With the recent push for diversity in literature and entertainment, which we celebrate, what about dignifying people with mental illness in our stories? People with mental illnesses have been stigmatized, portrayed as “crazy” or dangerous or criminals often times. This has been changing but how can it improve even more? We talk with Tina Yeager, Christian author and experienced counselor, on the topic for us as writers.
Listen here:
In this episode:
How did Tina get involved in counseling?
What is Tina’s background in writing?
What are some ways that we can dignify people with mental illness in our stories?
How has this been changing? How can it improve?
What are some examples of stories that do it well?
Why is it important for us to have heroes with mental illness?
How can we research and learn about the reality of living with mental illness?
Writers love interesting and unique ideas. But how do you take a great idea and make it a great story? How can we ruin great ideas? Listen to the discussion and then check out the first episode of our new amazing Sci Fi story, Singularity. Chapter 1: Disconnected. Written by Steven Faletti. Then listen and vote to choose the next part of the story!
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In this episode:
How important is a great idea?
How can we take a great idea and make it a great story?
What makes a great story? Idea or execution?
What are some examples of great ideas and great stories?
What are some examples of great ideas and bad stories?
Fight scenes! We love them when they’re good. They bore, confuse, or annoy us when they’re not. What makes a great fight scene? Listen to this great conversation with Carla Cook Hoch, author of Fight Write, and the things we need to think about during a fight scene to make them authentic and engage the reader.
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In this episode:
How did Carla get involved with martial arts and self defense?
What is her background in writing?
What are some common ways writers get fight scenes wrong?
What are some examples of when a book or movie got fight scenes right?
What are some ways that writers can improve their fight scenes?
What makes fight scenes seem authentic?
What are some of the chapters in the book that deal with emotions and the mind?
Why are writing conferences so important to authors? Steven and Britt just got back from the Serious Writer one day bootcamp in Nashville, Tennessee at a publishing house, and we talk about the conference and the unique and convenient aspects of these one day conferences. Then author MB Mooney reads the last flash fiction of the season, The Truth of the Hunter, revisiting Dr. Wincek and Dr. Wolfe.
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In this episode:
Why are writing conferences important?
What kind of writing conferences are there?
What makes the Serious Writer conferences unique?
Why are both craft and platform important?
What were some of our favorite parts of the conference?
Creativity is inconvenient. When we get in the middle of a project and here comes a great new idea. What do we do with it? Make it a part of the current project or start a new one? Brew & Ink discuss where to stick our new ideas. Then Steven Faletti shares The Thief and the Gateway, a new flash fiction from Midnight Showing victim’s point of view. After that fun story, vote on the title for MB Mooney‘s flash fiction in two weeks.
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In this episode:
Creative people get new ideas. Why is that inconvenient?
