The Writer's Block Podcast

Drawing on Life Experience to Strengthen Your Writing

One of the ways to strengthen your writing voice is to pull from your own life experience.  Shelly, Mandra and Debby will share excerpts of their own writing where they used life experiences to enhance the honesty of their writing, develop characters that feel more real than made-up, and how being more specific reveals more of the Universal themes that connect us all.

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Go Edit Yourself!

Whether you are using a professional editor or not, you want your book to be in the best shape possible! Join the ladies as they share tips to edit and polish your manuscript.  If you are using an editor, self-editing first will save the editor time and help you get the most out of the editing process as possible.  If a professional editor isn't in your budget, then these tips are a must for a professional looking book!

• You can have your editor do it all and pay full price
• The more you do prior to turning in your pages the less it will cost you to go to print
• Print your work out on paper and read it like its someone else’s work
• To use a red pen or is there a better color?
• Read your work out loud or you can use a program that reads your work for you
• Look for words you use too often (“That” is a big culprit)
• Are you using “ly” adverbs when you should be replacing these with stronger verbs?
• Don’t try to edit everything at once. Pick one thing you are looking to improve and see it through to the end.
• Know what your direction is in your writing.
• Cut the clutter…Often less words will equal more understanding for the reader
• One metaphor vs multiple metaphor
• When you are done you are done!

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Write on the Beach Retreat

Shelly will share her experience at the writing retreat she did on Topsail island, North Carolina, by Rewired Creatives.

How close is she now?

• What is a writing retreat?
• What are the benefits of going vs just writing on your own?
• What are mentor sessions all about?
• What is the Zig Zigler method of book selling?
• Is there really magic in the Post-It note outline technique?
• What does the expense of the retreat look like and is it a good value?
• Is there a possible tax deduction in going on the retreat as an author?

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Editors - Bruisers of Egos

You finished your book.  You think you're done.  You buy big sunglasses so you can hide from your fans.  And then reality, in the name of your editor, sets in.  The book isn't done.  The first draft is done.  Now is the time to find the holes and fill them in.  Find your why and thread that through.  Today we interview Shirley Jump, who is the full package.  A best-selling author in multiple genre's, an editor, a teacher, and a ghostwriter, she knows writing from every angle.

You can reach out to Shirley at her website www.ShirleyJump.com.

Whether you are writing fiction, Non-Fiction, a memoir, or are just into creative writing this is the podcast for you. This podcast is more than just about how to write as we cover the why’s, when’s, and where’s of writing.

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well. 

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Writer's make contact with the outside world

 

Once your writing is underway, it's time to start making contact with the outside world.  Editors, cover artists, copywriters, and social media each come with their own challenges and Mandra, Deborah, and Shelly dive in to all of them in this week's episode of The Writer's Block Podcast!