5 Top Writing Podcast…

Have you ever just starred at the screen and not been able to find an idea or the words to scatter across the page…? Have you ever just felt like you are in a slump and need some motivation…? I know I have. There have been countless times where I’ll type a word, only to turn around and delete said word. Writing is without question one of the most enjoyable hobbies, but it can also be one of the most frustrating as well…

Over the years of studying the craft I have asked many authors how they overcome this plateau. Everyone is different and I have heard many different ideas. Some take long walks, others read, some exercise, and one person even said they go hunting.

I do two things… One I’m a yard fanatic. I love to have a fresh mowed lawn that clean and clear of weeds. So I do a lot of yard work. But while I’m doing yard work or house projects I also listen to a lot of podcast. There are tons of writing podcast available out there to listen to- But for the sake of time I’m only going to list my top five…

1. Writing Excuses: One of my favorite… Released every Monday writing excuses is a fiction podcast run by Brandon Sanderson, Howard Taylor, Dan Wells and Mary Robinette Kowal. Their tag line is exceptional:

“Fifteen minutes long, because you’re in a hurry, and we’re not that smart.”

The podcast is one of the most popular and garners over 10,000 downloads per episode. Their topics range from creative writing, plotting, techniques, as well as discussion on the current publishing industry.

2. I Should be Writing: An award winning podcast that’s about the writing journey. It’s hosted by Mur Lafferty. Lafferty has a variety of the credentials that range from freelance writing, podcast producing, and editing for the escape pod magazine. I highly recommend this podcast for anyone unpublished and looking to break in to the industry.

3. Thrillercast: Not to be confused with Michael Jackson by any means. Thriller cast is hosted by David Wood and Alan Baxter. It’s a podcast for readers and authors of the thriller genre that features interviews, reviews, current publishing trends, as well as discussions on the craft of writing.

4. Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing: Hosted and produced by Shaun Farrell. With over 200 episodes this podcast covers everything in Fantasy and Sci fi publishing from interviews, publishing, as well as reviews.

5. Grammar Girl: Let’s face it… Most of us writers hate grammar. But this little podcast is very beneficial. Grammar girl is hosted by Mignon Fogarty who is also the author of “Quick and Dirty Tips,” an exceptional grammar resource that should be on every writers shelf.

Note: Please understand that not all of these podcast are the most clean… There are a few where there may be some language… I would recommend that you research each one and find the one that would benefit you most.

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47 Drafts…

Can you imagine re-writing the ending of your book 47 times…? I mean seriously, shoot me in the head now; normally when I make it to the end I’m so exhausted I’m ready to do just that, simply end… But think of the greats. King, Koontz, Hemingway, Chandler… If we were to read some of their first drafts I bet we would find that the polish isn’t quite there. That the work isn’t quite up to par. I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall in their studies. To be able to quietly observe them as they banged their head against the desk in agony over what word to put next. I’m only saying this because I recently have thought about this.

I personally get very insecure about my writing. But I’m discovering something important, so does every other writer. I remember the first time I showed my writing to a published author. I cringed as she read through that short story. I was worried about what words would come out of her mouth. I remember the time and effort I put into that writing, and then the re-writing, and then re-writing it again and again… Then I remember that feeling of relief when she looked up, smiled, and said: “This is really good.”

Now it’s true she could have been lying by all means and afraid to mention it to my face. But I know her and I trust she is honest. But regardless it gave me the confidence I needed to continue on. I discovered this weekend that real writing occurs in the re-writing… It’s true. Dean Koontz writes one page at a time. He will re-write that one page twenty times before he ever moves on to page two. He then continues this process with each page until he gets to the end… Stephen King tossed the first draft of Carrie in the trash because he thought it stunk. His wife later pulled it out, dusted it off, read it, and said “Steve, you’ve got something here.”

Then there is my favorite. I recently discovered while at the ACW writers conference that Hemingway re-wrote the ending to “A Farewell to Arms” about 47 times… Some of those earlier drafts are still available and as you read them you will more than likely discover that some did indeed need to be re-written… When I came home and mentioned this to my wife her comment was simple- Shows you the importance of persistence… I didn’t realize it but that was the lesson I needed to hear.

I recently had some interest in a novel I wrote about a year ago. I hadn’t looked at the project in some time; in fact several months. Okay I’ll be honest; I haven’t looked at it since I finished it over a year ago. But I pulled it out and asked myself what was wrong with the story. As I read through the pages with a fresh set of eyes it became apparent very quick what the issue was. I’m now taking some time to re-write something I had previously given up on. I let my insecurity take control and my lack of confidence deny me the ability to be persistent and finish the project.

I think if I’ve learned anything it is this: Great writers stay at it until they get it right… The questions we need to ask is this: Do we…?

Follow this link for more on Hemingway’s 47 drafts of A Farewell to Arms. Scroll down. Should be the 2nd post.
http://altongansky.typepad.com/writersconferences/

5 Reasons for finishing the first draft-

I haven’t been writing for very long. I think that is a given. Or at least I haven’t been taking it as serious as I do now for very long… Having only one short story published and one novel that is unpublished isn’t a very big resume. But I can tell you that in my drawer are hundreds of undeveloped ideas. They sit there collecting dust, the pages worn and cracked from my personal creative neglect. They’re like small children starring back at me wide eyed begging for some sort of attention. They are my unfinished drafts…

I hate unfinished works… Most of these are the first two or three chapters of novels I started and quickly gave up on. Others are short stories and novellas that just never panned out or I forgot about. The truth is, each one of them represents me giving up on a project. And I hate that… I hate quitting or letting go of something to soon.

Now, truth be told some represent a time when my writing skills were very weak. The ideas needed to be abandoned… Going back and reading them today I’m thankful I didn’t pursue them. But then there is that other group. The group where that little demon was sitting on my shoulder digging his talons in deep, piercing my skin and barking in my ear the two words I hate to hear most: You Stink!!!

So many times I would listen and let go of something, taking the advice from my inner critic instead. I hate that. It drives me nuts because as I look over these stories now something stirs that says: This isn’t so bad, you’ve got something here…

A few I can actually remember when I got the idea and started writing them down. I remember the pleasure of taking the pen to the paper and making the strokes. That magical feeling of a story coming alive in your mind that it causes your hand to move so fast you can barely read the writing on the page. But now they sit here, starring back at me, saying finish me, please… Why did you ever leave me…?

Last year I wrote a short story called “Compulsion.” Just about 6,500 words is all it was. Is it the best short story I have ever written…? No, probably not… Does it need some fine tuning and a little editing…? Sure you bet it does… But I did something for the first time, I stopped listening to my inner critic, that little demon beast that sits on my shoulder and I went to Kindle and – published it…

I didn’t care what people thought. I didn’t care if I walked away with nothing but 500 one star reviews. The end result was I was happy with it and I enjoyed the little story… But just finishing something was pleasing enough and it made me realize that I can actually do this…

This week: Thursday and Friday Compulsion will be up for FREE on Kindle… And every time I look at it I’m reminded of my current project and how important finishing it will be… So here they are- My Five reasons for finishing the first draft of your manuscript… Hope you enjoy!!!

1. You gain confidence that you can do this-
• Confidence is what holds most writers back… It’s diminished by the voice on our shoulder. Ask yourself how many times have you’ve given up on an idea that was good and decent only to regret it because the inner critic controlled you choice to do so…

2. The first draft is never perfect-
• Every writer has a bad written first draft… Some may say they don’t, and I’m sure there are select few out there, but most do… I stopped going back and revising as I went. It took me awhile but I finally realized that polishing and re-writes are a separate process for a reason

3. You learn from the experience-
• You learn what process works for you… I would also say you discover where your weaknesses are (Dialogue, plotting, grammar, etc) I think my weakness is in grammar. I hate it, writing would be easier if there were no rules… But a story would also likewise stink as a result. Everytime I write I learn something new about my personal grammar…

4. It means you’re legit-
• Being a writer isn’t about having published works, writing is about finishing… I really believe that… Publication is the reward for the effort… So finish, it means you are a writer…

5. Finishing is the first step towards publication-
• If you don’t finish something you are never going to get published. It’s that simple. When you finish, then you can now submit (After polishing, revisions, re-writes, etc)