Scratch Paper Podcast

Hello! I just wanted to let you know that I have started a new podcast with my sister Sonia called Handmade History. It's all about the history of people, materials, and practices related to crafts. If you're interested, you can check it out wherever you get your podcasts, and also on my website, aliciadelosreyes.com. Thank you so much for listening to Scratch Paper and remaining subscribed all th...

Welcome to the end of "Season 1"--what I'm calling my first 1.5 years of podcasting. This will be the last episode for a while, and I hope you'll listen in! I share my favorite episodes, books, and TV, whether or not I think my podcast was a success, and my big turning point. Cheers and happy writing! Show notes and newsletter at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast33.

*This draft is terrible**This draft is perfect!* Sound familiar? Listen in for five steps to get started revising that terrible/perfect draft. I share how I managed to revise my 120-page thesis in two weeks, plus my favorite way to tie a big project together (with highlighters! And lists!). Shownotes plus a free ebook all about revising at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast32

After a 2-month hiatus, I decided to share how I work as a writer, from idea to draft to what feels to me like "finished"--when my work goes out on submission. My process has changed significantly since I began working with my agent, but whether or not you work with an agent, you can find ways to make your writing process satisfying. I really believe in process; it's what's allowed me to keep goin...

Last episode, I talked about how to interview for nonfiction writers. Luckily, the stakes are lower for fiction writers. There are a lot of fun ways you can use books and people's expertise to help write your story. In this episode, I share how unexpected resources (like self-published ebooks) have helped me create believable characters and plots. Listen in to hear how you can find help in surpris...

This episode kicks off a mini-series about research--this week, I share my best tips for interviewing for nonfiction articles, essays, and projects, and next episode, I'll share ways to research and interview for fiction. I gathered most of these tips from my journalist friends while in grad school, where I had to conduct my very first *real* interview, and I've used them in countless situations,...

As the parent of a toddler, I have learned some ways to fit writing into my life over the past couple of years. We're in the middle of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a time when a lot of folks are tackling a big project--and with a kiddo, it can be hard. Here are my best practices for writing with a small (extremely small) child--I'm sharing them here in the hopes that they will help yo...

There are loads of residencies and retreats for writers that are too competitive, expensive, or time-consuming for many folks to get into. Listen in to hear how you can still have a word-count-busting, perspective-shifting weekend, day, or afternoon on your own writing retreat. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast27.

How do you divide your time between journaling and writing? How can you use personal reflection to help with non-personal writing? I share how journaling for the past six weeks has helped me complete a manuscript, as well as ways for you to use journaling to help you reflect and write. Whether you're working on something personal or not, journaling can be incredibly helpful in uncovering useful in...

This episode is a bit of a break from the usual format--no lesson, just a reflection on how finishing my latest draft feels good/bad/different from the last novel I wrote. I mull over what makes this celebration more complicated than the last (spoiler alert: I am not looking forward to revising!). Find show notes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Author platform...social media...ahhhh! Instead of feeling guilty for not using social media, listen to this podcast about how I tried out Instagram for a month and had FUN. Instagram is a great platform for me for a variety of reasons (not as political as Twitter, more fun and flexible, and an easier place to make connections), and I share them all in this podcast, plus concrete ways for you to g...

In this episode, I share all the ways I've used tarot to write a first draft of a novel. It's a fun way to plan, get inspiration, and make prompts for yourself. Even if you've never used a tarot deck before (or don't have one!), you can try this to break through writer's block or plan your next story or manuscript. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com

What does #girlboss have to teach us about character development? Listen in to find out! Shownotes and more at aliciadelosreyes.com.

A few weeks ago, I stalled out at page 75 of my new novel. Listen in to hear how I beat back the slump and made it to page 105(!). I share tactics that worked for beating writers' block (I hate even typing those words) now and in the past, including my favorite tip (CELEBRATE!). Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Words are super powerful, and if you are listening to this podcast, you love finding the right word to say what you mean. In Episode 20 of Scratch Paper, I share a seemingly simple but incredibly useful (to me) way of choosing words to reveal your story or novel's tone and theme. There's also a fun writing exercise that will help you practice picking the right words and get you writing in differen...

Last week, I talked about all the many things I have done to market my writing. This week, I share the purpose of my marketing and how it has changed since I started writing, along with the one rule I have been trying to follow when I want to try something new to market my work. Find show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Writers are often told that we need to learn how to market, but where do you begin? And what does that actually mean? Listen in to hear all the different things that I have done to market my ebooks and my writing, and my take on the "best" way to market (There is no best way! You have to try a lot of things). I share specifics about how I grew my Twitter following, other platforms and tactics I've...

Listen in to hear the structure and rules for a useful writing workshop, whether you are working in-person or online. I share guidelines to my favorite type of writing workshop, which I got to experience in the MFA program at University of New Hampshire. I also share how I've done email exchanges with friends I've met since: ways to share work and ideas for how to make sure everyone is happy. Subs...

I found my agent through an event on Twitter (the amazing #PitMad, or Pitch Madness), and I share the full story here. Even though this wonderful step in my writing career is 100% due to my being on social media, I still have qualms about getting too far in...how much Internet is too much, for writers? I'm not sure, but I share a few ways for coping with "Internet overload" to keep your mind clear...

In this episode, I continue talking about How to get published (the series starts with Episode 12) and share my experience pitching researched nonfiction articles to magazines big and small. Listen in for what to put in your cover letter (aka pitch letter) and how pitching nonfiction is different from submitting fiction. Show notes at aliciadelosreyes.com

Faithful listeners, the day has arrived! My revision of my manuscript Finding Lucy is done! Tune in for a fun celebratory update, plus my new favorite memoirist, an awesome essay about marketing and social media and ambition, and how to get the best ebooks in the Seattle Public Library system. Shownotes and links at aliciadelosreyes.com.

Want to publish a novel or a short story, and don't know where to begin? This episode details the process from how to find literary journals, how to pick ones that might publish your work, and how exactly to submit (including what to put in a cover letter). I share the journals I've submitted to and the feedback I've gotten. The same rules apply for personal and lyric essays, so if you are a creat...

The path to publishing can seem murky and opaque. How do writers get published? I mean--how exactly? What are the steps between writing and book deal? In this episode, I kick off a series on how to get your work published. Today, I give you an overview of the general path fiction and nonfiction writers typically take, based on my own experience and that of my friends. I also share about that stran...

There are two things in writing that teachers and readers expect, but don't necessarily ask you for: clarity and concision. These are the unspoken expectations--the "secret rules"--of writing. I share how to figure out if you need to follow them, how to check if you are following them, and how to improve your own clarity and concision no matter what you are writing. Find show notes with links at a...

A quick, somewhat somber episode recorded after some sad days of shootings by and of police. I believe that fiction can be a force for good. What do you believe? How does writing fit into your values, your ethics, your goals for life? Please share at aliciadelosreyes.com/podcast9.