Writer Craft Podcast

Main Topic: Pricing for Author Services (starts at 16:33)

PATREON:

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• EMBODY (fit and intuitive) on Patreon. (Valerie)
• writing new short stories from Ghost Story Weekend inspiration (Erick) (got feedback from the participants; all loved it.)
• tying up loose endings (finishing energy at the end of the year); clean slate for my birthday. (Erick) Jan 23rd
• re-thinking Patreon (Erick)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz); A Happy Pocketful of Money (David Cameron Gikandi) The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley; Be Ready When Luck Happens Ina Garten
• Erick: The October Country (Ray Bradbury)(Shout out to local bookstore: Parallel Worlds; NE Portland, OR); Flight of Icarus (Stranger Things prequel book)(Caitlin Schneiderhan) Tom Clancy: Shadow State

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Brandon McNulty YouTube channel (craft of writing and story)
• Tidbit #2: talking with a friend

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic): Pricing

Epiphany on pricing (E) What we charge for service.

Gig pricing. Are you a fit? What's the work going to be? What charge for project? How much am I (cost) to pay for this?

"What is your budget for this?"

The Dance:

Components of pricing:

Standard pricing:

"Dynamic" pricing (sliding scale in head):

Base line $1/word $7.50/pg.

Standard jobs don't exist.

Editorial rates linked out.

Write in contact: opt-out cause, renegotiate prices.

Rapport, base line (and how much flex on it), build in protection to self.

AI clause in contract?

The scope of work is this:..... If the scope changes during the course of project, we shall renegotiate the contract (including pricing).

Learn how to talk about money and value yourself.

Review each project. Ideal? What went wrong? Did more work than I got paid for?

Interview client when done for testimonials (social proof is enormous).

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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 171 of the podcast and it's November 20, 2024 as we record this.

Main Topic:

PATREON:

Thank you to new patron Elizabeth Amber from Anchorage, Alaska. THANKS! I appreciate you.

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out) Print out NOW! On Amazon.
• https://wordcrafters.org/unlock-the-heart-of-your-memoir/ (Valerie's teaching a class in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, December 7, 2024; 10am-5pm.)
• EMBODY (fit and intuitive) on Patreon. (Valerie)
• writing new short stories from Ghost Story Weekend inspiration (Erick) (got feedback from the participants; all loved it.)
• tying up loose endings (finishing energy at the end of the year); clean slate for my birthday. (Erick)
• re-thinking Patreon (Erick)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz); A Happy Pocketful of Money (David Cameron Gikandi)
• Erick: The October Country (Ray Bradbury)(Shout out to local bookstore: Parallel Worlds; NE Portland, OR); Flight of Icarus (Stranger Things prequel book)(Caitlin Schneiderhan)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Jane Friedman's newsletter The Hot Sheet, amazing information (fundamental)
• Tidbit #2:

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic):

Start with a character, What's your story? (Valerie)

archetypes intrigue/attrack me and do something different than before. (Erick)

theme early on (V);

why this character, why now (E); element of surprise makes it interesting (E); be open to surprise; fully plot out after the brainstorming. Create a structure and continue to pants through it. Invent a thing on the way to something else. Plotting isn't boring. Defy the plot points. If char reacts to a stale moments, it's because you are stale and bored. When stuck (process changes), a day-to-day thing: toss it out if you are rewriting it too much. What are the necessary elements? Straight-forward way. "The scene actually begins here." If it's content and not story, it has to go. Keep changing the container as you right. Know the beats before you sit down. (Erick)

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out) Print out NOW! On Amazon.
• Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too!
• back from Ghost Story Weekend in Rainbow, OR. (Erick)
• https://wordcrafters.org/unlock-the-heart-of-your-memoir/ (Valerie's teaching a class in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, December 7, 2024; 10am-5pm.)
• EMBODY (fit and intuitive) on Patreon.
• writing new short stories from Ghost Story Weekend inspiration (Erick)
• re-thinking Patreon (Erick)
• (Anne) first book published in April (She Writes Press); next book on September 2025; writing third book; social media IG went viral just from showing off apartment. Tip: do videos/reels.

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) Roland Rogers isn't Dead Yet (Samantha Allen); A Happy Pocketful of Money (David Cameron Gikandi)
• Erick: The October Country (Ray Bradbury) The Great When (Alan Moore) (Shout out to local bookstore: Parallel Worlds; NE Portland, OR); Safe Enough (Lee Child)
• Anne: The Wedding People (Alison Espach); I Hope This Finds You Well (Natalie Sue)
• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1:
• Tidbit #2:

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic):

Anne Abel

Anne Abel's story about unwittingly rescuing an aggressive dog, Milo, won a Moth StorySLAM in New York City. She has won two additional Moth StorySLAMs in Chicago. Her credentials include an MFA from The New School for Social Research, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and a BS in chemical engineering from Tufts University. She has freelanced for Lilith; Philadelphia Daily News; The Jewish Exponent; Philadelphia Weekly, Main Line Life and Main Line Today, and formerly wrote a weekly column, "The Homefront," for Main Line Welcomat. She also taught English and creative writing at the Community College of Philadelphia. Anne lives in New York City with her husband, Andy, and their three rescue dogs, Ryan, Megan, and Chase. She grew up outside Boston, MA.

Suffered from depression and writers block, and start telling stories is what saved her. Following Bruce Springsteen's tour for the structure.

Started writing stories through emails for hours a day.

Storytelling open mic. Worked on seven minute story. 7 minute story framework. MOTH is 5 minutes.

Don't question what comes out.

Positive immediate feedback.

Use story beats. Outline.

Tell myself the story over and over. (Absolute key points.) (Tell them what they don't expect.)

Everyone sees art in a different way.

If Bruce Springsteen was saying, "How do we get through the day?" maybe I can do this.

Australia changed the trajectory of my life.

Blinded by the Light. (Movie about a British-Pakastani teen who discovers Bruce Springsteen's music.)

A lot of courage and connection. The courage led to the connectivity.

"I live outside my comfort zone."

She tried and she tried and she tried. (For my tombstone.)

"I don't let fear stop me."

"What's the worst? Just do it."

anneabelauthor.com (Listen to a couple of Anne's stories from the MOTHSlam.)

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Main Topic: Writing as a Black Woman in the Speculative Fiction World (Main Topic starts at 28:00.)

PATREON:

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out) Print out NOW! On Amazon.
• Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too!
• back from Ghost Story Weekend in Rainbow, OR. (Erick)
• https://wordcrafters.org/unlock-the-heart-of-your-memoir/ (Valerie's teaching a class in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, December 7, 2024; 10am-5pm.)
• EMBODY (fit and intuitive) on Patreon.
• Michele: teaching at NC Writers Network Conference "Bending Reality" (Keynotes: art and creativity unifies and grounds us; What is your Zone of Genius? Create a keynote talk from there.) Book rec: The Big Leap (Hendricks); teaching "Afro-Futurism and the Black Imaginary" class

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz) Roland Rogers isn't Dead Yet (Samantha Allen); A Happy Pocketful of Money (David Cameron Gikandi)
• Erick: The October Country (Ray Bradbury) The Great When (Alan Moore) (Shout out to local bookstore: Parallel Worlds; NE Portland, OR)
• Michele: Nalo Hopkinson (Jamaica Ginger and Other Concoctions); How to Be Old (Lyn Slater)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Invite the Random into your Storytelling. (Roll the dice.)

Tidbit #2: Eat fries before dinner.

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic):

Dr. Michele Tracy Berger is a professor, an award-winning writer, a creativity coach and a pug-lover. Her main love is writing speculative fiction, though she also is known to write poetry and creative nonfiction, too.

1. Spec fiction definition: ideas that are outside the regular laws of the universe; Margaret Atwood (feminist author used ); sci fi, fantasy, paranormal, horror. Toni Morrison's Beloved is a ghost story (literary). Horror is a feeling (also a genre) (elevated horror, social horror). In social horror, Creatives of Color now write systems of power as the monster in the basement.

2. What challenges do you face? Meet reader's expectations; gatekeepers have changed; a decade of rejections for Doll Seed story; understanding African American literary history (more space now, public ready now for more interesting characters); black women were absent or monstrous in horror media from the 70s and 80s, now there's interest in a rebalance, and an appetite for complex characters, indie pubbing lead the way for this. Trad pub catching up.

"This May Hurt a Bit" (horror podcast)

3. Marketing through this lens: finding a press that resonates with you, being authentic and consistent, IG Live, learning as you go, embrace the work of marketer, watch documentary of Jackie Collins (Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story) and Harlan Ellison (Dreams with Sharp Teeth: A Film About a GrandMaster), writers have always had to think about how people find them.

Aunt Lute Press: mood board with intersection of empowered female characters, black readers of spec fiction, how to think about ideal reader ("If you like Octavia Butler, Kelly Link, AND Dean Koontz, you'll love Michele Tracy Berger").

Start with a character, then construct the story and follow the character through. Think about audience in the submission process.

4. Author services:

Write affirmations. Neutral to positive self-talk for writers as a pattern interruptor.

Coaching creatives for 15 years. The Creative Tickle. "Tickle your genius awake."

Specialize in writers interested in mindset work. Online classes. Group coaching.

"More Joy on the Path."

"See the joy in the process."

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Resources:

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

Reading Critique Group for Writers FB Group (Jennie Komp's group)

3 Bird View FB page (Jennie Komp's business page)

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice or building a website.

Contact Valerie for author coaching.

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Balance meditation app.

• Story Rubric version 1.1 and podcast episode.
• Three Story Method worksheet

Book Recs for writing/creativity/business:

• Thinking in Pictures by John Sayles

• Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker
• Story Hypothesis: A Writer's Guide to Crafting Resonating Stories by JP Rindfleisch IX
• Fast-Draft Your Memoir: Write Your Life Story in 45 Hours by Rachael Herron
• Three Story Method: Foundations in Fiction by J.Thorn and Zach Bohannon
• The Anatomy of a Best Seller by Sacha Black
• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out) Print out NOW! On Amazon.
• Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too!
• Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick)
• print books going forward. wrapping up writing projects, PB out on the 15th of Accidental Stranger (plus prequel), finishing another book in Melville series "Signal Shadow" (Erick)
• https://wordcrafters.org/unlock-the-heart-of-your-memoir/ (Valerie's teaching a class in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday, December 7, 2024; 10am-5pm.)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Year of the Puppy (Alexandra Horowitz)
• Erick: The October Country (Ray Bradbury) The Great When (Alan Moore) (Shout out to local bookstore: Parallel Worlds; NE Portland, OR)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Knowing Your Boundaries in Your Work (Erick(

Tidbit #2: Exercise Gives You Energy (Valerie)

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic): Foster Curiosity:

*moment of inspiration comes

what do you do when you get the idea?

don't memorialize the idea too fast (set in stone), instead, live with it. See how long I can tease it out.

Practice keeping the idea flowing. Live in the possible for as long as I can. Gather the what ifs.

Then download the ideas. Lose some of the ideas, but learned to trust the leaves that fall off.

Learn by playing. See yourself in the story and feel bigger.

Usually happens when not at home.

Next episode: Guest Michelle Berger Tracy on Being a Black Woman in the Speculative Fiction

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out) Print out NOW! On Amazon.
• Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too!
• Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick)
• print books going forward. wrapping up writing projects, PB out on the 15th of Accidental Stranger (plus prequel), finishing another book in Melville series "Signal Shadow" (Erick)
• met my client deadline, squeezed in some self-care, worked an extra shift at the bookstore, a lot of social time with my son and various friends (catching up), used ChatGPT4yo to help with a workshop description I needed to turn in--their name is Echo, signed up for a 14-day trial Class Pass and signed up for something almost every day. I'm both excited and dreading it. (Valerie)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Book of Witching (CJ Cooke)
• Erick: The October Country (Ray Bradbury) The Great When (Alan Moore)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Squibler (AI for Writers); tool for outline ideas, for plot holes, idea generator, lets you save things in files.

Tidbit #2: If you aren't an early adopter (I'm not?), then start using A.I. as you need it. We're all creative. We can find creative ways of using it in our business. Starting using it with Pro-Writing Aid (affiliate link in the show notes), or using the free version of ChatGPT to get copywriting done. Like book blurbs, ad copy, workshop descriptions, sometimes you can even get a book summary if it's an older book. Finding book comps. My A.I. Assistant is super nice.

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic): Starts at 19:14 on the video.

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out)
• Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too!
• Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick)
• wrapping up writing projects, PB out on the 15th of Accidental Stranger (plus prequel), finishing another book in Melville series "Signal Shadow" (Erick)
• client work (Valerie)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Life Impossible (Matt Haig) The Book of Witching (CJ Cooke)
• Erick: The Color of Magic (Terry Pratchett) The October Country (Ray Bradbury)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Locus magazine (sci/fi and fantasy) FANTASTIC

Tidbit #2: Query Manager (filtering, but not totally accurate--check the agent's website)

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check): A previous guest said Erick and I reminded her of being on a morning radio show. I brought up the sitcom "Community," with the "Troy and Abed in the morning" tagline, and CRICKETS. Ha! Here's what I mean: https://images.app.goo.gl/rG9fff2Xko9PSAQMA

Segment 4 (Main Topic): Starts at 20:40

Can nudge an agent about submission after 6-8 weeks.

Why are you going?

Networking, learning something, building relationships, clients, creating community, make fans, building confidence,

"If you plant bulbs today, you get flowers in May."

Why don't they reach out?

Conference Buddy

Set Boundaries for yourself, and be aware of other's boundaries.

Need for brevity in questions, pitches, and elevator pitches.

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Main Topic: Jeanne Blasberg, Story Retellings (starts at 21:39 on video)

PATREON:

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• (Accidental Stranger Book 2 out)
• SWWC and Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too! And also speaking at Alaska Writers Guild conference in Anchorage in October.)
• Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick)
• writing, working on print version of Accidental Stranger, rewriting next Strange Air novel, client biz. (Erick)
• client work, getting ready for conference next weekend. (Valerie)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Horse (Willy Vlautin); We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman's Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power (Rachel Rodgers)
• Erick: The United States of Cryptids: A Tour of American Myths and Monsters (J.W. Ocker)

Jeanne Blasberg's reads:

Land Rich, Cash Poor: My Family's Hope and the Untold History of the Disappearing American Farmer (Brian Reisinger)

Entitlement (Rumaan Alam)

• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Six-Week Writing From Your Body workshop (author Anna Willman)--starts September 28 -- $40 per session or discounted rate for all six. They always work with individuals to make their workshops accessible to all. Focusinginternational.org Writing from your body FII workshop

Tidbit #2: Squibler (new writing organizer); Knowing what your boundaries are is key. I get to say what I do.

Tidbit #3: Chris Frizzell (Frizz Lit) Book club of the classic, chapter by chapter, funny host

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic): Jeanne Blasberg is an award-winning and bestselling author and essayist. Her novel The Nine (SWP 2019) was honored with the 2019 Foreword Indies Gold Award in Thriller & Suspense and the Gold Medal and Juror's Choice in the 2019 National Indie Excellence Awards. Eden (SWP 2017), her debut, won the Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Best New Voice in Fiction and was a finalist for the Sarton Women's Book Award for Historical Fiction. Her forthcoming novel, Daughter of a Promise (SWP, April 2, 2024) is a modern retelling of the legend of David and Bathsheba, completing the thematic trilogy she began with Eden and The Nine.

Jeanne cochairs the board of the Boston Book Festival and serves on the Executive Committee of GrubStreet, one of the country's preeminent creative writing centers. Jeanne was named a Southampton Writer's Conference BookEnds Fellow in April 2021. She reviews contemporary fiction for the New York Journal of Books, When not in New England, she splits her time between Park City, UT, and growing organic vegetables in Verona, Wisconsin.

Jeanne Blasberg

Daughter of a Promise

Retellings: def -- not side story (that's its own genre) -- have the events from the original tellings (same or parallel); reimagined in different setting; make things contemporary and relevant. Not a 'diss' on the original. Opportunity to retell is a fun journey for reader and author. Plots are familiar (off-beat romance, forbidden relationship, etc), can insert or end story at a different point. In conversation with other works.

Only so many plots, we process our lives with story. Not derivative.

Our human struggle has really never changed. The setting has, but universal truths haven't. As a species, have we really made much progress?

Take plot, make modern day, explore the relationships.

Do the research of retellings (all) already written first. Find what hasn't been said. Why are you telling this version? What questions exist? Why are you driven to write about it?

Follow your why's? What story has you still thinking about it? Follow your curiosity. This is the ultimate fan fiction. What are you obsessed with?

What are you wanting to say with this retelling?

"Inspired by" -- have permission to make these stories our own.

Insert our own thoughts and conversation with this art.

Art evolves this way. Museums hold many variations of the Virgin Mary. For instance.

License to play with it.

What about exposing yourself to the "scholars" and experts response?

Interest and curiosity is the response. Tip: Don't feel like anything is out of bounds for you. Just do it well. You are allowed to do it. If it lights you up, I think you should do it.

If you've triggered someone, clearly you've done it right.

@jeanneblasbergauthor

Constantly Curating on Substack (writing and farming)

Sonic Branding (link TBD)

Next episode:

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Resources:

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

Reading Critique Group for Writers FB Group (Jennie Komp's group)

3 Bird View FB page (Jennie Komp's business page)

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice or building a website.

Contact Valerie for author coaching.

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Balance meditation app.

• Story Rubric version 1.1 and podcast episode.
• Three Story Method worksheet

Book Recs for writing/creativity/business:

• Thinking in Pictures by John Sayles

• Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker
• Story Hypothesis: A Writer's Guide to Crafting Resonating Stories by JP Rindfleisch IX
• Fast-Draft Your Memoir: Write Your Life Story in 45 Hours by Rachael Herron
• Three Story Method: Foundations in Fiction by J.Thorn and Zach Bohannon
• The Anatomy of a Best Seller by Sacha Black
• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Main Topic: Welcome to Season 5

PATREON:

Thank you to our existing patrons for believing in our work offline and here in the podcast.

Become a patron of the arts at Patreon.com/valerieihsan for books, writing instruction, coaching, and planning. Go to Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre.

Segment 1 (Announcements/Author Updates):

• Three Story Method: Writing How-To Books out now.
• Focus and Finish: Goal-Setting and Strategic Planning for Writers (First in Series; out now.)
• Black Springs Saga Book 1 out now (it's the prequel) 99 cents (Accidental Stranger Book 2 preorder this coming week)
• SWWC and Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write in the Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too! And also speaking at Alaska Writers Guild conference in Anchorage in October.)
• Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick)
• submitting stories, client biz, new ad campaign. Working on next novel. (Erick)
• finishing 2024 retreat (Valerie)
• upcoming: courses, new novel (Valerie)

What are you reading?

• Valerie: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman; The Horse (Willy Vlautin) The Universe Has Your Back (Gabrielle Bernstein)
• Erick: The Tusks of Extinction (Ray Nayler), The Glass Hotel (Emily St. John Mandel)
• Segment 2 (Resources/Tips/Tidbits):

• Tidbit #1: Six-Week Writing From Your Body workshop (author Anna Willman)--starts September 28 -- $40 per session or discounted rate for all six. They always work with individuals to make their workshops accessible to all. Focusinginternational.org There is a free introductory workshop (one hour) on Saturday, September 14 at 7:00 a.m. pacific Writing from your body FII workshop

Tidbit #2: Open rate and engagement rate on mailing list is more important than the size of the mailing list.

Segment 3 (Mindset-Craft-Biz Check):

Segment 4 (Main Topic):

Next episode: Jeanne Blasberg on Story Retellings

Find Us:

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

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

Patreons:

https://patreon.com/valerieihsan

https://patreon.com/strangeairmysteries

Tools:

Passion Planner: https://passionplanner.rfrl.co/e86j8 (affiliate link) Discount Code: VALERIE184

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

Resources:

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

Reading Critique Group for Writers FB Group (Jennie Komp's group)

3 Bird View FB page (Jennie Komp's business page)

Author XP (marketing for authors) (bi-monthly promotions)

Raven Publicity (publicity for authors)

The Shades of Orange (Rachel, Book Blogger on YouTube) for book recommendations SF/Fantasy/Horror

Contact Erick for business-starting advice or building a website.

Contact Valerie for author coaching.

Thomas Umstattd Jr, at Novel Marketing Podcast. Ep255: How to Create an Email Onboarding Drip Campaign

Russell P. Nohelty and Monica Leonelle's book, Get Your Book Selling on Kickstarter.

Balance meditation app.

• Story Rubric version 1.1 and podcast episode.
• Three Story Method worksheet

Book Recs for writing/creativity/business:

• Thinking in Pictures by John Sayles

• Take Off Your Pants: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker
• Story Hypothesis: A Writer's Guide to Crafting Resonating Stories by JP Rindfleisch IX
• Fast-Draft Your Memoir: Write Your Life Story in 45 Hours by Rachael Herron
• Three Story Method: Foundations in Fiction by J.Thorn and Zach Bohannon
• The Anatomy of a Best Seller by Sacha Black
• Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

Announcements:

• 2024 Writer Craft Writing Retreat and Workshop registration open; https://valerieihsan.com/retreat (Day Passes $400) I've got four spaces left. I have decided that because of the Costa Rica move next year, I will NOT be having a retreat in 2025. So, if you've been on the fence, NOW is the time to make the decision to purchase a ticket for this month.
• Part of my Burnout Recovery Series on Patreon now includes the addition of The Artist's Way. I'll be hosting a "Creative Cluster" via Zoom, starting Aug 8, (tomorrow!) Thursday, 10am-noon Pacific. It's a 12 week program only for my patrons, so go over and pick out any of the tiers. You'd need to attend live for how the sharing and caring is done, and there will not be replays. Instead, for those that can't attend live, I'll be posting in the Patron Community about my growth and inviting you to share yours in the comments. What's your experience with The Artist's Way?
• Three Story Method: Writing How-To Books out now.
• Focus and Finish: Goal-Setting and Strategic Planning for Writers (First in Series; out now.)
• Black Springs Saga Book 1 out now (it's the prequel) 99 cents (Accidental Stranger Book 2 preorder this coming week)
• SWWC and Write in the Harbor (Erick teaching.) (Valerie will be at Write on the Sound in Gig Harbor, WA this year, too! And also speaking at Alaska Writers Guild conference in Anchorage in October.)
• Host of Ghost Story Weekend for Wordcrafters. (Erick)

Author Update:

Erick:

• Valerie:
• getting ready for the retreat
• Working with my Burnout Recovery plan; Updates through my Patreon page.

• I'm reading: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman and Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Huang Bo-Reum.
• Just finished:
• A Certain Kind of Starlight by Heather Webber.

• Thunder Song by Sasha taqŵšeblu LaPointe
• The Entire Sky by Joe Wilkins

Erick:

Becky is reading: Annie Ernaux's "A Woman's Story" and "A Man's Place"

Notes:

Main Topic starts at: 11:42

Becky Ellis is a Timberwolf Pup. The

daughter of a highly decorated

World War II combat sergeant, she

is a veteran of a war fought at home. She earned a BA

in English Literature at UC Berkeley and has over

twenty years of experience in the publishing industry.

She teaches writing in Portland, Oregon, where she

lives, plays, and has raised three daughters. Little

Avalanches is her debut memoir. https://instagram.com/beckyellisauthor

Won Rubery Book Award 2024.

1. Did you yoga or write first? Yoga came first. Part of the process of getting into my body. Writers live in our heads. Yoga kept me body aware. Start feel yourself. Accesses to feel your feelings. Access internal world in more embodied way. Bad Acting = Facial Expressions. Get on the Body. Get off the face. Exercise: close eyes and feel everything.

2. How did writing impact your healing? Transformational impact as a person. Understanding my father, saw them separate from me. See myself for the first time. Writing from the child's perspective. A lot of inner-child work. Consciously explore my own reasons for doing what. Study of the self = memoir. Putting your characters IN the story. Concrete sensory details. Have access to that place.

3. Talk a little about the fears memoirists have around writing about their family. Any tips or guidelines? And how does that feed into breaking cycles of silence and secret-keeping?

So important to get the stories on the page. Be a Just God on the page. Give everyone their reasons for doing what they did. Take a step back, and ask Why they did it. Shifts out of victimhood. People want to be seen and felt. Everyone was totally fine with it. Take time to figure out why they did it.

4. Your media kit mentions Trauma Bounce (bouncing back from the trauma). What should we be on the lookout for when writing and getting retriggered? Spent half the time crying. Strategies: therapy while writing, yoga, find safety where you can.

Exercise for memoirists: Highlight all the exposition. Get rid of all the the exposition and repetition. You can thread it back in afterwards.

5 How can wisdom come through action? Show it in the character arc, actions at end of story different than at the beginning.

So many objects in rough drafts. Use them for metaphor. Don't mine your life, mine your page.

Positive side to trauma. Try and try and try. "If you quit, you'll die." Train to survive. Feel so powerful in the end.

Writing to be in service to the reader. What are we in service to? The reader. What psychological practice can we share with the reader?

Structure of book to manipulating reader's emotions.

Find Us:

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

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