DIY MFA Radio

Welcome to another interview episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m so excited to introduce you to author Joe Wenke, and share this interview with him. But first, a little background info. Joe Wenke is a writer, social critic and LGBTQI rights activist who has written several books. His most recent book--The Human Agenda--is about sexual orientation and gender identity, with a special focus on "finding common ground in our shared humanity."  In this interview, Joe shares insights and tips he learned about writing a piece of narrative nonfiction based on conversations and interviews. There is a lot of invisible craft behind this style of nonfiction and he pulls back the curtain and gives us a glimpse of how he put this book together. For show notes and more info: DIYMFA.com/045

Hey word nerd! Thanks for joining me. Today’s episode is all about how to take your writing from a hobby to something more. This episode was inspired by an email I received from a fellow word nerd named Emily. She wrote: "I want to be a writer when I grow up, and I've been told that I'm even good at it. I love writing, I really do, I just... I feel like I'm never going to get past writing essays, fanfiction, and short stories for local contests. Do you have any advice?" Emily, thanks for asking this very important question. This is a big topic that a lot of writers struggle with, but don't fret! I have a few suggestions that will help you stay on track and maybe even turn your writing hobby into something more. For show notes and more info: DIYMFA.com/044

Hey there, word nerds! Thanks for joining me for this episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I want to share with you some survival tips for Book Expo America (BEA), the publishing industry’s premier trade show in the US. BEA 2015 is the Big Kahuna of trade shows in the US. If you’re in the book business, this is where you want to be. This event is centered on BOOKS, but writers can get a lot out of the expo as well. Because there’s so much going on, though, it can be a little overwhelming. Fear not! This Book Expo survival guide episode will give you all the inside details on how to make the most of this event. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/043

Hello and welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I’m so excited to interview bestselling author Steve Berry. Steve Berry is a New York Times and internationally bestselling thriller author and creator of the Cotton Malone series. His books have been translated into 40 languages, with more than 19 million printed copies in 51 countries. A 2010 NPR survey named one of his books--The Templar Legacy--one of the top 100 thrillers ever written. Clearly when it comes to writing books that captivate readers, Steve Berry knows his stuff. Listen in to learn how this bestselling thriller polished his craft and hear him share some of his top tips for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/042

Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio! Today I'm doing things a little bit differently. Instead of an interview, I'm bringing one of my team members on the show as a co-host and we'll have a conversation about books, writing and the creative life. This episode is part of a new series I'll be doing called "Behind DIY MFA," where I'll bring members of my team on the show as a co-host and we'll talk about what they do, both at DIY MFA and beyond. My goal with these behind-the-scenes episodes is for you to get to know the different people who help make DIY MFA awesome, plus hear their insights about books and all things literary. As you probably already know, I see DIY MFA as a collaborative and collective venture. While I may be the instigator, DIY MFA would not be nearly as great if it weren't for all the amazing people who have partnered with me on this project. My hope is that this series will showcase the incredible talent we have on this team, and help you get to know these awesome people. Our co-host today is the fabulous Sara Letourneau, author of the DIY MFA column Theme: A Story’s Soul. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/041

Hey there, word nerds! Thanks for joining me for today’s episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today we’re going to talk about a super important topic for any author: Social Media. Social media can be tricky for writers because there’s so much to wrap your head around. We’re going to talk about the nuts and bolts, basic information that you can put into practice right away. Social media, for better or worse, is here to stay. It’s fully integrated into our lives and has changed the way we communicate radically. As writers, our best approach is to embrace the opportunities that social media affords us, rather than trying to fight against it. In this episode, I’ll give you 7 steps to help you get a handle on social media, but in a way that's totally doable and won't take over your life. Most importantly, if you’re just learning these platforms, be gentle with yourself. Social media is constantly changing. You don't have to do all of it, or get everything perfect right away. You just need to understand enough so that you can use social media to bolster your writing career. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/040

Hello and thank you for joining me today! Today’s episode is all about the seven essentials for a writer’s education. I’ve been thinking about this topic for a while, and after I wrote this article a few weeks ago about my philosophy of teaching writing, I thought it was time to share these seven essentials with you. Whenever I write, I keep with me a “brain book” filled with tools and inspirational totems that help me find my focus. Honestly, I could do a whole episode on the “brain book” alone and the significance of each of the items I keep in it. But there’s one item in particular--an unsharpened pencil--that has a special significance. It was given to me by a teacher who told me to always carry it with me as a symbol of my untapped potential. I still have that pencil almost fifteen years later, and I keep it as a reminder of how important my education is to my writing. It also remindes me that I should always be open to new ideas. Each time I launch a new class on DIY MFA, I get that same giddy feeling of anticipation and untapped potential. Since DIY MFA 101 starts next week, I this got me thinking about all the pieces that go into a writing life and how important each one is to your writing life as a whole. In this episode, I share my seven essentials of a writer's education, and show you how to build each aspect into your writing life. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/039

Welcome to another episode of DIY MFA Radio. So glad you're here! Today I’m so excited to interview Stuart Horowitz from Book Architecture. Stuart is someone who is as excited about connecting with writers and helping them reach their goals as I am. We'll be talking about planning your novel and how to plot without a formula. Listen in for the interview and check out our show notes at DIYMFA.com/038. Take-home message: intelligent planning is not the enemy of creative genius.

Today is part two of the query critique series with my awesome agent, Jeff Kleinman. In this episode, Jeff and I look at a few more query letters, giving feedback and line-by-line critique so you can see what works and what could be improved. As with Part 1 of this series, you'll want to check out the show notes and follow along with the queries as you listen to the critiques so you know exactly what Jeff's feedback refers to. Head over to DIY MFA.com/037 for all the details.

Today I have an exciting announcement at DIY MFA: we are launching an Anthology! Our goal with this anthology is to address both the Read with Purpose and Write with Focus components of DIY MFA, by bringing together an interesting collection of prose and poetry that shows various writing techniques in action. We also want to encourage creative outside-the-box thinking, so writers must use a prompt from writerigniter.com to inspire their submissions. Interested in submitting to the anthology? Check out our submission guidelines. In this episode, I chat with Anthology Co-Editor Elisabeth Kauffman about how to submit to anthologies or literary magazines. She and I shine light on all those nitty-gritty details you want to know about submitting your work but were afraid to ask. So even if you're not planning to submit to this anthology, check out this episode for lots of info about the submission process. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/036