In this episode, DongWon digs into one of the business topics of our upcoming craft book: pitching. How do you talk about your work so other people immediately understand its category, vibe, and why it matters? They break pitching into two parts—content (what you say) and presentation (how you say it)—and share concrete tools like comp titles, short taglines ... Show More
Sep 20
21.38: Rules, Tools, and History’s Fools
Today, we’re celebrating Erin’s birthday by talking about a topic of her choice. Which means we’re flipping “tools, not rules” its head. Our hosts revisit the Turkey City Lexicon, a snarky collection of writing “rules” that circulated widely among speculative fiction writers in 1 ... Show More
23m 31s
Sep 13
21.37: Barrier Breaking: The World Is on Fire
How do you keep writing when the world is on fire? This week, our hosts talk about protecting our narrative energy when the news, social media, or our own lives feel overwhelming. We explore boundaries, boredom, intentional information consumption, and why sometimes the most usef ... Show More
28m 5s
Sep 6
21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable
A great twist shouldn’t just surprise us—it should make us rethink everything that came before. This week, our hosts explore reader expectations, misdirection, and hiding clues in plain sight. We look at twists from The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, Ocean’s Eleven, and O. Henry, and a ... Show More
23m 47s
Mar 2022
How a Ghostwriter for Fiction Collaborates With Clients
This week, host June Thomas talks to author, ghostwriter, and YouTuber Michelle Schusterman, who’s written more than a dozen novels. In the interview, Michelle differentiates between her various writing jobs and explains how she juggles so many projects. She also gives a step-by- ... Show More
48m 27s
Jun 2022
Working Overtime: Writing 500 Words Per Day
On this week’s addition of Working Overtime, hosts June Thomas and Isaac Butler evaluate some writing advice that June received from Slate book critic Laura Miller, who got the idea from the writer Graham Greene. The advice is to write 500 words per day, and once you’re done with ... Show More
22m 57s
Mar 2018
#5: Literally, Don’t Judge the Book By Its Cover
Jess and Trisha talk about who’s losing with Audible’s romance subscription service, consider some of what makes romance unique in the world of self-publishing, deliver news about a couple of publishers, and – as always – recommend books.
This episode is sponsored by Raw Power by ... Show More
1h 6m