The Written Scene

Whether you're running a tennis club or a practicing lawyer, all of it matters if you want to write. For author Gene Desrochers , this is especially true. In this (long) episode of The Written Scene , Gene discusses growing up in a historical building and landmark, losing your virginity in weird and creepy places, writing about where we used to live instead of where we currently live, using story...

They say to write what you know. For author Gene Desrochers , it was the loss of a childhood friend—an event he didn't know about until he was much older—that eventually became the kernel of his books. Please enjoy this teaser with Gene ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

For author and environmentalist LaDaryn Lockett , the world of writing has unlocked a joy of storytelling he didn't know existed at first. In this episode of The Written Scene , LaDaryn talks about finding the joy of Dungeons & Dragons in a college dorm basement, using ChatGPT but also making sure to give back in a more human manner, finding early influences in stories involving animals, writing t...

Saying yes to an invitation into someone's basement can come with some risk. Fortunately, for author and environmentalist LaDaryn Lockett , it worked out well. Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Poet and professor Daniela Sow has always written poetry. It was in her 20's when she discovered the power of performance poetry. In this episode of The Written Scene , Daniela discusses the value of having another person help organize poems in a book, the high and lows (and delusions) of submitting for publication, knowing her poetry collection needed the right home, how Dean Koontz got her in tr...

Sometimes all it takes is one acceptance to to generate a little hope and drive. For author and professor Daniela P. Sow , this was certainly the case. Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Everyone has their own level of what they'd call success. Musician Taylor Hollingsworth makes a living playing guitar on stage, a level of success he's both proud of and humbled by. In this episode of The Written Scene , Taylor talks about how he creates his sound on stage, the difference in possibilities between electric and acoustic guitars, choosing to perform solo after playing decades with a...

Just as it can be with writing and finding a voice, musician Taylor Hollingsworth discovered his sound by figuring out what most people were NOT doing and experimented with that.  Please enjoy this teaser with Taylor ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

If you're an author, surely you've heard the "write what you know" advice. For author and retired educator Deborah Holt Larkin , she knew quite well the story that gripped her town as a child, and also her father's career as a journalist. In this episode of The Written Scene , Deborah discusses how she's always been a reader and how that helps determine what's a good book, using her writing talent...

For author Deborah Holt Larkin , a fatal crime in her neighborhood when she was a child became a catalyst to understand crime and protect herself, as well as write a book about it later in life. Please enjoy this brief teaser with Deborah ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene .  Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

This episode is our four year anniversary of The Written Scene . Thank you to those that have been listening for a while. To those that are new here, welcome. You have a lot of great conversations about writing to catch up on. Speaking of great conversations... When it comes to making sure writers and non-writers alike feel comfortable and find joy in the arts community, author and community organ...

For author Melissa McKinstry , the spark to host her own poetry and jazz series came from an inaugural author residency where, while it still holds a dear place in her heart, the rules were still being ironed out. Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

For author and poet Julia Lemke , discovering the healing and connecting nature of poetry changed the course of her writing career. In this episode of The Written Scene , Julia talks about how a spiritual epiphany guided her and its effect on her book, loving the library as a kid and how many books she could check out, reading books as a child that are now banned, majoring in Packaging in college...

For author Julia Lemke , poetry felt inaccessible. Fortunately, all it took was finding her voice to unlock and open doors. Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Author Janell Strube may also work as a tax accountant but her extensive use of spreadsheets made writing much easier. In this episode of The Written Scene , Janell talks about the writing lessons learned from going down rabbit holes, being the kid with their nose in the book instead of playing, viewing writing as feeding and nourishing people, the power of realizing and also believing you're a wr...

Not all teachers are good. But even the bad ones can be motivating, just as it was for author and memoirist Janell Strube . Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Author Barbara Carlton led a previous life as an architect, a job she's now retired from, but a job that was very much like writing a novel. In this episode of The Written Scene , Barbara talks about the fortune of having a good publisher, how her love of music played a role in her writing, writing like you're in a mine with only a headlamp, reading kid lit just fo the joy of reading it, why takin...

For author Barbara Carlton , the inspiration for her novel, as it can be for many authors, was right there on her own street. Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

When it comes to writing, there's no shortage of joy of the process in author and professor Matt Bell , and it's obvious from the smile you can hear in his voice when he talks about it. In this momentous episode (100!) of The Written Scene , Matt discusses growing up in a family of environmentalists and its impact on his writing, the joy of maintaining consistency in a story, creating an outline a...

For author and professor Matt Bell , writing a novel can be a great starting point to understand and maybe even conquer anxieties and fears. After enjoying this brief teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene , please be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share. Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

When it comes to writing, to author Taylor Garcia it's more than just a thing we do. It's a career, albeit just a really enjoyable one. In this episode of The Written Scene , Taylor discusses the potential reasons why men are reading less fiction, growing up in a matriarchal family environment, having a healthy dose of life for storytelling purposes, a cruel suggestion from a grad school professor...

According to author Taylor Garcia , as cruel as it can be, having a higher and formal level of writing education can help not just your writing craft but also explain why the greats are the greats. If you enjoyed this teaser, please be sure to subscribe ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene . Share, rate, and review, if you're feeling extra helpful. Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

For pianist and author Jeeyoon Kim , the artist's job is to create a bridge to their art. Because of this, her piano performances are an engaging, multi-media experience. In this episode of The Written Scene , Jeeyoon talks about how her newsletter inspired her recent book, implementing storytelling into her piano concerts, giving readers a reason to take a breath after each chapter of her book, d...

For pianist and author Jeeyoon Kim , connecting with her newsletter readers formed a deeper, more real relationship with others, and puts her work in perspective. Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with Jeeyoon. Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Carl Vonderau 's path to novel writing took him through the dark streets of a banking career, which can be the perfect place to find a good villain. In this episode of The Written Scene , Carl opens up about revisiting hard scenes that are part truthful, having the willingness to fail as a poet on public stage, understanding the minds of criminals, making up ghost stories as a kid, learning fast h...