Episode Archive
205 episodes of Writing Tips and Writerly Musings since the first episode, which aired on August 20th, 2020.
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Imposter Syndrome: Stranger in a Strange Mind
August 7th, 2023 | Season 7 | 15 mins 42 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
What is Imposter Syndrome and how do we fight it?
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Querying Versus Submitting: What's the Difference
July 31st, 2023 | Season 7 | 10 mins 32 secs
agents, beta-reading, books, critique, publishing, querying, writers, writing, writing tips
If you're trying to get an agent or publisher, you've probably heard these terms. While even many industry professionals can be found using the terms interchangeably, they do actually have different meanings!
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Novel, Novella, or Short Story
July 24th, 2023 | Season 7 | 6 mins 42 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
The size of a story is often dictated by the scope of the idea that spawned it. While some experienced writers can tell from the shape of the concept how long their story will be, it’s often a case of trial and error and years.
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Choosing Your Perspective: Voice and Points-Of-View
July 17th, 2023 | Season 7 | 8 mins 11 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
All writers have a voice and all stories have point-of-view characters -- it's how you bring them together that makes or breaks your story.
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How To Self-Edit That First Lousy Draft
July 10th, 2023 | Season 7 | 15 mins 39 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, editing, writers, writing, writing tips
All first drafts are lousy. It's part of the process. It's how you fix that first draft that establishes you as a quality writer.
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Season 7: Trailer
July 3rd, 2023 | Season 7 | 38 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, season7, writers, writing, writing tips
This season, I'm talking a lot about world-building, fairytales, and, of course, the querying process.
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Balticon 57: Recap
June 26th, 2023 | Season 6 | 20 mins 30 secs
balticon, balticon57, beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
I think I’m about four naps shy of recovering from Balticon 57, but I’m home and back at work. Despite my multitude of hats, I managed to do it all!
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There Is No Finish Line: Momentum For Writers
June 19th, 2023 | Season 6 | 12 mins 2 secs
balticon, beta-reading, books, critique, motivation, virtual balticon, writers, writing, writing tips
Experienced writers who have been on the roller coaster for a while know the big secret: you never really “make it.” Just because you’ve sold one book doesn’t mean you’ll sell the next one, and just because you didn’t sell the last one doesn’t mean the next one won’t hit big. Our panel offers tips and strategies for maintaining the will to keep creating.
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Intro To Self-Publishing
June 12th, 2023 | Season 6 | 11 mins 52 secs
balticon, beta-reading, books, critique, self publishing, virtual balticon, writers, writing, writing tips
So you have a story and you want to publish it yourself? Let’s talk about how to get started, how to get noticed, and when you should pay a professional.
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Making Painful Edits
June 5th, 2023 | Season 6 | 10 mins 8 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, editing, virtual balticon, writers, writing, writing tips
It’s hard to cut out scenes or characters that you love, but your story may be better off without them. How do you learn to recognize when something has to go, and how do you reconnect any threads that run through the parts you’re removing?
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Science Fiction Has Always Been Political
May 29th, 2023 | Season 6 | 9 mins 39 secs
balticon, beta-reading, books, critique, politics, science fiction, virtual balticon, writers, writing, writing tips
Throughout the history of science fiction and fantasy, creators have used the opportunity for imaginative storytelling to explore issues of their day. From the Twilight Zone to Alien Nation to Mass Effect, what are ways that genre stories have explored the concerns of the world in which they were made?
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Tips For Writing Combat: Where Do You Focus?
May 22nd, 2023 | Season 6 | 10 mins
beta-reading, books, critique, fight scenes, virtual balticon, writers, writing, writing tips
Even veterans and long-time practitioners can have problems writing fights that are both compelling and realistic; how is someone new supposed to keep up? We’ll discuss getting experience with the weapons you’re writing about, how to handle pacing in brawls, skirmishes, and battles, and how to keep the tension high when your protagonists have to survive.