Question 1105: Changing the Way You Listen
Today we have feedback from Khellan on changing the way you listen and getting out of your own way. archivos
Question 1104: Building Life Experience
Joe asks: Lots of young people want to be writers, but don’t have enough life experience to write anything interesting. What ways do you recommend to gain that sort of life experience? Meditations by Marcus AureliusThe Bed of Procrustes by Nassim Nicholas TalebThe Notebooks of Lazarus LongCity Slickers
Questions 1103: Cannell’s Secret Sauce
Indiana Jim asks: Stephen J. Cannell produced some of the best television shows ever, and I know you’re an aficionado. What was his secret sauce for engaging and enduring episodic storytelling? WiseguyRockford FilesThe A TeamSilk StalkingsThe Commish
Catch-up & Announcements
A handful of announcements, or what we’ve been up to. The Write Stuff50 by 50 ChallengeLost Days, Last Nights announcement postThe Shoes I Wore This Morning, a sample of the Lost Days collectionUnfolding the World substackAnd Then She Was Gone
Question 1102: Reading as a Writer
Joe asks:I’ve been enjoying these short q&a podcasts! Here’s a question for your next one: what is your take on reading as a writer? Do you believe it’s important to read widely in the genre you write, or to avoid your genre and read widely in everything else? I’ve heard …
Question 1101: Pacing in Action-Adventure
Tim asks: What’re your opinions on pacing an Action-adventure novel? How much action is actually necessary? King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider HaggardSahara by Clive CusslerIndiana JonesRomancing the StoneThe Killing Floor by Lee ChildJurrassic Park (film)Congo (film)The Lost World by DoyleThe Mummy
Question 1100: Finding Public Domain Books
Where/how do you go to track down and read those books out of copyright? You mentioned King Solomon’s Mine recently and I’d love to get a copy of that on my ereader if there’s a free resource to grab it. Notes:Archive.orgSFFaudio.orgLibriVox
Question 1099: Measuring Yourself as a Writer
Caine asks:In a self evaluation of our own skill sets/aptitudes as a writer, what identifiers should exist that would indicate we have developed into a substantial professional writer? How do we know that we have what we need skills wise? What should we be able to do? What should we …
Question 1098: Getting Back In The Mood
Khellan asks:I’ve recently started carving out some “guaranteed” time to write fiction 3 times a week. It’s been a long time. Do you have any tools or tricks to get you back in the particular headspace or mood for the specific story you’re working on, or have you ingrained the …
Question 1097: We Need a Punctuation Master Class
Khellen asks:You mentioned punctuation and that stuff in another episode… Do you have enough to create a mini ebook with that stuff in? It is 123.6% worthwhile, because I forget and have to find a couple of books to figure out the rules! Sponsored by Archivos