This 100 word story (aka a “Drabble”) was written in honor of today’s episode. We started out sending out thoughts and prayers to Jen, who was absent due to an incident on the ball field.
(Way to put your heart, and face, into the game, Jen!) Honestly, though, we missed her and hope she is feeling better. We then discussed the benefits of writing short stories. Finally, we
listened to 8 pieces of short story writing advice from Kurt Vonnegut. If you’d like to take a stab at writing your own Drabble using our prompts, we’d love to read it!
–
Jamie
Episode 36: Giving Voice to Your Story
This week on the podcast we explore Point of View as it pertains to writing. The following is a tribute to the woefully underutilized second person point of view.
It is ten am on Thursday – time for your favorite podcast to go live. You sit down at your computer, a mug of your favorite beverage at hand. You click play. You hear Jamie’s unreasonable-for-ten-am level of perky chatter. You grit your teeth, and sip from your mug. The mellow, honeyed tones of Jenifer’s voice fill the room. “Ahh, better,” you sigh.
Tina chimes in with some acerbic wit and you narrowly avoid performing a spit-take. Rhonda’s infectious laughter is missing today, and you suddenly realize why the podcast has felt a bit less than “complete” – it’s not quite the same without her. Still, as the trio of hosts finish their discussion about point of view, you find yourself nodding your head as you tap your chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm,” you think, “perhaps I should try writing my current work in progress in a different point of view, to see if it helps me with the trouble I am having with the piece.”
Satisfied, as usual, with your Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast listening experience, you open up your current project and set to work.
-Jamie
Episode 34: Social Media and the Writer
Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have made it easier than ever for us to communicate with our friends and family. Many writers are harnessing the power of social media to advance their writing careers. How does one do this? What are some first steps? Also, how does one protect his or her privacy when venturing into the realm of social media?
We discuss all of this and more on today’s episode of the Christian Indie Writers’ Podcast. Tune in and join the discussion.
See you there,
Jamie
Episode 32: The Art of Research
The other day, my son asked me why Friday the thirteenth was considered an unlucky day. Finding the answer was as simple as sitting down at my computer and clickety-clacking on the keyboard.
Amazing.
I don’t know about you, but I’m old enough to remember life before the internet. I remember, upon being assigned to write a report, pedaling my bike up to the library to do the necessary research. In those days, asking the librarian to help you locate a book was tantamount to asking for a particularly long and exasperated lecture on how to use the card catalogue for yourself. There was no efficient clickety-clack of keys to provide almost instantaneous book location information, much less today’s rows of multiple terminals which allow patrons to find the information for themselves. So, those of us on a quest for information would head straight to the card catalogue, pull open its tiny drawers, and thumb through yellowing pieces of cardboard to get a hint on where in the library we might find information on pilgrims, potatoes, General Eisenhower, etc. Armed with a location code as long and as potentially confusing as modern-day GPS coordinates, it was off to the indicated shelves.
Kids today will never know the feeling of hopeful anticipation we (ahem) older folks had as we found the right row of shelves and started down it, glancing at the numbers on the book spines as we endeavored to locate the section where our book would, hopefully, be found. Then the real hunt began. All the books in the same subject matter were grouped together, and often had numbers very similar to one another. Though they were supposed to be standing on the shelves in number order, they were often plucked from their correct locations, browsed, then shoved back into a random spot on the shelf, resulting in much squinting and chin tapping as one tried to locate a particular title. Then it was possible that after all your effort, the book you wanted had already been checked out by another patron.
Today on the podcast, we talk about research in these modern times. With the advent of the internet, we have a world of information available at our fingertips. With so much false information mixed in with the good stuff, how does a writer find reliable sources of information online? Or, is it perhaps wiser to eschew online sources in favor of good old fashioned paper – reference books or county records or journals? What are some strategies or preferred methodologies to follow when doing research for writing? What are some “tools of the trade?” Come join the conversation as we answer these questions and more.
See you there,
-Jamie
Episode 27: Tropes
This week our encouragement for writers focuses on one aspect of improving your writing craft. Tune in to the podcast each week for more encouragement for writers and self-publishing tips!
Imagine you are six years old. Papa has come in to your room to tell you a good-night story. He tells you, “this is a fairytale about a knight, a dragon, and a princess.”
You snuggle under your down-alternative comforter, prop your head on your copper-cooling memory foam pillow, and settle in for a good, old-fashioned fairytale, where the dragon is beastly, the princess is imperiled, and the brave and handsome knight rides to the rescue.
But, what if, in Papa’s tale, the Princess is a World War II fighter pilot, the dragon is a personal trainer with a penchant for self-help books, and Prince runs away to Kansas to open a combination coffee shop and 10 minute oil change?
Chances are, while you may learn to appreciate this “different” sort of story, you’d feel a bit confused, or maybe just a bit disappointed. That list of things you expected to happen in our imagined story are examples of genre Tropes. Whatever genre you write in, you want to make sure you are delivering what the reader expects, which means you need to be aware of the Tropes of that genre.
On today’s episode, we discuss tropes and their importance in your story. Let us know what you’ve discovered about your genre in the comments below. And, don’t forget to join our Patreon for even more fun and informative content.
Until next time,
Jamie
Episode 24: Bullet Journals for Authors
This week our encouragement for writers is all about time management. We take on the task in a fun and creative way. Tune in to the podcast each week for more encouragement for writers and self-publishing tips!
Bujo…not just for the Boujee
I’ll be honest. When I first heard the term “Bujo,” I thought it must be something trendy and frivolous, like branding irons for your steak, or bat poop coffee. I can tell you now that I was so totally wrong. A “Bujo,” cutesy as it sounds, is actually an extremely practical, endlessly adaptable, and completely personalize-able way to manage and organize your life. What writer couldn’t use a giant helping of THAT? Am I right?!
The word “Bujo” is simply a mashup of the words “bullet” and “journal”. The idea originated as journaling via bulleted lists, instead of in the traditional longform paragraph style. Early versions were basic, black and white, ink on paper, practical tools. Now they can be simply that, or so much more, depending on the owner’s tastes and needs.
Join us this week as Rhonda and Tina cover the basics of Bujo, and then we discuss ways to make your Bujo as Boujee (or not) as you like.
–
Jamie
Episode 22: Writing Goals
This week our encouragement for writers comes in the form of a goal setting session with the podcast hosts. Tune in to the podcast each week for more encouragement for writers and self-publishing tips!
Episode 21: Author Beware
This week our encouragement for writers comes in the form of a reminder about internet safety. Tune in each week for more encouragement, support, and great self-publishing tips!
Hi, Christian indies!
When I was a child, the Publisher’s Clearing House (PCH) entry form was still sent by U.S. Mail. It was a glorious, fat envelope, with promises of potential for great fortune stamped across the front. Inside was an enormous sheet of perforated, full color lick-and-stick stamps, each representing a magazine subscription one could purchase by affixing the stamp to the appropriate place on the order form, which doubled as an entry form for the Sweepstakes. My Mother would never even open this alluring piece of mail-into the trash can it would go. Somehow, one day, I discovered this fascinating packet. Maybe I saw the mail before my Mom got to it. More likely, I saw the captivating red letters beckoning me to “enter to win” peeking out from the can when I was asked to take out the trash. Whatever the case, I was immediately intrigued and excited about this correspondence.
You see, I had watched the PCH people in commercials on tv, showing up at someone’s house with a gigantic cardboard check made out for millions of dollars. I could not believe my Mother would just throw away this chance at winning big bucks!
[Read more…] about Episode 21: Author BewareInspiration
Hi, Christian indies!
Jamie here, with a dose of weekly encouragement!
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. – Genesis 2:7
When I learned the topic for this week’s podcast was “inspiration”, I immediately thought I remembered learning once that the word had something to do with God’s breath, or God’s breathing. So, when I set to write this article, I just had to go and look it up.
From The Online Entomology Dictionary:
“c. 1300, “immediate influence of God or a god,” especially that under which the holy books were written …The sense evolution seems to be from “breathe into” to “infuse animation or influence,” thus “affect, rouse, guide or control,” especially by divine influence.”
How wonderful!
I’d like to believe that when I am seeking inspiration, I am literally asking for a breath of life from our heavenly Father, a sort of “spiritual resuscitation.” But, it feels rather presumptuous for me to then say “this story was brought to you by the Holy Spirit,” or some such thing, as that feels awkwardly close to comparing my own works to holy writ (All scripture is given by inspiration of God, – 2 Timothy 3:16a )
But, I do believe that it is appropriate to acknowledge that God created all things, even, ad perhaps, especially, the things that we look to for inspiration, as the word is commonly used. Also, the Great God and Our Creator was responsible for our formation – for our flesh and bones, and for the very gray matter inside of our skulls that churns out all these ideas. For these things, and for a great myriad of other reasons, He alone is worthy of our worship and praise.
Check out this week’s podcast to find out where, in God’s creation, we seek out inspiration for our writing.
