I'm a Writer But

Today we talk with Mallory Smart (The Only Living Girl in Chicago) about her publishing house, Maudlin House, looking for authors that make her want to write, horror movies, Dmitry Samarov, free writing, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Ben H. Winters (THE QUIET BOY) about teaching himself to write a novel by adding sea monsters to a classic, embracing the randomness that builds a career, learning about power dynamics and dialogue by watching celebrity press junkets, working on multiple projects at once, lists/tasks versus word count, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Lindsay talk with Ted Flanagan (Every Hidden Thing) about finally deciding to take writing seriously, writing literary crime (or “tweener”) fiction, the long-ish journey to publication, rejection, writing a Worcester novel, his new historical fiction project, and somehow hockey sneaks in at the end there, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Lindsay talk with Brendan Mathews (The World of Tomorrow; This is Not a Love Song) about being a late bloomer, returning to the work after long stretches of life butting in, research, working with Deborah Eisenberg, what it's like to receive a blurb from John Irving, and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alex and Lindsay talk with Hilary Leichter (Temporary) about turning a short story into a novel, transmuting the emotions the writer feels while writing into what the reader will read, the submission process, working with Emily Books, and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Alice Kaltman (DAWG TOWNE) about her new book, the fun of drafting and the torture of revision, working with a smaller press, trying something new, and so much more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Chris Stuck (GIVE MY LOVE TO THE SAVAGES) about publishing 20 years after his MFA, sticking around, letting work go, trying to figure out, and re-figure out, and re-re-re-figure out the publishing industry, his favorite recent collections, and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Frances Badalamenti (SALAD DAYS) about her new novel, autofiction, her work in creativity counseling, publishing with an indie press, and more!  Plus: ALEX IS GETTING A PELOTON Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Tyler Barton (ETERNAL NIGHT AT THE NATURE MUSEUM) about his new book, the evolution of his writing, submitting a story collection, his literary visual art, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're joined by Dana Norris (THE STORYTELLING CODE), founder of the Story Club franchise! We talk what the pandemic hath wrought upon our families and writing, living with anxiety while also loving to perform, writing a book very fast, how to start telling your own stories, and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back for season two and we've got Emily Adrian (THE SECOND SEASON) talking to us about what it was like to write a novel based on a real person; transitioning from writing YA to writing for adults; the notion of a writer's brand; and so much more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Kyle Beachy (THE MOST FUN THING) about his new memoir/collection of essays, skateboarding, intimacy and selfhood in writing, finding permission in writing nonfiction that wasn't available in fiction, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Megan Stielstra (THE WRONG WAY TO SAVE YOUR LIFE) about compartmentalization, boundaries, revisiting old work in advance of reissue, writing from grief, giving yourself permission to change as a person and as a writer, and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we are joined by Ilana Masad (ALL MY MOTHER'S LOVERS) to talk about creating authentic relationships in fiction; trusting in fast first drafts; what it's like to be a debut author; reincorporating the "weird" in new work; experimental writing; and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today lone Buthead Lindsay is joined by Lacy Crawford (NOTES ON A SILENCING) for a powerful chat about agency in nonfiction, claiming your story, the difference between writing memoir and fiction, where the hell are all the menopausal-but-with-small-children books? and so much more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Rachel Yoder (NIGHTBITCH) about her wild, incendiary, fun, important debut novel; coming back to yourself-as-artist after having a child; writing the screenplay adaptation; catharsis; and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Rachel Mans McKenny (THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT) about the hard work that goes in to effortlessness, realizing a project needs a different agent, Snickers salad (!), revising, and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we talk with Julie Fine (THE UPSTAIRS HOUSE) about her dark, insistent, important new novel, the intersection of postpartum and horror, wedging in the time to write around the harvesting of snacks, what she's working on now, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Krys Malcolm Belc (THE NATURAL MOTHER OF THE CHILD) joins us to talk his new memoir, finding his way into the work using prompts, rejecting drafts that are "false versions of themselves," shaping a life that is only part writing, CrossFit, and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know her, you love her, WE GOT SAMANTHA IRBY! The author of WOW, NO THANK YOU joins us to talk about everything BUT writing. Okay, some writing is discussed. Also: secret snacks, procrastinating, her TV work, and more! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're joined by Lisa Taddeo (ANIMAL) to talk about her sharp, wrenching, bold, feral new novel! We get into just how Lisa came up with this concept, writing unreliable narrators, allowing the wild to unfold, writing fiction vs nonfiction, and a lot more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marream Krollos (STAN) joins to talk about her intense, voicey, bold, riveting novella, waiting years to find her audience, teaching in Saudi Arabia, maintaining the connection to her dream of being published, and more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zach Dodson (BATS OF THE REPUBLIC) joins us to discuss his novel-in-progress about a moon colony (!!!), designing while writing, starting over when a project needs reworking, the marketing/business side of publishing, and more, including a delightful thirty seconds in which he drags Alex and Lindsay STRAIGHT TO HELL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're joined by Nikki Dolson (LOVE AND OTHER CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR)! Nikki tells us how she taught herself to write by reading; the mental gymnastics of being a mom/worker who wants to write; the realness of writer's block; carving out her place in the world of crime fiction; and a lot more!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leah Carroll (DOWN CITY) is here! After she reads a relentless, hilarious, wild essay, we discuss horrible bosses; the filthy part of the filthy rich; finding work and community after being laid off; being a rabble rouser; writing hybrid true crime/memoir; the chips we all have on our shoulders; and! Alex and Lindsay give her a pep talk on writing a novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit m...