By Paula B
Information and Inspiration for Writers
Mark has set a deadline for finishing A Canadian Werewolf in New York!
The Writing Show;apos;s very own Mark Leslie interviews science fiction writer extraordinaire, Robert J. Sawyer.
This week's guest is 21 years old and just published his third novel, ARSON. Find out what makes this extraordinary young writer tick.
Mark returns to The Writing Show after nearly two years!
Welcome to our third slush pile workshop! This time we cover two novels and a personal essay.
Welcome to our second slush pile workshop! This time we cover two novels and a nonfiction short story.
Want to get published? This week's guest has some advice for you. If you're serious, you'll listen.
Has the misery memoir run its course? Melissa Hart's Gringa is so much fun that it might just be the harbinger of a new trend: the comic memoir.
Flash fiction is hot! Michael Wilson, a longtime flash fiction devotee, offers a primer on the art.
Jon Harnum is one of those rare writers who makes money by giving away his books for free. Find out how he does it.
Paula B. announces our new series and asks for your participation.
Writing humor is harder than it looks. Funny guy Brad Schreiber discusses what makes us laugh and what to look out for when writing comedy.
Want to make your writing come alive? Infuse it with detail.
This is our review of Free: The Future of a Radical Price by Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired.
"Three young men are visited by ghosts of Halloween past." Rated PG for subject matter (drinking, ghosts).
"A sniper mistakenly kills two boys in Iraq and their ghosts seek revenge." Rated PG for language, violence, and gore.
Memoir has become hugely popular in the last few years. In this episode of The Writing Show, guest host Alanna Klapp and author Deanna R. Adams explore some of the issues involved in this most personal form of writing.
Brigitte A. Thompson discusses how writers who pay taxes in the U.S. can organize their financial lives and perhaps save money in the process.
In this rather unusual episode of The Writing Show, classics scholar Aaron Horton discusses the most influential of the ancient Greek novels: Aethiopica by Heliodorus, which influenced Shakespeare and Cervantes, among others.
Screenwriting guru Blake Snyder died on August 4th. This is our tribute to him.
Please join us as Matt talks about writing graphic novels and his cross-genre story that combines werewolves and the American west.
David Rothman is one of the world's foremost authorities on ebooks. Please join us as he discusses issues of importance to authors, publishers, and consumers.
Writing Show guest host Alanna Klapp discusses writing fiction with author Thrity Umrigar.
David Rothman investigated corruption in the U.S. government 30 years ago, but it took that long for his fictionalized version of events and people to be published. Please join us as David explains how and why he translated fact into...
Technical writer/podcaster Alistair Christie describes what it's like to be a technical writer: what tech writers do, who's best suited to be one, what you need to know, and how to get into the field.
Writing Show host Paula B. explains how to write when you don't have time. Then listener Dharma Kelleher reviews the iPhone/iTouch app WordTwiddle.
In this commentary, Blake explains that there are only two types of heroes.
Highly experienced editor Cynthia Clampett discusses her five rules for writing nonfiction and offers up some amazing horror stories of writers gone wrong.
Please welcome our new guest host, Alanna Klapp, as she discusses writing fiction with author John Derhak.
In this commentary, Blake has fun!
"Naomi and her best friend just turned 14. Now the friend is pregnant and Naomi is pissed. Pregnancy changes everything. It was definitely not part of the plans."
"Some divine messages come from upon high, while some come from the East End."
In this commentary, Blake explains how to end your movie.
How do you write a historical novel about a person so shadowy that almost nothing is known about her? Please join Christine Blake and host Paula B. as they discuss: How we know what we do about Mary Magdalene Which sources...
Writers' conferences can be expensive. Are they worth it? Get the lowdown from an agent and two veteran conference attendees. Please join agent Kristin Nelson, writers Frances Julia Kemp and Del Landis, and host Paula B. as they tour the...
Find out what our 2008 first-prize winner is all about. Please join Linda Simoni-Wastila and host Paula B. as they explore: Where her story came from What it was like to write in the voice of a 19-year-old boy How she...
In this commentary, Blake explains how you can sneak exposition into your script and entertain viewers at the same time.
One of the most common questions writers ask is how to query agents and publishers. Here's one editor's take. Please join Jennifer Silva Redmond and host Paula B. as they reveal what editors are really thinking, including: How to select...
Novelist Susan Choi likes prickly, difficult characters. In this fascinating interview, she explains why. Please join Susan Choi and host Paula B. as they discuss: Whether protagonists need to be likeable Whether protagonists of advanced years are rare in literature Why...
"In the stillness of the night it spoke to them."
"An innocent wasp sting leads to a monumental discovery, that aliens are invading the earth, and nobody anywhere knows how they can be stopped"
"Eternity is a heck of a long time. With the right soundtrack, it can feel even longer."
"The afterlife is pleasant and peaceful until they arrive. Haunting will never be the same again."
"Monsters! On the bloody banks of the Thames! Who would have ever believed? Certainly not Gavin sitting in his lounge room in Sydney, half a world away. Even his friend Tom was struggling. But there they were, right in front...
Mick Halpin returns with another great Irish crime fiction author interview! Please join guest host Mick Halpin and Declan Burke as they explore: Why Declan turned to writing crime fiction How Irish crime fiction differs from that of other countries...
If you've ever become discouraged about how hard it is to get published, you must listen to this show. Please join Maralys Wills and host Paula B. as they discuss: How she's ended up working in so many genres How jumping around...
In this episode, Mark talks a little about his recent fiction and non-fiction sales and a lot about the Espresso Book Machine he's getting for his bookstore.
With this podcast, we begin a series of commentaries by screenwriter Blake Snyder. This time, Blake explains why theme in a movie is important and how to work with it.