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I’m thrilled to have New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu for this week's new episode! Marie is one of the most humble and gracious guests we’re honored to feature on the show. Before becoming a full-time writer, Marie worked in the video game industry for Disney Interactive Studios as a concept artist. She has since earned an incredible following of loyal readers from "The Young Elites" and "Legend" series.
In today's episode proudly brought to you by Vermont College of Fine Arts, Marie walks us through her experiences writing Midnight Star, the final book in The Young Elites trilogy, and why it was an intense challenge deciding how to wrap up Adelina Amouteru's story, the main character who met her downfall towards the darkside. Marie shares how music helped her channel the villain's voice and the different kinds of songs on her villain's playlist that allowed Marie to tap into a dark headspace, pushing her through difficult scenes.
We dive into world building and character development, writing with your internal editor switched off, and dealing with rejections and summoning the last bit of courage and strength to forge on with your writing. Marie also shares how to specifically shift your mindset to alleviate pressure when approaching the first draft.
This episode is especially for writers who'd appreciate writing tips on creating a complex villain, advice on writing the first draft of a novel, and how to find inspiration for your story.
Xo,
Yin
PS. FOR A LIST OF ALL THE AWESOME RESOURCES MARIE MENTIONS IN HER EPISODE, CLICK HERE TO GO TO HER SHOWNOTES PAGE.
PPS. Do you know anyone who’d love to hear amazing writing tips and inspirational personal stories from authors? Please share this episode, it may really be of help!
Please leave a review about the podcast by clicking here. Your honest feedback helps to shape the show. Thank you for your time and for helping with the ranking of the show when leaving a review and rating!
We have #1 New York Times best-selling, award-winning, author Alyson Noel on the show today! Alyson has published 23 novels including: The Immortals, The Riley Bloom, and The Soul Seekers series.
We get really up close and personal in today’s episode proudly brought to you by Vermont College of Fine Arts. Alyson shares her experiences struggling with grief and how she coped with it through writing.Alyson also shares how to push through difficult times when you’re feeling stuck.
We go into detail about how to create dynamic personalities for your characters,where to find inspiration for story ideas, and how to create a flexible writing outline to keep your progress on track.
This episode especially hits the spot if you’re coming across some challenges in your first draft. Fellow NaNoWrimo participants will definitely want to savor Alyson’s words of advice. We really dive deep into the topic of surviving the first draft, how to eliminate the pressure of perfection, and how to structure scenes so that you can avoid dead spots.
CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO ALYSON'S SHOWNOTES FOR RESOURCES, BOOKS, AND MORE!
Xo,
Yin
PS. Do you know anyone who’d appreciate a big push through their first draft? Please share this episode, it may really be of help!
Please leave a review about the podcast by clicking here. Your honest feedback helps to shape the show. Thank you for your time and for helping with the ranking of the show when leaving a review and rating!
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“You are okay and you are enough. Despite what other people may tell you, you are enough and you deserve to be here.”-Alyson Noël (Click to tweet)
“You need to actually live a life, if you want to write about people living a life.” -Alyson Noel (Click to tweet)
“It’s really important to take the leap.” -Alyson Noel (Click to tweet)
“That first draft is your opportunity to make a big ol’ mess, to use your delete key liberally.” -Alyson Noel (Click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM TODAY'S EPISODE:
Alyson Noël is the #1 New York Times best-selling, award-winning, author of 23 novels including: The Immortals, The Riley Bloom, and The Soul Seekers series.
With 9 New York Times bestsellers, and over 8 million copies in print, her books have been translated into 36 languages, sold in over 200 countries, and have made the New York Times, USA Today, LA Times, Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal, NCIBA, and Walmart Bestsellers lists, and have won numerous awards such as: the National Reader’s Choice Award, NYLA Book of Winter Award, NYPL Stuff for the Teenage, TeenReads Best Books of 2007, Reviewer’s Choice 2007 Top Ten, appeared on the CBS Early Show’s “Give the Gift of Reading” segment, and selected for Seventeen Magazine’s “Hot List” and Beach Book Club Pick.
Chosen as one of OC Metro magazine’s “20 Women to Watch,” she’s been nominated for the Orange County Business Journal’s “Women in Business Awards” as well as their “Excellence in Entrepreneurship” award. The dramatic rights for The Soul Seekers are optioned to Cheyenne Enterprises and Traziende films; the dramatic rights to Saving Zoë are optioned to actresses/producers Ellen Marano, Vanessa Marano (Switched at Birth), Laura Marano (Austin & Ally), with Jeffrey G. Hunt (Vampire Diaries, Gotham) directing; dramatic rights to The Immortals are optioned to Gil Adler (Valkyrie, Constantine) & Jason Rosenberg.
Her new YA series, Beautiful Idols, beginning with Unrivaled, had a global release in 17 languages and 200 countries on 05.10.16. Her new MG, Five Days of Famous,is set to debut 12.13.16.
Born and raised in Orange County, California, she’s lived in both Mykonos and Manhattan and is now settled back in Southern California.
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
The Story Grid: What Good Editors Know by Shawn Coyne and Steven Pressfield
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[[Click here to go directly to Alex's shownotes page where we list all the incredible resources and books she shares!]]
Alexandra Bracken is the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Darkest Minds and Passenger series, as well as a young reader adaptation of Star Wars: A New Hope: The Princess, The Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy.
Connecting with Alex was like catching up with a long-time friend; we immediately kick it off with talks about premonitions, past lives, witches, signs from the universe, and women’s intuition.
Alex walks us through how she first fell in love with writing and her experience in the publishing industry as an editorial assistant. We discuss how to discover story ideas for writing fiction and chat about her newest book Wayfarer releasing on January 3rd, 2017. We freely chatted about everything and anything, no-holds-barred, easily making this episode a writer’s dream. From tips on writing under pressure, overcoming writer’s block, character development and building strong characters, to developing a unique writing voice, and writing through emotional challenges; this is an episode packed with inspiring personal stories and actionable step-by-step advice for writers.
Today's episode is proudly brought to you by Gotham Writers.
Xo,
Yin
PS. Know a friend who would appreciate amazing writing tips and advice? Pass it on for some karmic goodness!
We have S.J. Kincaid on the show with us today! Click here to go directly to S.J.'s shownotes page where we have all of her resources and books listed along with highlights about her episode. Her debut novel, Insignia, was shortlisted for the Waterstones prize. Its sequels, Vortex and Catalyst, have received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews and Booklist.
In today’s episode proudly brought to you by Vermont College of Fine Arts, S.J. shares how-to writing tips on creating rich multi-layered worlds to enhance the plot, and creating strong emotional tension in romantic scenes. We dive deep into her latest novel, The Diabolic, how she finds idea inspiration for her stories and why it’s crucial to build on the ideas you feel most passionate about. S.J. also advises how to avoid the dreaded Second Book Syndrome pulling from her own personal experiences writing her Insignia series. For NaNoWriMo participants, S.J. has a special message for you! Click here to say 'Hi' to S.J.!
Xo,
PS. Do you know anyone who wants to learn how to create rich multi-layered worlds to enhance their story’s plot? Please share this episode, it may really be of help!
Please leave a review about the podcast by clicking here. Your honest feedback helps to shape the show. Thank you for your time and for helping with the ranking of the show when leaving a review and rating!
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"Once you finish one book, you realize you can finish as many as you need to.” -S.J. Kincaid (click to tweet)
"As soon as I think of a setting, a lot of the story ends up evolving from that and a lot of the universe.” -S.J. Kincaid (click to tweet)
"I will never be able to say something like, ‘Hey look, I’ve succeeded after all this time,’ unless I just keep trying.” -S.J. Kincaid (click to tweet)
"There is a really fine balance between world building and getting bogged down.” -S.J. Kincaid (click to tweet)
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WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM S.J.'S EPISODE: