A Writer's Soft Underbelly

Howdy, all! Want to say a quick thanks for all the birthday wishes. Had a great week, and your thoughtfulness made it even better. 

Also want to say welcome to the new followers. Hurricane Alex blew some of his good Web karma my way, and I always love having new faces around. 

Hope you enjoy my thoughts, I assure you I'll enjoy yours. (HINT HINT - Make sure you comment. Lots.)

Now for business. Well, as close to business as it gets around here...

A WRITER'S SOFT UNDERBELLY

Don't let the spectacles, cartoon covered sweatshirts, corduroy trousers and twitchy-eyed staring off into space fool you; writer's are a tough lot. At least we're supposed to be.

Rejection? Been there. Ridicule? Done that. Having our dreams hearts ripped out, danced upon and put back into place? Doing that tomorrow, and that's just breakfast.

We're all sarcastic and smarmy. We judge and get judged just for giggles. We're all artsy elitist who wear bulletproof underwear and trash even the most successful of our peers. 

"Blind monkeys with stumps for hands could've written that pig excrement, and somehow she made the NYTB list!"

 *maniacal laugh*




Yeah, not so much.

Don't get me wrong, some of us ARE smarmy. Some of us DO hate on our talented peers. Hell, some might actually own bulletproof undies. (Lots of powder is the key. So I'm told...)

And if you're going stay in the writing game for more than a couple of weekends a year, you're hide is going to toughen. It has to. That or you'll bleed to death from all the picking over that's required to actually get good at it.

So I suppose we are tough, in a fashion, but we're also enormously vulnerable.  

Rejection is a given. It sort of HAS to happen at some point. It's inevitable, but it still scares the hell out of us. We ridicule ourselves even if no one else does. We think what we do is utterly pointless and the worst kind of refuse--and that's often before we've written a word! 

It's just the process. It motivates. It drives. In that way, I think most writers would tell you a soft underside is just as key to doing the writing stuff as having thick skin. 

Vulnerability makes for good writing. Thick skin helps you survive until you find it.

Still, even if I know being sensitive is just part of the game, it sometimes gets the best of me.

If you're on Twitter I'm sure you've gotten at least one spam message that says something like: "Hey, have you heard what this person said about you?" or "People are saying bad things about your blog." There's always a link. It's usually from someone you don't know and are pretty sure never read anything you've written.

Now I've never clicked on one of those links, as I hear it's a pretty common virus scam. Plus, I'm not really one prone to care about what bad things people say about me, especially to the point I would electively subject myself to it. 

I like to think my momma raised me quicker than that; if you want to call me a jerk to my face, I'll listen, but don't expect me to track you down to hear it.

Still, it's a pretty insidious way to attack a writer's vulnerabilities. In this Web age, I think we're all a little sensitive to being talked about. It's the ugly flip side to the BUZZ (still hate that word) coin. 

Being talked about, having word spread about what we're doing on our blogs, Twitter, or with our writing, is important. It's how we grow beyond our coffee tables, desks, or wherever our writing habitats might be.

Most of us don't blog to be in a vacuum. We kind of hope other people will read it. Same with our writing. So when that talk/buzz turns negative, it can hurt.

Confession time: I'm paranoid about it. Not to the point I Google my name or anything, but I often wonder if people are out there saying bad things about me. 

Why am I paranoid? Over the years (?!) I've been doing this, I’ve caught a couple of other bloggers referencing my blog negatively on their blogs. I’m sure they didn’t think I’d read it, but I follow a good chunk of the people that follow my blog, and it popped up in my reader.

I use this as a personal example, but it makes me wonder if any of you have areas you're particularly vulnerable? Maybe I'm just touchy about the word-of-mouth stuff? 

I can take a bad critique pretty well. I wouldn't necessarily care if a non-writer said I was a fool. But something about the thought of having other writer-bloggers dissing me makes me squirm a little. 

In the end, I guess it's like all the other little things that eat at me as a writer: Eventually that spot will toughen and I'll be able to use it as motivation.

~EJW~ 

Beta Reading = Better Writing

So it ends.  I'm officially calling a halt to my summer blog slowdown.  The heat and drought is making me crazy so I'm mentally ending my summer in an attempt to trick the world into forgetting it's August.  Plus, I kind of miss all of you and your blogs!

I really appreciate those of you who've stuck around during my sporadic and infrequent postings the last couple of months.  Promise you'll see more of me here and on your own blogs in the coming weeks.

Some of the tiny bit of writing work I've gotten done this summer has been in the form of beta reading.  If you're a writer you're probably very familiar with the concept of beta reading.  For the uninitiated, it's basically the process of finding your first (or early) readers for a story.  The idea is to get feedback on the things that work--and the things that don't--and take it all back to the editing room.

It's also a means of creating a sort of 'idea trust' with a group of people who are interested in reading your work critically with the aim of making it the best it can possibly be.  In that way, it really isn't (or shouldn't be in my estimation) strictly an evaluation of the writing quality or mechanics so much as a broad conceptualization of where/what the story is and what the story COULD be.

That isn't to say that writing quality doesn't or shouldn't play a part in the beta process.  Sometimes bad writing gets in the way of a good story, plain and simple.  As a reader if you can't get beyond errors in punctuation, funky sentence structure, etc. you'll likely never stick around long enough to find out if the story actually works.

In the end, it's probably best to think of the beta process as if the story were a newborn foal trying to find its legs.  It can see from the other horses around it what it wants to be, which is a colt or filly running, eating, playing and doing what horses do.  Still, there is a gap between becoming the goal or vision and where the foal currently is (lying in a wet heap in the grass).  It'll need some help to get to that point--probably in the form of an encouraging nuzzle or nudge from momma and the need to stand if it wants to eat.   Just as learning to stand and walk is a fundamental part of a foal growing into a horse, getting feedback from early readers is crucial if you want the words and ideas you've slapped onto the screen to grow into a story.

Fortunately, there are lots of writers out there who've shared that essential little secret to writing success.  In fact, you'll find people asking for and extolling the virtues of beta readers all over the WWW.   What you won't find, however, are tons of people encouraging you to BE a beta reader.  Well, people that aren't looking for beta readers that is.  :-)

There are a few really good reasons why you'll find more people seeking beta readers than offering to be one, and they're things to seriously consider before you jump on board the Reading Railroad's Beta Express.

1) Beta reading is a time commitment--sometimes a big one:  Granted, you're not generally going to be making line edits and going all 8th grade English teacher as a beta reader.  However, you're going to have to read the story start to finish, and most likely twice to do it properly.  I tend to be a slow-ish reader, especially when I'm reading critically, so I usually have to factor that in.

Then there is the matter of actually giving your feedback.  Your style will largely dictate the time investment here.  Some betas write it all up in a big summary e-mail covering major points, and not really going into great detail or specifics.  That takes less time, but might not be the level of feedback desired or needed by the author.  Other betas like to comment on every paragraph and go into considerable detail, going as far as to offer re-writing suggestions and story ideas (me).  That takes much more time but can yield a more profitable experience for all of the parties involved, which I'll talk more about in a moment.

If time is an issue, you can always offer to read a few chapters at a time from a novel.  Most people are willing to take any and all help they can get.

2) Beta reading takes skill: Anyone can read a story and tell you if they like it or not.  It takes a certain level of skill and understanding of the craft to be able to articulate WHY you like it or not, especially in a way that someone else can apply.  Like any skill, it takes practice to become a good beta reader, and it isn't necessarily easy to master.

3) You risk ticking people off: Getting and giving feedback on writing is a delicate business.  Regardless of how well you gird yourself, hearing that your story isn't perfect (or maybe even good *cringe*) stings.  Chances are if you've been asked to be a beta reader you've already formed some kind of relationship with the author, probably a good one, and there is a measure of risk involved if you have to share your honest bad news.  Shoot, the news doesn't have to be THAT bad to ruffle feathers.  This factors into the skill acquisition point in #2, but even if you've mastered the art of the gentle critical analysis, you still might not be asked to help out the next time if your thoughts aren't well received.

4) It's a fine line between under and overqualified: If you beta read enough, no matter your skill as a reader or writer, you'll run into a story so awesome and well-written that you'll instantly feel you can't offer anything of substance to the author other than 'great! great! great!'  We all know that's not what the author wants to hear, because no story is perfect and they wouldn't have come to you just to get fluffy pink feedback--otherwise they'd have just had their moms read it.  Similarly, you'll read stories you'll barely be able to make it through.  The author didn't come to you be told to give up on writing, they came to you for help and growth.  Navigating the different levels of the various authors is tricky and never gets easier.

SO WHY BETA READ WHEN IT SOUNDS LIKE SO MUCH WORK AND HASSLE?

Beta reading is unquestionably demanding, but there are some big time reasons why you (the writer) should be lining up to do it outside of simply helping out a friend or cohort in need.

1) Developing a critical and understanding eye: I believe you learn how to write by reading.  Technically, every book you read for fun is going to help you become a better writer.  Even still, beta reading will allow to go to new levels of understanding.  As a beta, you try to catch all of the good and the bad.  You break a story apart instead of devouring it.  Kind of like taking a watch apart, once you see all of the pieces spread out before you you'll have a much better idea of why it works or why it doesn't.  It's a forest for the trees thing, and nothing is better at helping you develop an eye for it than being a beta.

2) Learn new tricks:  There are a lot of doggone good writers out there, and you can steal learn from every single one of them.  Some of the biggest leaps I've made in my own writing have come via critiquing others and seeing how they approach things in different ways.  From plot to characterization, I add something new to my toolbox almost every time I beta read.

3) By learning to give feedback, you also learn how apply it:  Nothing prepares you for the beta process as an author like participating as a reader.  I mentioned above that feedback stings.  As you work as a beta reader you learn to consider how feedback will be taken, and in turn how it might be applied.  At some point in the writing process you have to get feedback.  I'd suggest learning how to give it first, and THEN learning how to take it.

So what are you waiting for?  Offer to beta read for someone, and I promise you'll see positive results in your own writing.  Plus you'll get some seriously good writing karma when it comes time for you to fish for your own betas.

~EJW~
            

    

A Game of Groans - Harsh Writing Lessons From George R. R. Martin

Howdy gang!  Hope you're all doing well, and not nursing burns from the heat and/or fireworks.  Not much posting for me this week and last week due to the holiday, travel, etc.  I have been reading, though.

Specifically, I've had my nose buried in my eReader devouring George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.  The newest book in the notoriously slow-to-birth (A Game of Thrones, the first in the series, was published in 1996, and he's just now to book 5!) set arrives next week, and I want to be all caught up and ready to dive in as soon as the download warms my hard-drive.

The books first grabbed my attention when HBO announced several months ago that a television show based on the novels was forthcoming.  I'm a huge fan of HBO original series.  From Rome to True Blood, they consistently offer some of the best production values, acting and entertainment in all of TV.  Books ALWAYS being better than their visual interpretations--yes, like mountains being tall and heavy, it's a fact--I wanted to be sure to read the stories before I started watching the show.  Nothing worse than a bad show spoiling a good book, right?

These stories came with the reputation of being some of the best in fantasy writing since The Lord of the Rings, so my expectations were sky high.  They didn't disappoint.  Like Tolkien/LOTR, G.R.R. Martin grounds the fantastical elements of the story with richly crafted histories and exceptionally detailed and realistic settings.  So much so that you often forget you're reading fiction.  In many ways the books are more akin to reading political history from a textbook than reading about dragons and such.  Now, that might not sound like a formula for entertainment, but when that political history involves some of the most colorful, deadly and unseemly characters to ever grace fiction--well, let's just say there's never a dull moment.

Warring families, ruthless enemies, dragons, zombie-like creatures, love, friendship and death (LOTS of death ... but I'll get to that) are all commonplace in Ice and Fire.  At times it's like reading a soap opera with swordplay, and other times they read like the classic 'buddy movie' Stand By Me, except there are dragons and giant wolves in place of a dead bodies and town ruffians.  There's plenty to offer for just about every kind of reader, but that isn't to suggest the books are perfect.

Many have taken the author to task for his callus treatment of beloved characters, his penchant for dragging a story out, and for pulling a few punches with chapter transitions.  In fact, I'd suggest a  few rules to keep while reading the Ice and Fire books.

First, never expect to have anything TRULY resolved.  Sure, certain plot points will work themselves out, but it typically just creates ten more.  The books always end with major questions and characters dangling in the wind, and most of the chapters do as well.

Second, never--EVER--get attached to a character.  Nor should you believe conventional storytelling wisdom will prevail as it relates to endearing characters sticking around for the reader's sake.  Martin will focus on a character for three books, making you think the series hinges upon them in the process, and then kill them with the swift swipe of a broadsword as if they weren't there at all.  I can't tell you how many times I've had re-read a few paragraphs at the end of a chapter or scene to actually get my brain to register that a character actually died.  It's that shocking!  Absolutely no one is safe, which is both compelling and utterly frustrating.  Seriously, some of the stuff he pulls would be the story equivalent of killing off Han Solo at the end of the first Star Wars movie.  Martin is that bold, and that cruel, of a storyteller.

Lastly, disregard all that you know about the natural flow of storytelling.  Lots of authors have mined the open-ended chapter/scene closure with varying degrees of success.  If done properly, a cliffhanger can prompt the reader to stay up way past their bedtime to figure out what has happened.  (Stieg Larsson's Dragon Tattoo books come to mind.)  If overused, it can feel like a gimmick or lazy storytelling.  Dan Brown comes to mind as an example of the cliffhanger abuser.   It might read something like this:

James opened the door only to find a gun in his face! -end scene-  
-next chapter- "What a cute water pistol you have there, Billy," James said, opening the door further so the child could scuttle by. 

Not cool, DB.  Not cool at all.  So long as you follow through, I personally feel there's nothing wrong with leaving the reader on the hook.  In fact, it's usually a sign of darn good writing.  I find Martin's storytelling to be a mixed bag on this front.  On the one hand, when he leaves a character in great peril or facing some momentous discovery, the stakes typically stay high when you resume.  A good thing.  On the other, you  might have to read half of the book to find out what happened.  Not always a good thing, because you can sometimes forget why it was important in the first place.

Judging by his fan base and the rate at which I'm devouring his words, it's safe to say that Martin does way more right than wrong.  As such, I think he offers some excellent--if a bit extreme--examples to those of us who study the craft.

First, I'm not sure you can ever be too cruel to your characters.  If the story demands they meet an awful end, have everyone they know die in exceptionally cruel ways, or simply remain oblivious to the freight-train bearing down on them,  it's probably the right thing to do.  You'll just have to figure out how to make it work.  (That's what writers do, right?)  

Second, never be afraid to leave the reader with questions--even at the very end.  I mentioned my preference for words over film earlier, and I think the magic that makes it so is the ability to fill in the gaps a written story leaves with my own images, thoughts, etc.  Due to the compact nature of a film, almost everything has to be expressed overtly.  Books have no such limitations.  In fact, it's often best to leave certain details to a reader's imagination.  It kind of goes against a storyteller's instincts to NOT tell, but the best authors know how to do it, and do it well.

Lastly, never underestimate the reader's patience.  I know I'm personally guilty of trying to guess what a reader will and won't tromp through to get to the good stuff.  Sometimes you just have to tell a story the way a character would live it.  That might not be as expedient as killing them off when they've served their purpose, and you might also risk ticking off a reader who feels they've invested in a character only to have them yanked away.  However, you're the storyteller, and if it makes the story better it's probably worth the risk.

If it is written well and I'm confident that I'll be rewarded with an excellent story, I've learned I'll stick with just about all of the hijinks and devilry an author can unleash.  So I guess more than anything Martin has taught me to be bold with my ideas and words, because in the end the struggle really does make the story.  Even for the reader.

~EJW~
 

Cool Tool for Writers

Hey gang!  Going to keep this short and sweet today ...

I stumbled across this extremely interesting and (probably) useful little tool the other day and wanted to share it with you fine folks.

Every writer has their own personal brand of crack when it comes to overusing words and phrases.  Some love "the" others "however", and I personally find it ridiculous how many times I can use the phrase "she couldn't" in a single short story.  Anywho, I  found a little gadget to help you find your word crutch and kick its verbose little tush.

CLICK ME, I'M FRIENDLY AND COOL

Basically, you just copy/paste whatever text you want it to analyze into the little box and it spits out all of this crazy data.  It'll tell you the number of sentences you use, how many syllables were used, the most frequently used phrases (starting with 8 words and going down), and even provide a list of every single word you used and count how many times it appears.  Is there ever REALLY a need to have the word plethora in a work of fiction?  I think not ...

Apparently I have a real thing for the word "the", because in the sample I used it popped up 698 times!  (nearly 5% of the words used)  Seriously, it's like I'm stuttering with my keyboard or something.  I thought you might find some practical use for it, or maybe just use it as an excuse to not do laundry or something.

Hope you're all well!

~EJW~

Writers: You Are What You Read

“Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another.” ~ Voltaire

Oh, Tuesday.  You fickle beast.  You start like a Monday hangover--all noise, bright lights and regrets.  Then, somewhere between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, you start to feel like Wednesday.  If there's a groove in the week, it has to be from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon.  Everything else feels like climbing up or sliding down in my book, which is to say a struggle.

Speaking of books, I've been doing some stewing on the relationship between reading and writing.  We all know there's one.  At the most basic level, if you can't read, you can't write.  Pretty simple really.  But what about at a deeper level?  To what extent do our reading habits influence our writing habits?

You Are What You Read

You've probably heard the expression, "You are what you eat."  This clearly isn't true, or I might have looked something like this guy after college:

I think it might be more applicable to reading and writing, though.  My mother called the other day and asked what I was working on.  The conversation went something like this:

Me - "Well ..."

Mom - "You are still writing, aren't you?"

Me - "YES!  I'm just trying to think of how to describe it.  It's actually a series of long short stories--like novellas.  They involve a guy who becomes a monster hunter, or paranormal investigator.  Each story is about a different investigation."

Mom - "Is it horror?  Like Stephen King?  You know my favorite movie of his was Silver Bullet."

NOTE: My mother is a HUGE horror film fan and loves movies based off of Stephen King stories.  She also knows that I've read his books since I was a kid.

Me - "Well, he didn't actually make the movie himself, but they based it off of his novella, Cycle of the Werewolf--"

Mom - "You know why I like that movie so much?  Because it seemed so real!  You almost forget that it's about something crazy like a werewolf.  I was just worried about the little boy in the wheelchair and scared of the creepy priest."

Me - "That's because King is a master character author.  You worry so much about the characters and their relationships with one another that you almost forget that you're reading a horror story.  Until some possessed dog eats someone, that is."

Mom - "So your stories are like that?"

Me - "I guess they are a little bit like that.  They've got some fun paranormal and scary stuff going on, but they're mostly about this guy trying to find his place in the world.  Those are the kinds of stories I've always enjoyed reading."

The thing is, I've always believed you should write what you like to read.  If you're passionate about YA, horror or historical romance as a reader, that passion will surely seep into your writing.  However, I'm not sure I ever really made the connection beyond the very broad strokes of genre or categories.  It goes so much deeper than that.

In hindsight, I can easily see the little bits of my favorite authors in my writing.  King's flawed and conflicted main characters.  JK's strong female roles and iron-tight friendships.  Shakespeare's exploration of human emotion.  On and on it goes ...

"Easy reading is damn hard writing." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not claiming to have successfully cloned the techniques of the legends I'm referring to in my own writing.  When I do that I'll give you a ride on my private jet and let you take the yacht for a spin.  :-)  It's just that I can see how I've tried to emulate them, and done so almost subconsciously.

So I ask: Have you noticed your favorite reads sneaking into your work?  Do you purposefully try to emulate a style or author?  Do you write stories similar to those you read the most?

~EJW~

 

The Thoughtful Pause & Keeping Pace

"It's the deep breath before the plunge." ~ Gandalf 

Pause. Interruption. Lull. Recess. Breather. Respite.  All of these words can basically be defined as temporarily stopping an activity or thought.  There are lots of reasons to do so.

Runners and fitness types know that proper (see - efficient) breathing is key to optimizing performance.  The idea isn't to take in as much oxygen as possible (you'd pass out), but to take in exactly what your muscles and brain need.  Harder to do than say when your exerting yourself, I know.  However, knowing how to space your breaths--or when to pause--is important.

Pausing is an often overlooked aspect of general conversation.  We've all known at least one person who never seems to pause in conversation.  They jump from topic to topic with little prompt or indication.  It can make communicating clunky and confusing, especially if you don't know the very person well.  (If you're besties, you probably already know what they're thinking anyway. :0)  Most of us learn without ever being told that it's good to stop talking from time to time when we are in conversation.  We do it for lots of reasons, like to look for those all important non-verbal indicators that our words are having the intended effect, or to gauge the comprehension of the person we're talking to.

Musicians have long understood and mastered the art of lull or refrain--particularly jazz and classical musicians/composers.  The best way to add drama in music is to adjust the volume or omit noise all together.  This is partially because we've been conditioned to associate sound volume and frequency with emotion or feeling.  (Think Pavlov's dogs, but cooler.)  To our heartstrings, slow usually means sad, loud means angry, fast means exuberant, etc.  Artists do similar things with color and texture.

I bring all this up because a timely respite is also very important in writing.  I don't mean literally stopping, although that can sometimes be important too.  I mean knowing when to use fewer words, shorter sentences, or to leave something completely unstated.  It's a technique that can be used to manipulate pacing and tension in your story.

You want the reader to slow down?  Add more detail and explanation (i.e. words).  You want the reader to be breathless after reading an action scene?  Shorten your sentences/paragraphs and use strong verbs.  Dialogue, or the lack thereof, can also be used manipulate the flow of a story.

Like the breathing and exercise example, it's a simple technique, but it can be hard to master.  I guess I've been thinking a lot about it lately as I've been working on edits for a new project.  Learning to push/pull the reader through a story is definitely a challenge.  I find I'm a little better at doing it with dialogue, but I REALLY would love to do a better job using other methods as well.

I set about trying to find some useful info on the subject of pacing, because... well, because I wanted to waste time thinking about writing instead of ACTUALLY writing.  (It's a weakness.)  Luckily, my search turned up some useful goodies.

THIS ARTICLE has some interesting things to say on the subject, particularly as it pertains to word choice.

THIS ARTICLE draws an excellent comparison between pacing and sports on television.

THIS ARTICLE has an awesome visual method for breaking down the pace of a story.  The author lists the following factors as things to look for regarding pacing: "Word length, Sentence length, Length of paragraphs, Dialogue and internal monologue length, & White space"  Highly recommend you give it a look!  

Finally, I thought THIS ARTICLE offered a pretty good general explanation of pace should you still find yourself a little confounded by the idea.

I leave you with questions:

What are your tricks for manipulating the pace of your stories?


Do you consider pace when you draft, or only when you edit?

~EJW~

Do You Hear What I Hear?

No, I haven't been frozen in carbonite and suddenly reanimated thinking it's still December.  Nor have I been in a coma; although with the amount of NyQuil I've ingested the last few days that might not be too far from the truth.

I've spent the last few days in the company of two of my favorite women ... I should clarify.  (My wife reads this blog!)  My brother and sister-in-law were in need of a child sitter so I made the modest trip to Fort Worth to preside court over two lovely red haired angels of destruction and fun.  AKA - My nieces.  I spent the rest of my time--like the rest of the planet, it seems--battling the flu.

I'm not 100%, but I'm back and it seems I've missed the busiest week in this meager blog's existence!   It seems my last post (regarding book reviews on blogs) was well received.  So much so that we made the venerable YA Highway's weekly Field Trip Friday Big News Feature!  (You can read it here.)  For those of you who aren't familiar with YAH, it's a fantastic (and very popular) collaborative blog for all things YA lit related.  I've followed and admired the blog for a while now, so it's really cool to get a little love from the fine folks that run it.

You may have noticed that I said "we".  I did so because it's truly the comments that make any blog post worth doing/reading.  If it weren't for all of the thoughtful discussion that post would have been just another example of a crazy guy shouting at a  cyber-wall.  So for that I'll say that I truly appreciate everyone who took the time to share their thoughts (even to those who disagreed), and that I'll try to make it around to each of your blogs in the next couple of days to pay the ultimate blog respect by commenting on and reading your blogs.

But enough of that!  We can't stand around basking in our success.  We're writers (I think), we should SIT and bask in our success.  :)

The real purpose of this post is to share a couple of writing resources with you.  I don't typically listen to podcasts, but I'm usually on the smelly end of most trends so that doesn't mean much.  However, when a friend of mine recommended that I give a couple of writing-related podcasts a go I decided 'why the heck not.'  (The fact that I had 8 hours of car travel ahead of me this week may have had something to do with it.)  In short, they were awesome and I won't miss an episode from now on.

For the uninitiated, a podcast is simply a live and/or recorded broadcast that is distributed digitally over the internet.  You can find them all over the web and they cover absolutely every subject imaginable.  Most podcasts live on various websites that you can visit and stream the audio over your computer.  You can also 'subscribe' to many podcasts via iTunes, which will automatically download a recorded cast to your computer when a new one is available.  Once downloaded, you can place it on your digital audio player of choice to listen to during a workout, car ride, etc. or simply listen to it right there on your computer.

The podcasts I'm recommending to you are both writing related and absolutely worth your time.  I'll give a brief description of each along with links to where you can find them on the web.   Here goes:

Litopia After Dark - This podcast is put on by the folks who run the popular Litopia Writer's Colony website.  It is a fun and ultra-informative weekly examination of the publishing industry by various publishing pros with agents, writers, editors, etc. participating each week.  They even have a live forum running during the broadcast so you can chime in with questions and such.

It has a very English flavor that makes it a blast to listen to.  Most importantly, you'll get a very uncensored look at the industry.  The episodes tend to run over an hour, so you'll need some time to get them all in, but they're more than worth it.  Here's the link for more information.

Writing Excuses - The second cast I'm recommending is very different than the first in that it focuses on the craft of writing.  Its run by a group of authors, and each episode includes writing prompts, samples, and discussion.  This one is meant to be bite-sized as their tagline suggests: "Fifteen minutes long, because you're in a hurry, and we're not that smart."  While some episodes stretch slightly longer, this tends to be a very focused discussion on various writing skills.   


Listen to 3 episodes, and I'd almost guarantee your writing will be stronger for it.  Here's the link for more information. 


That's all I've got for now.  Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!


~EJW~