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Successful writing requires The Write Focus. Hosted by M.A. Lee with occasional forays from Remi Black and Edie Roones, we focus on productivity / tools / craft / process for fiction and nonfiction, entertainment and academic writing.
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
From mainstream mysteries to weird and wacky and on to true crime with paranormal, Pamela Ebel doesn’t hesitate.
Direct from Pamela:
Groups for Crime Fiction Writers
- Short Mystery Fiction Society https://shortmystery.blogspot.com/ A wide network of members with years of experience and success in writing crime fiction short stories and novels
- Mystery Writers of America: They publish monthly newsletters with articles on writing and marketing Markets https://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2022/04/12-journals-with-no-fixed-deadlines.htmlhttps://publishedtodeath.blogspot.com/2022/05/77-calls-for-submissions-in-june-2022.html
Writing Tools
- I do not use any of the numerous writing programs and formats on the market. I start all of my works on a legal pad. When I get to a point where I know the rest of the story will go, I move to the computer and use a basic Word program.
- I am a ‘pantser’ and let the story tell me where it wants to go. However, once the first draft is done, I do go back and look carefully for the elements of a plot and whether my characters are getting us where we need to go. I have Beta readers (several of whom also clean up spelling and grammatical issues for me.).
Maintaining Productivity
- By education and profession (BA, MA in Rhetoric and Public Address and 48 years of teaching communications courses at the university level and with a Law Degree and a solo practice, then 15 years as associate dean at a law school) both writing skills and my organizational skills were set long ago. I use an old-fashioned desk calendar with the month, weeks and days to keep track of my obligations.
- I use the same suspense system I used in law practice to keep track of deadlines for works in progress – 60 day notice of impending deadline; 30 day notice; 15 day notice; 5 day notice and prescription date.
- I also lead a critique group of four writers (covering a variety of genres and styles) that meets at my home every other week. I receive their stories ahead of time, write and return my written critiques to them, and then they have each other’s works that they critique at the gathering.
- I also teach a course on “Writing and Marketing Short Stories” Both of these activities keep me involved with others who have my passion for writing and that keeps me writing also.
Publishing Decisions
Whether to seek a traditional publisher for your work; a hybrid publisher or self-publishing is a personal decision that should be made based on
- the amount of time you are willing to expend seeking a brick and mortar publisher (usually requiring an agent),
- 2) how much time you wish to tie up your work with a traditional publishing time line,
- 3) how much money your are willing to come out of pocket to get your work published,
- and 4) how much of your own money and time you can afford to market your work.
My bottom line is that whatever decision one makes in the journey to having your novel, novella, anthology or short stories or poetry see the light of day for the reading public is personal and valid for the author.
Do not let ‘the in crowd’ tell you what you ‘HAVE TO DO’ to be successful. Have a serious talk with yourself and your family and then do what satisfies you.
Timings
- 00:52 Opening for Pamela Ebel, into her fifth career: writing
- 2:00 Avoiding the word genre
- 4:18 Flash Fiction
- 6:16 Offering fiction for free on her website
- 7:40 Finding Turners ~ a series with retired circus animals
- 9:20 Writing a short story a week
- 10:45 Submission process advice
- 16:00 Finding markets
- 18:40 Best Help for Writing
- 20:45 How to find her work
- 21:50 Writing vs. social media; her story “Dead Men don’t Text” is upcoming on her Facebook page (link below)
- 23:30 Investing in your own writing
- 25:00 Novel vs. Short Fiction
- 27:25 When disasters affect the writing
- 29:35 Finding a short story in a novel
- 31:11 Avoiding boredom with the writing
- 33:30 Best Writing Tool
- 37:13 Never wait for validation from others
- 39:20 Closing
MORE LINKS
https://www.facebook.com/pamela.ebel.75
https://www.shotgunhoney.com/authors/pamela-ebel/
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Interviews with Writers / Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
Buy a coffee to show your support at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
Genghis Khan. Medieval surgeries. The Bone Guard.
These intriguing story lines are the invention of Elaine Isaak, writing as E.C. Ambrose. In this excellent interview, Elaine shares her writing processes and several surprising methods in this episode of The Write Focus.
Timings
- 1:30 Opening
- 2:15 Focus on The Mongol’s Coffin
- 3:20 The allure of the High Middle Ages
- 4:10 Cross-cultural exchange and innovation
- 6:46 Medieval surgery, her first series, and the vision of a series protagonist Elisha Barber: “My god, I’ve killed them all.”
- 8:50 Publication Journey
- 9:34 Relinquishing control, traditional publishing, indie publishing
- 11:40 writing contest games
- 12:40 Elaine’s writing process
- 14:40 Outlining
- 15:55 Story Spine
- 16:34 Draft is done. What next?
- 19:12 Challenge of writing different series
- 24:41 Best writing tool
- 26:10 Research while writing
- 28:37 Maintaining Productivity
- 30:00 Family matters.
- 32:00 Best writing craft to practice
- 34:35 Benefit of local writing chapters.
E.C. Ambrose | Penguin Random House
Amazon.com: E.C. Ambrose: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Interviews with Writers / Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
Buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Elle Andrews Patt shares more of her writing life. The age-old question of plotter vs. pantster, the synopsis and her route to a hybrid writing life, writing with sensitivity and awareness, the synopsis and productivity, as well as Clickmagick, her best tool for marketing, and much more. We end with her multi-part writing advice. Join us.
Content
- 1:00 Plotter vs. Pantster
- 1:40 When books do not fit a marketing niche and the hybrid writer life
- 4:35 Writing with Sensitivity and Awareness
- 5:40 Plotting and the synopsis
- 10:20 ClickMagick for tracking links; importance for marketing and ROI (return on investment)
- 13:30 Productivity and deadlines
- 16:40 Changing process / practice adapts the process
- 17:45 Elle’s Best Advice (multi-part)
MORE LINKS from Elle
Synopsis: https://publishingcrawl.com/p/how-to-write-a-1-page-synopsis?s=r
Clickmagick: https://www.clickmagick.com/login/
Mark Dawson Ads for Authors: https://learn.selfpublishingformula.com/p/adsforauthors
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Interviews with Writers / Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
Buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
Elle Andrews Patt offers her perspective on writing, from the start of her publishing journey to writing series and spin-offs, all in this episode of The Write Focus.
Next week, she will share her views on plotter vs. pantster, the synopsis, Clickmagick and much much more. Join us.
Content
- 1:11 Opening
- 2:02 Elle Andrews Patt’s published writings
- 4:00 Her writing / publishing journey
- 5:00 Practice using Fan Fiction
- 7:50 Short Story vs. Novel
- 11:00 Stand-alones vs. Series (writing a series, cliffhangers: the ugly, the bad, and the good
- 15:35 Interconnected characters and spin-offs
LINKS
How To Grow A Novel: https://www.amazon.com/How-Grow-Novel-Mistakes-Overcome/dp/0312267495/
Reading Like A Writer: https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Like-Writer-Guide-People/dp/0060777052
Characters and Viewpoint: https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Fiction-Writing-Characters-Viewpoint/dp/0898799279
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Interviews with Writers / Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
Buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
This week we return to the wonderful Kaye George and her writing guidance.
She spills the beans on her writing journey, her process to start a mystery, her methods and tools, and productivity along with two keys that unlock success. She also provides our inspiration!
Enjoy part 2 of multi-published Kaye George, this week on the Write Focus.
TIMINGS
- 1:05 how to find her books; also, out-of-print books
- 2:40 updating her out-of-print books
- 3:45 how Kaye started writing
- 4:55 Kaye’s process to start a mystery
- 7:15 Five points to help plan clues, red herrings, suspects, etc.
- 8:35 What “National Best-Selling” means
- 10:00 the shrinking book markets and other worries
- 11:35 Helps to stay motivated and persistent
- 13:53 Kaye’s writing journey
- 14:50 Advice to New Writers and our Inspiration!
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction / Interviews with Writers.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
Buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
Multi-published Kaye George is our 1st interview!
We had a grand conversation about how she develops her series, world building, writing short stories vs. writing novels, and work-for-hire, plus a lot more. And this is only the start of our interview.
Next week we’ll talk details about her writing process, productivity, and more and more.
Here it is, part 1 of our conversation with National Best-Selling writer of mysteries with a twist, Kaye George.
TIMINGS
- 1:14 Kaye George talks her books
- 4:19 World-building with her People of the New Land series
- 5:22 Imogene books set in Wichita Falls, TX
- 6:18 creative sparks for stories: Imogene and Neanderthal series
- 8:12 Imogene as a “heart”series and the reasons behind its development
- 11:04 Cat cozies: the Fat Cat series, work-for-hire and how to structure such a series. (See also 17:00)
- 12:38 Candy and cats: the vintage sweets series; what happens to authors and their books when publishers combine
- 14:29 over 50 short stories, many in anthologies (see also 16:40)
- 15:07 not self-published
- 15:52 writing short stories vs. writing novels; organizing methods for novels; spreadsheets
- 17:14 developing a brand
- 17:47 Short stories allow experimentation
- 18:11 work-for-hire logistics
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction / Interviews with Writers.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
Buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/winkbooksr
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
Building Blocks for Short Narratives
Do we ever start writing blind to story? Not blind as in sightless, but blind in having no idea where we are going with a story? I say no. Many writers agree with me. Even if we have only the faintest glimmer of an idea, we have something to guide us.
The best short narratives engage and surprise us. Lester Dent knows how to keep each story separate rather than a dull repetition. He decides main points before he begins; these are his building blocks. We should, too. This episode can help.
Timings
- 1: 20 Opening
- 2:09 Formulas with Pantsters, Plotters, and Puzzlers
- 5:08 Dent’s Building Blocks for all Stories
- 9:15 Dent’s Checklists for Each Story Part
- 11:19 Story-Song “Puff, the Magic Dragon”
- 14:38 Closing / Next Week
- 14:57 Inspiration / Sinclair Lewis
LINKS to "Puff"
https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/peterpaulandmary/puffthemagicdragon.html
Thanks for listening to The Write Focus. We focus on productivity, process, craft, and tools. Our podcast is for newbies who want to become writing pros and veterans who are returning to writing after years away.
Our current focus is A Mixed Miscellany: Fiction / Poetry / Nonfiction / Interviews with Writers.
For more links and resources, visit www.thewritefocus.blogspot.com .
Write to us at winkbooks@aol.com.
If you find value in this podcast, please share with your writing friends or write a review. (We’re small beans. We don’t have the advertising budget of the big peeps. You can make a difference.)
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
Major plot points in short narratives keep the story moving—whether a short story, a narrative poem, or an anecdote to personalize a blog post.
Explosive excitement, an angsty soul-changing crisis, a boxed-in corner that forces an intellectual revelation—these are perfect for the major story parts or movements, the opening and closing of each 1,500-word scene or a poem’s stanza or an article’s anecdotal paragraph.
What do we write in the middle of those parts? This episode can help.
Timings
- 1:22 Opening with 3 Requirements of a Short Narrative
- 2:05 Realm of Long Narratives vs. Realm of Short Narratives
- 4:11 Focus on the Middle of each Part / Movement
- 4:31 1st Story Part or Movement (A & B)
- 6:25 Ways to Hide Clues
- 7:59 Carly Simon’s “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”, 1st stanza and chorus
- 10:25 2nd Story Part & Simon’s 2nd stanza
- 12:28 3rd Story Part
- 12:52 4th Story Part
- 13:29 Simon’s 3rd stanza and final chorus
- 15:12 Closing / Next Week
- 15:46 Inspiration / Somerset Maugham
New LINKS
“That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” video https://youtu.be/Ux7HgO9QhAc
Lyrics https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/carlysimon/thatsthewayivealwayshearditshouldbe.html
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Wednesday Jun 01, 2022
Success with short narratives? That’s our current goal. We’ve found Lester Dent’s Plot Formula.
We’re creatives, so we can adapt the formula to fit our genre needs. We know the four parts of the 4 movements. We’re writing fiction / poetry / non-fiction. What’s next?
The details, man. It’s all in the details … of the narrative.
Timings
- 1:05 Opening
- 1:52 Check-in
- 2:55 Lester Dent’s Plot Formula
- 7:21 Coincidence is a No-No
- 8:04 Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls” with the Formula
- 15:08 Riddling: a Tricky method to end any story
- 15:53 Closing / Next Week
- 16:28 Inspiration / Joyce Cary
New Resources
Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls” https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/garthbrooks/thethunderrolls.html
Video of above Garth Brooks - The Thunder Rolls (With Lyrics And Pics) - YouTube
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Wednesday May 25, 2022
Having trouble with short narratives? Short stories? Narrative poems? Anecdotes in your blogs and essays/articles?
I had trouble. Free admission. I would launch into a story that I hoped would be 8,000 to 10,000 words only for the word count to top 20,000 or more. I was rather proud of myself when a planned short story ran less than 15,000 words.
My narrative poems ran longer than 5 or 6 stanzas. Think “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” length. For the blog I wrote, my example stories ran more than 15 to 20 sentences.
Too long. What’s that acronym? TL;DR. “Didn’t read.” Oops.
What was I doing wrong? Surely there’s a secret to short narratives? Guess what? There is! In this episode, I’ll share what I found.
Timings
- 1:45 Opening
- 3:28 Paul Simon’s “America”
- 4:17 Avoiding the School-Taught Plot Pyramid
- 5:15 Erle Stanley Gardner
- 6:28 Lester Dent
- 7:10 LDent’s Plot Formula
- 8:32 The Basics
- 12:00 Closing / Next Week
- 13:00 Inspiration / Raymond Carver
Resource Links
Lester Dent’s Plot Formula / printable pdf / https://mgherron.com/2015/01/lester-dents-pulp-paper-master-fiction-plot-formula/
Paul Simon’s “America” https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/paulsimon/america.html
Video of above America - Lyrics - Simon & Garfunkel - YouTube