DIY MFA Radio

Hey there Word Nerd! Today I’m thrilled to interview Megan Dowd Lambert, author of Reading Picture Books with Children and children’s literature expert. Megan is a senior lecturer at Simmons College, where she earned her master’s degree in children’s literature after completing a B.A. at Smith College. She writes for Horn Book Magazine, served on the 2011 Caldecott committee, and worked at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for many years, where she led Whole Book Approach story-times and trained others in her methods. She is the author of Reading Picture Books with Children (Charlesbridge) which is all about her Whole Book Approach and a new picture book titled Real Sisters Pretend (Tilbury House). The mother of six children, Megan lives with her family in Amherst, Massachusetts. In this episode Megan and I discuss: The Whole Book Approach Integrating design elements into the publishing process Teaching interaction between reader, text, and author Being intentional to convey diversity on the page of your book Plus, Megan’s #1 tip for writers. Resources: To learn more about Megan Dowd Lambert and her Whole Book Approach, visit her website or follow her on Twitter or Facebook. If you have children in your life and would like to learn more about reading picture books and how to use the Whole Book Approach, check out Megan's book: Reading Picture Books with Children (This is an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting DIY MFA!) For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/095

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so excited because to share today's interview with you. I had the awesome chance to speak with Charlaine Harris, NYT bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series (TRUE BLOOD), the Aurora Teagarden, Harper Connelly, and Lily Bard mystery series; and the Midnight, Texas novels. Seriously, I thought my inner fangirl was about to explode. This month, Charlaine's latest Midnight, Texas novel, NIGHT SHIFT, comes out. This series is set in the same world as her Sookie Stackhouse novels—which were the basis of HBO’s phenomenally successful hit drama series True Blood, and the Midnight, Texas books feature everything readers love about Harris’s writing: humor, mystery, fabulous characters, and a quirky small town setting where paranormal creatures and humans exist side-by-side. In this episode Charlaine and I discuss: Revisiting characters in a series Writing your own world with your own rules and then sticking to them Balancing different parameters between genres to help create the best story possible Writing strong women in fiction Nancy Drew and the role of mothers in fiction   Plus, Charlaine’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/094

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you’re here! Today's interview will be a juicy one. I’ll be talking to Stephen O’Connor about his debut novel Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings, a profound exploration of the ways in which the institution of slavery warped the human soul, as seen through the story of Jefferson and Hemings. In this episode, we discuss how to approach controversial topics in your writing while treating the subjects with grace and respect. In this episode Stephen and I discuss: Mindful writing about controversial topics and marginalized groups Idea evolution from short story to novel Writing outside your experience Accessing the unconscious mind as part of the writing process Issues of point of view Plus, Stephen’s #1 tip for writers.   Resources: About Stephen O'Connor Stephen is the author of two collections of short fiction, Here Comes Another Lesson and Rescue, as well as Orphan Trains, an acclaimed history of a pioneering nineteenth-century child welfare effort, and Will My Name Be Shouted Out, a memoir. His fiction has appeared in many publications, including The New Yorker and The Best American Short Stories. He lives in New York City and teaches at Sarah Lawrence. About the Book Historians have shed invaluable light on the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, yet their internal feelings and motivations remain a mystery. In Thomas Jefferson Dreams of Sally Hemings, O’Connor’s protagonists are rendered via scrupulously researched scenes of their lives in Paris and at Monticello that alternate with a harrowing memoir written by Hemings after Jefferson’s death, dreamlike sequences in which Jefferson watches a movie about his life, and a chance encounter where Hemings and Jefferson run into each other "after an unimaginable length of time" on the New York City subway. O’Connor eschews easy answers, aiming to illuminate the horrors of slavery and the hypocrisy of the Founding Father who wrote “all men are created equal,” while allowing both Hemings and Jefferson their full human complexity. Jefferson—at once admirable and despicable—becomes a vehicle for understanding a destructive imbalance of power that persists today. Hemings emerges as a powerful force, asserting her right to freedom of body and mind. To learn more about Stephen O’Connor, visit his website or follow him on Facebook. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/093

Hey there word nerds! Thanks for joining me. Today I’m talking with New York Times bestselling author, C.J. Box, author of sixteen Joe Pickett novels, five standalones, and the short story collection, Shots Fired. He’s also won numerous awards including and won the Edgar Award for Best novel for his first standalone, Blue Heaven. Off the Grid is his sixteenth Joe Pickett novel and it’s told with pulse-pounding urgency and insight. It’s a timely look at how terror is found—and fought—in the wild expanses of Wyoming, one of the most untouched parts of the United States. This is a part of the United States that Box knows well. A Wyoming native, has has worked on a ranch and as a small-town newspaper reporter and editor. He lives outside Cheyenne, WY with his family.   In this episode C.J. and I discuss: The importance of setting in a novel How to research setting for your novel and capture the details. Using journalistic techniques to get the information you need for your story. Infusing technology into natural and low tech settings. Plus, C.J.’s #1 tip for writers.   About OFF THE GRID This latest installment begins not long after the terrifying events of Endangered, which left Pickett and his best friend, Nate Romanowski, separated and out of touch…not to mention very lucky to be alive. Nate, in fact, is living off the grid entirely, relying on survival skills he’s garnered as a rugged outdoorsman, master falconer and ex-special operator, and leaving no visible trace behind after any of his movements. That is, until an ultra-secretive government agency discovers him and corrals him (blackmails might be a better word) into finding a rogue journalist named Muhammed Ibraaheem. Ibraaheem, it seems, has gone off the grid too…but in a way that the government suspects could lead to bloodshed and mayhem. Meanwhile, Pickett’s daughter Sheridan, a college student, receives a mysterious invitation from her roommate—a nighttime gathering in the wilderness with a group of strangers who may or may not be political activists. Curious—and perhaps against her better judgment, and everything she has learned as Joe Pickett’s daughter—Sheridan agrees to go. It’s a decision that will place her directly in the middle of danger, as well as in the camp of Ibraaheem and his associates, all of whom are willing to kill for their beliefs. Yet a persistent question remains: Just what are those beliefs? Are they rooted, as Ibraaheem claims, in American individualism and freedom? Or is he truly manifesting a plot more sinister and terrifying than can be imagined? And what of Joe Pickett himself? Conducting a series of unrelated investigations, Pickett soon finds himself in Wyoming’s beautiful but unforgiving Red Desert. Unfortunately for him, he’s also about to stumble across Ibraaheem’s plans, and it will leave him stranded, miles from any civilization, without water. Even if he makes it out alive, he may be too late to save his daughter and his friend. To learn more about C.J. Box, visit his website or follow him on Twitter and Facebook. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/092

  Hey there Word Nerd! Today I have the great pleasure of hosting Julie Duffy on the show. Julie is the founder of the StoryADay May creative writing challenge, which is basically like the short story version of NaNoWriMo. This challenge happens in May, which is only a few short weeks away, and it’s an incredible experience. More personally, though, Julie and I both started our respective projects (her StoryADay, my DIY MFA) the same year and only a few months apart. You could say we’re part of the same creative cohort and we’ve “come up through the ranks” together. Julie is one of my most trusted colleagues, probably the person I most frequently turn to for advice and insights outside the DIY MFA team, and I’m also lucky to count her as one of my good friends. Today it is an honor and pleasure to introduce my word nerds to someone who I’ve known is AWESOME for quite some time. Embed Episode Here In this episode Julie and I discuss: Whether writing one story a day for a month is easier or harder than writing a novel in a month. How to keep the creative well from running dry. Setting limits and how they can help you be more creative. Barriers to overcome in order to be more creative. Plus, Julie’s #1 tip for writers. Resources: About Julie Duffy Julie Duffy is the founder of StoryADay.org and a experienced public speaker on topics such as creativity, productivity for writers, self-publishing – with an emphasis on ebooks and print on-demand, and short stories. Her first ebook, 21st Century Publishing, was published in 2001 and grew out of her popular newsletter and website of the same name. She has been sharing tools and insights with authors ever since, in publications such as Writer’s Digest and Writers’ Journal. Julie has hosted StoryADay May since 2010 and StoryADay September since 2012. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Julie was Director of Author Services at Xlibris, the first company to offer print on-demand services directly to authors. In this role she frequently spoke at writers’ conferences about the new age of publishing that was dawning and is now shaking apart the publishing world. She personally worked with a couple of thousand authors from first-time writers to best-selling authors such as Piers Anthony and Daniel Pinkwater. She knows writers. She knows about the new world of publishing. She is happy to introduce them to each other. If you want to learn more about Julie and StoryADay, visit her website or follow her on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. Links from the Episode Interested in signing up for StoryADay? Go here to sign up! You can also sign up for email updates to get reminders about upcoming challenges and other StoryADay info. And don’t forget to order your copy of A Month of Writing Prompts 2016 (affiliate link). Need inspiration to jumpstart your story writing? Check out Writer Igniter. We mentioned That Guy in Your MFA during the show. Don’t forget! Sign up for the Storytelling Superpower Summit. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/091

  Today, I have the pleasure of speaking with Anna Harwell Celenza, a music professor of Georgetown University where she teaches courses in music history, radio journalism and the music industry. She has written several scholarly books, is a writer/commentator for National Public Radio’s Performance Today, and her work has been featured on nationally syndicated radio and TV programs like BBC’s “Music Matters and C-Span’s “Book TV.” But the section of Anna’s work that I’m most familiar with are her wonderful picture books: Once Upon a Masterpiece, where she tells the story behind a famous musical masterpiece, explains the meaning of the music. In this episode Anna and I discuss: Looking for the gap on the shelf, for what is not there. The process of research and creating historical fiction that jumps off the page. How shifting point of view can enhance the story you are trying to tell. The impact of technology on music and publishing. The self-powered, targeted platform   Plus, Anna’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/090

Hello, hello word nerds! I’m so excited to share today’s DIY MFA Radio episode with you! I’m speaking with Anders Ericsson and his co-author Robert Pool about their new book Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (affiliate link). Anders Ericsson is a Conradi Eminent Scholar and Professor of Psychology at Florida State University, where he studies how people become experts in various fields like music, chess, nursing, law enforcement and sports. More important, he looks at how expert performers achieve excellence by acquiring specific, complex cognitive mechanisms–ways of training their brain–through extended, deliberate practice. Today we’re going to talk about how writers can use similar techniques to improve their craft and take our writing from average to awesome. Robert Pool is a nonfiction writer specializing in science and technology and has worked as staff for both Science and Nature. He is the author of three previous books before co-authoring this one with Anders Ericsson. In this episode Anders, Robert, and I discuss: The biggest myths about talent. How to beef up your brain. The ceiling of achievement. The components of deliberate practice. Plus, Anders’ and Robert’s  #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/089

  Hey there Word Nerds! This is our last solo show before the Storytelling Superpower Summit in June. We just rolled out the Storytelling Superpower Quiz and we’ll be having a series of podcasts in June that dig deeper into the storytelling superpower archetypes. We’re focusing on figuring out what type of character really drives you so that you can dive in and get the most out of the story you decide to tell, both for your readers and for you as a writer. Today I want to talk with you about how to learn a creative skill. And this ties in nicely with the Great MFA Debate that is going on now, and that goes on every year. Usually in the spring, because that’s when people are deciding whether to enroll into programs they’ve been accepted into, a debate crops up on the internet about the pros and cons of getting a traditional MFA. Recently an article appeared in the Atlantic where a couple of researchers used computer analysis of texts to come to the conclusion that there was no distinct difference between the writing of those with formal MFA training and those without. I wanted to weigh in on this debate for two reasons. One, because it kinda goes with my territory as the instigator of DIYMFA and two because I feel like people in this debate often miss the mark and end up arguing about things that don’t actually help you evaluate whether or not getting an MFA is actually right FOR YOU. So let’s take a look at the benefits and the costs of getting a traditional MFA.   The Benefits It gives you time to write.Truthfully, committing to an MFA means you really don’t have any more excuses not to put in the time and create the content you are required to for the course. It is one path toward publication.An MFA can help you make connections in the publishing and writing world that you might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue. It helps you become a better writer.An MFA makes you practice, and practicing your craft will help you improve in the long run. These are all good points, I’ve taken advantage of a traditional MFA myself, and each of these things rings true for me. But what happens when you become too dependent of assignments and external motivators? You might find that you’re unable to write without those external motivations. The Costs Financially, an MFA program can be prohibitive.There are many literal costs to consider, and while a lot of programs have funding for participants, most do not have total funding or funding for all their participants equally. Opportunity costsThese include having to give up a day job, moving to be closer to your program, and travelling (even for low residency programs). The Genre ProblemIf you write “genre fiction” (i.e. sci-fi, fantasy, YA, or anything other than what is considered “literary” fiction) finding an MFA program that specializes in your area is EXTREMELY difficult. You may have to put aside the writing that you really love in order to obtain this education, and that can set you back as far as time spent on the work of your heart, and can also make you feel like an outsider in your own program. What if you don’t get in anywhere? Is DIYMFA the “anti-MFA”? I get asked this a lot, especially around this debate. And the answer is emphatically no. As I said before, I have an MFA and I don’t regret the decision to get one. MFA serves a particular group of writers very well. What DIYMFA exists for is those who don’t fit into a traditional MFA. Whether it’s because you can’t afford to take time off from your job or your life, or because you can’t get accepted into the program you want to join, DIYMFA exists for you. So what does it mean to be a DIYMFA Word Nerd? If you’re part of this community, It means that you’re committed not just to becoming a better writer, but to becoming a better learner. Applying the DIYMFA concepts to your writing is awesome, but applying them to your LIFE? That’s solid gold. “In a time of drastic change, the learners inherit the future.” Eric Hoffer The publishing world is RIGHT NOW in a time of drastic change. We are in the thick of it. Every creative niche is. This age of sharing ideas and the internet has turned all creative industries on their head. Learning how to learn better means we can adapt, we can roll with the punches and embrace new ideas more quickly. So how dothe principles of DIYMFA help you learn? Write with focus. This isn't’ just about putting words on the page. This is about creative output. This principle encourages you to create a body of work. Try different skills, master them. Take a project from beginning to end whether it’s a short story or a photo series. Read with purpose. Be strategic about the information you consume. Balance your reading list to focus on what you’re interested in and also what, in your field, has stood the test of time. Dig in and think about why the pieces of each work were created the way they were. Build your community Connect with others in your niche and exchange ideas. When people exchange ideas, it’s multiplicative, not additive. When two people each have an idea and they exchange those ideas, then each person will come up with a totally different combination of those ideas. From two ideas you get four. Now imagine how many ideas you’d get from ten people sharing. A few caveats about community: WorkshopsI find that workshops, while they are useful in an educational environment, can also be reactive. Instead of giving a writer the chance to get things right before they receive critique, they expect you to get it wrong first. Feedback can be a useful tool, but not before you’re ready. Build your skills first, practice, and create something stronger than you otherwise would. Then when you get critique you’ll be ready for it. Creative distractionFinding creative friends can be a blessing. Finally people who understand you! But it can also be a curse. You can spend so much time talking about the process that you forget to actually do the creative work in the first place. Don’t forget, you can’t exchange creative ideas if you haven’t spent time developing them first. Develop your learning superpower The MFA debate a perennial conversation. But I think we should all put aside our differences of opinion and just write! If an MFA is right for you, if it helps you to be the best writer you can be, then awesome! Go do it! If you can’t or don’t want to get into an MFA program, there are worthy alternatives. You can do the same things yourself and do them just as well. Above all, let’s focus on learning. That’s what will make us adaptable as writers, as creators, as human beings. Resources: Article in the Atlantic Storytelling Superpower Summit DIYMFA book! Storytelling Superpower quiz For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/088

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you can join me for today’s interview with Jen Calonita. Jen is a YA and Middle Grade author, and in this episode, she and I talk about writing what you know (and what you don’t know) and also how to make the shift from one writing niche to another. We dig into the various twists and turns of her writing career and discuss Charmed, the next installment of her Fairy Tale Reform School series and also her new contemporary middle grade series called VIP. The first book I’m With the Band, is out now. Embed Episode Here In this episode Jen and I discuss: Switching from magazines to fiction. Getting connected with other authors. Writing series for middle grade versus YA. Keeping the story fresh.   Plus, Jen Calonita’s  #1 tip for writers. About Jen Calonita It's no secret how Jen knows the inside scoop on Hollywood. As a former entertainment editor at a teen magazine, she started her career chronicling backstage life at Justin Timberlake concerts and interviewing Zac Efron on film sets. This work inspired her first series, Secrets of My Hollywood Life which has been published in 9 countries. Jen tackles worlds she finds familiar, from summer camp stories like Sleepaway Girls and Summer State of Mind (she was a camp counselor as a teen), to reality TV (which she also covered in magazines) in Reality Check. But it wasn't until she wrote Belles (about two polar opposite girls who share one life-altering secret) that she entered a world different from her own. It was so much fun creating a new world that Jen jumped into the fairytale world and wrote middle grade novel, Flunked. To find out more aboutJen Calonita follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, GoodReads, Pinterest, and Facebook, or visit her website: jencalonitaonline.com.     For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/087

  Welcome, welcome Word Nerds! Today I’m delighted to host Lisa Gardner on the the show. Lisa is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of seventeen previous novels, including her most recent, Crash & Burn. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Fear Nothing, Catch Me, Love You More, and The Neighbor, which won the International Thriller of the Year Award. She lives with her family in New England. More personally though, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Lisa Gardner speak about creative consistency at Thrillerfest/Craftfest 2012. Her talk made a very deep impression on me back when I was just beginning to find my footing with DIY MFA. In preparing for this interview, I went back and reviewed my notes from her talk, and I realized that I internalized many of the techniques she talked about, and that in a roundabout way many have inspired and shaped elements of DIY MFA. Today I am thrilled to have Lisa Gardner on the show to discuss her newest book, Find Her, and also hear her talk about the writing process as a whole. In this episode Lisa Gardner and I discuss: Understanding your writer’s process. Committing to the time it takes to write. Incentivizing your writing process. Research to make your writing come alive. Wearing your writing and your marketing hats. Plus, Lisa’s #1 tip for writers. Lisa Gardner and her writing: Every once in a while an author writes something that is clearly set apart from anything they’ve written before. Find Her is that book for Lisa Gardner. A household name for any fan of mysteries and psychological thrillers, Gardner’s books land on the New York Times bestseller list year in and year out. Find Her stemmed from an article Gardner read about the FBI’s Office of Victim Assistance, a little-known arm of the FBI that assigns specific agents to families going through trauma. Gardner was able to set up two interviews with victim specialists whose jobs are to be at the scene of the crime, yes, but more importantly they are there when the lights and reporters are long gone and the victim is left to be “normal” again. From there she created her character Flora Dane. Lisa Gardner has always researched a lot more than your typical thriller writer. From riding along with police officers, attending the writer's police academy, handling weapons and learning defense tactics, Gardner does all of this so she can get every nuance exactly right – making her thrillers utterly believable and utterly frightening. But with the creation of Flora Dane, she takes us into the mind of a victim and of the professionals coming to save the day, giving readers her most visceral book yet. About FIND HER Flora Dane is a survivor. After being kidnapped and held by her captor for over a year, anyone would say that her matriculation back into a “normal” life was an all-around success. But normal isn’t exactly how Flora feels. When a college student–who reminds her far too much of herself–goes missing in a strikingly familiar fashion, Flora knows that she must do something to help, despite that fact that it could mean putting herself in danger. Flora is the only one who knows what a captor is capable of, even after all these years. The search to find the kidnapper at large and unravel Flora’s past twists together in a compelling dual-narrative. Gardner dives into the dark underbelly of Boston’s nightlife while also casting light onto one of the lesser-known branches of the FBI, Victim Specialists. It’s these men and women, who stick by victims long after the initial rescue, that are often the victims’ only true confidant. But all of the personnel in the world can’t keep revenge at bay, and in the end everything comes down to Flora and the ghosts from her past. If you want to learn more about Lisa Gardner, you can follow her on Facebook or Twitter (@LisaGardnerBks) visit her website. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/086