DIY MFA Radio

This is a very special episode for DIY MFA Radio because it features a wonderful writer--and one of my writing heroes--Jane Yolen. Known as the "Hans Christian Andersen of America" Jane Yolen has written over 360 books. But what truly sets her work apart is her artristry and versatility. She has written in just about every genre imaginable, and for just about every type of reader. Whenever I've heard her speak, Jane Yolen offers the perfect blend of practical advice and pure inspiration. This podcast episode is no exception. I am overjoyed to share this episode with you today. For show notes and more information, visit DIYMFA.com/015.

In our Halloween episode, we talk about creative monsters and how to evade them. I'll share was to trick (or treat) your way around these monsters so you can stay confident and creative. The key to avoiding creative monsters is remembering that it's not you, it's them, and not giving them any ammunition. Finally, you have to be kind to your creative self and celebrate your own victories in small but meaningful ways. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/014.

Inspired by the Kubler-Ross five stages of grief, this episode walks you through the five stages of how writers process and get through writer's block. Just as people might grieve a loss, when writers are not writing they grieve too. In this episode, I discuss the five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Then I'll show you how you can push through writer's block and beat it once and for all. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/013.

When new writers join DIY MFA, one of the biggest challenges they face is finding a writing group, and what to do when they finally join one. I've been in several writing groups so I thought I'd share some tried and true techniques I've learned from the process. In this episode, I share some tips for finding a group that's right for you, and I walk you through the three stages of receiving critique. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/012.

Do you love to read? If you're at all like me, chances are your list of books TBR (to be read) is much bigger than the number of books you could ever read in a lifetime. This means that your reading time is precious and you have to be super-smart about how you choose books and approach your reading, so it has maximum impact on your writing. I call this "reading with purpose" and that's the topic for today's show. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/011.

Sooner or later you're going to have to ask for something. Whether it's asking readers to buy your book, or asking someone to help you promote it, at some point you'll find yourself in a place where you need to ask for help. Having been on both the asking and helping sides of this equation, I've learned that there's a specific WAY of asking that automatically opens people up to helping you. In this episode, I break down the "Art of the Ask" and share the 3-step process I use whenever I ask for help. For more info and show notes go to DIYMFA.com/010.

I came to poetry fairly late as a writer, and now I'm on a mission to bring other writers to poetry as well. In this episode, I interview poet and children's book author extraordinaire: Marilyn Singer. You'll hear us dish about our love of poetry, the magic of words, facing criticism, and more! For more info and show notes, check out DIYMFA.com/009.

We often think of writing purely as an art but when it comes to POV, there’s definitely a science to it. When I first started writing I had no idea what POV was all about so I created a nifty POV cheat sheet to help me remember which was which. When other writers started raving about the cheat sheet, I knew I had to share it with my listeners on this podcast. For more info and show notes check out DIYMFA.com/008

When it comes to building a writing community, Karen Dionne knows where it's at. Co-founder of Backspace--an online community for writers of all genres--and organizer of many conferences, Karen knows exactly what goes into creating and maintaining a writing community. In this interview, Karen shares writing community tips for success and avoiding pitfalls. She also gives great advice about choosing and attending conferences, and how community can be a HUGE factor in helping writers improve their craft. For more info and show notes, check out DIYMFA.com/007

The first five pages are super-important for setting the tone of your novel. In those pages, you make five key promises and delaying or breaking those promises will create tension in the story. In this episode, you'll learn what these five promises are and when or how to artfully break them. For more info and show notes check out DIYMFA.com/006