Writing in Progress

Have you always wanted to write a story, but don’t know where to begin?  Maybe you like to write, but the creative process of generating ideas is a sticking point for you?  I am often asked, “How do you come up with such interesting concepts for all of your stories?”

It’s not easy to articulate how the seed of an idea grows into a fully fledged story, so Jon and I thought we’d show you in this episode of Writing in Progress.

Wise authors know that a story is only as good as its outline.  In episode 13, we are given an open-ended prompt, and--completely live and unscripted--develop that prompt into a fully fledged outline for a short story called “Imposter”.

We had a lot of fun recording this episode, and we’d love for you to give it a listen.  We learned some things about ourselves as writers through this process, and we think you can too!

Don't you love it when a book nails the ending?  Do you want to write stories that leave your readers with goosebumps as they finish the final line?

Justin and Jon discuss their best practices when crafting endings to their stories.

Justin and Jon explain their approach to writing an interesting setting to a story.

Learn how to paint a clear picture for your readers, without falling into the dreaded "info dump" trap.

Justin and Jon discuss the first of 8 story elements outlined in a previous episode.  Fittingly, they begin with some tips about how to write an effective hook.

Jon shares a Christmas-themed essay he had published about a decade ago, which helped him find his writing voice.  After sharing, he and Justin discuss topics such as genre, title, voice, and development.

Before this episode, Justin and Jon each independently ranked the importance of the following 8 elements of storytelling: Characters, Ending, Hook, Humor, Plot, Setting, Theme, & Voice/Style.  In this episode, the pair of aspiring authors reveal their rankings to one another and debate/defend their reasoning.  What do you think?  We'd love to hear from you in the comments!

Justin and Jon explore what creativity is, and discuss ways in which they go about achieving it in their own writing.

Justin and Jon update you on what's been going on, what's to come, and talk about how life during covid has affected them as creatives.

In this week’s episode of Writing in Progress, Justin and Jon welcome their first guest to the podcast, Indie published author Rick Thorpe.  Discussion topics include: Rick’s writing process, how he blended poetry and photography into a novelized plot structure, the financial side of publishing a book, his experience working with an indie publisher, and what he’s learned before writing/publishing his second book.

The conversation was both fun and insightful--with lots of laughter!

If you’re interested in purchasing Rick’s book, “East of Anywhere” you can use either of the links below:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/East-Anywhere-Unlikely-Poets-Journey/dp/1684332559/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=East+of+Anywhere&qid=1593526317&sr=8-1
Black Rose Writing:
https://www.blackrosewriting.com/literary/eastofanywhere

You can find Rick on facebook at either his personal (Rick Thorpe) or book (East of Anywhere) pages.  Rick is also available to speak at book clubs, libraries, or book stores.  You can contact him at [email protected] or (614) 580-9756

As always, you can connect with our two hosts, Justin Creps & Jon Woolley, at the following locations:

Justin:
Instagram: @J_M_Creps
Youtube: Justin Creps
Email: [email protected]

Jon:
Facebook: Carseat Conversation
Instagram: Carseat Conversations
Website: www.jonwoolleyauthor.com

Justin and Jon explain what methods they use to stay consistent in their writing

You can connect with Jon at Carseat Conversations on Facebook or Instagram, or on his website, jonwoolleyauthor.com

To find Justin, check out J_M_Creps on instagram, or search Justin Creps on Youtube