Tag Archives: author success

Posted on

5 Top Writing Podcast

Have you ever just starred at the screen and not been able to find an idea or the words to scatter across the page…? Have you ever just felt like you are in a slump and need some motivation…? I know I have. There have been countless times where I’ll type a word, only to turn around and delete said word. Writing is without question one of the most enjoyable hobbies, but it can also be one of the most frustrating as well…

Over the years of studying the craft I have asked many authors how they overcome this plateau. Everyone is different and I have heard many different ideas. Some take long walks, others read, some exercise, and one person even said they go hunting.

I do two things… One I’m a yard fanatic. I love to have a fresh mowed lawn that clean and clear of weeds. So I do a lot of yard work. But while I’m doing yard work or house projects I also listen to a lot of podcast.  There are tons of writing podcast available out there to listen to- But for the sake of time I’m only going to list my top five…

1.       Writing Excuses: One of my favorite… Released every Monday writing excuses is a fiction podcast run by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, Dan Wells and Mary Robinette Kowal. Their tag line is exceptional:

“Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.”

The podcast is one of the most popular and garners over 10,000 downloads per episode. Their topics range from creative writing, plotting, techniques, as well as discussion on the current publishing industry.

2.       I Should be Writing:  An award winning podcast that’s about the writing journey. It’s hosted by Mur Lafferty. Lafferty has a variety of the credentials that range from freelance writing, podcast producing, and editing for the escape pod magazine. I highly recommend this podcast for anyone unpublished and looking to break in to the industry.

3.        Thrillercast: Not to be confused with Michael Jackson by any means. Thriller cast is hosted by David Wood and Alan Baxter. It’s a podcast for readers and authors of the thriller genre that features interviews, reviews, current publishing trends, as well as discussions on the craft of writing.

4.       Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing: Hosted and produced by Shaun Farrell. With over 200 episodes this podcast covers everything in Fantasy and Sci fi publishing from interviews, publishing, as well as reviews.

5.       Grammar Girl: Let’s face it… Most of us writers hate grammar. But this little podcast is very beneficial. Grammar girl is hosted by Mignon Fogarty who is also the author of “Quick and Dirty Tips,” an exceptional grammar resource that should be on every writers shelf.

Note: Please understand that not all of these podcast are the most clean… There are a few where there may be some language… I would recommend that you research each one and find the one that would benefit you most.

Posted on

5 Reasons You Should Just Stop Writing!!!

1.       It’s Hard:

Let’s face it, writing is hard… I mean when it comes down to it, should you be doing hard things? No, you should be doing easy things. Things that are simple and don’t require a lot of energy. Living the easy life is so much better then pursuing a publishing dream… Right…?

2.       Rejections:

Agents, Editors, and even readers probably won’t like your work… I mean think about it, who wants to go on amazon and Goodreads and see a 1 Star review. It’s so much easier to just think about it being good, hearing the praise of your mother, and not dealing with the brutal truth that some give… So do yourself a favor- Quit, because the rejection isn’t worth it…

3.       You’ll Never Be Original:

Everybody tells you that they want originality, originality, originality… But no matter what you do or write, no matter how much time you spend outlining that plot, it always turns out sounding just like your favorite authors latest release. Being original is tough and requires a lot of thought… And as we have already established “Writing is hard and you shouldn’t do hard things…”

It Takes too Much Time:

I mean who wants to take time…? Everything today is at our finger tips… Instant books on our kindles and nooks, bills can be paid instantly, etc etc. It takes time to sit and write a good novel and that just seems pointless. So why waste time, call me when the instant result novel formula is out and being distributed…

5.      You’re Not Going to Make any Money:

If you really stop and think it through you’ll realize the truth in this… It took Stephen King, James Patterson, and John Grisham years and multiple books before they made it big… And a lot has changed since then… The best you’ll do is be able to make a couple of mortgage payments a year and that’s it… So why waste all the effort doing something that will more than likely not produce any rewards…?

Believe it or not these are all excuses I have made in my writing journey… They are things that have held me back and kept me from telling the stories I’ve wanted to tell. But I’ve learned that while there is a bit of truth to what I’ve said above, there is also a bit of myth as well… Writing is tough, it does come with rejection, it takes a lot of time to learn and do it well, it’s hard to be original and fresh, and in the beginning for most there is very little financial reward… But writing I’ve learned isn’t about those things… Those are the things that push us to be better. They are the things that drive to keep pounding away late into the night… You see writing is about passion- And passion wins over these five things every time… So pound away constant writer- I am.

Tweetables: 5 Reasons You Should Just Stop Writing Click Here to Tweet