The Art of Fiction

Goodbye Gardner, Hello Bradbury

March 23, 2022
Season 1
Episode 9
 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast, Zen in the Art of Writing 00:35:33 Comments Off on Goodbye Gardner, Hello Bradbury

Thinking of reading The Art of Fiction, "Young Writer?" Listen to this podcast first. Despite dying in a motorcycle crash in 1982, John Gardner achieved immortality (at least in...

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Come for the Plot. Stay for the Stripper

March 8, 2022
Season 1
Episode 8
 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast 00:41:09 Comments Off on Come for the Plot. Stay for the Stripper

Wow! We've gotten to the final chapter of John Gardner's book, The Art of Fiction and it's all about plotting your short story, or novella, or novel (there are,...

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Techniques

February 23, 2022 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast 00:42:28 Comments Off on Techniques

Gardner promises to show us the proper way for the young writer to achieve artistic mastery. Doesn’t that sound marvelous? We take him to task on his analysis and...

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Common Errors

January 19, 2022
Season 1
Episode 6
 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast 00:42:20 0 Comments

Enough with the theoretical, in this episode we get some practical advice out of Gardner's book, The Art of Fiction. Specifically, he tells us what we're doing wrong. We...

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Metafiction, Deconstruction, and Jazzing Around

December 29, 2021
Season 1
Episode 5
 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast 00:32:06 Comments Off on Metafiction, Deconstruction, and Jazzing Around

After last episode’s mother of all chapters, we get a reprieve – a much shorter and lighthearted chapter devoted to those weird genres of metafiction, deconstruction, and jazzing...

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Interest and Truth

December 8, 2021
Season 1
Episode 4
 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast 00:38:10 Comments Off on Interest and Truth

Moving along to Chapter 3 in The Art of Fiction. We go to war over the various dichotomies that (what Gardner claims) make good fiction, his weird beef against...

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Basic Skills, Genre, and Fiction as Dream

November 12, 2021
Season 1
Episode 3
 admin The Art of Fiction, Words to Write by Podcast 00:31:38 Comments Off on Basic Skills, Genre, and Fiction as Dream

Onto Chapter 2 of John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction. We begin with Gardner’s opinions about grammar, and our opinions about those opinions. Then we move on to his...

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Aesthetic Law and Artistic Mastery

October 21, 2021
Season 1
Episode 2
 admin The Art of Fiction 00:41:23 Comments Off on Aesthetic Law and Artistic Mastery

We’re starting our first book – John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction. Let’s find out why writing instructors and bloggers keep recommending it to aspiring writers. We’ll try...

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The Secret to Getting Your Short Stories Publish

April 17, 2024
Season 2
Episode 21
 admin Words to Write by Podcast 01:06:45 Comments Off on The Secret to Getting Your Short Stories Publish

Okay, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but not by much. In this stand alone episode we talk with Erik Klass, the entrepreneurial editor behind the submission service Submitit...

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“Workshop: Analyzing How Time Works in Memoir

April 3, 2024
Season 2
Episode 20
 admin Words to Write by Podcast 00:36:36 Comments Off on “Workshop: Analyzing How Time Works in Memoir

Last week we covered time in memoir, specifically how the writer can jump back and forth in time and the reader can follow along easily.   In this episode,...

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Time Travel in Memoir

March 27, 2024
Season 2
Episode 19
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:48:40 Comments Off on Time Travel in Memoir

Memoirs are rarely straight chronological narratives, what with the musing we talked about last episode, and they almost always jump forwards and backwards in time. We discuss Judith Barrington...

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Musing: Memoir’s Secret Ingredient

March 13, 2024
Season 2
Episode 18
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:57:01 Comments Off on Musing: Memoir’s Secret Ingredient

We’ve gotten to the part of Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir where she covers the actual writing of in a memoir, the words on the page. In addition...

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You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir)

February 28, 2024
Season 2
Episode 17
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:59:56 Comments Off on You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir)

Readers seek out memoirs because they want true stories. But the truth, according to Judith Barrington in her book Writing the Memoir, is more than using Google to fact...

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Finding Your Memoir’s Form

February 14, 2024
Season 2
Episode 16
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:52:11 Comments Off on Finding Your Memoir’s Form

Chronological, essays, skipping through time, interspersed non-fiction — there are so many forms that memoir can take. Judith Barrington covers several in her book, Writing the Memoir, and in...

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Making Your Memoir Matter

January 31, 2024
Season 2
Episode 15
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:54:34 Comments Off on Making Your Memoir Matter

Baring one's soul in a memoir is hard work. Convincing others to care is one thing, but to engage in your life story? That's a whole other beast. In...

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Truth VS Narrative in Memoir

November 30, 2023
Season 2
Episode 14
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 01:00:15 Comments Off on Truth VS Narrative in Memoir

We’re starting a NEW BOOK - Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir. And what better place to start than by discussing what a memoir is, what memoir isn’t, and just...

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The Secret to Getting Your Short Stories Publish

April 17, 2024
Season 2
Episode 21
 admin Words to Write by Podcast 01:06:45 Comments Off on The Secret to Getting Your Short Stories Publish

Okay, maybe that's a bit of hyperbole, but not by much. In this stand alone episode we talk with...

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“Workshop: Analyzing How Time Works in Memoir

April 3, 2024
Season 2
Episode 20
 admin Words to Write by Podcast 00:36:36 Comments Off on “Workshop: Analyzing How Time Works in Memoir

Last week we covered time in memoir, specifically how the writer can jump back and forth in time and...

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Time Travel in Memoir

March 27, 2024
Season 2
Episode 19
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:48:40 Comments Off on Time Travel in Memoir

Memoirs are rarely straight chronological narratives, what with the musing we talked about last episode, and they almost always...

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Musing: Memoir’s Secret Ingredient

March 13, 2024
Season 2
Episode 18
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:57:01 Comments Off on Musing: Memoir’s Secret Ingredient

We’ve gotten to the part of Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir where she covers the actual writing of...

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You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir)

February 28, 2024
Season 2
Episode 17
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:59:56 Comments Off on You CAN handle the truth (in your memoir)

Readers seek out memoirs because they want true stories. But the truth, according to Judith Barrington in her book...

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Finding Your Memoir’s Form

February 14, 2024
Season 2
Episode 16
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:52:11 Comments Off on Finding Your Memoir’s Form

Chronological, essays, skipping through time, interspersed non-fiction — there are so many forms that memoir can take. Judith Barrington...

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Making Your Memoir Matter

January 31, 2024
Season 2
Episode 15
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:54:34 Comments Off on Making Your Memoir Matter

Baring one's soul in a memoir is hard work. Convincing others to care is one thing, but to engage...

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Truth VS Narrative in Memoir

November 30, 2023
Season 2
Episode 14
 admin Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 01:00:15 Comments Off on Truth VS Narrative in Memoir

We’re starting a NEW BOOK - Judith Barrington’s Writing the Memoir. And what better place to start than by...

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Bye Bye Birdy

November 17, 2023
Season 2
Episode 13
 admin Bird by Bird, Featured, Words to Write by Podcast, Writing the Memoir 00:53:15 Comments Off on Bye Bye Birdy

How do you tackle one of the most famous writing craft books, you take it “Bird by Bird.” That’s...

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Why Do You Write?

November 1, 2023
Season 2
Episode 12
 admin Bird by Bird 00:51:59 Comments Off on Why Do You Write?

Well, why do you? The answer for most authors is to get published. But is that the only...

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What To Do When You Have Writer’s Block

October 5, 2023
Season 2
Episode 11
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 01:02:49 Comments Off on What To Do When You Have Writer’s Block

Anne Lamott (in her Bird by Bird book) says the dreaded writer’s block isn’t about being blocked, it’s about...

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Writing Groups: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

September 20, 2023
Season 2
Episode 10
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:47:16 Comments Off on Writing Groups: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Behind most successful authors there is a writing group (at least according to their novel's acknowledgment section). But how...

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Writing Advice from the 90s

September 6, 2023
Season 2
Episode 9
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:37:01 Comments Off on Writing Advice from the 90s

Some advice is timeless, some is not. In this episode, we evaluate writing techniques from Anne Lamott's book...

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Shut (those voices in your head) Up & Write

August 2, 2023
Season 2
Episode 8
 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:45:06 Comments Off on Shut (those voices in your head) Up & Write

Sometimes just showing up isn’t enough. You’ve set time aside for writing and instead of your story unfurling on...

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Beyond Butt In Chair

May 31, 2023 admin Bird by Bird, Words to Write by Podcast 00:52:25 Comments Off on Beyond Butt In Chair

We’re onto the second section in Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird — The Writing Frame Of Mind — and...

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