Writer Craft Podcast

Announcements:

Another Shared Lodging ticket just opened up for the retreat for a woman-identified person wanting to share a tipi with two twin beds. $650 for all food and lodging, coaching, instruction, and retreat time.

(Alumni offered a scholarship for a retreat ticket -- so if you'd like to apply for the scholarship, please email me and let me know what you are working on and why you'd like to come to the retreat.)

• (Focused Fan $50/mo includes one group mastermind call/month + weekly 1:1 15-minute accountability calls and emails + monthly scene analysis.)
• Group Coaching Sept 12- Dec 12 $500 for 3-months (works out to $165/mo and my 1:1 weekly coaching is $500, so you can see the price difference there) Go to valerieihsan.com/shopping

Show Notes:

Creative constraints and the mindset of a career author (long term) plus writing--get to quality through quantity--will get you to Professional Writer status.

Separate inner writer and editor; Getting words on the page gets you better; "Publish and ship."~ Seth Godin

Knowing clear line helps: I write this character even when I'm trying not to write that way. What are you obsessed about? The most authentic voice. Tight window of what that is. What keeps you up at night? Write what you know is theme. Plot is research.

Try voices until you find your own, stripping away not yours,

Planning to write for the rest of the life. Shift your habits based on lifestyle, always surprised by not outlining. Devise creative systems that can work for a lifetime.

What is your system?

Three things a day-- progressive things and maintenance things.

Notecards, outline, title, organize

100 horror hooks, narrow down ten, poll, pick, brainstorm put look to tentpoles of other films, put creative spin.

Story forge method

Separate own projects vs client work: every day is a war to write your own stuff; create windows of working on own stuff; get up early to do the three things and then stop if I want to.

Little promises to yourself stack and get you in direction of who you want to be. 0-1 is the struggle and will take longer than you think, but then you're there. Where you want to be.

Prolific means (process oriented) do this forever no matter what.

Focus on time, not words.

Know process.

Creative Principles Podcast and YouTube channel

@brockswinson on instagram and YouTube.

Give away 100K books on https://brockswinson.com

Daredevil Society documentary

Books:

Just finished: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Kline and The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I'M READING: Rich as Fuck by Amanda Frances and listening to A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales.

Erick's Reading:

Rick Rubin The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Brock is reading Russel Brunson's Dotcom Secrets and

Rich Cohen's The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King

Announcements: 

Another Shared Lodging ticket just opened up for the retreat for a woman-identified person wanting to share a tipi with two twin beds. $650 for all food and lodging, coaching, instruction, and retreat time.

(Alumni offered a scholarship for a retreat ticket -- so if you'd like to apply for the scholarship, please email me and let me know what you are working on and why you'd like to come to the retreat.)

• (Focused Fan $50/mo includes one group mastermind call/month + weekly 1:1 15-minute accountability calls and emails + monthly scene analysis.)
• Group Coaching Sept 12- Dec 12 $500 for 3-months (works out to $165/mo and my 1:1 weekly coaching is $500, so you can see the price difference there) Go to valerieihsan.com/shopping

Show Notes:

Creative constraints and the mindset of a career author (long term) plus writing--get to quality through quantity--will get you to Professional Writer status. 

Separate inner writer and editor; Getting words on the page gets you better; "Publish and ship."~ Seth Godin

Knowing clear line helps: I write this character even when I'm trying not to write that way. What are you obsessed about? The most authentic voice. Tight window of what that is. What keeps you up at night? Write what you know is theme. Plot is research.

Try voices until you find your own, stripping away not yours, 

Planning to write for the rest of the life. Shift your habits based on lifestyle,  always surprised by not outlining. Devise creative systems that can work for a lifetime.

What is your system?

Three things a day-- progressive things and maintenance things.

Notecards, outline, title, organize

100 horror hooks, narrow down ten, poll, pick, brainstorm but look to tentpoles of other films, put creative spin.

Story forge method

Separate own projects vs client work: every day is a war to write your own stuff; create windows of working on own stuff; get up early to do the three things and then stop if I want to.

Little promises to yourself stack and get you in direction of who you want to be. 0-1 is the struggle and will take longer than you think, but then you're there. Where you want to be.

Prolific means (process oriented) do this forever no matter what. 

Focus on time, not words.

Know process.

Creative Principles Podcast and YouTube channel

@brockswinson on instagram and YouTube.

Give away 100K books on https://brockswinson.com

Daredevil Society documentary

Books:

Just finished: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Kline and The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I'M READING: Rich as Fuck by Amanda Frances and listening to A Most Agreeable Murder by Julia Seales.

Erick's Reading: 

Rick Rubin The Creative Act: A Way of Being

Stella Maris by Cormac McCarthy

Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

Brock is reading Russel Brunson's Dotcom Secrets and

Rich Cohen's The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King

Show Notes:

• "reading, writing, and 'rithmitic"
• read a lot, in different genres, but especially in your own (to capture common tropes, obligatory scenes, and reader expectations)
• write a lot. Even if no one sees it. Even if it isn't specifically about your project.
• put in the time, the numbers.
• developing taste by reading
• developing voice: word choice, tonality, themes, The Anatomy of a Bestseller by Sacha Black
• developing craft and style: follow twists and turns
• Thinking in Pictures by John Sayles
• The Art of Dramatic Writing
• The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo
• Be around creative people.
• Writing in Restaurants by David Mamet
• people watching and eavesdropping

Next Episode: Talking with Brock Swinson, host of Creative Principles Podcast, and author of Ink by the Barrel.

Find Us:

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Show Notes:

Use the advice of editor to improve your writing--not only in the manuscript, but overall (as a writer).

Developmental editor (or Story Analysis or Diagnostic)/use when you are new to writing (Books 1-4?) or when started to write in a new genre./Can trade services with another author, or start a First Readers Book Club. They are fun.

Line (copy) editor/use every time!/Can trade, use beta readers, and/or use software like ProWritingAid.

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link)

Proofreader/you'll get 1 star reviews for typos!/can trade or use software.

Next Episode: How to Get Better at Your Craft

Announcements:

• free 7-day trial of my Mary Poppins Fan tier on Patreon. Regularly 15/mo https://patreon.com/valerieihsan.
• I've started a new book and will be rolling out the chapters as I write them on Patreon. Early Access; Feedback encouraged. Watch me write a book in real time.
• shared lodging ticket; $650; Go to valerieihsan.com/shopping
• Focused Fan $50/mo includes one group mastermind call/month + weekly 1:1 15-minute accountability calls and emails + monthly scene analysis.
• Group Coaching Sept 12- Dec 12 $500 for 3-months ($165/mo)

Patron announcement:

UPDATE:

• Valerie: Patreon, podcast, emails, weekly planning
• Erick: website re-launched erickmertzwriting.com

Jeff Elkins' new book launches July 1st: The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now

Jeff's latest read:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Just finished:

I'M READING: Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston

Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier;

Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next: Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer

• Erick's Reading:

Rick Rubin The Creative Act: A Way of Being

The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy

Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Cascade by Craig Davidson (stories)

Show Notes:

Jeff Elkins is a writer, podcaster, theologian, and writing coach. He's the author of eleven novels including Inside Outside and the Adventures of Watkins and Howe Detective Series. He helps writers engage with readers by teaching them to write better dialogue as the Dialogue Doctor podcast. He talks about life after the evangelical church on the We Just Came for the Tacos Podcast. He has a BA in Religion from Baylor University and an MDiv from Truett Seminary. He lives with his wife and five kids north of Baltimore, Maryland.

7 components: exchanges, segments, scenes, utterances, vocalizations, body language, dialogue tags

Scenes (emotional movement); Segments (portions of the conversation within the scene); Exchanges (char participate in the conversation--character voice); Utterances (char's participation)

Touch on the reaction of char, even if not verbal, or they get lost in the fog and the reader forgets the char is there (pulls them out of the book). Don't skip a char for more than two segments.

How do I use this in memoir?

(Resource: Michael Lewis (nf writer))

Get someone's vocalization in the segments. (Inner dialogue counts) exchanges create energy in the text. Rapid back and forth.

Powerful narrative voice tells story in a reflective (authentic and vulnerable) way, but use scenes whenever possible.

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey. Voice example.

Handmaid's Tale (fictional memoir) doesn't feel dialog-lite.

Vocalizations (what comes out of their mouth)(absence of vocalizations count too)

Body language shapes the vocalizations.

Dialogue tags: they are for I.D.; what they do/embellish; shape the vocalization (put said at end, readers ignore; at beginning, it slows them down; in middle of sentence, creates pauses for the reader to imagine the scene.)

Char Voice: words, topics, body lang, construction of utterances (punctuation, length, how often participate in conversation)

Plotters: think about personality of char, how do you want the reader to describe character? Plan out main character's voice before you start writing. What kind of body language will they have? What does this personality sound like?

Jeff Elkins: dialoguedoctor.com; courses and community

Ep#53: Dialogue Doctor Jeff Elkins Interview from 2/1/2022.

Next Episode: Different Types of Editing and Budget Alternatives

Resources:

Thinking in Pictures by John Sayles

Announcements:

• free 7-day trial of my Mary Poppins Fan tier on Patreon. Regularly 15/mo https://patreon.com/valerieihsan.
• I've started a new book and will be rolling out the chapters as I write them on Patreon. Early Access; Feedback encouraged. Watch me write a book in real time.
• shared lodging ticket; $650; Go to valerieihsan.com/shopping
• Focused Fan $50/mo includes one group mastermind call/month + weekly 1:1 15-minute accountability calls and emails + monthly scene analysis.
• Group Coaching Sept 12- Dec 12 $500 for 3-months ($165/mo)

Announcements:

• free 7-day trial of my Mary Poppins Fan tier on Patreon. Regularly 15/mo https://patreon.com/valerieihsan.
• I've started a new book and will be rolling out the chapters as I write them on Patreon. Early Access; Feedback encouraged. Watch me write a book in real time.
• shared lodging ticket; $650; Go to valerieihsan.com/shopping

UPDATE:

• been thinking about my work at home schedule,
• wondering about how to lean into me and how to create memorable and valuable working relationships with my coaching clients,
• couple of author dates scheduled.
• Prepping for my husband's 50th birthday party this weekend.
• Monthly reflections will record for my patrons.
• Set my goals for June, and
• started a new book.

I'M READING: London's Number One Dog-Walking Agency: A Memoir by Kate MacDougall

Show Notes:

If you want the slide deck, email us at [email protected] and I'll send them to you. Or, you can watch the video on our YT channel @writercraftpodcast.

Show Notes:

After you've created the foundation, there is a time when it is advantageous to spread out and reach another audience.

You're in a silo, but there's another one right next to you! Other authors are looking for ways to do this, too.

Some of these work better for selling books or getting reviews, and some work better for increasing your mailing list size.

Newsletter Swaps:

1. (BEST) Organic swap with an author you know (in your a genre).

2. Find other authors to do this with on FB Groups (i.e. Mystery Authors)

3. Book Funnel, Author XP, Story Origin (set up author profile)= put the call out for a newsletter swap. Look for exclusivity, if you can. (Link to whatever your freebie is... permafree, sale, reader magnet.) (Erick looks at this weekly to see what swaps are available right then.)

Group Promos:

1. Baseline for building a mailing list, effective for getting numbers, but not for quality subscribers. Erick does 3 times a month.

2. Look at the other books in the promotion. Will this fit with my audience?

3. Clean mailing list every six months. But most will unsubscribe on their own.

Bundles:

1. Very similar to group promos.

2. Less control for the reader. They get added to a load of other newsletters automatically. (Erick does it every quarter.) (700+ subscribers but open rate low.)

3. Costs $.

Blog Swaps:

1. For non-fiction.

2. Guest blog (link to website).

3. Google likes "back links." (Credibility in the algorithms.)

Not really the same as ideas above, but adjacent, is paid ads on someone else's list:

Instead of buying someone's mailing list (not cool anymore), you can buy a SPOT on someone's list. (BookBub, Bargain Books, Free Booksy, Fussy Librarian.) Works better for advertising one book as opposed to getting an email address.

10% of promotors DON'T promote. Your reputation matters. Promote your promos, or you won't be allowed in other group promotions.

Find Us:

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor

Announcements: free 7-day trial of my Mary Poppins Fan tier on Patreon. Regularly 15/mo https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

• UPDATE:

• Valerie: I've been creating a Creator Profile in Convertkit's Creator Network (in beta). If you want to check it out and see if it'll increase your newsletter subscribes, here is a link: https://convertkit.com/features/creator-network?ref_id=69de0590ae (affiliate)
• Erick:

Writing stories

Just finished: Seeking Fortune Elsewhere: Stories by Sindya Bhanoo; Manifest Your HEA: Get Unstuck and Create Your Happily Ever After by Heather Hildenbrand, The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix

I'M READING:

Three Story Method: Cowriting with ChatGPT by J Thorn

; The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab;

Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs by Suzanne Clothier;

Wabi Sabi: Japanese Wisdom for a Perfectly Imperfect Life by Beth Kempton.

Up Next:

• Erick's Reading:

Just Kids by Patti Smith

Show Notes:

• Clearly place the reader in their own world (ordinary world). Spend time in the ordinary world with the reader so that they feel heard and seen.
• Write to your ideal customer. Lean in to who you are to find your people.
• Make sure that your solution is appropriate for the style of book/article you are writing. Are readers looking for actionable steps to take at the end? Or a more general mindset to have going forward?

Next Episode: Marketing With Other Authors

Resources:

"How to write an eavesdropping scene" on Erick's blog

Show Notes:

No single path to author success. No prescription.

1. Having idea

2. Writing it down so RAS (Reticular Activating System) can work.Write it Down, Make it Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser

3. Visualize what you want, with senses.

4. Be careful what you wish for, but also, be prepared to receive what you've asked for in a different way.

5. Trust the process and that the "muscle" will get stronger.

6. "I am on the side of the solution." -Erick Mertz

"There are plenty of answers. Just because you haven't thought of them yet doesn't mean they don't exist." -from Manifesting Your HEA by Heather Hildenbrand

"You can't achieve a goal by only changing your behaviors. You have to change your identity." -from Manifesting Your HEA by Heather Hildenbrand. (Manifest Your HEA: Get Unstuck and Create Your Happily Ever After by Heather Hildenbrand (Heal, Embody, Allow))

Changes to behavior and then changing the identity, or the other way around. Both might work. "Believe until you Become" comes to mind.

7. Practice allowing. How can you do that? Faith and trust in the process. Letting go and stepping aside for the Universe (or your brain) to show you where the gold is.

Next Episode: Clearly Defined Problem and Solution in Non-Fiction Books

Find Us:

Valerie's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/valerieihsan

Erick's Linktree link: https://linktr.ee/erickmertzauthor