The Writing Show

In episode 3 of "Getting Published, with Mark Leslie," we catch up with Mark post NaNoWriMo and find out how he did. We also discuss an extensive crit from Writing Show guest host Mick Halpin, and Mark tells us about a detour he's about to take.

Imagine finding 100-year-old butter that's still salty and white in, of all places, an Irish bog. Then imagine discovering a centuries-old perfectly preserved body in that same bog. Believe it or not, a bog can harbor archaeological treasures. And leave it to mystery writer Erin Hart to dive right in, well, dig right in, and dredge up something else: murder. Join guest host Mick Halpin and Erin as they explore bogs, mystery writing, and things Irish, including: * Where she came up with the idea of writing a bog mystery * How she feels about writing dark characters * How she approaches research * How she ties together the ancient past and the present and entices the reader to care about both * What's going on in bog-based archaeology * How she weaves music and culture into her stories * What she learned from writing her first book that helped her with her second * Why the mystery "formula" remains popular.

In episode 2 of "Getting Published, with Jean Tennant," Jean explained how she was going about her search for an agent and shared her query letter with us. In episode 3 of "Getting Published, with Jean Tennant," Jean reports back after having sent out several queries, and we share some listener feedback. Join Jean and Paula B. as we discuss: * What's happened with the agent queries she's sent out * Why she's tweaking her agent query letter, and how * Why she's leery of overpolishing her work * How she feels about following "the rules" writing experts lay down. Jean also reads more excerpts from her work, which we discuss, and she releases chapter 2 for us to look at.

If you've managed to complete your manuscript, congratulations! That's a major achievement, and you deserve to celebrate. Once you've finished the champagne, it's time to switch hats and convert your opus into a product. Join Dick Margulis and Writing Show host Paula B. for a most enjoyable discussion about post-writing tasks, including: * What you need to do after you've finished writing your book * How a manuscript and a product differ * Why you should get someone to edit your work * What an editor does * Why writers shouldn't take suggestions about their work personally * What writers and editors should expect from each other * How editing fiction differs from editing nonfiction * Why you should ignore what your English teachers told you * What book design is and why it's important * How graphic designers and book designers differ * What factors book designers have to consider * How books are printed * What it costs to print books * What the lead time for getting your book produced is * When the busiest times for printers are * What a proofreader does.

Last time, we introduced horror writer Mark Leslie and learned that Mark was going to attempt to finish his novel A Canadian Werewolf in New York during this year's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). In episode 2 of Getting Published, with Mark Leslie, we catch up with Mark during NaNoWriMo and find out how the writing is going. We also discuss: * Why publishers seem to eschew horror fiction * What some horror writers do to try to get around the stigma surrounding horror fiction * What types of NaNoWriMo activities he's been participating in (and avoiding) * What type of music he listens to while writing * What things about Mark's story Paula particularly likes * How he came up with the notion of a "coppery taste" for blood * How he loses ideas because he can't always write them down * How he works out some of his plotting challenges * How horror writers spend Halloween.

Imagine becoming an alcoholic at age 13 and losing your teen years and beyond to substance abuse, homelessness, and worse. Then imagine the havoc that life wreaks upon your family. This week, we talk with a mother and daughter who lived through that nightmare and found strength and redemption on the other side. The Lost Years is a brave story about personal disaster, recovery, forgiveness, and redemption. Highly recommended by The Writing Show. Please join us for this moving interview, in which Connie and Kristina discuss: * What happened to them * What went wrong in their lives that led to these things happening * How they decided to write the book at all, and how they came to write it together * How they sparked their memories * How their editor helped them pare down their manuscript and write a tight, focused story * How the people they mention feel about being in the book * How they feel about baring these difficult, private facts about their lives * What they wish had made it into the book * What they've learned from writing and promoting the book.

Last time, we met author Jean Tennant, who's attempting to get her novel Karaoke Nights at the Twilight Lounge published. Jean explained that her story, inspired by her nomadic childhood, fits into the category "women's fiction,"and described her goal: to be the Fannie Flagg of the Midwest. In episode 2 of "Getting Published, with Jean Tennant," Jean explains how she's going about looking for an agent, including: * Why she decided to look for an agent instead of going straight to a publisher * Why she isn't using the agent she worked with years ago * What she's looking for in an agent * How she's going about her search * How she feels about agent horror stories * Whether she plans to query more than one agent at a time * Whether she will send just a query or some sample chapters and a synopsis * What she plans to include in her query letter * How long she thinks it will take agents to reply * How many letters she plans to send out at a time * What she'll do if she keeps getting rejected * Why she hasn't spent much time researching publishers * How she plans to market her book.

C. J. Box is the author of eight novels including the award-winning Joe Pickett series. He's the winner of the Anthony Award, Prix Calibre 38 (France), the Macavity Award, the Gumshoe Award, the Barry Award, and an Edgar Award and Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist. His novels have been cited by the New York Times (2001 Notable Book), Booksense 76, People, Booklist, and many others. His short stories have been featured in America's Best Mystery Stories 2006 and limited-edition printings. The novels have been national bestsellers and have been translated into 12 languages. Join C.J. Box and host Paula B. for a fascinating discussion about Joe Pickett, writing crime and mystery stories, and the mountain west, including: * How he came up with his game warden "detective," Joe Pickett * How Joe Picket differs from other crime fiction protagonists * How the landscape of Wyoming shapes his characters and stories * Why he doesn't think his books fall into the "mystery" category, and how he would characterize them * How he approaches dropping hints and clues * What characteristics make for the best detectives and mystery stories * How he approaches writing his villains * How he deals with the challenges of writing a series, like back story, continuity, character fatigue, etc. * What he finds most difficult about writing * How he feels about being compared to New Mexico crime fiction writer Tony Hillerman * How he depicts regional issues like energy development, the environment, and so on * Why he started writing novels * What he wishes more people would ask him about.

Ever wondered what goes on inside the mind of a horror writer? Now's your chance to find out. We'll be following Mark's struggles as he attempts to complete and find an agent for his unpublished novel, A Canadian Werewolf in New York. In episode 1 of "Getting Published, with Mark Leslie," we introduce Mark, his book, and his goals, including: * How he got started writing * Why he writes * Why he writes horror * What his book is about * Where he is in the process * How he plans to seek publication * How he gets started with new projects * How he develops his characters * What his writing and publishing goals are.

You'd think that writing about sex would be easy. After all, what's more compelling than lust? But, says this week's guest, there's a lot more to thrilling the reader than just stringing sex scenes together. Join Cher Gorman and Writing Show host Paula B. for this provocative discussion that covers, among other things: * What she used to do wrong when writing about sex * What really builds sexual tension * How to evoke sexual tension without sex scenes * How eroticism and pornography differ * What kind of language today's erotica demands * How to make sex scenes boring * How understanding your audience can help you build tension * What types of language you can use to make your writing sensual.

How many of you started writing as kids? Whether or not you started early, you may just recognize yourself in this group of dynamic teens, who face many of the same issues as adult writers, and then some. Join us as this energetic threesome discusses: * How they got started writing * What they like to write * How they feel about being teenage writers in an adult world * How they feel about creative writing classes * How their parents and friends (and teachers) feel about their writing * What they find most difficult about writing * How they work * What they feel their greatest writing strengths are * What inspires them * What would help their writing and their careers the most.

Welcome to our very first reality show! In "Getting Published" we'll follow the efforts of various writers as they work on their books, look for agents and publishers, go through the publishing process, and embark on their marketing. We'll look at their proposals, query letters, and marketing plans and share in their reactions as they hear, or don't hear, from agents and editors. During the journey, we'll ask for your comments and make them available on the show and our blog. In that way, even though each series is one writer's story, their work will become a kind of collaboration between them and you, our listeners. We hope that the show will provide insight into the publishing process and help guide you in your own efforts. In episode 1 of "Getting Published, with Jean Tennant," we introduce Jean, her book, and her goals, including: * What Jean's book is about * Why she has returned to novel-writing after years in journalism * How her current novels are different from the ones she wrote in the eighties * Where she is in the process * How she approaches writing and editing * Why she has chosen to tell this particular story * How she came up with her characters and plot and made sure they were fresh and original * How she came up with her title * What her writing and publishing goals are (you've got to hear her elevator pitch!) * How she feels about the possibility of failure * Why she doesn't want to self-publish.

Here's a question for you: is a book a thing or a place? If you said a thing, get ready for a big change. The networked book is here: the new agora/plaza/forum where author, publisher, and readers congregate to ponder, discuss, joke, enjoy, and refer. The book is now searchable, linkable, multimedia-able, commentable, annotatable, previewable, mutable, divisible, aggregatable, correlatable, syndicatable, feedable, emailable, Flickrable, deli.cio.us-able, Diggable. In fact, the book is on the brink of such a huge transformation that we wouldn't be surprised if it opened its own chain of coffee bars. Curious as we could be, The Writing Show caught up with two fellows of the Institute for the Future of the Book, Ben Vershbow and Jesse Wilbur, to find out how they are experimenting with this fascinating idea. In this fascinating look at the future, Ben and Jesse explain: * What a networked book is and why anyone would want to make one * What a networked book looks like * How networked books will change authors' roles * What new skills will be required of authors wishing to host networked books * What networked books will mean for readers * How to get readers to show up at networked books * How networked books could change publishing * How networked books might change the world as a whole * How networked books might make revenue,or not * What networked books might mean for librarians and information pros * How instructors might use networked books in the classroom.

In this high-adrenaline, inspiring interview, Jeff Rivera reveals: * How he started the book, and how he fleshed it out * Why he decided to tell much of his story through letters between the characters * How he got stuck while writing some of his characters, and what he did to overcome the block * How he keeps the reader riveted to the story * What he doesn't like about most novels, and what he did differently * How he comes up with gripping and natural dialog * How he came up with his characters' names * Where the title came from * Why he started his own publishing company, and where he plans to take it * How his book was picked up by a major publisher * Why he's writing a sequel. Join us for this very special conversation with a star in the making.

From Crazy Quilt: Paula Paul is the author of 23 novels spanning a variety of genres: mystery, the historical novel, children's stories, and "the novel." In this fascinating interview, Paula explains: * What is common to all the books she's written, despite their being in different genres * Why she sometimes writes under a pseudonym * How she approaches characterization and plot * Why and how the reader is so important to her * How she analyzes other authors' books and draws inspiration from them * What she does to hold the reader's attention * What her writing process looks like * How landscape and setting mold personality * How she deals with beginnings and endings * What the hardest part of writing is for her.