Writer Craft Podcast

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 74 of the podcast and it's June 29, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: How to Catch Up.

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

1. Asset Building (writing a book, building a website, content marketing)

2. Backlog (catch up)

3. Special Event (hosting a literary event, book signing, speaking at a conference)

4. Weekly Work (answering emails, paying bills, podcasting)

Morning Routine

Reset Strategies

Our job isn't to be the best, it's to do your best.

• I'M READING: Magic for Beginners by Kelly Link
• The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
• Erick's Reading: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• Next episode: Erick's Coaching Session, Part I

Resources:

Productivity for Creative People: How to Get Creative Work Done in an "Always on" World by Mark McGuiness

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

Announcements:

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir). I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 73 of the podcast and it's June 22, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: Editing Passes and A.I. software

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

• I'M READING: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
• Erick's Reading: Jail Blazers
• Next episode: Erick's Coaching Session, Part I

Resources:

Announcements:

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir). I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 72 of the podcast and it's June 14, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: Global Cs: Conflict, Choice, and Consequence

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

I'M READING: Ghost Music by An Yu

Erick's Reading: Tales From the Gas Station, Volume II by Jack Townshend

Next episode: Editing Passes and A.I. Revision Software

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes. I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did. One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir). I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. (Audiobook is coming soon. Just waiting on Audible to approve it.) And I edited the book for J. It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

ProWriting Aid: https://prowritingaid.com/?afid=9378 (affiliate link) Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, And I'm Erick Mertz, and this is Episode 71 of the podcast and it's June 7, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: W riting when kids not in school

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

• I'M READING: Seven Steeples
• Erick's Reading: Be Brief and Tell Them Everything by Brad Listi
• Announcements: I'm in an Infostack Platinum bundle for writers and giving away three free months of group coaching and accountability. I'm proud to work with Infostack on this: https://valerieihsan--infostack.thrivecart.com/wpp5/

Next episode: Global Conflict, Choice, and Consequence.

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.​

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir).

I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. (Audiobook is coming soon. Just waiting on Audible to approve it.)

And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes​

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Hello Writers and Crafters!

I'm Valerie Ihsan and this is Episode 70 of the podcast, and it's May 31, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: Passive Voice/Sentence Structure

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast, and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

• I'M READING: Seven Steeples by Sara Baume
• Announcements: https://infostack.io/ebook-wpp5/?affiliate=valerieihsan for a free ebook entitled Your Hero's Journey: Overcome the dragons of dread, doubt, and defeat, and release your creative power as a writer. By the staff at Infostack.

Next episode: How to keep writing when your kids are home.

Resources/Notes: The British actress I thought of during the episode was Olivia Colman. But the narrator for the audiobook, My Mess is a Bit of a Life, was Katherine Parkinson--which was the medical receptionist in Doc Martin. GREAT voice.

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.​

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir).

I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. (Audiobook is coming soon. Just waiting on Audible to approve it.)

And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes​

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Hello Writers and Crafters! I'm Valerie Ihsan, and this is Episode 69 of the podcast and it's May 24, 2022 as we record this.

Main Topic: Full-Time Writing

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

I'M READING: Once and Future Witches jumped the stack, so Seven Steeples will have to wait a bit more.

Resources:

How to Write Light Novels and Webnovels by R.A. Paterson

The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin

Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Next episode: Passive Voice/Sentence Structure

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir). I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Main Topic: Pacing

This podcast is sponsored by our patrons at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. For as low as a $1/mo, you can get a shout out on the podcast and we can make announcements for you on the podcast. At other tiers, the benefits increase--free books, accountability Zoom calls, scene analysis, mastermind calls, and even free Writer Craft retreat tickets. Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan.

I'M READING: Just finished Meet Me in Another Life by Catriona Silvey and Red Paint by Sasha LaPointe. Once and Future Witches jumped the stack, so Seven Steeples will have to wait a bit more.

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir). I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Erick's free book on Ghostwriting: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/cexki4kp5n

I wanted to announce that my friend, colleague, and mentor, J Thorn, just launched his new book, Writing Scenes.​

I'm especially excited about this because I contributed to the making of this book in several ways, and I feel quite proud of all I did.

One of the example scenes in the book is one I submitted from my current work in progress (my memoir).

I narrated that scene (in the Before and After example) in the audiobook. (Audiobook is coming soon. Just waiting on Audible to approve it.)

And I edited the book for J.

It would tickle me if you picked up the book for yourself. Here's the link: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/three-story-method-writing-scenes​

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

The Author Life Community

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Writing Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

Resources:

How to Book Challenge

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

The Author Life Community: https://theauthorlife.com

Resources:

How to Book Challenge

Books We Talked About:

Thinking in Pictures by John Sayles

Story by Robert McKee

Valerie's Services: https://valerieihsan.com

Valerie's Author Site: https://valerieihsanauthor.com

Valerie's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Erick's Services: https://erickmertzwriting.com

Erick's Author Site: https://erickmertzauthor.com

Erick's Facebook Page and Instagram account

Writer Craft Facebook Group

Patreon: https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

Passion Planner: https://bit.ly/3AUiJUx (affiliate link)

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

Retreat tix: https://valerieihsan.com/retreat

The Author Life Community: https://theauthorlife.com