The Writing Show 2006 Archives

From Summer of Champions: "Greg had made me cry until third grade when Mom explained to me that he had been adopted from an orphanage in Albuquerque. I was to pay him no attention, but I found that hard to do. He could come up with scary things to think about! So scary that I imagined his real parents were Bonnie and Clyde, the bank robbers. When they were shot to death at the roadblock in Louisiana, their hoodlum baby Greg was in the backseat in a bulletproof crib. He was put up for adoption in New Mexico where no one knew what a public menace he would grow up to be." Experienced writers often counsel "Write what you know." But it's difficult to write about yourself or your own experience and weave a compelling story. It's tempting to throw in too much, or to insist that because that's the way it was, that's the way the story should be. This week we visit with one author who, in his very first attempt, got it right and produced a riveting coming of age story. Dewey Johnson was born in Lubbock, Texas, and grew up in Roswell, New Mexico. He is a pastor, standup comedian, and the creator of the High Desert Home Companion as well as the coming-of-age novel, Summer of Champions. In this breezy and inspiring interview, Dewey discusses: * How he approaches turning autobiography into fiction * How he reveals his characters * Why some of his characters were easy to write, and some difficult * What his greatest writing challenges are * How he edits to achieve a clean, tight style * How his consumer book came to be published by a university press.

Welcome to The Writing Show's very first Q and A podcast! To kick off our new series, we examine what happens to self-published authors who want to pitch their work to traditional publishers. We asked three publishers for their take: * John Bryans, Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Information Today, Inc. and Plexus Publishing * Olga Gardner Galvin, publisher, ENC Press * Sue Lutz Hamilton, publisher, Dialogue Publishing. Many thanks to Steve Tupper, a 2005 NaNoWriMo participant, for submitting the question: Suppose that an author has self-published through Lulu, etc. but the author still wants the validation of being published by a major publisher. Does the fact that the author has self-published the book (print, e-book, etc.) that the author is submitting turn off publishers who might otherwise consider picking up the book? Would the author be sticking his thumb in the eye of a major publisher by submitting a copy of the Lulu-published hardcover instead of the 8.5 x 11 manuscript? Even if the author submits his manuscript on 8.5 x 11 paper like everybody else, does professional courtesy require that the author tell the publisher up front that the book has been self-published and marketed on a small scale (and I suspect that it would, being that the publisher wouldn't be getting the actual first distribution of the book and probably deserves to know that).

All writers have a favorite way of editing their work that fits in with their personality and temperament. Today we talk with one writer who is perfecting a fascinating new method: reading his work aloud, recording it, and asking the world for feedback. Micah Dubinko is a Senior Research Developer at Yahoo!, published nonfiction author, and geek. His book, Xforms Essentials, was published in hard copy by renowned tech publisher O'Reilly, and also online under an open content license, making it free for others to copy and modify. Micah is currently editing his first novel, written last National Novel Writing Month, aloud on the Web. In this fascinating interview, Micah discusses: * Why he decided to edit his novel aloud on the Web * How a typical editing session works * What he's learned from editing his work this way * How editing aloud can help a writer produce perfect work * How editing a novel differs from editing a nonfiction book * How listeners can offer feedback on his novel.

Storytelling is becoming increasingly important in games. Changing gamer demographics, increasing sophistication among developers, and other factors are helping to expand the field so much that game companies are now hiring writers to work alongside programmers and artists. This week, we visit with Tim King, a software engineer, writer, musician, and story enthusiast, who has had a long love affair with story-based videogames. Tim produces "be the story," a podcast about stories and telling them. In this fascinating interview, we explore the world of story-based games, including: * Which types of games feature stories * How developers integrate game play with storytelling * How players interact with and experience games that feature strong stories * What makes for good and not-so-good storytelling in a game * What cut scenes are and how they affect game play * What some of the best games with stories are.

This week's show is about how to get that green stuff: money. Most of us are familiar with the usual sources: publishing contracts, magazine gigs, selling a script to Hollywood. But there are other ways of making money writing. C. Hope Clark is editor and founder of FundsforWriters.com and author of The Shy Writer: The Introvert's Guide to Writing Success. What started out as helping a few writing friends, evolved into a newsletter and ebook business online that serves 17,000 writers each week. Hope has 25 years in federal service in lending, grants, and personnel management and uses this background often in her work advising other writers. In this exciting interview, Hope reveals: * What grants and fellowships are * Who awards grants and fellowships * How to increase your chances of getting a grant * Why you should contact your local community foundation * What some of the lesser-known markets for writing are and how to find out about them * How you can maximize your earnings as a writer * How to write a foolproof query letter.

Announcing The Writing Show's first ever contest! This podcast will explain what the contest is about (we're looking for the best first chapter of an unpublished novel) and how to submit. We look forward to receiving your entry.

As long as writers have been putting ideas into words, there have been people trying to keep those words from being heard. Whether it's religion, politics, sex, or some other issue, the history of writing is full of books that have been banned, and those that people have tried to squelch. How do issues of censorship and intellectual freedom affect writers and publishers today? Join librarians Betsie Bush and Annie Coleman and host Paula B. as they explore the forbidden. Betsie Bush has been working in libraries in many capacities for almost 20 years,including shelving and processing books as a teenager, circulation and book restoration as a graduate student, and professionally as a catalog and reference librarian. Currently she supports libraries across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan as catalog librarian and trainer for the Superiorland Library Cooperative. In addition to providing library catalog maintenance and training to library staff in the region, she coordinates the Upper Peninsula Regional Digitization Center, a branch of the state's online digital history collection. Betsie earned her Master of Science in Information (formerly Library and Information Science) from the University of Michigan in 1999. Annie Coleman is a part-time library clerk and a part-time graduate student working towards her masters degree in library science. Annie works in a small public library in the suburbs of St. Louis and hopes to be able to call herself a certified librarian in about a year. When she is not working or doing homework, Annie volunteers for LibriVox.org, maintains her Web site at www.anniecoleman.com, and records a podcast of free audiobooks. Her first audiobook was Pride and Prejudice and she is now working on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this lively discussion, Betsie and Annie hold forth on: * What intellectual freedom is * Why librarians are so passionate about intellectual freedom * Where the limits of intellectual freedom reside * What sorts of materials tend to be challenged by library users * What happens when someone wants a book removed from a library * How the issue of censorship affects authors and publishers * Which books have been banned over the years.

Writing for technical and trade publications can confer benefits above and beyond simple payment. Believe it or not, Writing Show host Paula B. started her writing career that way. What's involved in this kind of writing, and how can you get started? The answers come from three publishing experts at an information technology association, NaSPA, the Network and Systems Professionals Association. Denise Rockhill has more than ten years' experience in niche publication marketing, advertising sales, editorial acquisition, and publishing. Jenny Kasza began her tenure with NaSPA as editor of Technical Support magazine and is currently involved with that and other technical magazines. Rachael Zimmermann edits Network Support magazine. Both she and Jenny work closely with writers to acquire editorial content for their specific publication. They also shape editorial direction, perform copy editing, and manage production. They work with advisory review boards to determine the quality of incoming articles and guide writers through the writing process. Join Denise, Jenny, Rachael, and host Paula B. as they explore how to write for technical and trade publications, including: * How they find writers for their publications * What they look for in their writers * How writers can benefit from being published in technical and trade magazines * What the writing and editing process entails * How long the production process usually takes * What sorts of unrealistic expectations some writers have * How to write a great how-to article. There are a few rough spots in the audio on this podcast, but 99% of it is in great shape!

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 5 of "How Not to Run an Online Bookstore," Paula talks about what it took to get books to customers and what it was like to work with the inscrutable U.S. Post Office, including: * Why books are so difficult to pack and ship * How we solved the packing challenge * How we schlepped a lot of stuff to the post office more or less elegantly * How to avoid waiting in line at the post office * Why we chose to use the U.S. Postal Service despite its drawbacks * How Postal Service practices and behavior baffled us * What media mail is and why media it isn't as attractive an alternative as it might appear. 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!

This week, three writers get together to compare notes on how they approach their work. You may recognize yourself here, or you may be completely surprised. Whatever you think, you can't help concluding that writers are as varied as can be. Denny Sayers is a professor of education at California State University-Stanislaus. He writes books for teachers that focus on technology, learning languages, and teaching students how to read and write. Brave New Schools (1997, St. Martin's Press) which he wrote with Jim Cummins is still in print, which is rare for a book on the Internet and global learning networks. His new book from Allyn and Bacon Literacy, Diversity and Technology, written with two co-authors, comes out in June. Basil Munroe Godevenos is a blossoming writer. He's the author of Disjoint, a book of short fiction and poetry, he manages an online forum for writers, and he's an occasional blogger. Basil is currently working on a novel, a screenplay, and a comic book. Robert Garrison from Seattle, Washington is an unpublished writer of short fiction and non-fiction and poetry, a technical writer for engineering computer programs and a legal writer of motions and other court documents. He has traveled the world extensively, is a mountain climber and climbing instructor, and a semi-regular blogger at Climber53.com. Join Robert, Basil, Denny, and host Paula B. for a free-ranging discussion of how we write, including: * How they get their ideas out of their heads and into written form and why they work that way (you may be surprised at some of the rituals they practice) * What types of writing software they use * What you can do to make sure your work never gets lost or destroyed (and how they learned the hard way) * How they edit their work (and why they sometimes have to play tricks on themselves in the doing of it) * How you can circumvent printer troubles (at least some of the time) * How to get hard copy manuscripts across the country without having to print, pack, and ship them yourself * How they motivate themselves * Why they write.

This week, we visit with screenwriter Josann McGibbon Temkin, co-writer of the Richard Gere-Julia Roberts hit "Runaway Bride," who reveals what it's really like to write movies, work with a partner, and have your script produced by some of Hollywood's biggest names. The writing team of Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott is best known for "Runaway Bride" with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. More recently, the two have been working on the highly anticipated animated movie event "Rapunzel Unbraided" for Walt Disney Animation. They have also worked on the upcoming "Chicken Little" for Disney and "Frankenweenie" for Tim Burton, and they wrote the story for "Three Men and a Little Lady." Join us for this fascinating interview as Josann discusses: * What it's like to work with a writing partner * How she approaches the writing of romantic comedy * Where the story should begin * Where she gets story ideas * How she works on her characters * Why second acts are so difficult * How to collaborate effectively * What it was like to work on "Runaway Bride."

John MacKenna has done practically every kind of writing: novels, short stories, newspaper articles, ads, biographies, histories, documentaries. And yet he admits that after all these years, he makes only half a living from writing. If it's so difficult to support oneself by writing, what's a writer to do? Join guest host Mick Halpin and John MacKenna as they explore the writer's life and conclude that in spite of the difficulties, it is a wonderful life indeed. In this fascinating interview, John talks about: * What types of jobs he thinks writers should try to get, and why * How experiencing life in all its varieties can enhance your writing, even if it feels like you're wasting time when you're not writing * How doing different kinds of writing can enrich your work * How deadlines can help a writer * Why bestselling writers deserve our thanks as well as our admiration * Why you need to write even if you haven't been struck by brilliance * Why all writing is autobiographical

Melanie Solomon is the author of AA-Not the Only Way; Your One Stop Resource Guide to 12-Step Alternatives. She battled a ten year addiction and was unsuccessful in her attempts to recover through traditional 12-step programs. She finally gained control of her cravings and her life after a near-death experience led her to the conclusion that Alcoholics Anonymous could not be the only way. Her research into alternative methods of treating addiction led her to writing and self-publishing her book, which has since been picked up by a publisher. Solomon teaches at the Huntington Beach School District Drug and Alcohol Program. In this candid interview, Melanie explains: * How writing her book changed her life * How the book has generated controversy * How she has been handling the controversy * How her self-published book was picked up by a publisher * How she's been marketing the book non-stop * How, when she decided to do a book, she did everything in the wrong order * How she keeps going even when she's overwhelmed with work and attacked by critics.

We promised you a surprise announcement from one of our most popular guests, and it's finally here! Nick Wilson of Performancing.com announces a new metrics app for blogs and Web sites. It's free, and it's cool! You can use it to measure traffic, find out what your visitors are looking for, and more. Join us as Nick discusses: * What Performancing Metrics does * How to get the most out of the app * How the app differs from other metrics programs out there * Why Performancing is releasing this free tool * Why you shouldn't worry about search engine optimization * How to get the app and the accompanying API * Why you should never leave your tea within reach of the cat

It's no secret that authors and publishers don't always get along as well as they might. What are the issues that separate them, and how can they work together more effectively? This week, an author and a publisher who do get along reveal why and discuss the misconceptions that so often lead to conflict. Madge Walls' first novel, Paying the Price, was released in October 2005. Her Hawaii Real Estate Exam Book: A Study Guide to the State Section of the Hawaii Real Estate Exam is in its 8th edition. She lives in Colorado Springs, where she is employed by a builder and is at work on her second novel. Sue Lutz Hamilton founded Dialogue Publishing, Inc. in July, 2004. The company's mission is to provide new authors an outlet to get superb mainstream fiction and niche non-fiction work in print and to conduct writers' workshops using the Amherst Writers and Artists method. Sue worked in the newspaper business for 15 years and radio for seven years before she started the company. Dialogue has published two fiction titles. In this unusual interview, Madge and Sue candidly discuss: * What kinds of misconceptions publishers encounter and how they hurt both parties * How the economics of publishing affect author-publisher relations * How the economics of publishing differ for small and large publishers * How working together has surprised them * How they've split up marketing responsibilities * How Sue chooses the authors she works with * What Madge did that finally got her book published.