...and it's writing.

Ep 013: ”Dialogue Tags and Action Beats,” he exclaimed!

DC and Avery discuss whether "said is dead" or "said is invisible", the use of outlandish dialogue tags, and how action beats can break up repetitive dialogue. Featuring an excerpt from one of Avery's very oldest writing samples.

Ep012: Mini-Episode: Planning Tools

Planning a novel is hard. Today we talk about some of the tools and processes we use to get started.

Ep 011: Scary Queries

In our first Halloween episode, we talk about the horror of queries! We chat a little about the query experience, and go over some key dos and don'ts when crafting your query letter. We also revise a spooooky query about a star-crossed ghost and the real estate agent trying to sell his haunted house.

Ep 010: Pitch, Please

In this episode, DC and Avery discuss best practices for pitching your work, both online and in-person, as well as thoughts on pitch events in general. How to find your story's hook and show it off as sparkly as it can be. We also take a look at a few of Avery's pitches and break down some common pitch mistakes.

Ep 009: Short Fiction with Crystal L.Kirkham

In this episode, Avery interviews author Crystal L. Kirkham about everything short fiction, from drabbles to flash fiction to novellas.

Ep 008: Love & Hate: Passion vs Obligation

Today, D.C. and Avery discuss the love and hate aspect of writing. How do you keep the passion alive when your love for a story starts to wane? And when it comes to deadlines, how do you trudge through the parts of the process you hate in order to meet them?

Ep 007: Dos and Don‘ts of First Present

First-person Present Tense is often hated, but why? In this episode we chat about the reasons many dislike it, but also the ways it can be useful. We share excerpts from our writing that illustrate possible ways to tackle some common pitfalls of this tense/POV combo, as well.
 
CORRECTION: Toward the end of the podcast while discussing Howl's Moving Castle, Avery incorrectly refers to Sophie as the middle child instead of the eldest. Sorry, that drink was a strong one, whoops.

Ep 006: Was-ing the Was-es Part 2

It's aliiiive! In this episode, we discuss how to bring your stale, lifeless writing back from the dead by swapping out the verb "was" for more varied phrasing, and embellish this week's writing snippet with silliness.

Ep 005: Was-ing the Was-es Part 1

Let's get rid of some was-es! In this episode, the task of revising passive voice drives both D.C. and Avery to their editing limits (while sharing a good laugh).So what is Passive Voice, exactly? When is it bad, and (hot take) when is it sometimes a GOOD thing? We polish up a sample of Avery's old writing on-air to demonstrate.

Ep 004: My Kingdom for a Critique Partner

Everyone says you need betas and Critique Partners, but finding them sometimes feels like the proverbial needle in a haystack. So where can you actually track them down? Join us for a conversation about critique partners and betas -- the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Now featuring Avery's hot new single: "The Technical Issues Song" (Comcast Remix)