Episode Archive

196 episodes of Writing Tips and Writerly Musings since the first episode, which aired on August 20th, 2020.

  • Advancing Your Story... Without Traumatizing Your Characters (or Readers)

    May 23rd, 2022  |  Season 4  |  14 mins 52 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    You know stories need stakes. You know you need to get your readers to care. So? You try to make the stakes big enough and scary enough to drive the story forward. But you don’t HAVE to traumatize characters — or readers — to advance your story.

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    Pitching Agents -- And Readers

    May 16th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  7 mins 54 secs
    books, writers, writing, writing tips

    I talk a lot about pitching agents via the query process, but that’s not the only way to pitch. There are verbal pitches to agents. And? There’s the pitching you need to do to the READERS!

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    Dynamic Voice Acting

    May 9th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  10 mins 26 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    If you find yourself behind the microphone, sharing a story of your own, be prepared to pull in your audience with Dynamic Voice Acting.

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    "But I'm Not A YA Writer": Gender Biases In The Book World

    May 2nd, 2022  |  Season 4  |  11 mins 21 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Women writers of speculative fiction are often getting shelved with the YA books -- even when they're clearly not intended for teens. Unfortunately, getting misclassified has dire consequences for the novel. How is this happening and how can we stop this trend?

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    Writing Motivation For Doomsday Cults

    April 25th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  7 mins 55 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Doomsday cults have been around for a long time, probably since the dawn of civilization. Writers and readers alike have found them endlessly fascinating. But, what motivates someone to start a doomsday cult? And why do people join?

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    CSI: Fantasy Edition

    April 18th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  7 mins 26 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    When you're writing a story, there's usually SOMETHING the main character doesn't know and has to figure out. Sometimes, it's what someone else is thinking. It could be, where to find the McGuffin? But often? There's a whole mystery to solve! With a body growing cold.

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    Logistics and Tactics: Writing Military Campaigns

    April 11th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  8 mins 50 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Most writers end up writing fight scenes -- be they verbal or physical. But some writers, especially if they're writing historical novels, epic fantasy, or military fiction are going to be in the fight for the long haul. They're going to writing a Military Campaign. Here are mistakes to avoid.

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    Yes, You Can Be a Writer, Even WITHOUT A Visual Imagination

    April 4th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  5 mins 8 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Not everyone has a visual imagination. While some of you are out there taking dictation from the movies in your heads. That's not how it works for me.

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    Dealing the With Emotional Roller Coaster That Is Writing

    March 28th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  10 mins 33 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Being a writer requires: 1. Resilience, 2. Persistence, and 3. Perseverance. How do you handle setbacks?

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    Making Endings Ring True

    March 21st, 2022  |  Season 4  |  6 mins 59 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    One of the hardest things to do as a writer is to make the ending work for your readers. To tie everything together, in a way that the readers feel satisfied.

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    Don't Give Away Your Writing Time

    March 14th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  6 mins 35 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, time, writers, writing, writing tips

    Our lives are busy, but it can be all too easy to blink and realize you've wasted your writing time. Here's a reminder for those of you who want to make your writing a priority.

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    Finding My Way Out Of The Eternal Revision Round About

    March 7th, 2022  |  Season 4  |  5 mins 42 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, editing, revision, writers, writing, writing tips

    The problem with being a writer is we can always edit and revise and change and improve things. How do we know it's time to stop?