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Start Writing interview with author Max McCoy:  CAN INDIANA JONES TIME TRAVEL?    Subscribe to THE INFORMANT to get a free copy of STEALING INDIANA JONES! http://theinformant.jwashburn.com    Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Kindle: http://stealingindy.jwashburn.com  Buy Stealing Indiana Jones on Audible: http://stealingindyaudio.jwashburn.com    * * *   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/Ac1czjZ2-F4      In this episode, we ask questions of Max McCoy, author of four Indiana Jones novels, including The Philosopher’s Stone, The Dinosaur Eggs, The Hollow Earth, and The Secret of the Sphinx! He is also the author of numerous westerns, including the Ophelia Wylde fantasy/mystery series.   MAX McCOY LINKS:  Amazon: https://amzn.to/3KYfFNW  Twitter: https://twitter.com/authormaxmccoy  Website: http://www.maxmccoy.com  News Articles: https://kansasreflector.com/author/max-mccoy  Professor: https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/professor/1086091 * * *   If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com     * * *    Buy our books!   JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/

SW INT 130 Rennie Saunders talks SHUT UP & WRITE In this episode, we talk to Rennue Saunders, founder of Shut Up & Write, and organization designed to give writers camaraderie and motivation to complete their writing goals.  Watch the interview video here: https://youtu.be/RGKwlIEBmpM     * * *   LET’S BE FRIENDS: If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com  Support us on PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast  And buy our books! JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL   J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com    * * *   REFERENCES:  https://www.shutupwrite.com  https://shutupwrite.com/prompts https://shutupwrite.com/challenges/free-association-challenge   Milford Writing Workshop Rules Pale Angel by Rennie Saunders Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany  Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth by Buckminster Fuller 

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 10) EDITING TOGETHER WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/wsDodceAOqg  Episode 10 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teach about getting feedback from peers and readers. First, Raiders of the Lost Ark is an excellent example of how to cut all but the best stuff. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time shows us that the mundane can be made magical with very small tweaks. Harry Potter Illustrated has tons of typos, which means it’s okay to not have perfect copyediting. The different levels of editing are CONTENT, CHAPTER, and COPY editing. J believes content editing is by far the most important. His ideal writing group is one that trades full-length manuscripts, not chapters. You can sign up to be a J Washburn beta reader at http://betareader.jwashburn.com. Give your readers just two instructions: Let me know what you think and feel as you go, and I’ll call you when you finish. J gives his copy editors direct access to the manuscript. All early readers are given an ebook and instructions on how to share their highlights. J shares the list of questions he asks his readers. Don’t get discouraged, but do ask for really candid advice, even if it hurts. In the end, you’re the artist and get to decide what to do. Draft your covers and titles as early as you can. (Or, bump this over into the marketing phase.)  P.S. It’s stream of CONSCIOUSNESS!  P.P.S. I’m sorry I had a cough and that it’s so choppy!  * * * If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com  * * *  Buy our books! JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL   J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/ 

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 9) EDITING ALONE   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/dcrIFhpq6HY    Episode 9 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to be a damn fine editor. We talk about when you should NOT be editing. The different levels of editing are CONTENT, CHAPTER, and COPY editing, and we review examples of each of these. J edited STARCHILD one last time (and added a chapter!) before sending the book to his audiobook narrator. We take a forensic examination of book edits (The DaVinci Code adapted for Young Adults and the Anatomy of Peace 4th edition) to see what the pros change. Editing is a careful balance between being too clear and too obscure—go too far either direction and you’ll lose readers. Finally, you should make your book perfect before sending it for other to see (as we’ll talk about in the next episode).    * * *   If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com    * * *    Buy our books!   JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL    J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/  

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 8) SUBPLOTS (Joe’s favorite episode)   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/HOYNat1l03Y    Episode 8 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to do subplots. First, we review PLOT CLOCKS. Then we look at a model called SUBPLOT RAINBOWS. We follow along with how J.K. Rowling outlined the Order of the Phoenix. We see how the innovative MUSICAL PLOT STAFF works for organizing multiple viewpoints. And finally, we look at three short tips, which are (1) get a good editor, (2) start with the smallest plottable story chunk, and (3) keep the plot personal (not epic).    If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com   * * *    Buy our books!   JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL   J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/ 

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 7) PLOT CLOCK   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/zR-IPvGfAbg    Episode 7 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how J Washburn structures a story using a PLOT CLOCK! The main points of this clock are (1) HOOK, (2) PLEDGE, (3) TURN, (4) PRESTIGE, (5) FINALE. We take an in-depth look at Jurassic Park and Star Wars: A New Hope as examples of how this structure works. And we also takes quick glance as the kishotenketsu model for plotting. And finally, I reveal the behind-the-scenes story of the ECKSDOT finale!    If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com   * * *    Buy our books!   JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL   J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/ 

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 6) PLOT FROM SCRATCH   WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/_dWnYmQ83M8    Episode 6 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is the easiest way to write a plot!    We start with a letter from a listener, and we address questions like these:  - Should I write my story from the finale and work backward? - Should I just figure out the plot as I go or should I write an outline?  - How does George Martin plan his FANTASY NOVELS? - How do you fix a broken plot? - Is it faster to just skip outlining and just start writing?  - What models can I structure my plot around?  - What’s the absolute simplest way to think of plot?    If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com   * * *    Buy our books!   JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL   J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/ 

OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Ggg13QPw8qs  Ray's RUNNING OFF THE RAILS podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/running-off-the-rails/id1546572690 https://pca.st/podcast/6c329090-2adc-0139-32e0-0acc26574db2 https://runningofftherails.com/ WEAVE BREAKER D&D build: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/351499/The-Weave-Breaker--The-Ultimate-Spell-Sword-Class https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/meh5ff/the_weave_breaker_the_ultimate_spell_sword_class/ GETTING STARTED IN D&D https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVdb9Yr8fc05_VbAVfskCA    

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YaUGPWGYM0w Jeanne Cavelos is an author, editor, scientist, and writing coach. In this episode, we talk about several of her works, including THE SCIENCE OF STAR WARS, several BABYLON 5 novels, and her upcoming near-future scifi novel called FATAL SPIRAL. She is the founder of a nonprofit that brings out the best in writers called the ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP.   Apply to the Personal Odyssey Workshop here: http://www.odysseyworkshop.org Read some writing tips on the Odyssey Workshop Blog: https://odysseyworkshop.wordpress.com/ Listen to the Odyssey Workshop Podcast: https://www.odysseyworkshop.org/resources/podcasts/   [NOTE FROM J: Sorry for the audio quality in this episode. That's my mistake. But I'm absolutely delighted to have had this conversation with Jeanne. And my thanks to you for listening!]

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 5) VILLAINS WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/9aTS_YrWPhI  HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/edit?usp=sharing Episode 5 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is about how to create DEEP CHARACTERS. This means making them dynamic. Villains can be the opposite of heroes, meaning they're dislikable and bad. Or villains can simply have opposing goals, ones that conflict with what they hero wants. These villains are not bad by nature, but they provide antagonism in a competitive, zero-sum game. http://www.jwashburn.com J Washburn is the author of STARCHILD, an epic space opera about a rogue pilot in a galactic revolution.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/6I_9yB4vojs  Episode 4 of A BEGINNER’S GUIDE to Writing a Novel gives you tips on how to create real and empathetic characters: Keep your cast small. Make every character physically and emotionally unique. Make sure readers can find the right button on the microwave. Use simple tags to remind your readers of a personality. Don’t be afraid to use repetition. Use a character outline to find the deeper emotional needs. Focus on VISION, INITIATIVE, and SPIRIT. Don’t make your hero too abnormal.    NEEDS WASHED: http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2007/11/11/lawn_needs_cut/  HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/   

Episode 3 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches about building characters from the ground up. In this episode, J Washburn and Joe Bendoski tag team in a lecture that covers emotional intelligence, mimicry, and character names. We look at examples from Charles Dickens, George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin.  To see the visuals from the slide deck, check out this episode of Start Writing on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z2tx_8Ovv1g 

This episode covers how J Washburn goes through the worldbuilding process. He touches on examples from J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He explains how to make a Story Bible. Oh, and maybe most importantly, he teaches you about finding and defining your genre. Watch the episode on YouTube if you want to see the slides: https://youtu.be/LhHT98U1Pgg 

We've had a lot of listeners ask us where to start. Our backlog spans many years! So this is meant to be tips for a beginner. It was put together with J as the lead, rather than Joe. See the video version here: https://youtu.be/dB37b0tUIzs  Let us know what you think: me@jwashburn.com   

In the marketing group, we discuss the Email Super-fan Model approach and talk about how it can change how you run FB ads, how to set up the email chain, and what you are selling beyond just books. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing

We talk to Bryan Collins about writing dialogue in non-fiction, and how journaling can be used to inform and fuel it. He talks about how he and other authors build a business around their non-fiction writing, and how time and events can change things. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing

We take a very detailed look at Facebook & Amazon ads, setting them up, evaluating them, and targeting. There is a video that goes along with this on the Patreon Page.   Video: https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing  

We discuss what Swtichtracking and staying-on-your-own-track mean, and how to use them in dialogue to create tension and conflict. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing Hills Like White Elephants https://miettecast.com/2005/06/22/hills-like-white-elephants/

We talk about Writing-On-The-Nose and how to address it. We go over examples and explore how it is approached in different genres. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast Website: http://joseph-bendoski.com/start-writing

Brett Godfrey talks about how he writes dialogue. How he got one of the top narrators to take on his books, even though he had just launched it, and it's his first novel. Email: Pleasestartwriting@gmail.com jbendoski@gmail.com Patreon.com/startwritingpodcast