Interesting guy. Agree with his opinions on traditional publishing. With a few exceptions, it’s an industry not delivering duty of care to authors.

Thanks for a great show! Robin’s words really connected with me at this particular moment when I am feeling stuck and thinking whatever I write is crap :) I have just looked at her book on Amazon and read the start of Chapter 1, Step 1 and had an a-ha moment. Sold.

Such a useful information! Thank you!

Ah I just checked those vat changes - i am now not sure that’s so clear cut. Further research me thinks 😀

Yes re thresholds!!!! I gave up because of it back then. I remember when they brought in the 9k and then brexit stopped that for us!!! Some really good news:)

Loved this episode. It combined some of my favorite subjects of history, research, writing, mystery, murder, marketing, and resilience. ❤️

Lindsay Buroker is one of my all time favorite writers, so it is wonderful to meet her via video. The still photo on Amazon does not look like her at all and of course hearing someone speak conveys a lot more about a person than just a photo. I've read every one of her books, and enjoy her humor very much.

Hello Joanna, I went back to your 2018 interview with Dave Hendrickson. Amazing information. Looking forward to seeing what he is up to in 2024. Love your show! So happy to be a Patron!

Wait? you can post original work on Ao3? Did I know that? Have I forgotten that? I started in FFN and again like you two, have worked out after years of breaking my stories on the rack of story structure, that I really do write better using the discovery style AND knowing that someone is waiting to read the next chapter. I had just decided to do that on Ream when it imploded this month July 2024, and I changed my mind... but a03 could work...

I remember dragging my kids along to see my childhood home - fully prepared for it to be bulldozed - and it was exactly the same. I was not ready for that!

This was a great interview, Joanna. Roz is great at giving advice especially when it comes to making your novel leave an impact on the reader.

How is the functionality when using it withing Scrivener? Or do you recommend we edit withing PWA.

Kind of disappointing. I was hoping for actionable tips but it all felt a bit self-congratulatory. It seems like the best way to become successful is to already be successful and it's simple, simple, simple when you're as amazing as I am.

AI is getting crazy. I've just been playing a made-up as I go adventure called ARKANE: Operation Eternal Light on a site called WebSim. Just ask it for a website and it creates it, in this case a text-adventure game. Here's my mission log so far. Mission Log 21:00 - Team enters the catacombs through the secret ARKANE access point. 21:15 - Dr. Morgan Sierra detects faint traces of supernatural energy. Team proceeds cautiously. 21:30 - Jake Timber neutralizes two cult lookouts using non-lethal methods. Path clear to proceed deeper. 21:35 - Dr. Sierra begins analyzing the mysterious symbols on the catacomb walls. They seem to be a form of ancient Sumerian script. 21:40 - Team contacts Theodora Sinclair for her expertise on the symbols. She suggests they might be related to an ancient Mesopotamian eclipse ritual. 21:45 - Jake Timber leads a careful search for any signs of a sacrificial chamber. The team remains on high alert.

It's starting to sound like the AI writing tools might be more trouble and time consuming than helpful, however, I'm still going to give it a try and experiment one of these days. Thank you for your research and study!

I had some rare free time but not feeling inspired to write. I decided to listen to this podcast. So glad I did, the conversation was spot on for me and I’m now inspired to get back to my writing with renewed enthusiasm. Time out from writing well spent, thank you so much.

Reading out loud or having AI read out loud to me has DRASTICALLY helped me with cutting fluff and flow❤❤❤

I really enjoyed this episode. Discovery writing all the way.

I hope you get well soon. Your show continues to inspire writing. The show must go on. ❤❤

I have aphantasia and i'm a writer. It's hard to describe my thinking process but no visuals, sound, etc. I tend to skip description in rough drafts and then add it later. It's not that I can't it's just doing so in the rough draft would slow me down and make me lose the flow, so I do [describe] and leave it to editing me. I make notes of what characters look like or i'd never remember. Personalities I got just fine, but not looks. I am a pantser but I am reverse outlining as I go which is helping. I say pantser but the story i'm writing started off pantsing, then I got to chapter 3 and so many things came to me and I wrote them all down. It was out of order initially so I ordered them into an outline, filled in the blanks and now I have an outline and am 42k in and on chapter 21. I think i'm about in the middle... my longest story before this was 23k. Anyway I also use images and videos on google, pinterest etc. to help me out with descriptions.

This episode really resonated with me! I'm glad I came to terms with discovery writing as my process after my second book. It's made all my other books so much easier to write now that I'm okay with it being my process. Also, loved her insight on her podcast establishing herself and her voice as her brand. I want to learn how she's doing this too!

Great video! Can you create a custom trim size in Vellum? Hardcover and paperback, depending on the POD service, can have slightly different trim sizes. I use Scrivener to write, but their compilation tool for output is so onerous! I've used it for years and still feel like I'm relearning how to use it after each of my books.

Rowling's Strike novels (published under Robert Galbraith) are also amazing!!

You should give Novelcrafter a spin. Just its codex/story bible is awesome even without the AI assisted writing with hugely flexible prompting and the ability to use your AI model of choice.

I still have a hard time seeing the benefits of trad pub considering how much extra time it takes away from writing new stores

My ship stopped in Corfu for a replenishment. We weren't allowed to get off for some reason, so i just stared at it from the flight deck, for a week.

great podcast!

Wow. This is a remarkable question-thank you for this…I haven’t set upon an answer yet, but I too ponder about my works in progress and the happenings beyond my lifetime. Hmmm…

The best interview so far this year . What an inspiring woman Aurora is. Especially for someone like me who wants to turn their books into TV . 👍

Very goo overview of this tool. Two questions Does it correct punctuation for dialogue? Can I target its editing for middle grades (ages 9-13) fiction?

Best software on the market, great video!

I found the last part of this the most interesting. I can relate it to having many books on my shelf I have never read. In fact today I gave up on the book that I was 3/4 finished reading I just wasn't enjoying it any longer. I'd love to know more about my own personal interest in books, what I love and what keeps me reading. Sometimes I'm just not aware of why I love one book and don't like another book that my friends tell me they really loved. This will be interesting if in the future somehow we can analyse are reading styles and the writing style and maybe able to match it up with our readers I think this is very fascinating and I wish you would have talked to her more about that topic maybe you can have her back on or have another person to discuss the topic a little bit more in depth.

That was a really inspiring podcast. Keep up the good work Johana.

Another wonderful and informative episode. Thanks Jo & Rachelle ❤ lots of new things for me to have fun playing with.

Loved this! You are so helpful! But I'm disappointed that as a Christian author and entrepreneur you promoted the work of someone who uses Tarot (divination).

I'm interested in AI writing tools for research and historical context. I, too, worry about the question of the human voice and the loss of creativity when using AI. Thank you for an informative and interesting interview.

Thanks for another interesting episode. The huge problem with AI is that it provides a disincentive for young people to develop fundamental writing skills. Established authors may find it a useful compliment to their seasoned skill set, but youngsters would not have had the same hard earned experience to draw on yet. AI can foster a culture of taking short cuts and to NOT put in the work to develop fundamental skills. I've seen this happening in visual art too. Keen to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Coming back to this because of your latest episode. Loved this episode then and it hits differently now that I am a published author and have embraced my Creativity fully. Bless you Joanna. Thank you for you and your work. Love and Gratitude from a fan here in Manila.

Loved Becca's insights! Thank you for having her on your show.

You look exactly how you sound

" Skip navigation Search Avatar image 0:04 / 1:11:34 "Writing Through Fear." What a luxury that most will not have. To write out of fear that one's publisher has given a deadline to finish the first draft and she is running late. Publisher, and agent. One of the hurdles most won't make on his/her journey to a published story.

Thank you, Joanna and Caroline, for shedding some light on the fears of writing (and providing tips for overcoming them), however you still took it to the usual place - that most writers fear being creatively inadequate, that they will "do it wrong" and be judged for it, and that that is the core of all our fears. I beg to differ! After years of listening to shows like this, no one ever talks about fears related to financial problems, survival, family, health, and other daily stresses that some of us just NEED to prioritize over writing - in other words, fears unrelated to self-esteem issues. As a pro writer for the past 15 years, I do not fear being inadequate when it comes to writing. It's what I do best. I also used to consult authors on indie publishing and marketing, so I do not fear that either. And I also honestly don't care about being judged! My only fear is that I will STARVE by spending time finishing my novel as opposed to allocating that time to doing something actually fruitful, like a side hustle that will boost my currently INADEQUATE salary (hence, a fear related to survival)! And since I already write for my day job, I'm often too tired to write novels at the end of the day and I deal with unbearable neck and shoulder pains, too - which proves to be yet another reason completely unrelated to "getting it wrong" or "being judged" (rather, it's a fear related to survival yet again, splashed with some health anxiety - Will my body be able to handle more writing?). What can I say, maybe I am the exception to the rule? Maybe most writers have an easygoing life with only very few responsibilities, more than adequate income, no health concerns, and plenty of free time, with their only real problems and fears being related to their self-esteem? Sorry for the lengthy comment, just wanted to respectfully share my thoughts (and fears!) to showcase that this view/conclusion on perceived inadequacy as a core fear doesn't apply to all writers. P.S: Thanks for the Kickstarter tips, that might actually be worth setting up!

I don't like asking permission. Can you use drawing like in ink or pen.

Thank you so much.

No Audio?

Wanting things done instantly is a very old human weakness and affects how we interpret even the Bible, even in its original language -- which is why the only word in ancient Hebrew that can be interpreted as "era" or "day", "day" is the most common interpretation. Too bad, or it would be common knowledge that, according to Genesis, in the eras leading up to the final one, the one in which we humans appear, there existed an era in which the family of animals defined by birds were the dominant life form. When we discovered birds are remnants of dinosaurs, and they once dominated the biosphere the way mammals do now, it would have been seen as a confirmation of Genesis not a challenge to it. And you 7th Day Adventists professors would have been able to be morally and intellectually honest.

Wow - I would love it if thylacine's were a thing again - but "Colossal Labs" definitely has a Crichton vibe. Or Skynet vibe - definitely ominous!