:

How she found her muse

How her muse helps her on a daily basis

What happens when her muse gets ornery

What a writer's obligations to her muse are

Whether she could have written her book without her muse

Whether having a muse makes her a better writer.

Paula B. contends that an author's voice should be so distinctive that his or her writing can be recognized out of context. In this episode of The Writing Show, she reads 14 examples of distinct voices and challenges you to identify them.

In episode 6 of "Getting Published, with Mark Leslie," Writing Show guest host Mick Halpin issued a challenge to Mark: "Stop messing around and start writing. If you'll write 10,000 words on A Canadian Werewolf in New York in 30 days, I'll write up a story about how I recently lost a tooth."

In episode 7, we find out whether Mark made his goal and whether Mick actually got that story written. Mark also tells us about some of his recent short story publications.

Janice Ballenger was the deputy coroner on call the day of the Amish schoolroom shooting in 2006. She is looking to publish a book about her experiences related to that incident as well as other cases throughout her career.

In episode 1 of "Getting Published, with Janice Ballenger," we introduce Janice, her book, and her goals, including:

What her book is about

What inspired her to write it now rather than wait till she's retired, as she originally intended

What her writing background is

What her long-term writing goals are

How her book will benefit readers

What happened when she sent out her first query letters

Where to look for help getting published.

We haven't focused on poetry on The Writing Show nearly as much as we should. And what better way to start than by looking at the state of poetry today. But if you think you're about to hear a lot of flowery talk, grab hold of your seat. This week's guest, unlike most of the poetry establishment, is not pleased.

Joseph S. Salemi has published poems, translations, and scholarly articles in over one hundred journals throughout the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. His four collections of poetry are Formal Complaints and Nonsense Couplets, issued by Somers Rocks Press, Masquerade from Pivot Press, and The Lilacs on Good Friday from The New Formalist Press.

Please join Joseph S. Salemi and host Paula B. as they explore:

Why he feels poetry is dying

How poetry got to this point

What types of poetry he would like to see people write

What his eight rules of thumb for writing poetry are.

You don't hear many people say, "I want to write miniseries when I grow up." Yet this week's guest, who's written several, has found great satisfaction as well as success in this oft-neglected niche.

Simon Moore is an award-winning writer and director in film, television, and theater. His works include "The Tenth Kingdom," "Traffik," "Dinotopia," and an adaptation of Gulliver's Travels.

Join Simon and host Paula B. as they discuss:

How he manages to maintain such a varied career

What the issues are in writing and producing miniseries

How he researched the drug trade for "Traffik"

Why he likes to write female lead characters

What he does when he pitches ideas

How he writes differently for UK and U.S. audiences and why (and how the difference sometimes trips him up).

In episode 5 of "Getting Published, with Mark Leslie," we heard that Mark was still taking a detour from his horror story A Canadian Werewolf in New York.

In episode 6, we find out just what Mark has been doing since July of 2007 when we last spoke with him: what happened when he pitched I, Death to an editor he met at a conference, and how the science fiction anthology he edited, North of Infinity II, has been remaindered (and tells us what remainders are and how they affect writers). He also presents parts of chapters 9 and 10 of A Canadian Werewolf, along with another insightful Mick Halpin critique.

At the end of the interview, Mark and Mick issue challenges to each other. What are they, and will the two rise to the occasion?

This is the first in a series of shows about writing dialogue. In each show, we'll start with a principle or two and then look at some examples of that principle in action. This time, we'll talk about the importance of character agenda.

Using examples from well-known writers, Writing Show host Paula B. will explore:

What dialogue is

What dialogue should do

Which three things you need to know about your characters in order to write effective dialogue

How to move your story forward through dialogue.

Want to know what makes successful films work? This week's guest has figured it out, and breaks down 50 films to show you step by step how it's done.

In this inspiring interview, screenwriter Blake Snyder and host Paula B. explore:

What "save the cat" means and why it's important for films to have "save the cat" moments

What the ten story types of most successful films are, and how Blake came up with them

What Blake's "story beats" are and how you can use them in your screenplays

Why false victories, "lemon seeds," and "buttons" are important.

The power to persuade greases the wheels of commerce. And while some people are born salesmen, the good news is that persuasion is a skill that can be learned.

This week's guest is living proof. She started out as a teacher. Now she's an award-winning copywriter and marketing consultant.

Naomi Finkel is the president and creative director of Say It With Words in Westlake Village, California. She has helped hundreds of businesses, including Costco, Mervyns, and Pepperdine University, develop successful, innovative, targeted strategies and campaigns. She is the author of How to Get Big Business Exposure on a Small Business Budget.

In this information-rich interview, Naomi reveals:

How she made the transition from teaching to business

What she does when working with a client

What a unique selling proposition (USP) is and why you need one

How to understand your target market

What special words get people's attention

What a call to action is

How to measure the effectiveness of your campaign.