how to write

For many of us, writing is an outlet — a way to create and access other worlds or express our feelings. On this episode, we're exploring our relationships to journaling and how it helps us be ourselves.

In a novel, a good plot is about obstacles. But as a writer, you know that there are obstacles to writing, too. As authors go through the writing process, or as they go about building a writing career, there are a host of things can freeze them in their tracks. One of the big obstacles is anxiety.

Anxiety is not a disorder. It's not a disease. But it is a big mindset and mental health issue that affects so many writers. In this episode of the How to be an Author podcast, writing coach Karena Akhavein talks about:

-Why there is a strong correlation between creativity and anciety

-How anxiety impacts creativity and creative output for writers

-Real techniques to help to alleviate or to work through anxiety

-How experiencing anxiety can be a good thing for your book and your writing career

Want more info? Want to join Writing Coach on Demand or sign up for the From Idea to Published in 6 Months masterclass? Check out https://www.creativeandwritingcoach.com 

WE ARE BACK!!!

In this episode, we talk about how to get back into writing after a looooong break!

Come have a drink & listen!

Host: Massiel Valenzuela - Castaneda

Episode Name: NANOWRIMO DAY 27

Episode Number: 182

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Why is it so hard to write a book? 

In this episode, we tackle why it is so hard to write a book. Especially at the end of the month, when it feels like you have dug through the dirt and gone to the mud to finally get toward the end of your book. We dive into the mental obstacles as well as any environmental causes that affect your mental process when writing. 

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Additional Resources

Website - www.blackheartedstudios.com

 Patreon Link - https://bit.ly/h2bpatreon

Follow us:

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Like, share, or leave a review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe to our YouTube channel (Blackhearted Studios) 

Creator of Macca the Alpacca and Worst Week Ever series of books, Matt Cosgrove and Eva Amores pop in to talk all about the Worst Week Ever series that's taking the world by storm. They share their processes, tips and all the fun of co-creating such a fun series of books.

Plus, tune in to win the first 3 books in the series. 

How to write great characters.

Today’s guest is a highly acclaimed author of over thirty books for children, across all styles and ages. Her work is published internationally to many commendations and awards. She has also worked as a publisher at Penguin Books in a career that has just been incredible.

Today, she’s popped in to share her latest book. A real thriller, set in forest late at night. As well as to share her author journey, tips and tricks. Everybody, please welcome Jane Godwin.

Today’s guest is an indie author with a real go-getter attitude. Her debut chapter book is Looking for Lily, about a group of awesome headbanging little rockers called Sprites.

To tell us all about them, and all about her amazing journey in the industry and what she’s learned self publishing her book - the tips, tricks, costs and everything in between, please give it up for the energetic, lively and wonderful person that is Kristy Nita Brown. 

Dialogue. The very word strikes fear in some writers' hearts. For others, there's the assumption that dialogue needs only "sound realistic" to be good. One of the hacks you won't be hearing in this episode of the How to be an Author podcast is "read it out loud." Yes, you can do that, but that won't actually improve the dialogue on your novel. When you're writing a book, each line of dialogue needs to have a purpose in your story: to advance the plot, to define relationships, to promote character development, and to convey information, among other things. Even if you're an experienced author who has been wriitng for a while, you'll get something out of this thought-provoking episode.

How do I price my book? How do I become a bestseller? How do I know if I can trust a publisher with my work? What do publishers look for when evaluating submissions? If these are questions you've had as an author, this is the episode for you.

Today, our in-house publishing consultant, David Endris, has compiled some of the most common questions he gets from authors, and today, he’s interviewing me. We’ll talk about a range of topics in today’s episode and attempt to answer your most burning publishing questions.

-How do you develop your premise into a plot?

-How do you use the story spine to craft an irresistible elevator pitch for your book, even if it's still only at the idea stage?

-How do you choose and commit to a story idea?

Full show notes out on the blog here.

In entrepreneurship, we encourage founders to tell their stories so we can see all the millions of ways people come into ownership and no two stories are the same. And writing is the same. Everyone does their thing differently and so hearing a bunch of stories is a great way to stay encouraged.

That said, I found this awesome Joanna Penn blog with some “what I’ve learned” and thought we could riff on that. These are things she’s learned from being an authorprenuer for a decade and I think they’re relevant to those mid-stride authors like us and maybe even a little surprising and encouraging.

1. When you get bored or things feel a little stale, hang on a bit longer. Things will change, and you will, too.
2. You can keep a mature author business going with just a few consistent actions.
   1. Writing books
   2. Podcasting
   3. Email marketing (grow your list!)
   4. Other things?
3. You don’t have to grow your business.
   1. Some projects are meaningful even if they’re not profitable
   2. Some projects are FUN and this work should be fun

read more...

Full show notes out on the blog here.

Professional writers who depend on volume for income (like those one-book-a-year professionals John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks) have the creative process down to a science. And all those teachers who teach “How to Write” have also disseminated their craft down to a process. We’re going to work on that today.

Since Rex teaches writing and I used to, many moons ago, we’re uniquely qualified to discuss what total horseshit some of this stuff is. We’ll break down the common elements of the process and some cool tips, tricks, and tools. Plus, we’ll debunk some stupid shit people say when they’re teaching you how to write and why you should ignore that garbage.

Ya’ll in? Let’s do this.

So Charlie’s gone back to school for nursing and he had to write his first paper this weekend and as he was talking about organizing his resources and writing his introduction, I got this weird deja vu from grad school when I had to be all intentional about writing. And then I thought about all the blogs (like this one!) that I write on the regular and whether I was following the tried-and-true or if I’d invented my own work habits around this thing I do for a living.

I consider myself a professional writer. Do you?

What delineates professional from novice? Or hobbyist?

What habits do we keep that support our distinction as “professional” writers?

The other thing that happened this week that made me think about this writing process concept is we hosted through SCWA a Writing Studio write-in on Thursday. The Columbia II chapter brought the prompts and we ran four 10-minute sprints with various prompts and some discussion afterwards.

Everyone thought it was very useful and productive. I used the prompts to think about the revisions I’m doing for the vampire novel. For two reasons: 1) I’m totally preoccupied with the vampire novel revisions right now and 2) I hate to waste my designated writing time on things that won’t move me forward. Meaning: I don’t want to doodle. I want to draw.

So some of the writing process steps include these forced-creativity activities that I can see having a place in a classroom but wonder if they have a place in the real world life of working writers. I wonder if Stephen King pulls out his trusty writing-prompt box of cards and decided to meander through some phrases like, “The thing you still need to know about me is…”

Do you “exercise” your writing? How? When? Where? What becomes of those exercises?

read more...

Welcome back to Published! In this episode we talk to Erin Brown, the executive editor at Greenleaf Book Group.

She discusses the key to writing a book outline, what a book outline template might look like for a new author, and how to approach writing an effective book outline for both fiction and nonfiction.

If you're embarking on your author journey and looking for a place to start, this episode is full of great writing tips and advice for you.

In this episode, we talk about writing death scenes! Come have a drink & listen!

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Ash Oldfield, a fantasy author from Australia.

Her book recommendations are On Writing by Stephen King and Once Upon a Time, which is a writer's handbook and card game all in one. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

To find out more about Ash, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, her TikTok, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Twitter and on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

EPISODE DESCRIPTION:     

This episode presents my final three favorite tools in a series on how to write great dialogue in your novel, screenplay, or play. These advanced techniques can transform the quality of one's project by making everything more intriguing and visual to the audience. 

1. Use the Sidestep - answer questions in odd ways.

• Unexpected dialogue or turns in dialogue create immediate interest
• Answer questions with questions
• "Do you love me?" "Do you want me to?"

2. Use Silence or Action in place of dialogue.

• Never use dialogue if an action can do the same thing.
• Don't feel the need to always have your character speak. Focus on revealing the internal emotional state of your characters through action.
• Action always trumps dialogue.

3. Use Visual Images in place of dialogue.

• Ex. Shane cuts down the tree stump instead of thanking them for a meal.

UP NEXT

We'll finish out November by discussing some of the major mistakes I've been seeing in client projects as of late, followed by some of my biggest "A-Ha Writing Moments" in December.

QUESTIONS OR TOPIC REQUESTS? 

If you have a question about this or any other episode, or if you have a specific topic that you would like Zena to address, click on the link below to leave a voicemail recording with your problem, question, or issue.

https://www.speakpipe.com/ZenaDellLowe

SPECIAL THANKS

The Storyteller’s Mission with Zena Dell Lowe would like to thank composer Carla Patullo for the original music she graciously permits us to use in the intro and outro of this podcast. To find out more about this amazing talent, go to  www.carlapatullo.com

Tags: Artist, Artists, Writing tips, Writing Advice, Writing Podcast, Crafting a Story, Writers, Writer, Author, Novelist, Screenwriter, Story, Storytelling, Storytellers, Zena Dell Lowe, Mission Ranch Films, The Storyteller's Mission, The Mission with Zena Dell Lowe