The Art of Semi-Fiction
Summary: Welcome to The Art of Semi-Fiction! Author/Speaker/Teacher Jane S. Daly and Author/Speaker/Teacher/Writing Coach, Robynne E. Miller, MFA have joined forces to dissect “Every Corner of the Written Word.” What does this mean? Well, of course we’ll unpack the genre of Semi-Fiction and its impact on both straight nonfiction and straight fiction. (That’s in the title, after all, isn’t it?) But we’ll also scoot into the corners and under the beds of the publishing industry to discuss every aspect of bringing the written word into the world. From craft to the business end of things to how to decide on an agent, we’ve got you … Oh, yeah, and there will be some awesome guests, too! So grab yourself a cup of coffee, or shift your car into “drive,” and join us as we discuss our very favorite writing topics.
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Podcasts:
In which Jane and Robynne break down how you choose the point to enter your fiction, nonfiction, or memoir narrative. We define and discuss the almighty “Inciting Incident” and why you should be able to finish this thought: “Everything changed when …” Susy Flory and Michael Hingson’s book, Thunderdog, a New York Times best seller, provides a great example of where to enter a story, and we also talk about Susan May Warren. There’s a great image of a wheel with spokes that helps grasp the concept. We may or may not talk a little about “stakes” in writing, too.
In which Robynne and Jane delve deeply into the modern interpretation of the wildly popular genre, memoir. Mother Daughter Me by Katie Hafner gets a mention, as does Robynne’s favorite author, Chaim Potok, and one of her favorite books, Night by Elie Weisel. Ginny Yttrup’s gripping book Words is also on the table as a great example of fictionalized nonfiction. Memoir is quickly becoming one of the most popular genres to write and read. Why? What has opened the floodgates in the last ten years? And why are regular folks suddenly writing compelling, marketable, successful memoirs with great success when a decade or so ago you had to be mega-famous to even get in a publisher’s door? (hint: the trend toward the “universal truths” found in memoir!)
In which Jane and Robynne talk about the use of techniques traditionally brandished in fiction and how they can be applied to modern nonfiction. How Starbucks Saved My Life by Michael Gates Gill and Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott get solid mentions. By the end of this episode, if you aren’t convinced that the industry is trending toward a “personal narrative” approach to even “how to” nonfiction, we respectfully suggest to have another listen.
In which Robynne and Jane unpack the intriguing podcast title and the general genre of Semi-Fiction. A variety of other definitions get thrown in there, too, so we all know the vernacular of the conversation and can move nicely on together. Did you know that Robynne thinks that ALL writing is semi-fiction? ‘Tis true. (And Jane didn’t even disagree!) What’s more, knowing that your fiction contains a great deal of truth, and some of the best ways to approach nonfiction is by leveraging fiction techniques, will make you a better writer no matter what genre you write in!
