Words to Write by

We're onto the second section in Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird -- The Writing Frame Of Mind -- and it's getting a bit nebulous folks. 

In Looking Around, Lamont encourages us to see, truly see, the world. That sounds like mindfulness training to Kim, it sounds like something else to Renee. And then it's onto The Moral Point of View which brings out an even more heated discussion. In the end, we're not sure if we learned anything, but we definitely got some stuff out of systems.

On a practical useful note, we have a great interview with editor Kristen Tate about how developmental editing can be used to save a novel, with some excellent advice about how she does this with her clients.

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

Even published authors have problems getting the magical stories in their heads into finished manuscript. But Anne Lamott’s account of how, over the course of three years, she completely rewrote what would be her second novel several times, probably deserves a prize for perseverance (or stubbornness). In this podcast we discuss what was wrong with each of those drafts and the techniques she used to fix them. We even try her idea of writing a plot treatment for our own chapters. 

 Also in this episode, we have an interview with Catherina Hill about how she researched a largely forgotten dark moment of American history that personally affected her family and how she used research for her historical-fiction novel. 

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

We’re covering two different topics from Ann Lamott’s book Bird by Bird. First off is scene setting, both their importance for your characters and how to get all the details right (quick answer, ask an expert) Then we’re back to finding out what your story is about, how to return to a scene or chapter again and again (and again) until you can finally say, “Yes, that is how it needs to be written.”

Also, following up on last week’s episode about character verses plot driven stories, we talk to three genre writers about their approach. 

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

We’ve gotten to some hearty chapters in Anne Lamott’s book Bird by Bird. First up is plot, which “grows out of characters.” We discuss what this means and if it’s applicable to genre writing. Then we turn to dialog, and how you distill intent from the rambling conversation of what people say while maintaining their unique voice.

 Putting our writing chops to the test, Renee took a hilarious 3000 word monolog by the Afternoona Delightpodcast ladies and condensed it down to 600. Definitely worth a listen before you go hiking to the top of Mt Washington.

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

So you’ve committed to Anne Lamott’s daily writing practice (as discussed in our previous podcast), good for you. Now let’s find out how to turn those embarrassing word scribbles into profound and meaningful insights.

 In this episode we start with the Bird by Bird chapters, School Lunches and Polaroids, which, trust us, are about that transformative process. Then it’s onto the Character chapter where we talk about giving the people in your novel their own emotional acre.

 Also in the podcast, we interview three authors, Delta Jones, Richard Risemberg, and MJ Brunnabend on how they draft their novels.

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

How does one write an entire novel? It’s a bit like the advice for eating an elephant, one bite at a time. In this episode we cover Anne Lamott’s novel biting tips from her book, Bird by Bird. First comes her 1-inch picture frame technique, then her most famous suggestion, shitty first drafts. Finally, we tackle the anti-writing mindset, perfectionism. 

 Also on the podcast, we interview literary agent and podcaster, Erik Hane, about the fantasies and realities of publishing one’s first novel.

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

It’s time for a new season and it’s time for a new book! We’re starting Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. This is the writing process book that everyone has heard of, and, given that it’s funny and self-deprecating, it’s probably one most people have read. We’re looking forward to mining it for writing tips and seeing following them increases our own literary output.

 We start with discussing the tone and style of the book, and why it’s different than the other writing advice books we’ve covered. Next, we examine Lamott’s take on writing verses publishing and dig into our own publishing fantasy. Finally, while Lamott doesn’t subscribe to the bullet point approach, she does cover the process of writing, how to set a schedule to get words down every day and how to use your neuroses for good. All great fodder for conversations.

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

Think ChatGPT can finish your creative writing exercises? Let’s find out!

In this episode we’re testing the cutting-edge artificial intelligence on some old school writing prompts. We dug out our copies of John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction and typed in two of the back-of-the-book exercises. Faster than you could say “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” out came … words. Listen to us workshop those word, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Then, having proved we’re still at bit away from having an AI write our novels, we returned to  Scene and Structure and our own literary self-improvement. In the final chapters of the Jack Bickham’s book, we learn the secrets to ending chapters and take a dive deep into how a full novel is structured (especially that boggy middle).

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

We’re on our penultimate episode for our reading of Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure. So, what does the bullet point Meister have to squeeze into an end of a book that 90% of its readers will probably never get to?

Well, first we give ourselves a little pep talk and then we see if we can make sense of all of these specialized scene situations. And, dear listener, there are a lot of them: interrupted scenes and sequels, non-viewpoint character scenes, flashback scenes, scenes with all-dialog, or all-action or unseen opponents or multiple agendas. 

After all that high level specialization, we stepped back and take stock of the eminently practical lessons that we’ve learned from reading Bickham. Also in this episode we interview authors Val Neil, Lee Clark, and Nick Chiarkas about how they keep their readers engaged in their novels. 

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

Every composition teacher will draw out a rising action graph on the board (yes, we're old school). But how do you  translate that diagram into the sentences and paragraphs that keep your readers engaged in your story?

In his book, Scene and Structure, Jack Bickham says to do it through structure (because of course he does), and gives seven different plot structures. Yes, dear listeners, we're going through all of them, and, unlike Bickham, we give examples. 

Next we try to make sense of what is "backstory" and "hidden story" in a novel (or movie). And what about subplots? Everyone loves a good subplot, and we go over some tips on how to make them work in your novel. 

But first up in the podcast, video game narratives! Find out what goes into the game that keeps you glued to the screen. We interview three professional in the gaming industry on their approach to pacing.

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