In this podcast we give our first impressions of our new book, Jack Bickham's Scene and Structure, and, being the enthusiast students that we are, we begin by identifying his central thesis. Then it's onto Chapter 2, where we answer some novice novelist questions and discuss Bickham's approach to a story's first page. To further our understanding, Kim "Bickhamizes" the beginning of her new fantasy novel.

As a bonus, Renee has a special message for any former Border employees who worked the late-night Harry Potter release parties back in the 90's.

And if you're looking for more details on starting you book, check out our extensive show notes.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

In this episode we bid a fond farewell to Bradbury with one last conversation about his book, Zen in the Art of Writing. We discuss what's in the book, what it meant for us personally, and how readers can get the most out of this writing craft book. We send off Bradbury with our favorite Zen quotes.

And then it's on to Jack Bickham's Scene and Structure. Renee gives a bit of context about the book and Kim interview Kristen Tate, an editor who reviewed the book on her website, The Blue Garett.

Looking for more, check out the show notes.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

In this episode we dive into the final chapter of Ray Bradbury's Zen in the Art of Writing, titled: Zen in the Art of Writing. So what is Zen, anyway? With the help of the internet, we come up with some context.

Then it's on to Bradbury's three critical words to writer success:
WORK
RELAXATION
DON'T THINK
(okay, that's four words)

We do our best to figure out what Bradbury meant and what those concepts could mean for our own writing. As a bonus, Renee reveals the not-so-secret way of getting an A in her creative writing classes.

Check out our show notes!

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

In todays episode, Bradbury tells us how loathing Ireland pushed him to becoming a playwright/screenwriter,  why these absurdest plays are no good, and the secret to successfully turning his short stories into film.

Full disclosure, Renee and Kim pretty much disagree with these two chapters in Zen in the Art of Writing, and they have no clue what "Shooting Haiku in a Barrel means. But disagreements make for good podcasts. And if you're into film analysis, this is the episode for you.

Want to learn more, check out our show notes.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

No one succeeds all by themselves, and that includes Ray Bradbury.  In his book Zen in the Art of Writing, he credits several individual who were critical to his literary success. In this episode we examine the roles these people took on and speculate how they might fit into our modern social-media driven world.

Then we have some fun with the chapter where Bradbury marvels that science fiction is now being taught in the classroom - Would you have ever imagined?? As people who read Fahrenheit 451 in high school English, why yes, yes we can. We transition Bradbury's observations into the present with a discussion of the use of comic books and video games in modern education before speculating what next  Entertainment  will rise up to the status of an Artform.

Want to learn more - check out our show notes.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

According to Bradbury’s retelling, it took him nine days, a library typewriter, and a pocketful of dimes to crank out his first version of Fahrenheit 451. Is such a feat possible in today’s distracting world? We decide to give it a try (or at least one day of a try) and report on the results it in this episode. If you want a play by play of the day, check out our bonus podcast on Patreon. 

In another chapter of his writing craft book, Zen in the Art of Writing, Bradbury recounts how he mined his childhood memories to write his book Dandelion Wine. As a memoirist, Renee  shares how she digs deep into her younger self’s recollections, which aren’t quite as idyllic. 

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Oh Muse, well-spring of creativity, why are you so unreliable? How can we entice you?

In this episode, we discuss what the muse is and get some advice on nurturing and strengthening our own  from Ray Bradbury's book Zen in the Art of Writing. We also discuss Bradbury's journey to becoming a writer and how it compares to our own. Finally, we put all that muse-wisdom into practice as we develop a daily "Reading Menu."

Want to get bonus episodes? Visit our Patreon site: Words to Write by Podcast

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Ray Bradbury shares his secrets for how he wrote so many unforgettable short stories in the first two chapters of his craft book, Zen in the Art of Writing. In today’s episode we discuss his strategy to be engaged in both the ideas and the process of writing. We also unpack his technique to mine his subconscious for story ideas (and explain why so many of Bradbury’s titles were simple nouns.) 

We invite you to join us as we dive into this phenomenal craft book.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Thinking of reading The Art of Fiction, "Young Writer?" Listen to this podcast first.

Despite dying in a motorcycle crash in 1982, John Gardner achieved immortality (at least in the writing community) with the posthumous publication of The Art of Fiction, Notes on Craft for Young Writers. We've been studying and discussing this much recommended book over the past nine months (not full time, we aren't crazy) and we have ... opinions.

And stay for the preview for the next book on our shelf, Ray Bradbury's Zen and the Art of Writing. Both books have "art" in the title, but they couldn't be further apart on the writing advice spectrum.  Don't take our word for it, we have an interview with Ray Bradbury scholar, Phil Nicols who hosts the Bradbury 100 Podcast.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Wow! We've gotten to the final chapter of John Gardner's book, The Art of Fiction and it's all about plotting your short story, or novella, or novel (there are, apparently differences). We also learn some fancy plot vocabulary. Oh, and the stripper? Her name is Fanny, and her story is the example that Gardner uses to explain how to devise a plot. Our guess is that most readers don't make it to Fanny, but trust us, she's totally worth it.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.