The Writing Show 2006 Archives

In August 2004, a new word was added to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary: "bookcrossing." Bookcrossing is the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise. For Ron Hornbaker, who had conceived of and launched BookCrossing in just one month in 2001, the addition was the gift of a lifetime. BookCrossing is a lively community of more than half a million book lovers who release books into the wild to be found by others. The site's goal is to make the whole world a library. This New Year's, we celebrate BookCrossing with founder Ron Hornbaker and three BookCrossers, including an author who has released his own books into the wild. Join us for this exciting celebration of books and booklovers as Ron, Steve, Vikki, and Clive discuss: * What BookCrossing is * How it came about * How it works * What places are best and worst for releasing books * What types of released books are the most popular * What some of the strangest release locations are * How long books travel * What proportion of released books end up being caught * How Clive has fared releasing his own books, and what he's learned in the process * What cool things you can do with BookCrossing.

In 2003, Paula Berinstein and her husband did a really stupid thing: they started an online bookstore. In 2004, humiliated and a great deal poorer (but wiser), they closed it. In episode 7 of "How Not to Run an Online Bookstore," Paula talks about the crazy branding workshop she thought might help save her business, including: * How she ended up going to the workshop in the first place * Why branding is important * What sorts of people attended, and why she had trouble talking to them * What she found helpful about the workshop, and what almost made her run screaming * What she discovered about herself at the workshop * What her final branding statement looked like * What was helpful about the experience, and what ultimately didn't matter. Join Paula for this multi-part series that will be aired a little at a time. And for heaven's sake, don't do what she did!

Charles John Huffam Dickens is the author of such classics as A Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, and the beloved A Christmas Carol. Some of his characters are the most famous in all of literature: Ebenezer Scrooge, Miss Havisham, Fagin, Little Nell, Madame DeFarge, Uriah Heep. He was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, England. Join Mr. Dickens and host Paula B. as they discuss all things Dickens, including: * How and where he works * What it's like to write in installments * How A Christmas Carol came about * What his "Carol philosophy" is * How Carol was received * What he keeps in his notebook Memoranda * How he prepares for his public readings, and how Mark Twain felt about one of them * How he's fought the piracy of his intellectual property * What his influences are * How he approaches his characters.

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. You can read a new scene from the novel on our Web site, writingshow.com. We invite you to offer your feedback on Mark's story and egg him on by commenting on our blog and/or writing to Paula B. at paula at writingshow dot com. You can also send your feedback to Mark at mark at markleslie.ca. You can even send him an ecard!

If you haven't sampled the outstanding blog Starting Write Now, I suggest you skedaddle on over there and check it out. The project chronicles the efforts of five writers in various stages of their careers as they struggle with the same issues so many of us face: finding time to write, planning their work, building great characters, writing believable dialog, getting published, and more. Today we have the pleasure of their company. Join us as we discuss the writer's life, including: * Why Sean started the Starting Write Now blog and what its mission is * What types of writing the guys do, and what their goals are * What challenges and issues they're facing at this point in their writing * How they're approaching NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), in which they're all participating this year * Why Rich shut down his freelance writing business * Why Yves and Aaron are working on their outlining skills * What surprising effect on Mike's writing came from mailing his manuscript to a publisher * How a short attention span seems to be plaguing (some of) them * How some of the guys see mostly the trees and some of them see mostly the forest when writing * How they feel about the challenge of writing material that's both fun to write and to read * Why Rich feels that his English degree has been an impediment to his writing * How they feel about using "he said" and "she said" in their dialog * What they think makes for good dialog * How Mike, Sean, and Yves feel about telling people they're writing * How the guys define success * How Aaron feels about hooking readers and pacing his stories * How their supporting each other has affected their writing * Why they write.

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. Before straying serendipitously into crime fiction, Erin Hart trained to become a theater director, and has been variously employed as a stage manager, propmaster, editor and copywriter, writing teacher, journalist and theater critic. Born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, and raised in Rochester, Minnesota, Erin was educated at Saint Olaf College and the University of Minnesota. While visiting friends in Ireland one summer, Erin heard an intriguing tale about a beautiful red-haired girl whose perfectly preserved severed head was discovered in a desolate Irish bog. That true story was the inspiration for her debut novel, Haunted Ground, the first in a planned series of crime novels set mostly in Ireland, revolving around archaeology, forensics, history, traditional music and folklore. Haunted Ground has been translated into ten foreign languages; the second novel in the series, Lake of Sorrows, was published in October 2004. 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. We invite you to offer your feedback on Jean's work by commenting on our blog or writing to Paula B. at paula at writingshow dot com. Or, stop by Jean's Web site and give her an atta girl.

Take one part rhyme, one part gorgeous illustration, one hand-produced slipcase, one red ribbon bookmark, and one great story. Voila! You've got Leni the Pug: The Comet Christmas Caper, a new children's Christmas book destined to become a classic. Join us for a look inside the production of this lavish volume. Author Keith Fiore is a New York City writer and entrepreneur. He began to write Leni the Pug: The Comet Christmas Caper in 2003, shortly after he left his job at a large media and advertising company to start his own business, 2aTEE Golf. After completing an early version in 2004 and unable to find anything like it on bookshelves, he decided not to search for a publisher. Instead, he looked for an illustrator. In 2005, he connected with Alexandru Sacui. Artist Alexandru Sacui lives in Asheville, North Carolina. He freelances as an illustrator, designer and animator between his own projects. In 2005 and 2006, Alex illustrated the holiday tale, Leni the Pug: The Comet Christmas Caper, and designed and animated the book's Web site. He brought the book to life in glorious color and fine detail, spending up to 80 hours on each illustration. Alex studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati, and counts Terry Gilliam, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Antoni Gaudi as his chief creative influences. Join Keith, Alex, and Writing Show host Paula B. for a fun discussion about the production of Leni the Pug, including: * Why Keith chose Christmas as the focus of his first book * Why he went to an illustrator rather than a publisher * How they came to produce such a lavish book * What designing the book entailed * How they decided what aspects of the story to illustrate * How the illustration was done * Why the camera angles are so unusual * How long it took to do each drawing * Why Keith decided to include "grown-up" words in his poetry * How Keith approached the writing of his rhyme (and worked hard to get the meter just right) * How they designed and produced the slip case, and the issues they had to deal with * How they disagreed over the logo and the font (and who won the debate) * How they found their printer * How they're marketing and selling the book * Why they've given their lavish book such a reasonable price.

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. Don't know where to start? Freelance editor and typographer Dick Margulis can help. Dick's first editing job was chief copy editor for his junior high school newspaper (unpaid, of course)46 years ago. But his interest in typography predates that by a couple of years. He got serious about it in seventh grade. In the intervening decades, Dick has been a butcher, a baker, and a candlestick maker (yes, all three) and, along the way, has had paying gigs as an advertising copywriter, a magazine columnist, a book editor, a technical writer, a marketing writer, an herbarist [sic], a Web designer, a compositor, a lithographer, and a few other things he's already forgotten. But through it all, he has remained true to his passion of clear communication through careful editing and appropriate typographic design. Join Dick 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. We invite you to offer your feedback on Mark's story and egg him on by commenting on our blog and/or writing to Paula B. at paula at writingshow dot com. You can also send your feedback to Mark at mark at markleslie.ca. You can even send him an ecard!

If you've ever thought about becoming a technical writer, this is the show for you. This week, we get the straight scoop from two who've practiced the profession for a long time and love it. In this comprehensive discussion, Vicki Davisson and Thomas Thompson explore what it's like to be a technical writer, including: * What technical writing is * What types of skills and educational background you need to do technical writing * What sorts of personality traits good technical writers possess * How tech writers learn about the technology they're writing about * What working with programmers is like * What makes for good technical writing * What they do when they just can't understand the software they're supposed to be writing about * What sorts of deadlines they face * What sorts of conventions are involved in the writing itself * What a tech writer's duties are * How technical writing has changed over the years * What it's like to be a contractor vs. being an employee * Where you can get training * How to get jobs in technical writing * How technical writers are compensated.

"I was born in 1967, in Gary, Indiana. My father was killed by a stray bullet when I was just a baby, but my sister Nicole's father was like a phantom that no one would dare mention. Regarding Nicole's father, there was a rule similar to the military's "Don't ask, Don't tell." Our rule was "You better not ask, 'cause nobody's telling." That rule also applied to any inquiries about the reason for Nicole and me living with G-ma while our mother lived in an apartment across town. My sister and I grew up without a real father figure until Mitchell came into the picture. And from the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew Mama was making a big mistake. A knot the size of my fist formed in the pit of my stomach when Mama strolled in G-ma's house and introduced Mitchell Donnovan as her fiance. Fiance? Hell, we hadn't even known she was dating somebody." From Alethea Pascascio's debut novel, Bag Lady. The cover of Alethea Pascascio's first novel trumpets "Abuse, secrets, lust, low self-esteem, lies, deception, molestation, rejection, unforgiveness." If that isn't a way to get a potential reader's attention, I don't know what is. But these grabbers don't represent mere hype. This debut novel is as gripping as they come. Crack it open, and I guarantee you'll be mesmerized. After being an avid reader for many years, Alethea Pascascio began writing short stories for her own enjoyment. That all changed after she told some of her co-workers about one of the stories. To her surprise, they all began urging her to write a book. After a few months of deliberation, Alethea penned her debut novel, Bag Lady, a story of redemption. Alethea holds degrees in electronics engineering and telecommunications management. She recently became a full-time mother after ten years as an engineer with a major telecommunications company.

"Drawing on Dead Air was written specifically for The Writing Show's Halloween extravaganza. It is an experiment, put forward by the author, in which we can all take part as listeners. The author/narrator hopes that it will prove to be a fulfilling experience." Welcome to day 7 of the 7 days of Halloween 2006. Today Stephen Studach reads his short story "Drawing on Dead Air." After the reading, Stephen joins us for a talk about writing. Stephen Studach is a short story, novel, and screenplay writer based in the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, Australia. He focuses on speculative fiction of a dark cast. Stephen has had works published in Australia, the UK, and the U.S., including a number of anthology appearances. His premier collection, Penumbra, was released in 1998; three of its stories have appeared on The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror recommended reading lists. In 2003 Paroxysm Press published his controversial novelette A Thing of Beauty as a chapbook. He was a finalist in the Australian Horror Writers Association's short story contest for 2006 with his tale "Rubber Monsters." Stephen is also a published poet, book and cinema reviewer, and editor. He was co-editor of The Australian Horror and Fantasy Magazine, Australia's first ongoing horror zine. He has qualifications in film production and direction. The idea of a radio show appeals to him because, in his own words, "I have a great head for radio. One day you might let me bring it in and show you it; floating there in its preservation jar. Pretty bubbles, pretty, pretty bubbles."

"Ray Kilworth, photographer, sets out to find a Cemetery Rose at the ghoulish Rookwood Necropolis in Sydney. Little does he know he will find far more than he bargained for: rare roses of unexpected kinds, including the rare Black Rose, and its supernatural guardians. His life will be irrevocably transformed by the encounter." Welcome to day 6 of the 7 days of Halloween 2006. Today Leigh Blackmore reads his short story "Cemetery Rose," and then joins us for a talk about writing. Leigh Blackmore is a writer, editor, manuscript assessor, and occultist who lives in Wollongong with his two partners, several cats, and a personal library of 15,000 volumes. He published and edited (with B.J. Stevens and Chris G.C. Sequeira) Terror Australis: The Australian Horror and Fantasy Magazine from 1987 to 1992 and edited Terror Australis: Best Australian Horror. The MUP Encyclopedia of Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy says that his name is "now synonymous with Australian horror." His weird fiction has appeared in the first two Agog! anthologies ("Uncharted" was a Ditmar nominee for Best Novella in 2003) and at various places online, including www.ligotti.net. He has contributed to many scholarly works on supernatural fiction including Supernatural Literature of the World (edited by S.T. Joshi and Stefan J. Dziemianowicz, Greenwood Press, 2006). He is a co-editor (with chief editor Benjamin J. Szumskyj) of the biannual journal Studies in Australian Weird Fiction and regularly contributes to the zine Mantichore. He deals out-of-print weird and occult fiction under the name Raven Books. Leigh regularly lectures on magick and the esoteric mysteries in the Illawarra, and co-facilitates MoonSkin, a ritual working group, with his magical partner Margi Curtis; their regular column on matters magical appears in the internationally distributed magazine Spellcraft. Leigh's Yahoo discussion group on ceremonial magick, Aurora Australis Thelemic Temple, can be found at groups.yahoo.com/group/aatt. He is currently undertaking a BA Creative Arts (majoring in Creative Writing) at the University of Wollongong.

"Even the Great Old Ones need pepping up once in an age" Welcome to day 5 of the 7 days of Halloween 2006. Today an ebullient Chuck McKenzie reads his short story "The Shadow Over Bexley" and then joins us for a talk about writing. Chuck McKenzie was born in 1970, and still spends most of his time there. He writes stuff, and sometimes people publish it, which is nice. One day he may grow up and get a proper job. Or not. For more information, check out The Official Chuck McKenzie Infosite,the only infosite maintained entirely by NASA-trained chimps.