Writing in Real Life

By Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

New York Times bestselling author Barry Lyga (I HUNT KILLERS) and publishing communications executive Morgan Baden discuss a range of related issues, from writing to parenthood.... more

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FAQs about Writing in Real Life:

How many episodes does Writing in Real Life have?

The podcast currently has 109 episodes available.

Writing in Real Life episodes:

November 03, 2015Episode 39: The One where They Fall Back
EP. 039: The One where They Fall Back

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Daylight Savings Time and babies. Blaming grandmothers. The nature of the good rejection. The crush of work for agents. Does publishing need a rehaul? Why do publishers stay in New York, and should they leave? Plus: We want to hear your favorite opening lines to books!

Links:
Christopher Priest on Wikipedia

KLANG!: A Writer's Commentary by James Priest (Kindle edition)

"New York, New York" by Frank Sinatra

Eugene’s comment on opening lines from Episode 37: The One in the Park

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39min
October 28, 2015Episode 38: The One with a One-Year Old
Ep. 038: The One with a One-Year Old

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Mini-tantrums! Barry proves he’s human then talks about blood in the delivery room. Raising joyful children. Cultivating unstructured play for kids. Burnout in the arts. Plus: What do The Leftovers and Younger have in common?

Links:
Morgan's videogame bona fides: Super Mario Bros.

barrylyga.com: "One Year Later…"

Yahoo.com: "8 Ways to Raise Joyful Children in a Stressful World"

The Happy Kid Handbook: How to Raise Joyful Children in a Stressful World by Katie Hurley | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound

ArtsHub Australia: "Why We Are Burning Out in the Arts"

Penumbra/eclipse

The Girl with the Wrong Name by Barnabas Miller | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

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35min
October 21, 2015Episode 37: The One in the Park
Ep. 037: The One in the Park

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Morgan and Barry throw a party. Leia tries sugar for the first time. The surreality of “Happy Birthday.” What should parents do when their kids want to be something crazy when they grow up? The importance of opening chapters and opening sentences, and the pressure related to them.

Links:
Grillery Clinton apron

"Preparing Our Kids for Jobs That Don’t Exist Yet"

Sara’s comment on Episode 36

Morgan is Reading A Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moriarty (preorder link) | Amazon | BN.com

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38min
October 13, 2015Episode 36: The One about Pop Culture
Ep. 036: The One about Pop Culture

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Barry goes to Comic Con; Morgan does not. What happens when your personal nostalgia becomes mega-big business? Bringing babies to comic book conventions. A discussion of the awe-inspiring opening scene of season two of The Leftovers. Badass cavewomen. Barry’s billion-dollar idea.

Links:
New York Comic-Con

Teen Author Reading Night at the Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library

Agent Carter

Baltimore Comic Con

The Leftovers Season 2, Episode 1 (Sorry, we can't find that scene streaming anywhere. Borrow a friend's HBOGO password if you need to!)

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Deadline.com: "Nancy Drew Drama Series In Works At CBS"

Showtime : Twin Peaks

The X-Files - TV Series News, Show Information - FOX

Wikipedia: Danny Dunn

Wikipedia: The Three Investigators

Fortune and Glory by Brian Michael Bendis | Amazon | BN.com

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36min
October 07, 2015Episode 35: The One with No Baby
Ep. 035: The One with No Baby

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Our intrepid podcasters take a huge step as parents. Vacation Brain turns out to be Creative Brain. What do you do when you have a great idea to improve your book…that you’ve already submitted? Spouses reading each other’s email. Plus, Morgan reads a newspaper. An actual newspaper.

Links:
“Shake It Off” defined 9 years before Taylor Swift’s song

Morgan is Reading: Conversion by Katherine Howe | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

New York Times: "What Happened to the Girls in Le Roy"

The Appearance of Annie van Sinderen by Katherine Howe | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Barry is (Still) Reading: A Prayer for the City by Buzz Bissinger | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

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33min
September 30, 2015Episode 34: The One with Technical Difficulties
Ep. 034: The One with Technical Difficulties

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Barry is now a Colonel. Leia gets sick for the first time ever. Is Amy Schumer’s book deal ridiculous or merely insane? Barry’s obsession with quoting Stephen King. An insult levied at the entire movie-making and movie-loving world. And Morgan can’t stomach a book.
Links:
Commonwealth of Kentucky

Kentucky Bluegrass Award

Kentucky Colonel

Barrylyga.com: "Kentucky Fried Lyga"

Healthline.com: "Myth Busters: Does Cold Weather Make You Sick?"

Amy Schumer on Last Comic Standing

Electric Lit: "Comedian Amy Schumer Lands Whopping $8-10 Million Book Deal"

Bare Bones: Conversations on Terror with Stephen King (ed. by Tim Underwood and Chuck Miller) | Amazon | BN.com

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Goodnight Mommy trailer

Buzzfeed: "Not Here to Make Friends" by Roxane Gay

Unsoul’d by Barry Lyga | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks

Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Barry is Reading: A Prayer for the City by Buzz Bissinger | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

We first talked about A Prayer for the City in Episode 29: The One where Morgan Makes a Comic Book Reference

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37min
September 15, 2015Episode 33: The One with Royalties
Ep. 033: The One with Royalties

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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A serious episode on a weighty issue: Are authors paid enough? Should royalty rates be changed? Also: a discussion on the usefulness of social media, even if/though it doesn’t lead to (meaningful) book sales. And last but not least, we talk about Morgan’s query letter.)
Links:
Publishers Weekly: "New Guild Survey Reveals Majority of Authors Earn Below Poverty Line"

Authors Guild: Legal Services

barrylyga.com: Writing Advice #29: Money

Ani DiFranco self-produces her albums

Chuck Wendig's blog: "Social Media for Writers is a Misunderstood Opportunity"

Morgan’s Recommended Reading: A Window Opens by Elisabeth Egan | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Pocket app

Barry’s Recommended Reading: “The Case for Reparations” by Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic

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37min
September 09, 2015Episode 32: The One with an Anticlimax
Ep 032: The One with an Anticlimax

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Morgan’s revision saga ends….and a new one begins. It’s OK to cry. Every book is different. What’s it like for spouses to critique each other’s work? Being in denial about your own writing’s flaws. The importance of giving a story time to breathe. Plus: Leia’s up all night for some fun. (We’re up all night to get lucky.)
Links:
Lucy's psychiatry booth - Peanuts Wiki

“Like Paula Cole Said” — “I Don’t Want to Wait”

Frankfurt Book Fair

New York Magazine: "Babies are Tiny Comedians"

Morgan’s Recommended Reading: The Accident Season by Moira Fowley-Doyle | Amazon | BN.com | Indiebound

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34min
September 01, 2015Episode 31: The One where Harry Potter and the X-Men are the Same
Ep. 031: The One where Harry Potter and the X-Men are the Same

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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Dreams: when — or if — you should give up on them. The strange definition of “similar” in Hollywood and in publishing. The dream of publishing versus the reality. Is it weird to thank people for thinking your baby is adorable? Barry finally finishes writing a @&#%^$&* short story. Morgan sees the light at the end of the revision tunnel.
Links:
"You Can’t Always Get What You Want"

NewsfromME.com: The Unknown Assistant of Carl Barks

PublishersWeekly.com: On Writing, Rejection, and Persistence

NewsfromME.com: From the E-Mailbag…

Archvillain Tumblr fandom page

“The Truth About Dino Girl” — Barry’s most hated story, in Geektastic

Susan May Pratt

Morgan’s Recommended Reading: Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Barry’s Recommended Reading: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

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40min
August 26, 2015Episode 30: The One with the World's Wisest Third Grader
Ep. 030: The One with the World's Wisest Third Grader

Barry Lyga & Morgan Baden

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The New York Times finally meets our demands. “Who knew women could write books?” Wishing your life away. Is keeping a baby alive “productive?” Leia turns ten months. Participation trophies: threat or menace? Figuring out “the twist” ahead of time.
Links:
Bustle.com: "Exciting 'New York Times' Bestseller List Changes Mean Your Favorite New YA Books Are About To Get More Attention"

"You’ve come a long way, baby"

"The Times it is a-changing, part deux" -- Michael Bourret’s post on the NYT change

I Know How She Does It by Laura Vanderkam | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

Today.com: "Steelers linebacker James Harrison won't let his kids have participation trophies"

How I Met Your Mother Season 4, Episode 19: "Murtaugh"

The Incredibles -- "Everyone is special."

Barry’s Recommended Reading: Top Ten by Alan Moore, Gene Ha, Xander Cannon | Amazon | BN.com

Morgan’s Recommended Reading: The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender | Amazon | BN.com | iBooks | Indiebound

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31min

FAQs about Writing in Real Life:

How many episodes does Writing in Real Life have?

The podcast currently has 109 episodes available.