Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing EP 422 - Writing, Humor, and Teaching with Patrick MacPhee
Mark interviews Patrick MacPhee, teacher and Writers of the Future award-winning author about his love of reading, writing, and helping to inspire students.
Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes, a personal update, and a word about this episode's sponsor.
This episode's sponsor:
This episode is sponsored by an affiliate link to Manuscript Report. Use code MARK5 at checkout and save $5.00 off your own personalized report.
In the interview, Mark and Patrick talk about:
- Patrick's experience reading Fellowship of the Rings when he was rather young and how it impacted him in a profound way
- The impact on the mind and imagination when reading something really slowly
- How when you're a kid you play in a specific way when experiencing new things
- Seeing speculative fiction as having that additional special spice that enhances a regular dish
- The five-book epic fantasy series that Patrick mapped out years ago (and which he recently finished writing book one of)
- Being influenced and inspired by Neal Stephenson's writing
- Patrick's Writers of the Future Award-winning story "Thirty Minutes or it's a Paradox"
- How the inspiration for this short story came from something Patrick was intimately aware of as a teacher
- Some of the previous stories that Patrick has had published in semi-pro magazines
- How Patrick learned about Writers of the Future and some of his submission history with the contest
- Getting the call from Joni about Patrick's finalist position in the contest
- Patrick's thoughts about the experience being in Hollywood and seeing the rendition of his story illustrated by Cam Collins
- How Patrick got into teaching and an important thing that he learned in that vocation - What Patrick is going to be doing next
- Advice for other writers
- And more...
After the interview Mark reflects on a few of the things he discussed with Patrick.
Links of Interest:
- Patrick MacPhee Website
- Writers of the Future
- Manuscript Report (Mark's affiliate link)
- Buy Mark a Coffee
- Patreon for Stark Reflections
- Mark's YouTube channel
- Mark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)
- An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and Libraries
- The Relaxed Author
- Publishing Pitfalls for Authors
- An Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & Bookstores
- Wide for the Win
- Mark's Canadian Werewolf Books
- The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and Automobiles
- Yippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die Hard
- Merry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
In addition to being a writer, Patrick MacPhee considers himself very luck to spend the past twenty years helping young people become better versions of themselves in his role as a teacher. He has learned that almost every part of the curriculum has room for a little humor — sometimes a lot of humor. We talk about that as well as his writing, and what inspired him to write the Writers of the Future Award-Winning story “Thirty Minutes or It’s a Paradox.”
The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0