Writers on Writing

Asali Solomon, author of Disgruntled, talks to co-host Nicole Nelson about writing a young protagonist, developing characters from plot, taking an episodic approach to novel writing, and more. In the second half, debut novelist Tracy Barone, author of Happy Family, talks about pacing the novel, drawing from her experience as a screenwriter and playwright, and writing toward an end that she envisioned early on. Download audio. (Broadcast date: June 8, 2016)

Karan Bajaj joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest novel, The Yoga of Max's Discontent.  Karan discusses the importance of showing character through action instead of reflection, how yoga and meditation have improved his writing, the value of living a bold life, and more. In the second half, Chris LeGras shares his debut novel in stories, Weather to Fly.  Chris talks about writing the book you want to write, instead of the book you think the world wants.  He argues that living a rich life of varied experiences produces rich books of interest.  Story, he says, is more important than fancy words.   Click below to hear many more words of writerly wisdom. Download audio. (Broadcast date: June 15, 2016)

Charles Bock joins Marrie Stone to talk about his latest novel, Alice and Oliver.  Charles shares his insights on fictionalizing real life events, his process of finding character, capturing New York in the 1990s, and his own emotional account of living with -- and in the aftermath of -- cancer. Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 11, 2016)

Dana Spiotta, author of Innocents and Others, and Jung Yun, author of Shelter talk with Barbara about outlines or the lack thereof, POV, tense, film, home invasions, where stories come from, and much more. Download audio. (Broadcast date: May 25, 2016)

Wendy Lawless, author of Heart of Glass, and Rob Roberge, author of Liar, join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to discuss the art and craft of writing memoir. Both will be featured authors at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series on May 17, 2016. More here. Download audio.  (Broadcast date: May 4, 2016)

Marrie Stone interviews Markus Zusak. Download audio. (Broadcast date: April 13, 2016)

Elizabeth Marro, author of Casualties, and T. Jefferson Parker, author of Crazy Blood talk with B. DeMarco-Barrett about point of view, beginnings, promotion, and more. Both authors will be featured at the Pen on Fire Speaker Series & Salon on March 8, 2016. More info here.  Download audio.  (Broadcast date: March 2, 2016)

Christopher Castellani, author of The Art of Perspective: Who Tells the Story, and Noy Holland, author of the novel Bird join Barbara DeMarco-Barrett to discuss their books and the art and business of writing.  Download audio. (Broadcast date: Feb. 17, 2016

Novelist Rachel Cantor, author of Good on Paper, talks to co-host Nicole Nelson about the finer points of the art of translation, her approach to writing complex child characters, and the benefits of taking advantage of artists' colony residency opportunities. Then Tracy Robert, author of the novel Flashcards and The Curse of Ambrosia, talks about the role of setting in her work, her experience following her story into a dystopian world, and her advice to embrace messiness, recognizing it as a prerequisite for creating art. Download audio. (Broadcast date: February 3, 2016)

Ryan Gattis, author of All Involved, talks to Nicole Nelson about the energy in his work discovered by writing in first person, the challenge of authenticity, and the way talking to people -- and really listening -- can be as useful as getting an MFA. Then debut novelist Jen Beagin, author of Pretend I'm Dead, talks about her preference for third person (even when journaling), how she uses dialogue as a point of entry to a story, and the importance of knowing your inner critic's sleeping habits, so that you can build your writing practice around those hours. Download audio. Ryan's TedX talk "Pain and Art: Write What you Honestly Know." (Broadcast date: January 20, 2016)

New York Times bestselling young adult authors Marie Lu, The Rose Society, and Ellen Hopkins, Traffick, join Marrie Stone.  They talk about writing in a series, deplorable characters, writing banned books, and more. Download audio. (Broadcast date: December 30, 2015)

Novelist Bruce Bauman, author of Broken Sleep joins Nicole Nelson to talk about writing dialogue, balancing tragedy with humor, and the good that can come of letting your characters take control. In the second half, debut novelist Sanderia Faye, author of Mourner's Bench talks about finding the voice for her story in the form of eight-year-old Sarah, the surprises she found when researching the Civil Rights era history of her home town in Arkansas, and the importance of having confidence and especially to, as her teachers advised her along the way, "keep writing." Download audio (Broadcast date: December 16, 2015)

Anthony Marra, author of the collection The Tsar of Love and Techno, joins Marrie Stone to talk about his draw to Russia and Chechnya, the importance of humor, writing to music, the short story form, and more. In the second half, Karen Bender shares her new collection, Refund.  She talks about living in New York after 9/11, parenting, money, aging and lots of tips and tricks on craft. Download audio. (Broadcast date: December 2, 2015)

Lisa Gornick, author of Louisa Meets Bear, joins Marrie Stone to talk about whether her book is novel or linked short stories.  She talks about structure, character, revision, and all the things necessary to write effective novels and short story collections. In the second half, short story writer Elizabeth Tallent returns with her first collection in over two decades.  She talks about Mendocino Fire, how her writing has changed over time, and more.  Download audio.  (Broadcast date: October 28, 2015)

Short story author Ann Beattie, The State We're In: Maine Stories, joins Marrie Stone to talk about why Maine, although home, remains a mystery to her.  She discusses compelling women, the danger of linked short stories, and more. In the second half, Ron Rash returns to the show to discuss his latest novel, Above the Waterfall.  He shares his thoughts on the importance of place, redemption, and his reluctance about embracing the "southern writer"  label.  Download audio. (Broadcast date: October 21, 2015)