Bird by Bird

Tilling Your Characters’ Emotional Acres

March 22, 2023 00:49:20

So you’ve committed to Anne Lamott’s daily writing practice (as discussed in our previous podcast), good for you. Now let’s find out how to turn those embarrassing word scribbles into profound and meaningful insights.

In this episode we start with the Bird by Bird chapters, School Lunches and Polaroids, which, trust us, are about that transformative process. Then it’s onto the Character chapter where we talk about giving the people in your novel their own emotional acre.

Also in the podcast, we interview three authors, Delta Jones, Richard Risemberg, and MJ Brunnabend on how they draft their novels.

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Shitty First Drafts and Beyond!

March 8, 2023
Season 2
Episode 2
 00:51:23

How does one write an entire novel? It’s a bit like the advice for eating an elephant, one bite at a time. In this episode we cover Anne Lamott’s novel biting tips from her book, Bird by Bird. First comes her 1-inch picture frame technique, then her most famous suggestion, shitty first drafts. Finally, we tackle the anti-writing mindset, and perfectionism.

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And now for something completely different … Bird by Bird

February 22, 2023
Season 2
Episode 1
 00:36:23

It’s time for a new season and it’s time for a new book! We’re starting Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird. This is the writing process book that everyone has heard of, and, given that it’s funny and self-deprecating, it’s probably one most people have read. We’re looking forward to mining it for writing tips and seeing following them increases our own literary output.

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Getting to the Climax: The Anatomy of Romance Novels with Lia Riley

March 5, 2025
Season 3
Episode 25
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:37:05 Comments Off on Getting to the Climax: The Anatomy of Romance Novels with Lia Riley

An Interview with Lia Riley Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey insists all stories follow the Hero’s Journey template—but does this actually...

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End of the Road: The Last Two Stages of the Hero’s Journey

January 22, 2025
Season 3
Episode 24
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:55:53 Comments Off on End of the Road: The Last Two Stages of the Hero’s Journey

Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s JourneyStage Eleven: The Resurrection&Stage Twelve: Return with the Elixir Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Just when you thought you had the Hero’s...

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Writing the Return Home: More Than Just a Victory Lap

January 9, 2025
Season 3
Episode 23
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 01:11:14 Comments Off on Writing the Return Home: More Than Just a Victory Lap

Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s JourneyStage 9: RewardStage 10: The Road Back Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter Remember family road trips? When you’re...

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Empowering the Powerless: Tim Waggoner’s Tips for Keeping Horror Heroes Active

January 1, 2025 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:31:38 Comments Off on Empowering the Powerless: Tim Waggoner’s Tips for Keeping Horror Heroes Active

Empowering the Powerless:Tim Waggoner’s Tips for Keeping Horror Heroes Active Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Horror stories and the hero’s journey – a match made in...

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Lost in the Ordeal: Navigating the Hero’s Darkest Hour

December 18, 2024
Season 3
Episode 21
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:57:32 Comments Off on Lost in the Ordeal: Navigating the Hero’s Darkest Hour

Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s JourneyStage Eight: The OrdealStage Nine: The Reward Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter Think you know where your hero’s...

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The Road to Armageddon: A Workshop with Summer H. Hanford

December 11, 2024
Season 3
Episode 20
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:31:37 Comments Off on The Road to Armageddon: A Workshop with Summer H. Hanford

The Road to ArmageddonAn Interview with Summer H. Hanford Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter How do you craft a journey worthy of...

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Get Thee Characters to the Cave!

December 4, 2024 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:49:00 Comments Off on Get Thee Characters to the Cave!

Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s JourneyStage Six: Approach to the Innermost Cave Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter Remember how we’ve occasionally side-eyed Christopher...

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Fixing the Saggy Middle: A Workshop with Kristen Tate

November 27, 2024
Season 3
Episode 18
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:29:47 Comments Off on Fixing the Saggy Middle: A Workshop with Kristen Tate

An Interview with Kristen Tate Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter Looking for help with your novel’s middle section? While countless craft books...

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Fixing the Saggy Middle: A Workshop with Kristen Tate

November 27, 2024
Season 3
Episode 18
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:29:47 Comments Off on Fixing the Saggy Middle: A Workshop with Kristen Tate

An Interview with Kristen Tate Check it Out: The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter Looking for...

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Tests, Allies, and Enemies, Oh My!

November 20, 2024
Season 3
Episode 17
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:48:16 Comments Off on Tests, Allies, and Enemies, Oh My!

Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s JourneyStage Six: Tests, Allies, and Enemies Subscribe to our Newsletter What really happens between “accepting...

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Crossing the Threshold

November 13, 2024
Season 3
Episode 16
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:59:33 Comments Off on Crossing the Threshold

Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s JourneyStage Four: Meeting with the Mentor&Stage Five: Crossing the Threshold Subscribe to our Newsletter So...

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Writing Your College Application Essay

September 19, 2024
Season 3
Episode 15
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:23:15 Comments Off on Writing Your College Application Essay

In today's episode we take a break from discussing and analyzing creative fiction to examining possibly one of the...

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Answering the Call to Adventure

September 4, 2024
Season 3
Episode 14
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:55:45 Comments Off on Answering the Call to Adventure

How do you shift your book’s hero from their nice, cozy ordinary world into the adventure? According to Christopher...

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Workshop: Plotting a Murder with Colette Clark

August 29, 2024
Season 3
Episode 13
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Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey The Hero’s Journey Study Guide Subscribe to our Newsletter Does the mystery genre follow...

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You are Now Leaving the Ordinary World

August 21, 2024
Season 3
Episode 12
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 01:08:51 Comments Off on You are Now Leaving the Ordinary World

If you have read even just the first part of a blog post on the Hero’s Journey, you know...

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Boy Bands & Archetypes

August 14, 2024
Season 3
Episode 11
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:33:27 Comments Off on Boy Bands & Archetypes

In our regular podcast, we’ve successfully made it through all of Vogler’s archetypes (from his book, The Writer’s Journey)....

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The Role of the Trickster and Other Archetypes

August 8, 2024
Season 3
Episode 10
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 01:00:52 Comments Off on The Role of the Trickster and Other Archetypes

Are we done with archetypes now? Almost! There are just three more archetype chapters in Christopher Vogler’s book, The Writer’s...

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Workshop with Madix: Writing and Revising LitRPG

July 31, 2024
Season 3
Episode 9
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:56:01 Comments Off on Workshop with Madix: Writing and Revising LitRPG

What if writing the first draft was the easy part? Every week on serial writing websites like Royal Road, hundreds...

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Female Shapeshifters and Other Questionable Archetypes

July 24, 2024
Season 3
Episode 8
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:57:10 Comments Off on Female Shapeshifters and Other Questionable Archetypes

Everyone who’s read a blog post on the Hero’s Journey can spot the Hero and Mentor archetypes, but what...

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Workshop with Elana Gomel: What to do if your Hero is a Girl?

July 17, 2024
Season 3
Episode 7
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:36:01 Comments Off on Workshop with Elana Gomel: What to do if your Hero is a Girl?

In response to Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousands Faces, aka The Hero's Journey, folklorists and academics (many of...

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The Mentor Behind Every Great Hero

July 10, 2024
Season 3
Episode 6
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:55:57 Comments Off on The Mentor Behind Every Great Hero

The Mentor -- arguably the second most identified archetype from The Hero's Journey (after the eponymous hero). In his...

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Workshop: Renee Creates a Monster-Hero

July 3, 2024
Season 3
Episode 5
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:49:43 Comments Off on Workshop: Renee Creates a Monster-Hero

Last episode we explored the concept of the hero archetype as presented in Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey. But...

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What Makes a Hero

June 25, 2024
Season 3
Episode 4
 admin The Writer's Journey, Words to Write by Podcast 00:52:40 Comments Off on What Makes a Hero

Whether every protagonist is a Hero is open to debate (and debate it we do in this episode) but...

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