For author and educator Dr. Darla Calvet, writing her story required defying death. Twice.

Enjoy this brief teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene.

In over two years of The Written Scene podcast, we've heard about the various paths writers take to becoming an author. If there's one thing you can count on, it's that there is no one single way to becoming an author. Once again, author and law professor Justin Brooks provides further proof.

In this episode, Justin discusses the grind of non-fiction, bias as a writer that can ruin the story you write, how the internet has made fiction more accurate, finding a balance between description and movement, why reading modern writers is important if you want to be a modern writer, the terrible cycle of illiteracy among kids of incarcerated people, adjusting and evolving character while writing the story, being a pantser as both a writer and a student, why the actor Greg Kinnear followed him around the law school where he taught, writing and selling a movie script, and much more.

You Might Go to Prison, Even Though You're Innocent (Univ. of California Press, 2023)

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Music: Addis Ababa

Weekends are meant for your true love: writing fiction.

Enjoy this brief teaser of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with author and law professor Justin Brooks, and be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share this and all episodes of The Written Scene.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Before we dive in, just a quick note. This episode of The Written Scene marks two years of the podcast. It has been a fantastic hell of a journey so far. No matter how long you've been listening, whether from the beginning or if this is your first time, thank you so much. Expect more good things to come. Ok, now on with the show notes.

Many writers have a love of writing and storytelling that resides deep inside them and they struggle to ignore it. For author Dennis K. Crosby, it was something he, like those other writers, would eventually find hard to ignore.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Dennis discusses writing for both ourselves and our audience, how television in his childhood shaped his love of storytelling and world building, writing poetry while working cases as a private investigator, getting cranky when you haven't written anything for a little while but still remaining patient, why a good facilitator is important in a writer's group with writers in different genres, the joy of writing in the urban fantasy genre, when to use pen names, how romance is used in a story for storytelling purposes vs. writing romance stories, ensuring the hook in a story is properly placed, being open to critiques, making sure awards are a only nice byproduct and not your reason for writing, and so much more.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

All the ideas, all the books, all the reason to keep writing and reading. We'll get to them eventually.

Enjoy this brief teaser with author Dennis K. Crosby ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Author G.J. Berger has had a love of good storytelling since he was a child. Over the years, this has driven him to not only tell his own stories but also on constant lookout for the best story.

In this episode of The Written Scene, G.J. discusses using pen names, how we once were able to find time to read because of a lack of modern distractions, using the mind behind our mind to write instead of mimicking other writers, why readers rule, the effectiveness (and stress) of reading his writing out loud to people, how word of mouth is a great ad for your book, avoiding imposter syndrome and maintaining good mental health as a writer, the ways to offer an honest review without crushing someone, and much more.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

According to author G.J. Berger, readers reading your writing will tell you more about how to write effectively than you reading everything you can get your hands on.

Enjoy this brief teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with G.J. Please be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share this and all other episodes of The Written Scene.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

There are many reasons Holly Kammier, author and co-founder of Acorn Publishing, enjoys books. One of them is because of that crinkly plastic wrapping they put on the covers of books at libraries. So good.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Holly discusses what makes a good manuscript, what a hybrid publisher looks like, the books she read as a kid (for better or worse), making the want vs. should career decisions, why memoirs are her favorite genre, a little love (and hate) for John Mayer, using art and writing itself to conquer imposter syndrome, the get-to-the-good-part mentality when editing, dreams of a world where readers are reading books written by writers, and much more.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Publisher and writer Holly Kammier was introduced to books by both of her parents- for better or worse- at a very young age.

Please enjoy this brief teaser of The Written Scene with Holly before next week's full episode. If you do enjoy it (and we're pretty sure you will), please be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share this and all episodes of the podcast.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

For publisher and poet Adam Stutz, writing doesn't come easy. And while he doesn't expect it to, he also wouldn't want it any other way.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Adam (the guest, not the host) discusses the lifespans and handoffs of poetry readings, how the LA scene is different than the SD scene, the creative ways of publishing and sharing poetry, why it's difficult to get paid as a poet, his introduction to poetry via The Simpsons, how starting Broken Lens Journal became his poor man's MFA, why reading is essential for a writer, the joy of editing, the effectiveness of short and punchy writing, and so much more.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era