Swiping Write

Getting your baby out into the world can be scary... So how do you make sure that you get the most out of the painful first feedback cycle? This week, we're talking about our process for identifying readers and collecting feedback. 

You can create wonderful characters, build a vibrant setting, and engineer a shocking plot twist, but if you don't stick the landing none of that matters. 

Sometimes you go through that first re-read, and something's just off. Maybe its the sagging middle, a ending that doesn't seem to fit, or something else, its important to look at the structure of the story before you start making the minor tweaks.  Also, Austin makes an impassioned plea for the Oxford Comma...

People get hurt and need to be patched up every day, and the stories of healing and the road to recovery strike a cord with all of us. This week, Karl Kruger, Navy veteran, ER Nurse and author of Pajo and short stories such as "He had a Pulse," joins us to enlighten us about some of the common on screen mistakes he sees, and how we can improve our works to maintain the suspension of disbelief. We can't promise you'll get a medical degree if you listen to this episode, we had so much fun recording that we went a bit longer than normal. Hope you don't mind and thanks for listening! 

Its a wonderful feeling to write "the end," but what comes next? We'll talk about how you transition from the creation phase of a project to the editing phase. 

If I don't care what a character says, or what they say is boring, have they really said anything? Dialog is a critical tool for any writer to establish a sense of character, keep the reader's interest and drive the plot forward. We'll talk about verbal sword fights and a few common mistakes to avoid. 

After a few technical delays, we're back!  And while Austin was too scared to join us this week, Bill Bridges was happy to fill in as we make up the Genre episode we swapped out in July. We'll talk about how the authors (and game designers) give readers that looming sense of dread that has become a hallmark for many works of nightmare.  Bill is a game designer and author who has been working in the industry for nearly 25 years and has worked on over 30 RPGs, video games and books in his career.  Hes also a member of the Broadleaf writers association and will be at the conference in Atlanta on Sept 23-24! You can find more information at http://broadleafwriters.com/category/2017-broadleaf-writers-conference/  

Wrapping up July with the genres where it all began for us: Sci-Fi and Fantasy. Give us a warp drive and a spell book and we'll be good to good. 

We interrupt Genre July to talk about Brandon's experience at the New York Pitch Conference he attended at the end of June. We'll talk through the highs, the lows, and all the horrible mistakes he made so if you ever go to a conference, you will be better prepared. 

Sometimes you just need a good detective to figure out the world's most dastardly crimes, like who stole Austin's first edition boxed set of Twilight novels??? Thankfully, Romily Bernard is on the case to help us figure out how to lay clues, navigate the twists and turns of an investigation and figure out what makes a good mystery so hard to put down. 

For the second week of Genre July, Austin and I are joined by JD Jordan, author of Calamity, to discuss one of genres that is most near and dear to the hearts of these two geeks: Speculative fiction. Calamity is a sci-fi/western genre mashup origin story of Calamity Jane and her gunslinging green friend. Best read with a Southern Missouri accent in mind, its a fun ride through some of the most fertile story telling ground this side of the Mississippi as Jane comes into her own as one of the most feared outlaws in the Wild Wild West. 

This month is officially "Genre July" and we're pumped to have Ricki Schultz, author of Mr. Right-Swipe, join us to talk about one of the most popular genres in the market today: Women's Fiction. 

The emotional connection the reader feels with a character can make or break a story. If there is too much emotional emphasis, the work can be melodramatic. If there isn't enough, we get flat characters that no one really cares about.  We're diving into how we lend gravitas to the work, and create the empathy to create a real tear jerker. 

Brandon is headed to NYC for a pitch conference, so we're going to talk about what makes a good pitch. Then Austin is going to critique Brandon's pitch to help him get ready for the conference. 

Whats worse than thinking you're getting a chick flick and ending up with a mystery novel? Not much. So we're going to help you avoid that this week. 

The day has finally come to talk about our thoughts about Ready Player One, the New York Times bestseller and upcoming movie by Ernest Cline. Be forewarned, there are spoilers here...

The swan song for our May series on alternative methods of storytelling is brought to you by our good friend, and creator of the Podcast's theme song, Jameson Elder. Together we're talking about how the process for songwriting is similar to, and differs from, the novels and screenplays that Austin and I write.  (Also, we know its no longer May, but we're pulling double duty today to make up for our missed episode earlier in the month because we're just nice guys like that. Enjoy!) 

After a brief hiatus caused by the craziness of life, we're back and talking about a genre that is near and dear to our hearts: video games. Whether that is through the action of a shooter, the narrative elements of an RPG, or the endless possibilities of an open world MMO, players are draw in by many of the same things that hook a reader, and Austin and I hope we can figure out how to apply some of the lessons to our own writing. 

Continuing our May series on non-traditional story telling, the better looking Hodge twin (sorry ladies, hes married) joins us to enlighten Austin and I about the world of voiceover script writing and acting. 

Stories aren't limited to books and movies, and during the month of May we're going to dive into a few other mediums to see what we can learn.  This week, we're talking to Seth Owings, who's been coordinating D&D campaigns for several years now. Seth tells us about some of the ways he keeps players immersed in the game, avoids leaving new players lost and disheartened, and brings the stories to life.