START WRITING

START WRITING Podcast: “Writing Her Story: A heartfelt conversation with Gail Carson Levine”  “DAMN FINE SPACE OPERA!” — James Wolfhampton  Get your copy of STARCHILD today! http://starchild1.jwashburn.com   * * * This episode is dedicated to my daughter.  It’s an interview with Gail Carson Levine. I am sure you are familiar with her book Ella Enchanted, which was her debut novel, and it was award...

SW 136 INT “WHAT IS LitRPG?” Interview with KEVIN SINCLAIR, author of the Creation’s Bane novels!   “DAMN FINE SPACE OPERA!” — James Wolfhampton    Get your copy of STARCHILD today! http://starchild1.jwashburn.com  * * * Today I’m excited to introduce Kevin Sinclair! He writes LitRPG, which I had heard about, but before I read his book, I’d never read the genre (unless you count Ready Player One)....

START WRITING Podcast: “How to write in someone else’s world,” an interview with William C. Dietz, author of Star Wars, Halo, StarCraft, Hitman, and Mass Effect novels!   “DAMN FINE SPACE OPERA!” — James Wolfhampton    Get your copy of STARCHILD today! http://starchild1.jwashburn.com  * * * I’m a fan of the StarCraft videogames, and I recently read a spin-off novel called HEAVEN’S DEVILS. I had so...

Subscribe to THE INFORMANT to get a free copy of STEALING INDIANA JONES! http://theinformant.jwashburn.com    Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Kindle: http://stealingindy.jwashburn.com  Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Audible: http://stealingindyaudio.jwashburn.com    * * *   WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://www.youtube.com/@JWashburnauthor    LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST P...

Subscribe to THE INFORMANT to get a free copy of STEALING INDIANA JONES! http://theinformant.jwashburn.com    Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Kindle: http://stealingindy.jwashburn.com  Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Audible: http://stealingindyaudio.jwashburn.com    * * *   WATCH THIS EPISODE ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://www.youtube.com/@JWashburnauthor    LISTEN ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST P...

AUDIBLE: http://stealingindyaudio.jwashburn.com/ KINDLE: http://stealingindy.jwashburn.com/ NEWSLETTER: http://theinformant.jwashburn.com/ EMAIL: me@jwashburn.com   SW SPECIAL  STEALING INDIANA JONES: An essay on inspiration and death and how George Lucas hijacked the greatest stories of our time. † “[Stealing Indy] will pique your intellect and break your heart.” — James Wolfhampton   In 1990, a...

Subscribe to THE INFORMANT to get a free copy of STEALING INDIANA JONES! http://theinformant.jwashburn.com  Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Kindle: http://stealingindy.jwashburn.com  Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Audible: http://stealingindyaudio.jwashburn.com  * * * WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/vY3Q0CpGEWw     * * *  Rob MacGregor wrote the novelization of Indiana Jones an...

Start Writing interview with author Max McCoy:  CAN INDIANA JONES TIME TRAVEL?    Subscribe to THE INFORMANT to get a free copy of STEALING INDIANA JONES! http://theinformant.jwashburn.com    Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Kindle: http://stealingindy.jwashburn.com  Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Audible: http://stealingindyaudio.jwashburn.com    * * *   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://...

SW INT 130 Rennie Saunders talks SHUT UP & WRITE In this episode, we talk to Rennue Saunders, founder of Shut Up & Write, and organization designed to give writers camaraderie and motivation to complete their writing goals.  Watch the interview video here: https://youtu.be/RGKwlIEBmpM     * * *   LET’S BE FRIENDS: If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com  Support us on PATREON...

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 10) EDITING TOGETHER WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/wsDodceAOqg  Episode 10 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teach about getting feedback from peers and readers. First, Raiders of the Lost Ark is an excellent example of how to cut all but the best stuff. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time shows us that the mundane can be made m...

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 9) EDITING ALONE   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/dcrIFhpq6HY    Episode 9 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to be a damn fine editor. We talk about when you should NOT be editing. The different levels of editing are CONTENT, CHAPTER, and COPY editing, and we review examples of each of these. J edited STARCHILD on...

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 8) SUBPLOTS (Joe’s favorite episode)   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/HOYNat1l03Y    Episode 8 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to do subplots. First, we review PLOT CLOCKS. Then we look at a model called SUBPLOT RAINBOWS. We follow along with how J.K. Rowling outlined the Order of the Phoenix. We see how the inn...

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 7) PLOT CLOCK   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/zR-IPvGfAbg    Episode 7 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how J Washburn structures a story using a PLOT CLOCK! The main points of this clock are (1) HOOK, (2) PLEDGE, (3) TURN, (4) PRESTIGE, (5) FINALE. We take an in-depth look at Jurassic Park and Star Wars: A New Hope...

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 6) PLOT FROM SCRATCH   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/_dWnYmQ83M8    Episode 6 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is the easiest way to write a plot!    We start with a letter from a listener, and we address questions like these:  - Should I write my story from the finale and work backward? - Should I just figure out the plot as I...

OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Ggg13QPw8qs Ray's RUNNING OFF THE RAILS podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/running-off-the-rails/id1546572690https://pca.st/podcast/6c329090-2adc-0139-32e0-0acc26574db2https://runningofftherails.com/WEAVE BREAKER D&D build: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/351499/The-Weave-Breaker--The-Ultimate-...

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YaUGPWGYM0w Jeanne Cavelos is an author, editor, scientist, and writing coach. In this episode, we talk about several of her works, including THE SCIENCE OF STAR WARS, several BABYLON 5 novels, and her upcoming near-future scifi novel called FATAL SPIRAL. She is the founder of a nonprofit that brings out the best in writers called the ODYSSEY WRITING...

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 5) VILLAINS WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/9aTS_YrWPhI  HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/edit?usp=sharing Episode 5 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is about how to create DEEP CHARACTERS. This means making them dynamic. Villains can be the opposite of heroes, meaning they...

WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/6I_9yB4vojs  Episode 4 of A BEGINNER’S GUIDE to Writing a Novel gives you tips on how to create real and empathetic characters: Keep your cast small. Make every character physically and emotionally unique. Make sure readers can find the right button on the microwave. Use simple tags to remind your readers of a personality. Don’t be afraid to u...

Episode 3 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches about building characters from the ground up. In this episode, J Washburn and Joe Bendoski tag team in a lecture that covers emotional intelligence, mimicry, and character names. We look at examples from Charles Dickens, George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin.  To see the visuals from the slide deck, check out this episode of S...

This episode covers how J Washburn goes through the worldbuilding process. He touches on examples from J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He explains how to make a Story Bible. Oh, and maybe most importantly, he teaches you about finding and defining your genre. Watch the episode on YouTube if you want to see the slides: https://youtu.be/LhHT98U1Pgg

We've had a lot of listeners ask us where to start. Our backlog spans many years! So this is meant to be tips for a beginner. It was put together with J as the lead, rather than Joe. See the video version here: https://youtu.be/dB37b0tUIzs  Let us know what you think: me@jwashburn.com

In the marketing group, we discuss the Email Super-fan Model approach and talk about how it can change how you run FB ads, how to set up the email chain, and what you are selling beyond just books. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing

We talk to Bryan Collins about writing dialogue in non-fiction, and how journaling can be used to inform and fuel it. He talks about how he and other authors build a business around their non-fiction writing, and how time and events can change things. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing

We take a very detailed look at Facebook & Amazon ads, setting them up, evaluating them, and targeting. There is a video that goes along with this on the Patreon Page.   Video: https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing

We discuss what Swtichtracking and staying-on-your-own-track mean, and how to use them in dialogue to create tension and conflict. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing Hills Like White Elephants https://miettecast.com/2005/06/22/hills-like-white-elephants/