Writing in Real Life

Barry talks about making “the Leap” to full-time author ten years ago. Plus: Leia becomes a person.

Morgan goes on a book-buying binge. Barry gets depressed by how people buy things. When do you re-read a book in lieu of reading a new one? Should you have rules for your reading life? Accounting for every second of every day in your book. Too many damn books. How a biased critique partner is useful. Our absolute best advice to new parents.

Morgan gets promoted. Where the heck are our listeners coming from? First time letting someone else put Leia to bed! Babies as small-talk assistants. “Where do you want to take your readers next?” Morgan gets Biblical. Going to a wedding as a married couple. The necessity of patience for parents, spouses, and writers. Barry finishes writing his book.

A sudden baby! Empathy for other parents…or not. The importance of downtime vs. the importance of productivity. “Musing on the Kinship of Motherhood” — Morgan’s new band. Signal vs. noise related to life experiences and writing. Help choose Barry’s hobby!

The winner of the first WiRL contest! Some necessary followup discussion on the nature of writing routines. Morgan wakes up early. Introducing Lyga’s Axiom. Morgan needs a whiteboard. How copyedits make you feel stupid. Barry is reading a lot…but can’t talk about any of it.

Routines for raising a baby, writing books, and — possibly — staying sane. Bringing gifts to babies. Daycare’s pluses and minuses. Plus: Could you be the next Paul???

Guilt! What is it good for? (Say it again.) Babies need down time. Morgan works on her book! Barry works on his book! Huzzah! Being productive in a short amount of time. Writers writing about writers. Reading marathons vs. sprints. The utility of critique groups. Plus: Morgan reads Barry’s upcoming book.

Links:

• Go-Pod
• Bumbo Seat
• Hillary Clinton: “Talk to your baby”
• Daredevil
• The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl — Barry’s first book about a writer
• Unsoul’d — Barry’s second book about a writer
• Henry David Thoreau: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
• Stephen King’s Misery
• Michael Chabon’s Wonder Boys
• Morgan hates the MTA — Episode 8: “The One that is “An Astonishing Achievement in Podcasting!” — Jimmy Podcaster“
• Gordon Korman
• After the Red Rain — preorder!
• Win an ARC of After the Red Rain — Episode 12, “The One where They Go on a Date”
• Discussing when to quit a book — Episode 9: “The One with the Favors”
• Walt Whitman: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.”
• Famous Last Words by Katie Alender | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• Putting in a twist to distract readers from another twist
• I Hunt Killers
• Rate us on iTunes

Morgan is back at work full-time. “It’s only Tuesday.” Morgan and Barry go out to dinner. The first official WiRL giveaway! #excuses How do you plan goals for a revision? When do you discard your editor’s advice? Plus: Leia reasserts her control over the household.

Plus: Listen to this episode to learn how you can win a copy of After the Red Rain, signed by Barry, Rob DeFranco, and Peter Facinelli!

Links:

• Clifford the Big Red Dog
• Mr. Mom
• "A Good Nap, Spoiled"
• Literally
• The Dessert They Had
• After the Red Rain
• Writing Advice #51: Revision Strategy
• Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire
• Blythewood by Carol Goodman | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• The Lake of Dead Languages by Carol Goodman | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• Ravencliffe by Carol Goodman | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Barry admits to a mistake. Everyone is sick and everything sucks. Let’s go to the emergency room! Not letting your baby look at electronic screens…except for when you do. Deep influences. Sesame Street vs. Children of the Corn. Limping along in your writing. Morgan gets real about being a working mom. 

Links:

• Samuel Johnson tries to save a life
• "What a drag it is getting old..." -- "Mother's Little Helper," The Rolling Stones
• Morgan’s blog post on returning to work full-time
• "if you try sometimes you might just find/You get what you need" -- "You Can't Always Get What You Want," The Rolling Stones
• David Lynch leaves Twin Peaks
• X-Files returns
• Children of the Corn
• Lennie Briscoe  
• Chicago Tribune: "Making time for kids? Study says quality trumps quantity"
• Narrowcasting
• TGIF
• Melissa Walker
• Those Girls by Lauren Saft | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• The Good Lie by Robin Brande | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes

Parenting achievement unlocked: Brunch with friends in the city with the baby. Milestones for writers published and unpublished. Defining “cruising along.” Morgan’s rockin’ Saturday night. When to give up on the book you’re writing. Barry announces a new book. Morgan adds to her online portfolio. How much of your first draft ends up in the final draft?  

Links:

• Barry’s blog on revision
• Second gear
• Bluetooth speaker for your shower 
• Barry announces The Secret Sea
• Barry becomes a New York Times bestselling author
• Barry’s blog about faith and vision
• Morgan’s appearance on AOL BUILD
• Not Twain, Johnson: “Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”
• Morgan is a Cancer
• Hero-Type 
• The Walls Between Us by Nova Ren Suma | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender & Rick Tetzeli | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound
• Rate us on iTunes