Diy Mfa Radio

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so thrilled that you're joining me for this episode. Today I’ll be talking to Julie Zickefoose, an artist and author of three books, the latest being Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest. In today’s interview, we’ll be talking about how to turn your passion for a subject into a book (or something more), and how to keep up the motivation to pursue that passion, even when you’re not sure where it might lead. In this episode Julie and I discuss: Taking a wild idea from concept to concrete Developing your skill set to enhance your work Bringing your unique perspective to the subject Relying on your passion to help you push through the project’s obstacles Being open to the possibilities that come from the problems you face Plus, Julie’s #1 tip for writers. If you love nature writing, you can order a copy of Julie's latest book Baby Birds: An Artist Looks into the Nest, with her gorgeous watercolor artwork and written accounts following the first days of these hatchlings. It's reall

Hey there Word Nerds! Thanks for joining me for today's awesome DIY MFA Radio interview with author Ryan North. When one of my contacts over at Penguin told me Romeo and/or Juliet and asked if I wanted to bring the author on the show, my immediate reaction: “Shakespeare meets choose-your-own adventure? Yes please!” The fact that the play being parodied was Romeo and Juliet clinched it for me. Why? Because Romeo and Juliet is perhaps Shakespeare’s most overrated (and ridiculous) play. On one hand, this play features one of Shakespeare’s most complex, interesting and all-around badass characters (i.e. Mercutio). On the other hand, this play also centers around the star-crossed lovers--Romeo and Juliet--who might just be the two most banal, boring characters in all of literature. (In case you haven't noticed, have very strong opinions about Shakespeare.) I simply HAD to see how Ryan was going to apply his choose-your-own-path model to this particular play. Let's just say, the result did not disappoint. In fact,

Hello hello, word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with fellow New Yorker and awesome author, Emma Straub. I had so much fun doing this interview because it was almost like talking to a parallel universe version of myself. After the interview, Emma and I figured out that we had grown up in fairly close neighborhoods (she's a West-Sider, I'm East) and we even went to very similar schools. Talk about crazy coincidence! But now, let's get down to business. Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of The Vacationers, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures, and the short story collection Other People We Married. Her fiction and nonfiction have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Elle, and Conde Nast Traveler, and she is a contributing writer for Rookie. Straub’s work has been published in fifteen countries, and her newest book Modern Lovers is out now.   In this episode Emma and I discuss: Point of view as a story vehicle How to decide who the true protagonist is

Hey there Word Nerds! Today I’m delighted to welcome back the founder and principal of Book Architecture, Stuart Horwitz, and his collaborator Dave Stebenne. You can listen to my previous interview with Stuart here. Stuart has spent over fifteen years helping writers become authors and his clients have reached wow-worthy levels of success. You can read the details in his bio below. More personally, though, Stuart is also a trusted colleague of mine and a good friend. When we first met over drinks at a Writer’s Digest Conference back in 2013, I knew right away that I had met a fellow writer and writing teacher whose perspective both aligns with and complemented my own. Stuart’s books are among my top go-to resources, both ones that I recommend to my students and that I use for my own writing. The newest installment of the Book Architecture trilogy–Finish Your Book in Three Drafts: How to Write a Book, Revise a Book, and Complete a Book While You Still Love It–just might be my favorite one yet. For this book, h

Hey there Word Nerds! I'm so glad you've stopped by today because I've got a great DIY MFA Radio interview for you. In this episode, I interview thriller author Steve Hamilton about his new book: The Second Life of Nick Mason. This book is a fascinating study on what happens when a fundamentally decent character makes some very bad choices. In this episode Steve and I discuss: Significant experiences for writers that inform your fiction Building stories around situations versus characters Projecting characters' arcs through a series Plus, Steve’s #1 tip for writers. About the Author Steve Hamilton is the two-time Edgar Award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Alex McKnight series and two standalone novels. His debut, novel  A Cold Day in Paradise, won both an Edgar and a Shamus Award for Best First Novel, and his standalone novel The Lock Artist won an Edgar for Best Novel of the Year, a CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller, and an Alex Award, given out by the American Library Associ

Hello hello Word Nerds! Welcome back to DIY MFA Radio. OMG, you guys! It’s episode 100! I can’t even believe how excited I am that we’ve come this far. Today’s show is special because not only is it episode 100 and the first solo show I’ve done in quite a while, today I’m going to introduce a concept to you. I’ve been kicking this around for a long time, and I think it’s a direction that I’m going to be taking DIY MFA, so you get a sneak peek as to where DIY MFA is going. As you’ve probably already noticed, if you follow the website or the show, a few months ago I released the Storytelling Superpower quiz, a personality quiz like you see on Buzzfeed that will tell you your storytelling personality. Head on over and take the quiz if you haven’t already. When you finish the quiz, you’ll be prompted to sign up a video series. This video series is a mini master class that I put together to celebrate the launch of the DIY MFA book! In this episode I’m going to give you an overview of where the Storytelling Superpo

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so excited to share this week’s DIY MFA Radio episode with you. But first, some news. OMG word nerds, our next episode will be number 100 and I have something really exciting planned so make sure to watch your iTunes for that release. That episode will kick-off our weeklong Storytelling Superpower video series designed to help you figure out what stories and what characters you’re BEST at writing. To access the video series and download our cheat sheet describing all the Storytelling Superpower archetypes, sign up with your email at DIYMFA.com/STSPvideo. and get all those materials. You an also take Storytelling Superpower QUIZ to discover your unique superpower as a writer. Now onto today's episode. Today I'm delighted to interview Susan Breen. In addition to being the author of the new Maggie Dove mystery series, Susan is also a wonderful writing teacher and one of my very first mentors. Many listeners have heard me tell the story about how I took a horrendous writing workshop in c

Hey there Word Nerds! I'm so glad you're here with me today because have a great interview to share with you. Today Matthew Palmer and I talk about balancing writing and life and creating compelling characters. Matthew is a twenty-five-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has worked as a diplomat all over the world and is currently serving as the Director for Multilateral Affairs in the State Department's Bureau of Asian and Pacific Affairs For his most recent book, The Wolf of Sarajevo, he taps his own considerable experience in the turbulent region to tell a based-in-reality story that feels like it could almost be ripped from the headlines. In this episode, Matthew Palmer and I talk about what it’s like to pull inspiration from your own life’s work and craft it into gripping fiction. In this episode Matthew and I discuss: The parallels between writing and diplomacy Understanding others’ points of view Developing distinct characters Finding the time

In this interview I talk with writer Pamela S. Turner and illustrator Gareth Hinds about their book Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune. Pam has written historical fiction, biography and science for young readers and has won numerous awards. Gareth is the creator of the critically-acclaimed graphic novels based on literary classics like Beowulf, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Together they make for a powerhouse team in bringing to life the amazing story of legendary samurai: Minamoto Yoshitsune. In this episode Pamela, Gareth, and I discuss: The development of an author/illustrator partnership Inspiration born of personal interests Bringing the story to life on the page Knowing your audience and writing for children The importance of having a crack design team in creating quality books Plus, Pamela’s and Gareth’s #1 tip for writers.   About the Author and Illustrator Pamela S. Turner has written historical fiction, biography, and science on diverse topics. She the author of five

  Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you joined me for this episode of DIY MFA Radio because it's going to be a juicy one. Today I’m speaking with L.S. Hilton, author of Maestra. She grew up in England and has lived in Key West, New York City, Paris, and Milan, and after graduating from Oxford, she studied art history in Paris and Florence. She has worked as a journalist, art critic, and broadcaster and is presently based in London. In this episode L.S. Hilton and I discuss: Writing a flawed, yet sympathetic anti-hero. Weaving intense elements like violence and sex into the narrative without making it gratuitous. The role of art as an influence in narrative. The difference between the British and the American editorial processes. Plus, L.S. Hilton’s #1 tip for writers. Resources: ABOUT Maestra Judith has come a long way from her mother’s grimy flat in Liverpool. She has taught herself French and Italian, consumed literature, and traveled through Europe learning to squash her accent and blend in with the cult

Hey there Word Nerd! Today I’m thrilled to interview Megan Dowd Lambert, author of Reading Picture Books with Children and children’s literature expert. Megan is a senior lecturer at Simmons College, where she earned her master’s degree in children’s literature after completing a B.A. at Smith College. She writes for Horn Book Magazine, served on the 2011 Caldecott committee, and worked at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for many years, where she led Whole Book Approach story-times and trained others in her methods. She is the author of Reading Picture Books with Children (Charlesbridge) which is all about her Whole Book Approach and a new picture book titled Real Sisters Pretend (Tilbury House). The mother of six children, Megan lives with her family in Amherst, Massachusetts. In this episode Megan and I discuss: The Whole Book Approach Integrating design elements into the publishing process Teaching interaction between reader, text, and author Being intentional to convey diversity on the page of

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so excited because to share today's interview with you. I had the awesome chance to speak with Charlaine Harris, NYT bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (TRUE BLOOD), the Aurora Teagarden, Harper Connelly, and Lily Bard mystery series; and the Midnight, Texas novels. Seriously, I thought my inner fangirl was about to explode. This month, Charlaine's latest Midnight, Texas novel, NIGHT SHIFT, comes out. This series is set in the same world as her Sookie Stackhouse novels—which were the basis of HBO’s phenomenally successful hit drama series True Blood, and the Midnight, Texas books feature everything readers love about Harris’s writing: humor, mystery, fabulous characters, and a quirky small town setting where paranormal creatures and humans exist side-by-side. In this episode Charlaine and I discuss: Revisiting characters in a series Writing your own world with your own rules and then sticking to them Balancing different parameters between genres to help create the be

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you’re here! Today's interview will be a juicy one. I’ll be talking to Stephen O’Connor about his debut novel Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings, a profound exploration of the ways in which the institution of slavery warped the human soul, as seen through the story of Jefferson and Hemings. In this episode, we discuss how to approach controversial topics in your writing while treating the subjects with grace and respect. In this episode Stephen and I discuss: Mindful writing about controversial topics and marginalized groups Idea evolution from short story to novel Writing outside your experience Accessing the unconscious mind as part of the writing process Issues of point of view Plus, Stephen’s #1 tip for writers.   Resources: About Stephen O'Connor Stephen is the author of two collections of short fiction, Here Comes Another Lesson and Rescue, as well as Orphan Trains, an acclaimed history of a pioneering nineteenth-century child welfare effort, and Will My Name Be

Hey there word nerds! Thanks for joining me. Today I’m talking with New York Times bestselling author, C.J. Box, author of sixteen Joe Pickett novels, five standalones, and the short story collection, Shots Fired. He’s also won numerous awards including and won the Edgar Award for Best novel for his first standalone, Blue Heaven. Off the Grid is his sixteenth Joe Pickett novel and it’s told with pulse-pounding urgency and insight. It’s a timely look at how terror is found—and fought—in the wild expanses of Wyoming, one of the most untouched parts of the United States. This is a part of the United States that Box knows well. A Wyoming native, has has worked on a ranch and as a small-town newspaper reporter and editor. He lives outside Cheyenne, WY with his family.   In this episode C.J. and I discuss: The importance of setting in a novel How to research setting for your novel and capture the details. Using journalistic techniques to get the information you need for your story. Infusing technology into natural

  Hey there Word Nerd! Today I have the great pleasure of hosting Julie Duffy on the show. Julie is the founder of the StoryADay May creative writing challenge, which is basically like the short story version of NaNoWriMo. This challenge happens in May, which is only a few short weeks away, and it’s an incredible experience. More personally, though, Julie and I both started our respective projects (her StoryADay, my DIY MFA) the same year and only a few months apart. You could say we’re part of the same creative cohort and we’ve “come up through the ranks” together. Julie is one of my most trusted colleagues, probably the person I most frequently turn to for advice and insights outside the DIY MFA team, and I’m also lucky to count her as one of my good friends. Today it is an honor and pleasure to introduce my word nerds to someone who I’ve known is AWESOME for quite some time. Embed Episode Here In this episode Julie and I discuss: Whether writing one story a day for a month is easier or harder than writing

  Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Anna Harwell Celenza, a music professor of Georgetown University where she teaches courses in music history, radio journalism and the music industry. She has written several scholarly books, is a writer/commentator for National Public Radio’s Performance Today, and her work has been featured on nationally syndicated radio and TV programs like BBC’s “Music Matters and C-Span’s “Book TV.” But the section of Anna’s work that I’m most familiar with are her wonderful picture books: Once Upon a Masterpiece, where she tells the story behind a famous musical masterpiece, explains the meaning of the music. In this episode Anna and I discuss: Looking for the gap on the shelf, for what is not there. The process of research and creating historical fiction that jumps off the page. How shifting point of view can enhance the story you are trying to tell. The impact of technology on music and publishing. The self-powered, targeted platform   Plus, Anna’s #1 tip for writers. For

Hello, hello word nerds! I’m so excited to share today’s DIY MFA Radio episode with you! I’m speaking with Anders Ericsson and his co-author Robert Pool about their new book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (affiliate link). Anders Ericsson is a Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, where he studies how people become experts in various fields like music, chess, nursing, law enforcement and sports. More important, he looks at how expert performers achieve excellence by acquiring specific, complex cognitive mechanisms–ways of training their brain–through extended, deliberate practice. Today we’re going to talk about how writers can use similar techniques to improve their craft and take our writing from average to awesome. Robert Pool is a nonfiction writer specializing in science and technology and has worked as staff for both Science and Nature. He is the author of three previous books before co-authoring this one with Anders Ericsson. In this episode A

  Hey there Word Nerds! This is our last solo show before the Storytelling Superpower Summit in June. We just rolled out the Storytelling Superpower Quiz and we’ll be having a series of podcasts in June that dig deeper into the storytelling superpower archetypes. We’re focusing on figuring out what type of character really drives you so that you can dive in and get the most out of the story you decide to tell, both for your readers and for you as a writer. Today I want to talk with you about how to learn a creative skill. And this ties in nicely with the Great MFA Debate that is going on now, and that goes on every year. Usually in the spring, because that’s when people are deciding whether to enroll into programs they’ve been accepted into, a debate crops up on the internet about the pros and cons of getting a traditional MFA. Recently an article appeared in the Atlantic where a couple of researchers used computer analysis of texts to come to the conclusion that there was no distinct difference between the w

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you can join me for today’s interview with Jen Calonita. Jen is a YA and Middle Grade author, and in this episode, she and I talk about writing what you know (and what you don’t know) and also how to make the shift from one writing niche to another. We dig into the various twists and turns of her writing career and discuss Charmed, the next installment of her Fairy Tale Reform School series and also her new contemporary middle grade series called VIP. The first book I’m With the Band, is out now. Embed Episode Here In this episode Jen and I discuss: Switching from magazines to fiction. Getting connected with other authors. Writing series for middle grade versus YA. Keeping the story fresh.   Plus, Jen Calonita’s  #1 tip for writers. About Jen Calonita It's no secret how Jen knows the inside scoop on Hollywood. As a former entertainment editor at a teen magazine, she started her career chronicling backstage life at Justin Timberlake concerts and interviewing Zac Efron on fil

  Welcome, welcome Word Nerds! Today I’m delighted to host Lisa Gardner on the the show. Lisa is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen previous novels, including her most recent, Crash & Burn. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Fear Nothing, Catch Me, Love You More, and The Neighbor, which won the International Thriller of the Year Award. She lives with her family in New England. More personally though, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Lisa Gardner speak about creative consistency at Thrillerfest/Craftfest 2012. Her talk made a very deep impression on me back when I was just beginning to find my footing with DIY MFA. In preparing for this interview, I went back and reviewed my notes from her talk, and I realized that I internalized many of the techniques she talked about, and that in a roundabout way many have inspired and shaped elements of DIY MFA. Today I am thrilled to have Lisa Gardner on the show to discuss her newest book, Find Her, and also hear her talk about the writing pr