Writing Tips and Writerly Musings
with Morgan Hazelwood
About the show
Welcome! If you want to hear writing tips from the big names, the medium names, and everyone else, look no further.
As a blogger, vlogger, and actively querying fantasy author, I am addicted to attending all the writing panels a person could possibly attend at a convention. We're talking about attending upwards of 25 hours of panels in 3 days.
Fortunately for you? I love sharing my copious notes.
But, I also get real. I share my writerly musings: my struggles, my failures, and... hopefully, my writing successes.
Thanks for listening.
- Morgan Hazelwood
Episodes
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When Writing: How Curiosity, Spirit, and Opportunity Combine To Expose Humanity
December 20th, 2021 | Season 3 | 11 mins 2 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, story, writers, writing, writing tips
Exploring humanity's brighter side, as seen through the Mars rovers.
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Show, Don't Tell: Readers Don't Need Stage Directions
December 13th, 2021 | Season 3 | 9 mins 21 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
What are 'stage directions', why you don't need them, and how to fix it.
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The Reward For A Job Well Done...
December 6th, 2021 | Season 3 | 3 mins 12 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
I think we all know what that means.
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Strength Isn't Just For The Strong
November 29th, 2021 | Season 3 | 9 mins 15 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
Instead of my expected discussion of different types of strengths being compared to the default of physical strength, the panel these notes were based on veered into magical strength and stayed there.
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5 Tips For Fighting Burnout: Learning Limits and Finding Gratitude
November 22nd, 2021 | Season 3 | 10 mins 16 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
- Recognize your limits
- Reassess Your Goals
- Recognize Your Needs
- Give Yourself Credit
- Practice Gratitude
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Using Unsafe Places to Propel Your Characters Forward
November 15th, 2021 | Season 3 | 6 mins 57 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
Places can be unsafe due to the environment itself, or because of the people in the place. Sometimes? Home is the unsafe place. And it can be unsafe because of external factors, or because of internal ones. And old age is a very unsafe place.
When fate is against you, no place is safe.
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Gender 401 (for the writer)
November 8th, 2021 | Season 3 | 8 mins 2 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
Explaining gender, ways genre fiction can improve, authors who don't do badly, and things we could see more of. [Aimed at a cis audience - challenging us to do better for those whose gender identities weren't just handed to them at birth]
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Writing As Sanctuary
November 1st, 2021 | Season 3 | 12 mins 25 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
A discussion exploring the motivations behind people’s writing and reoccurring themes in one's writing, either intentionally or unintentionally.
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Writer Confessions
October 25th, 2021 | Season 3 | 9 mins 29 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
In which Morgan struggles to accept her own limits, acknowledges the truth of being a plantser, the use of novel prep work, discusses writing sprints, and rewards.
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4 Tips For Writing Memoirs
October 18th, 2021 | Season 3 | 5 mins 6 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, memoir, writers, writing, writing tips
Memoirs are not quite novels, but they are far from biographies. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your memoir.
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Finding Your Pace: A Writer's Struggle
October 11th, 2021 | Season 3 | 9 mins 3 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, nanowrimo, writers, writing, writing tips
Some writers are sprinters, some are marathoners, and some are hikers who will reach the end, someday. Finding the pace that works for you, for your current story, for your current life situation is crucial.
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So You've Decided To Write A Novel? 7 Tips For Getting Started
October 4th, 2021 | Season 3 | 10 mins 55 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, nanowrimo, writers, writing, writing tips
Whether you’ve just decided it’s finally time to write that book you’ve been thinking about on your own or you’ve been bit by the NaNoWriMo bug, starting a novel can be intimidating!
It doesn’t matter if you’re a pantser (writing by the seat of your pants), a plotter, or something in between, there’s still stuff you can do to prepare yourself before you start writing.
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My 5 Biggest Misconceptions About Submitting Short Stories
September 27th, 2021 | Season 3 | 9 mins 48 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
Submitting short stories is a LOT different than querying a novel -- even if you're looking for so-called traditional publishing.
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Wasn't I an Extrovert?
September 20th, 2021 | Season 3 | 5 mins 13 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
The past couple of years, I’ve noticed a trend -- in myself. I’ve been wanting to stay home and not deal with going out.
But wait, I thought I was an extrovert.My entire identity has fallen into crisis!
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What I Love Most About Writing
September 13th, 2021 | Season 3 | 7 mins 31 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
Sometimes, when you’re stuck at some writing stage for too long, it can be hard to remember why you started this thing in the first place. So, here are the 10 things I love most about being a writer.
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The 4 Components Necessary To Bring A Scene To Life
September 6th, 2021 | Season 3 | 6 mins 9 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
When writing, we all strive to bring our scenes to life, but it’s easy to forget a component. Scenes need action, setting, sensory descriptions, and emotional impact.