Fiction School

Helping You Have Serious Fun Writing Your Best Stuff

PODCAST

Helping You Have Serious Fun

Writing Your Best Stuff

The Insider’s Guide to Publishing with Small Literary Presses with special guest Dan Cafaro, Founder of Atticus Books | Fiction School Podcast #14

What could be more inspiring, more noble, than a book lover who sees the world of modern publishing, in all its chaos and strange bedfellows merger frenzy, and thinks, "Hey, I think I'll start a small independent press!" What if that same guy is a visionary who knows...

Reading Like A Writer and Using Your Influences to Grow Your Writing Voice: The Thankfulness Show | Fiction School Podcast #13

This week, it being Thanksgiving and all, we're feeling thankful. We're thankful to be writers, thankful to have readers. We're thankful to have listeners to our podcast (Thanks!). And we are thankful for writers, especially the ones whose books made us want to...

The Business of Writing, Getting a Literary Agent, and Getting Published, with special guest Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary Services

Two quick announcements before we get down to business. First, are you a writer in need of a website? Fiction School offers free website setup when you buy hosting through us--check out all the details at Websites for Writers. Thanks for supporting the show! Also,...

When Readers Strike Back: How to Understand and Use Reader Feedback | Fiction School Podcast #10

In every writer's career, there comes a point where we have to do something terrifying in order to get better. We have to start showing our writing to other people before it's done, before it's perfect. We know something's wrong, but not exactly what, or why. And...

The SPOOKY Secrets of Paranormal Writing | Fiction School Podcast #9

Let us begin by saying: MMMWWAAAAAHAHAhahahahaha!! Welcome to our Spooktacular Show! We all grow up loving a good ghost story. Even as little kids, even when it's scary, there's something absolutely magnetic about the paranormal. And we keep loving those stories...

Writing From Real Life in Fiction and Memoir, with special guest Suzanne Morrison | Fiction School Podcast #8

It's weird being a writer. Everything you do is research. Everyone you meet could end up on a page you write. Everything that happens to you might happen to a character someday. A perfect quip somebody whips out in an argument? A 3 a.m. wakeup from an overly...

Using Minor Characters, Sidekicks, and Flat Characters to Drive Your Story | Fiction School Podcast #7

Hey there, Writers! A couple of quick news items: Big sale on Baker's YA novel The Battle Hymn Blues --get the ebook for just 99 cents this week! And if you're a listener in the Northern California area, check out Jody's new play, Shrewed! an adaptation of...

Writing Romance, Love Stories, and Sex Scenes | Fiction School Podcast Episode #6

When we're little, romance stories end in "happily ever after." But then, a little later, a few hormones coursing through us and we wonder what happens after happily ever after. Especially, you know, immediately after. That's when we start learning about stories...

Secrets of Writing a Novel Series | Fiction School Podcast #5

One of the best things to happen in the world books recently? It's gotta be all the series and serialization of stories. Maybe it's the influence of TV and the show addictions we all have. Maybe it's the rise of indie authors and how they can write faster. Maybe...

Using Setting and Place to Power Your Writing | Fiction School Podcast #4

When we get on the Google Hangout to tape this show on setting, Tommy appears in this ridiculously ornate, immaculate, stunning room, with frescoes on the ceiling and detailing in every tiny crevice, and (probably) this tiny man who runs around sweeping any speck of...

How To Start a Story: What Makes A Great Beginning | Fiction School Podcast #2

You sit down to write your novel. "Okay..." you think, "I've got a lot of story to tell. But I've got sixty-thousand words to get there. Shouldn't be a problem." And you almost type something. Then you don't. Then you think you might have a good idea, but it...

How To Use Story Structure (or, Not) – Fiction School Podcast #1

Nothing like kicking off a new podcast with a good ol' fashioned argument. On this episode of Fiction School, Jody and Baker discussed ways that using story structure and outlining help them write better and faster, and Tommy said thinking about writing this way...

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