ALWAYS THE OTHER: Conversations about writing from the margins with LD Farrell and Shameem Smillie

We made it! We’ve finished the drafts of our novels. In this, our last episode of our podcast, we share some excerpts from the novels we've talked so much about. Hananya starts us off by reading a scene from her book set in the days of kingdoms, rebellious princesses, and age-old family drama. Then, we shift gears to the 1980s with Shameem’s story where she reads an excerpt starring her narcis...

Always The Other: Conversations about writing from the margins, with LD Farrell & Shameem Smillie is a podcast born from our belief that many voices and perspectives (especially those straddling more than one culture) are going unexplored and unrecognized. Celebrating what makes us unique and adding a diverse perspective to the world of writing is important to us. Always the Other, is a hub fo...

On this episode we are very excited to announce that we have a special guest! Literary editor Lauren Humphries-Brooks! Lauren is a published author and freelance editor who answered the questions that many new authors have when writing their first novel: When is my manuscript in good enough shape to hire an editor? How can editors help with storytelling? What kind of feedback should I expect. What...

In this episode, Shameem shares how Leslie’s and Hananya’s suggestion for her to get started editing has paid off for her even though she broke all of her own rules. She also reveals her fear of beta readers.   Hananya shares how using text to speech helps her to identify problems in her manuscript. She also shows us some of her organization techniques that keep her book on track.  While Leslie ta...

It’s time to celebrate! In this episode we pat ourselves on the back for a nanosecond before the reality of the next phase sinks in… Hananya reveals this is the first of her novels she has fully completed and will edit. She shares how she found beta readers outside of her writing community. While Shameem is just diving in after letting her draft rest for a few weeks. She finds herself challenged t...

In this episode we check in with each other about what we are doing and should be doing to create and maintain a successful author’s platform. Shameem brings the research defining what elements make up a good platform and she shares her takeaways from a Curtis Brown webinar. Hananya discusses how being an Authortuber adds to her platform and helps her to expand her writer community. While Leslie t...

Research is an important foundation to any story. Whether you’re writing a historical, contemporary, fantasy or science fiction novel, a certain amount of background based in fact can elevate the world of your book and bring authenticity to your writing. Leslie shares how uncovering historical firsthand accounts helps her to get into the mindset of her characters. Hananya discusses how she adds ac...

How can three friends approach novel writing so differently? That’s what we wonder as we talk about the methods each of us used to write our books. Hananya discusses how her pantser ways may be changing after trying plotting. While Shameem was a confirmed plotter, by the end of the discussion she has a surprising realization. And Leslie is all over the place. What type of writer are you? Take the...

Have you ever wondered why you can read two books in the same genre, then love one and hate the other? Often it comes down to the author’s writing style. But what does that mean? We’ll read passages from some of the books that have inspired us, as well as from our own novels as we talk about word choices, pacing, time period, and other elements that make up writing style. Leslie talks about the co...

First money as a published writer, new blog, and how to drive yourself crazy finding the perfect names for your characters are just some of what we talk about in this episode.  Shameem’s story takes center stage as she fills out the world of her novel with an intriguing cast of ancillary characters. She goes deep into the matriarchal tribe she’s created to surround her protagonist. Leslie discusse...

In this episode, Hananya takes us back to a time of princesses and kings as she fills out the world of her novel with her protagonist’s allies and foes. She talks about how her ancillary characters help to push the narrative forward, while one of her sympathetic characters hits close to home. Shameem’s cats each make their individual appearances, as she questions whether or not Hananya should spar...

Antagonists and protagonists are important to every story, but what about the supporting cast? The ancillary characters in a novel can be crucial to filling out the imagined world of the story. In her book set during the early years of the Great Depression in smalltown USA, Leslie dives into her secondary cast and talks about how they help and hinder her protagonist. Shameem wonders whether or not...

Dreams do come true…if you work at them! Hananya has been writing forever and ever and now she’s getting one of her short stories published in “The Stygian Collection”. She talks about how she really stepped out of her comfort zone by creating a unique character that pushed her to write a story that is…HOLD THE PRESSES…not a romance! In fact, it’s something of a suspense thriller.  Shameem digs in...

Maybe revenge is a strong word for dealing with an antagonist, but in this episode, we discover that women who are kept away from others “for their own safety”, is the perfect setup for a raucous journey through storyland. Hananya’s antagonist lords over his kingdom and his daughter with a firm hand and the belief that he knows what is best for her and his subjects. But he is no match for his stro...

Every story must have an evil villain…er, antagonist! In this episode, Shameem’s creation comes front and center. We discuss her character’s charismatic-narcissistic origins inspired by her personal experiences, while his motivations, actions, and deeds are purely imaginary. She talks about how her novel centers around a family of strong women who are confronted by the brutal realities of complex...

Main Characters, motivations, flaws, and the choices they make are on the agenda as we probe deep into our stories. Hananya talks about how her princess’ desire to be in control of her own life inspires her to escape the confines of the castle, setting off a slew of consequences.  While we meet Shameem’s antagonist in a most chilling and visual scene, she weaves a tale of female empowerment that i...

On this episode we dive deep into the importance of understanding which genre a story falls into and why we need to be aware of this while writing our books. Leslie discusses the guide bookstores use to determine where to shelve a book and how that affected her Young Adult novel. Hananya shares the conventions of Romance and how her story fits into that genre. While Shameem considers the challenge...

In this episode, we start off on a hilarious note as we chat about how our generational differences influence the stories we tell. Then, Leslie talks about how the premise of her story changed as her protagonist’s real conflict revealed itself and how that impacted the central battle in her novel. Shameem reveals a very personal story about family and discusses how some firsthand experiences forme...

Join us as we talk about our inspirations and anecdotes behind the novels we’re writing. Hananya shares the themes that cross many of her stories and why tragic challenges often befall her heroines. Shameem reveals that her novel started as a memoire and how she found perspective through change. While Leslie’s book began as a story about one relationship, she discovered it was actually about anoth...

We are three international friends on a mission to write and publish our first novels. From the Netherlands, Hananya is a serial story writer, who has yet to publish. From the UK, Shameem is Welsh, and working on her debut novel. From the States, Leslie is a filmmaker working on her first book. We were drawn together through our love of writing and an unrelenting determination to finally get publi...