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 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 …
FIXED — The Nanogang Goes Boom, Day 17 — Beauty and Perspective
Dan and Gail discuss the relationship between age, experience, and the voice of the artist.
Question 1051: Useful Aphorisms
Mike asks:Dean Wesley Smith, Harlan Ellison, and other authors have talked about the quotes they’ve used to stay motivated and on task. What are some of yours? Resources mentioned:Dreams with Sharp Teeth
Question 1017: Staying In Your Lane
Simon asks: Is it better for writers to stick to characters that are like them? Are the costs of trying to write something outside of your own experience too high? Resources: Adventures of Huck Finn by Mark TwainStarship Troopers by Robert A HeinleinThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneThe Foundation by Isaac …
Feedback: Swords Sorcery and Sexism
Herb has feedback on the topic of Swords & Sorcery and Sexism, with a few recommendations for examples of the genre with interesting female characters. Resources Mentioned: Gate of Ivrel by CJ CherryhThe Birthgrave series by Tanyth LeeSavage RealmsAgainst the Horde by David GemelEdgar Rice Burroughs’s Barsoom series and Venus …