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Writer’s Block: Emotional and Environmental Triggers
Welcome back to our second lesson on writer’s block. I hope that you’ve all been productive. I know I have. Or at least I have tried to be. I’ve sent my manuscript to my editor and it’s with BETA readers. It’s making me so nervous but I’m trying to keep busy, which is good. I’m trying to get ahead with the podcast because it does take a lot of time and effort to get it done. I’m a one-woman production here. I write all the scripts, record, edit and mix all of the episodes on my own. I do have a friend who will help me with audio and mixing…
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Welcome to Writer’s Block
Welcome back to a new year and a new topic. 2021 is behind us and I can’t believe that we’re in 2022! Wowiiiie. I hope everyone has had some great time off. I spent some of my time off in Adelaide with my mum and basically being a mermaid and then just getting back into my retail job. Things are gearing up and are a little mental at the moment but that will pass. I know it will. But also, welcome to one year of The Writing Apothecary Podcast! We have covered so much ground and covered so many topics and we still have so many to go. I’m still…
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Revisions: Interview with Suspense Author Jess Farady
Welcome back to The Writing Apothecary and our interview for revision. Today’s guest is published author Jess Faraday and we talk about all things revision. As a traditionally published author she has a different take on revisions and an important one. In today’s chat we talk about: First drafts Time between revisions Looking as aspects How to flip the revisions on their head And some great nuggets on when to revise. I really loved this chat and it was such a fun and refreshing take on revisions. About Jess:Jess Faraday is the author of the Simon Pearce Mysteries, the Ira Adler Mysteries, and several standalone works of suspense. She lives…
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Revisions: The Small Things
Welcome back to the Writing Apothecary and the last lesson for revision. Last week was a big one and we’re following it up with the smaller things. Life has been a bit hectic so this one is a little bit late, but better to be late than never! First thing is first, reading your draft out loud, does wonders. You can find the natural pace of the dialogue and all of the words you’ve missed or misspelled. Because our eyes are trained to see what is there, even if we miss it. Without going into a lot of detail, because we are going to be covering editing – don’t worry…
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Revision – The Big Picture
Welcome back to The Writing Apothecary and to our new lesson on revision: the big picture. All of the work we have done to get here has actually been foundational. We’ve looked at what makes up a story and what is so important to a story but now we’re turning it on its head and looking at it from a revision point of view and not a writing point of view. Both are very different. This is something I can’t stress enough. Don’t beat yourself up if this doesn’t really compute the first time. It takes a bit of getting used to. But with revisions, you just need to be…
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Welcome to Revision
Welcome back to The Writing Apothecary Podcast and back to another new topic! Cutting down the monthly topic to bimonthly has helped clear space and allow for me to have the mental capacity to work with my creativity instead of against it. I’m appreciative to everyone for still supporting the podcast. Our bimonthly topic is: Revision and I’m so excited. The aim is to take the lessons that are so personal and make them digestible and easy to follow. The first thing you need, before you even start revisions, is a first draft, which means if you haven’t done that, you need to put in that work before you can…
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Genre: Interview with Urban Fantasy Writer Lindsay Elizabeth
Welcome back to another episode of the Writing Apothecary Podcast and today do I have an amazing guest for you this week. As we look at our last lesson on genre we have the most amazing guest on board. Lindsay is such an amazing writer and so sweet. Our chat left me energised and so excited to tackle what was coming up. We chat about her favourite genres and what genre tropes work the best to entice readers. We go on a Nora Roberts tangent that brings us right back to mixing genres and how successful it is once you know the rules and you’re able to break them and…
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Genre: Sci-fi, Horror and Thriller
Welcome back to the Writing Apothecary and our last lesson for Genre. Today we’re looking at sci-fi, horror and thriller. Science fiction or sci-fi as it’s commonly known is another sub-genre of speculative fiction. It typically deals with imaginative and futurist concepts such as Science technology Space exploration Time travel Parellel universes Extra terrestrial It’s also known as the literature of ideas because it often explores the consequence of scientific, social and technology innovations. Sci-fi has beginning in ancient times where it blurs the lines between myth and fact. Some of the elements of sci-fi include: Temporary settings in the further or alternate histories. Spatial setting or scenes in outer space…
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Genre: Fantasy, Romance and Mystery
Welcome back to another lesson of The Writing Apothecary. Today we’re going to look at three different sub-genres: Fantasy, Romance and Mystery. If you’re wondering why these three? Well, fantasy is my jam, I really love everything about it and it’s the genre I know the most about. You know the age-old advice of write what you know applies here, ha! First, did you know that it was a genre of speculative fiction? It features magical and supernatural elements that don’t exist in the real world. Some writers, like myself, like to use the modern world and add fantasy elements and some are inspired by myth and folklore. Fantasy is…
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Welcome to Genre
Welcome back to The Writing Apothecary and this month we’re looking at Genre. If you’re on the podcast’s newsletter list you would have read that we’re changing up the format a little. The podcast is moving to bi-weekly /fortnightly episodes to help with my sanity and give me some much needed space. It takes a lot to write, record and edit these episodes and I’m doing it all solo. I’m also taking time to focus on my novel and give you guys the best episode we can get. Genre is the French term for type, species, kind or glass of composition. It’s a term that is used to distinguish a…
