This week’s writers’ podcast is a deep dive into “Romance is a Bonus Book,” and how this excellent series got us thinking about the choices we’ve made. We chat about the power you have over your life and the key question: “Who am I?”.
Big-time spoilers.
We may have shotgunned a gallon of coffee before recording. Not kidding.
CC and I do online therapy in talking about our mothers and our upbringing, and we discuss how writers can use their parental relationships in their writing.
Family-related triggers in this one.
Have a listen and let us know what you think. TIA and LYL!
We discuss the strengths and weakness of self-editing vs. hiring professionals, using beta readers, and being responsible for your book from cover to cover.
This week’s writers podcast is a deep dive into the brick wall called “grammar.” Ugh, we get it: everyone hates the rules. We talk about why writers should learn and follow the rules, anyway.
The deep dive: The history of English grammar. Moby Dick versus The Old Man of the Sea. What did I do 450 times? Ideas on improving your writing grammar. Turning on the closed captioning! Grammarly may not be your friend.
Hi, All! Over on my Patreon, I completed a podcast series on the eight elements that make up a novel and how they applied to my latest book about Tucci coming out this year. Here’s the first book (Only 99¢!).
All of the podcasts are unlocked and free to hear. Please let me know what you think. TIA! LYL!
This week focuses on two important writers’ subjects: -The challenges and benefits of implicit bias in fiction. -CC’s and my favorite formula in fiction: stupid romance.
We pull in Love Actually, Star Wars, Easter, the weather, and coming of age stories.
Good day, dear readers. Posting a Real Life update instead of editing the manuscript. In geezer language, we call this “procrastinating” or “what I should be doing now probably won’t get done tomorrow, either.”
This may be old news in that I announced my retirement from the Day Job after 40 total years of public service. Not looking for kudos or such. I’m having problems processing why people say “congratulations.” I appreciate the sentiment, but giving up a hardcore habit after all these years is jarring.
The countdown has begun to September 30, and between now and then, I will be taking off some Fridays to burn my leave and to practice being retired.
Today is the first practice, and I’m parked at the Starbucks less than a mile from my old office, and I hit this chair about the same time I’d be signing onto office apps. I’m grouchy because these people are yammering a few feet away (but, hey, deaf!).
Safe to say, practice is not going well.
For now, the morning practice focus on editing the Tucci sequel manuscript to get it back to the editors sooner versus later. Afternoon practice will be exercise and slacking off time because, you know, retirement.
If you have ideas on what a relatively young retiree can do to occupy the time, I’ll take any and all ideas. Seriously. I’ve got to find some new habits. TIA and LYL!
We return from our podcast hiatus to talk about our emotional roller-coaster Hell Week, and the associated life changes happening in and around The Worldwide Headquarters:
Our daughter’s surgery. Saying goodbye to Mia. Verbal Tics. Retirement. My next book (good news!). Book sale success. Patreon. Spring in Nevada. “Our Flag Means Death”. The Beatles and “Get Back”. Recurring themes in Korean dramas and rom-coms. Common traits in the human experience. Putting together my second and third draft manuscripts. Stay-at-home parenting and day care. Send Feedback, please.
All quiet on the Patreon front this week, too. I’ll get back to my series on creating my book soon. The previous podcasts on creating my book are free at http://patreon.com/jthume
One of my favorite ST: TOS episodes. Has nothing to do with this post.
No new podcasts this week due to Real Life events, so here’s a rewind on our most popular episodes.
Elmore Leonard’s “10 Rules for Good Writing” may be better than Stephen King’s “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft.” Link
We talk about jumping In Media Res (“in the middle”) of the action in your favorite books and movies. Prime examples discussed include Georgette Heyer’s Friday’s Child, Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, and basically every James Bond movie. Link
Traveling the tried and true path of Formula Fiction, and why we the people may complain about reboots, yet we’re drawn to the same old formulas in books and movies. Link
We writers love to create and shape the Universe within our books, and we use two of our favorite movies that show the rewards and risks of going too far. Link
Writers are Bruce Wayne by day and Batman by night. This podcast was fun because we got hit by an earthquake during the recording. Link
What also didn’t happen this week: no new Patreon podcasts. I still encourage to you to listen to my ongoing series on creating my book.
We take on passion and energy of Fan Fiction this week: -The history of fan fiction with a nod to the Bard, Dickens, and writers in the modern age. -The challenges and minefields about writing in the Internet Age. -And the strengths and weaknesses of being a FanFic writer.
We recognize this is a sensitive subject for many people, and we look forward to your feedback.