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Thrilled to share our newest episode of the week! Brenda Drake is the author of Thief of Lies and Touching Fate, and the creator of Pitch Wars and #PitMad.
In Brenda’s episode proudly brought to you by Gotham Writers, we dissect Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness, and what the criteria are for both mentors and mentees to be accepted. We chat about Brenda’s books and the inspiration behind them, along with a detailed look at how Brenda uses a plot graph as a roadmap for all of her stories. We discuss how to discover your character voices and flesh them out.
For writers who are looking to join Pitch Wars or Pitch Madness, or you’re looking for craft tips and inspiration, this episode is especially for you.
Xo,
Yin
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“There’s always going to be dark times but sometimes we forget that writing takes us away from those dark times.“ -Brenda Drake (click to tweet)
“Writing is our escape.” -Brenda Drake (click to tweet)
“I have to clear everything from my mind, and then I can start writing.” -Brenda Drake (click to tweet)
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TO CHECK OUT THE PLOT GRAPH THAT BRENDA TALKS ABOUT IN HER EPISODE, HEAD OVER TO HER SHOWNOTES PAGE BY CLICKING HERE.
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM BRENDA'S EPISODE:
Brenda Drake is the author of Thief of Lies (Library Jumpers #1) and Touching Fate (Fated Series #1). She grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. She hosts workshops and contests such as Pitch Wars and Pitch Madness on her blog, and holds Twitter pitch parties on the hashtag, #PitMad. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).
Look for Brenda’s upcoming novels Cursing Fate (Fated Series #2) releasing November 21, 2016 and Guardian of Secrets (Library Jumpers #2) releasing February 7, 2017 from Entangled Teen.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master by Martha Alderson
Teach Me to Forget by Erica Chapman
Forget Tomorrow by Pintip Dun
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Romantic Times Booklovers Convention
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I’m thrilled to have the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), Grant Faulkner, on the show with us! Grant is also the co-founder of 100 Word Story. And his stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times, Poets & Writers, Writer’s Digest, The Writer, and a ton more literary magazines. He recently published Fissures, a collection of a hundred 100-word stories.
In today's episode proudly brought to you by Vermont College of Fine Arts, Grant and I unpack what NaNoWriMo is and how it’s a tremendous benefit for writers and how it trains you to push past obstacles so there’s barely any time for writer’s block, and why people without writing backgrounds are encouraged to join and how it can be of value to them. We also talk about side jobs, eliminating procrastination, and the common core of what makes us all writers and why all of our stories are worthy of telling.
For a link to Grant's shownotes page with a list of all his resources and recommendations, click here.
“Writing doesn’t have to be that grueling grind of a process. Writing can be playful, and fun, and wacky. And experimental.” -Grant Faulkner
“If you're a human being, you're a creative type. We are creative by design.” -Grant Faulkner
“You are a writer in the act of writing.” -Grant Faulkner
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Sarah is the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series.
I’ve been so excited and antsy about sharing today’s episode with you! Sarah is the #1 New York Times and international bestselling author of the Throne of Glassseries and A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Fun fact– Sarah was just 16 years old when she wrote the first book in the Throne of Glass series, and she’s built an empire of extremely passionate and loyal fans. Deadline recently announced that the “Throne of Glass” series is being developed into an epic fantasy adventure TV series for Hulu.
In Sarah’s episode proudly brought to you by Gotham Writers, we talk about everything from growing up in New York City with probably the most movie-worthy thing that can happen to any high school kid, to living out in the suburbs of Pennsylvania where she currently writes full-time. We, of course, cover the inspiration behind her book series and why it’s so important for Sarah to showcase strong female characters.
For fans of Sarah, you are going to LOVE her episode. For craft-focused listeners who might be learning about Sarah for the first time through this episode, you’ll have so much fun getting to know Sarah’s personality and she shares really inspiring and helpful advice about breaking out of a writing rut, creating dialogues, and treating your writing like a muscle. Those of you who emailed me about questioning your identity as a writer and feeling like you’re unworthy of the title, this episode is especially for you.
“You can reach your dreams if you are willing to sacrifice and put in the hard work and the effort.” -Sarah J. Maas (click to tweet)
“I can do that. I will do that. Watch me do that.” -Sarah J. Maas (click to tweet)
“You’re a writer if you write. And if that’s what you love, you’re a writer.” -Sarah J. Maas (click to tweet)
“You can take literary tradition and make it come alive again in a new way.” -Sarah J. Maas (click to tweet)
“Every scar on me, every line, it’s a story written on my body of a life lived.” -Sarah J. Maas (click to tweet)
“Writing is a muscle.” -Sarah J. Maas (click to tweet)
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM SARAH'S EPISODE:
Sarah J. Maas is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series and A Court of Thorns and Roses series, as well as a USA Today and international bestselling author. Sarah wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in thirty-five languages. A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. Empire of Storms, the fifth Throne of Glass novel, is available now.
She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.
Sabriel by Garth Nix
The Hero and the Crown By Robin Mickinely
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Shannara series by Terry Brooks
The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
New York Times Notable Book of 2014 and one of Amazon’s Top 10 Books of the Year, Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans.
“It doesn’t matter how fast you write, it matters how well your write.” -Cristina Henríquez
In today’s episode, Cristina and I dive deep into the inspiration behind her novel, and her writing process. I’m so thrilled about this as I’m a huge fan of her newest novel and how she skillfully shows us what it means to be connected through hope and to belong somewhere. We discuss how to build strong characters by first uncovering the language of the story, and how to use multiple first-person narratives as a way to create diversity in your story. We also go into detail about how Cristina reads books and how that can strengthen your writing. For writers looking into an MFA for writing and shopping around for workshop classes, be sure to pay special attention to Cristina’s own experiences with school.
Get ready to fall in love with this episode.
Cheers + so much love,
Yin
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Cristina Henríquez is the author of The Book of Unknown Americans, which was a New York Times Notable Book of 2014 and one of Amazon’s Top 10 Books of the Year. It was the Daily Beast Novel of the Year, a Washington Post Notable Book,an NPR Great Read, and was chosen one of the best books of the year byBookPage, Oprah.com, and School Library Journal. It was also longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Henriquez is also the authorThe World In Half, and Come Together, Fall Apart: A Novella and Stories, which was a New York Times Editors’ Choice selection. Her stories have been published in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Glimmer Train, The American Scholar, Ploughshares, TriQuarterly, and AGNI along with the anthology This is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America’s Best Women Writers. Cristina earned her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She lives in Chicago.
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (TED Talk)