Hey there word nerds! I’m so excited to share today’s episode with you. It’s not often that I have an author on the show where I’ve read almost their entire body of work. Carolyn Mackler is one of those rare authors. As an MFA student, I wrote a term paper for my YALit class examining… Read more »
Sometimes I wish I were Stephen King. Not because of his best-seller, best-beloved author status, or because he can write full time while most of us need day jobs. (Although all of those things would be nice.) It’s because back when he was getting rejection letters, it was the 1970s. He got so many that… Read more »
We all get in funks while writing. When we hit one it’s like a fire slowly dying, deprived of oxygen. When we sit at the same location day after day, it can close in and suffocate the fresh air that tickles our brains and revives our senses. One of the best ways to recharge your… Read more »
Hey there word nerds, I’m so glad you’re here! We’re doing something different for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. This week I’m speaking with Steve Berry and Raymond Khoury about the art of collaboration. As you may remember, Steve Berry has appeared on this show before, and this time I’m thrilled to welcome him back with a… Read more »
Graphic novels are enjoying a great deal of popularity these days, with some of them taking home some significant awards. El Deafo by Cece Bell, was named a Newbery Honor Book in 2015, the first ever graphic novel to win this distinction. The graphic novel Smile, by Raina Telgemeier, was an American Library Association Notable… Read more »
One of the most common questions writers get asked is: “How do you come up with your ideas?” Creativity is the backbone of storytelling because without creative ideas there are no stories. You want to have as many ideas, or “sparks” as I call them, as possible. But how do you come up with those… Read more »
Today I’m talking to Nicholas Petrie, author of the stunning debut The Drifter, an explosive thriller written with a strong literary sensibility. In our conversation, we tackle a topic that many authors often struggle with: how do we write about something when we have no first-hand experience with it? This question goes deeper than “how do… Read more »
“Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound. No one is going to pick you. Pick yourself.” – Seth Godin Starting something new (a blog, a business, an email list, etc.), like… Read more »
I have a confession: I’ve been bitten by the adult coloring book “bug.” Granted that I only have one such book right now, but coloring has become a new favorite hobby recently. And judging from the phenomenal worldwide success of adult coloring books last year, millions of other people have fallen in love again with… Read more »
Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you’re here. First OMG! today is the day after my birthday. But more important, I am excited to share today’s topic because it’s a big one. Today I want to talk about the power of starting small and embracing the power of zero. A lot of people resist starting something (writing a book, launching a… Read more »
