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Write Through The Roof | For writers who want to improve their writing
By Madeleine D'Este | interviewing writers and authors about their writing craftSociety & CultureEducationArtsBooks
Write Through The Roof | For writers who want to improve their writing episodes
- #26 – Burhan Wazir – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 26 with Burhan Wazir – award winning journalist & editor“Why is this happening? And why now?”
Episode 26 – Burhan Wazir – Show Notes- Career progression from reporter to editor and back to writing
- Morning person and productivity
- Proper Scottish writing fuel
- Middle East, immigration, Brexit
- The personal in journalism; adding yourself into the story
- Constant refining: 20% writing and 80% rewriting
- Reading other good writers: William Finnegan’s Cold New World
- More historical context; the world has always been complex
- History of British mosques and the Rotimatic
- WikiTribune model: news stories as living documents
- Madeleine’s tip – strange writing rituals
“20% writing and 80% rewriting.”
Links
- Burhan Wazir
- The Rotimatic
- The Weird World of Writer Superstitions
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33 min - #25 – Stephen Volk – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 25 with Stephen Volk – horror screenwriter & author“If you can’t write a good scene, write a bad one.”
Episode 25 – Stephen Volk – Show Notes- Mixing up different lengths and mediums helps storytelling
- Surrounding writing space with ‘friends’
- Alcohol is a truth killer
- Clash between belief and rationalism, fear of the unknown, how finding out about your past affects your future
- Exploring horror, asking why are we attracted to the genre and exploring through story
- Cool down, don’t rush and go back to it
- Keeping your story secret or testing it?
- Patrick McGrath, Stephen Gallagher, Taylor Sheridan, Liam Gavin, Yiorgos Lanthimos, Damon Lindelof, Tom Perrotta
- Exploring repercussions of crime and criminals rather than solving a crime
- The Dark Masters trilogy; Whitstable with Peter Cushing, Leytonstone with Alfred Hitchcock and a new story with secret true life character.
- With a long project you can lose impetus if you take a break
- Madeleine’s tip – battling the mushy middle
“After 30 years, it’s still hard to look at a blank page.”
“Don’t start the day with a problem hanging over you.”
Links- Stephen Volk on Twitter
- stephenvolk.net
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35 min - #24 – Sione Aeschliman – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 24 with Sione Aeschliman – editor, writer & writing coach“Approaching both praise & constructive criticism with curiosity”
Episode 24 – Sione Aeschliman – Show Notes- Pantsing short stories but plotting novels
- Defining Prose poetry
- The Beverage Triangle
- Key theme – being your true self without shame
- Attitude towards feedback both positive and negative
- Learning about reader’s expectations and ask questions
- Giving editing clients at least a week to process their feelings
- Editing improves ability to read critically. Making notes as you read and going back to analyse why you reacted this way.
- Learning about structure and storytelling. Working on beginnings
- Margaret Attwood, Ursula le Guin, Alexander Weinstein, James Tate, Russell Edson
- #RevPit: annual Twitter contest focused on editing and learning. Starts April 21st 2018
- Working on four or five projects at the same time, including historical pirate romance novel and an ebook on structure, plot points and pacing.
- Madeleine’s tip – Grief and change
“It’s hard to know what you’re going to write until you’ve written it.”
“We all need an outlet for our angst.”
Links
- Sione on Twitter
- Write Learn Dream
- DIY MFA
- #RevPit
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32 min - #23 – Dean Mayes – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 23 with Dean Mayes – romance, family saga & thriller writer“Cherrypick techniques but develop your own style and process.”
Episode 23 – Dean Mayes – Show Notes- Balance between structure and disappearing down rabbit holes
- Writing story notes by his patient’s bedside
- Writing romance in Star Wars pajamas
- Spending a lot of constructing characters and people watching, women and men and their responses to challenges
- Understanding the Aboriginal experience
- Process of outlining with Scrivener
- Using pencil to get away from plastic
- Molly Ringle, Simon Winchester
- A world exclusive!
- Madeleine’s tip – Reading Critically
“Outlining has been a positive tool to improve my writing.”
“A love letter to the two towns I’ve lived in.”
Links- Dean from Australia
- Dean on Twitter
- Scrivener
- Molly Ringle on Write Through The Roof
- How to Read Critically and Become a Better Author
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36 min - #22 – Kaaron Warren – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 22 with Kaaron Warren – acclaimed horror, sci-fi & dark fantasy writer“Trusting yourself. You don’t have to write like other people.”
Episode 22 – Kaaron Warren – Show Notes- The power of novellas
- Snatching the moments to write: making the most of time and place
- Fuelled by chai: cardamon is good for concentration
- Inspired by darker elements of humanity, inspired by darker fairytales like Bluebeard as a child
- Exploring the afterlife, fear of death and ghost photographs
- Practice, reading others, believe in yourself
- Experimenting with a diary form; each character with a distinctive voice and their public/private face. Part of a new ‘unnamed’ novel about prisoners in a time-ball tower
- Important to have non-writers as beta readers
- Inspired by Lisa Tuttle, Steve Rasnic Tem, William Golding, Alasdair Grey
- Impact of Transcendental Meditation
- Madeleine’s Tip: How To Publish Your Book by Jane Friedman
“I don’t think there are any definitive rules in writing.”
“In dark fantasy you can’t hold back.”
Links- Kaaron Warren
- Kaaron on Twitter
- A Primer to Kaaron Warren from Dark Moon Books
- How to Publish Your Book by Jane Friedman
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34 min - #21 – Amanda Bridgeman – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 21 with Amanda Bridgeman – space opera & sci-fi thriller writer“Take all writing advice with a pinch of salt.”
Episode 21 – Amanda Bridgeman – Show Notes- Not necessarily writing every day, but working on the book business every day
- Dead cold silence to write
- Fueled by crumpets
- Sci-fi thrillers but ongoing character driven sagas with a bit of romance
- Writing military without a military background; research including Facebook groups and input from fans
- Learning from other writers but with limits. Finding stories you like and analyse why
- Ernest Cline, Andy Weir, Emily St.John Mandel, Stephen Moss, Lindsay Buroker
- Time of The Stripes inspired by a walk to the shop to buy chocolate and current events
- Setting stories in the US
- Madeleine’s tip – Taking a Break
“Believe in yourself and your voice.”
“The key to a good book is mystery and intrigue.”
Links- Twitter
- Facebook
- AmandaBridgeman.com.au
- How Do Work Breaks Help Your Brain?
- To Be a Better Writer, Be A Frequent Walker
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31 min - #20 – Caroline Mitchell – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 20 with Caroline Mitchell – best selling crime & thriller writer“I say ‘how could you not have ideas?’ Look around you.”
Episode 20 – Caroline Mitchell – Show Notes- Writing a synopsis and the hook before starting to write
- Coffee, music and social media before a day’s writing
- Dark themes, exploring the darker side of human nature and the ripple effects from crime. Nothing is black and white in the police.
- Silent Victim is a story of grooming and a body buried in the backyard
- Keep learning all the time, always push yourself
- Dictation; first draft without touching the keyboard
- Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Mel Sherratt, Angela Marsons
- Combination of her past experiences in the police along with fresh ideas
- Pivoting to reach more readers
- Madeleine’s tip – explorations in dictation
“If the gin comes out I’m not having a good day.”
“Dialogue is lot more natural when you dictate.”
Links- Caroline Mitchell
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23 min - #19 – Karen Rose Smith – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 19 with Karen Rose Smith – Romance & cosy mystery writer“Writing, along with cats, is my therapy.”
Episode 19 – Karen Rose Smith – Show Notes- Writing after back surgery to deal with pain
- Husband and cats
- Dictation; more editing involved but writing goes faster
- Relationships; family, romantic and in small towns
- Writing every day hones your instincts
- Writing 13 books before being published
- Getting manuscripts in early and saying no
- Daisy Tea Garden mysteries; tea shops, Amish country, family relationships
- Emilie Loring, Glenna Finley, Kathleen E Woodiwiss, Harlan Corben, Jodi Piccoult, Dan Brown, Lisa Scottoline
- Madeleine’s tip – dealing with comparisonitis
“When I’m alone in the dark with the tape recorder, I’m good”
“Reading a genre you don’t write sharpens your skills”
Links- Karen Rose Smith
- Karen Rose Smith Mysteries
- Facebook
- Twitter
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23 min - #18 – David Moody – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 18 with David Moody – Horror writer & indie-publishing pioneer“I’m a torturer at heart.”
Episode 18 – David Moody – Show Notes- An extreme plotter
- Best time for plot development is during running
- Procrastinating as a full-time writer
- Hybrid publishing and the dark ages of indie publishing
- Writing in 45 minute chunks
- Ordinary people in extreme apocalyptic situations
- Setting rules and having discipline
- The cloud – accessible from everywhere for when inspiration strikes
- Richard Matheson, John Wyndham, and learning from James Herbert; the writing and the man
- The ‘sidequel’: creating two trilogies to create one big story
- Madeleine’s tip – the Four Tendencies
“Definitely, irritatingly, a plotter”
“The less time I’ve got, the better my writing is.”“I always feel dirty when I say this but I’m just a people watcher.”Links- David Moody
- Infected Books
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Gretchen Rubin’s The Four Tendencies Quiz
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32 min - #17 – Abbie Williams – Write Through The Roof
Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.
Episode 17 with Abbie Williams – Historical family saga & romance writer“There’s a different thought process when you write long hand”
Episode 17 – Abbie Williams – Show Notes
- Plotting the story as a bridge
- Exploring family dynamics and gritty historical detail
- Giving a voice to women working as prostitutes in 19th century American history
- Trusting your gut and the story
- Building a writing community to commiserate
- Poetry as inspiration
- Larry McMurtry, Sherman Alexie, Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes
- Ending a series
- Balancing two series at the same time
- Madeleine’s tip – Twenty Solutions
“Punching you in the guts with words”
“Writing the first draft is telling myself the story”
Links- Abbie Williams
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21 min