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 onContinue reading “Podcast: Grammar”
Category Archives: MondayBlogs
Podcast: Stupid Romance
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. Have a listen! We’d love to hear what you think via our comments page, even ifContinue reading “Podcast: Stupid Romance”
Podcast: Hell Week
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 traitsContinue reading “Podcast: Hell Week”
Flashback Episode
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 yourContinue reading “Flashback Episode”
Podcast: FanFic
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 manyContinue reading “Podcast: FanFic”
Podcast: Seasons
Happy Spring! CC and I discuss how Seasons can form themes in your books:Spring = RebirthSummer = Lust & LoveFall = The Best Season?Winter = Family and Coming of Age (Bonus: Hear me forget our anniversary!) Have a listen and let us know what you think. Also this week: the podcast series on how IContinue reading “Podcast: Seasons”
Podcast: Postcard from Ireland!
Writers draw pictures with words, but what if your protagonist is Irish and you’ve never been to Ireland? You’re in luck! Here’s a verbal postcard from Dublin, Cork, & Killarney with castles, pubs, museums, and much more. And we snuck in Scotland, too! Have a listen and let us know what you think Also thisContinue reading “Podcast: Postcard from Ireland!”
Podcast: Why Don’t People Write?
No two ways to slice this bread: writing is hard for many reasons. People may have trouble put words to paper (or screen) because they feel they have a weak grasp on language skills, or they’re nervous about revealing themselves. After all, writing in a private endeavor in the public spotlight. Criticism could be aContinue reading “Podcast: Why Don’t People Write?”
Podcast: Money!
This week’s writers’ podcast is about spending money to be a writer (or as I call it, “death by thousand cuts”). All professions require out-of-pocket expenses because the cliché is we have to spend money to earn money. But as independent writers, we may not ever see a full return on our investment. We talkContinue reading “Podcast: Money!”
Podcast: Romance Mish-Mash
Today was a “stream of unconsciousness” podcast from CC and me. Most of it is “Romance is What You Make of It” and “The Elements of Romance in Writing.” Focusing on the writing part, CC and I agree that the main elements of romance writing, maybe even the hearts, is conflict, confusion, and the lackContinue reading “Podcast: Romance Mish-Mash”