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PODCAST

The Write Focus

Successful writing requires The Write Focus. Hosted by M.A. Lee with occasional forays from Remi Black and Edie Roones, we focus on productivity / tools / craft / process for fiction and nonfiction, entertainment and academic writing.

fiction how to

All Episodes

39:44

3:39 / Terri Karsten ~ Writing What She Wants / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/09/21

Terri Karsten is writing what she wants. Multiple genres, children’s books to historical mysteries for adults, whatever piques her interest … and she is loving what she’s doing. And isn’t that the important thing? Timings 0:03 Opening 0:46 Finn McCool, a legend of Ireland for Middle Grades 2:10 Eclectic in writing and reading, writing in multiple genres 4:28 Hybrid publishing: indie for books, traditional for shorter works; the journey along the way 7:00 Marketing and agents, self-publishing and an

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37:32

3:38 / J.V. Caggiano Interview ~ Not at her ”Witt’s...

The Write Focus ·

2022/09/14

J.V. Caggiano talks writing, her book At Witt’s End, having a “serial killer wall” to plan her books, and overcoming her launch at the start of the pandemic, in this week’s episode of The Write Focus. Timings 0:10 Intro 2:00 J.V.’s book At Witt’s End, using emotional connections and items to link to the next books 4:35 Her route to indie publishing 6:25 Using a copy editor, problems and solutions 8:07 Cover designer and development of her novel’s title (series branding with covers) 10:02 Starting

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43:13

3:37 / Interview with Derek Wheeless / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/09/07

For debut author Derek Wheeless, writing is a fun journey of discovery. He’s planted into a niche with his YA noir novel We Planned a Murder, Sam Spade-style, the angsty detective re-invented as a teenager. Timings 1:25 Story structure entering life 2:15 Derek’s novel, a YA noir; growing as a writer as the novel grws 5:20 Verbosity vs. tight writing: the reason picture books are difficult to write 6:50 Using a developmental editor 9:18 His current work-in-progress follows the mystery style of Nick

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38:55

3:36 / Interview with Ileana Munoz Renfroe / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/08/31

A paranormal “fixer” and her spirit guide named Raul along with a former spy with a secret cypher at a bookshop: these are just three of the intriguing characters from separate series by Ileana Muñoz Renfroe. Ileana began writing during pandemic lockdown; she doesn’t let her newbie status slow her down. Timings 0:40 Ileana’s cozies and children’s books, esp. Rosa the Cuban psychic and Raul in A Fashionable Bait 4:02 Writing multiple story lines simultaneously, heading for a rapid release 6:00

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40:29

3:35 / Interview with Jane Sloven / Mixed Miscellany...

The Write Focus ·

2022/08/24

Serendipity is the best word to describe Jane Sloven’s writing. Timings 0:08 Jane’s journey into writing; her focus on problem-solving, relationships, female protagonists, psychotherapists, trauma, and managed care 6:00 Real life informing the writing 7:00 Blurb for Termination of Benefits 8:50 Jane’s original writing process. (complete pantstering) 11:00 Her forward path: mentors (“All writing is revision”), critique groups, courses and workshops 16:00 Compassionate Journey: Honoring Our Mothers’

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39:35

3:34 / Interview with Sarah E. Burr / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/08/17

Technology is Sarah E. Burr’s friend. It provided the sub-niche for her cozy mystery series, helped her locate an agent, and offers several side endeavors. TIMINGS 0:43 Sarah E. Burr and her books and series. #FollowMe for Murder is out now. 4:58 the hybrid world: both indie and traditionally published 7:52 70 rejections before an agent; the wonder of the Twitter writing community 11:37 Creating a niche in tech info based on life experiences 16:15 Writing process: ideas at the beginning and

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39:38

3:33 / Interview with Anne Louise Bannon / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/08/10

History and setting offer rich ideas for Anne Louise Bannon. When characters begin speaking to her, she knows that she has a winning series. TIMINGS 0:04 Opening, Anne Louise Bannon and the turbulent LA County history, the setting of one series 2:00 Newest release: Death of an Heiress (see buy links below) 3:15 Anne’s interest in LA County’s history 7:12 Inspired by a history lecture 10:05 Cabot Cove syndrome; stumbling into a rich setting; characters who begin speaking 15:15 Anne’s publishing

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45:52

3:32 / Interview with Melissa Bourbon / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/08/03

A fantastical thread through every mystery with serendipitous finds from daily life inspires the best-selling author Melissa Bourbon. Also writing as Winnie Archer, she has several series, including the Book Magic series, Magical Dressmaking series, and the Bread Shop series. Paying it forward, Melissa also has the Writer Spark Academy, with a blog and resources on a website and several courses on Teachable, the best place for self-paced and recursive learning online. Her advice and inspiration is

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39:53

3:31 / Interview with Pamela Ebel / Mixed Miscellany...

The Write Focus ·

2022/07/27

From mainstream mysteries to weird and wacky and on to true crime with paranormal, Pamela Ebel doesn’t hesitate. Direct from Pamela: Groups for Crime Fiction Writers Short Mystery Fiction Society https://shortmystery.blogspot.com/ A wide network of members with years of experience and success in writing crime fiction short stories and novels Mystery Writers of America: They publish monthly newsletters with articles on writing and marketing Markets

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35:46

3:30 / Interview with Elaine Isaak (E.C. Ambrose) /...

The Write Focus ·

2022/07/20

Genghis Khan. Medieval surgeries. The Bone Guard. These intriguing story lines are the invention of Elaine Isaak, writing as E.C. Ambrose. In this excellent interview, Elaine shares her writing processes and several surprising methods in this episode of The Write Focus. Timings 1:30 Opening 2:15 Focus on The Mongol’s Coffin 3:20 The allure of the High Middle Ages 4:10 Cross-cultural exchange and innovation 6:46 Medieval surgery, her first series, and the vision of a series protagonist Elisha Barber:

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22:26

3:29 / Interview with Elle Andrews Patt / part 2 /...

The Write Focus ·

2022/07/13

Elle Andrews Patt shares more of her writing life. The age-old question of plotter vs. pantster, the synopsis and her route to a hybrid writing life, writing with sensitivity and awareness, the synopsis and productivity, as well as Clickmagick, her best tool for marketing, and much more. We end with her multi-part writing advice. Join us. Content 1:00 Plotter vs. Pantster 1:40 When books do not fit a marketing niche and the hybrid writer life 4:35 Writing with Sensitivity and Awareness 5:40 Plotting

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21:16

3:28 / Interview with Elle Andrews Patt / part 1 /...

The Write Focus ·

2022/07/06

Elle Andrews Patt offers her perspective on writing, from the start of her publishing journey to writing series and spin-offs, all in this episode of The Write Focus. Next week, she will share her views on plotter vs. pantster, the synopsis, Clickmagick and much much more. Join us. Content 1:11 Opening 2:02 Elle Andrews Patt’s published writings 4:00 Her writing / publishing journey 5:00 Practice using Fan Fiction 7:50 Short Story vs. Novel 11:00 Stand-alones vs. Series (writing a series,

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18:47

3:27 / Interview with Kaye George, part 2 / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/06/29

This week we return to the wonderful Kaye George and her writing guidance. She spills the beans on her writing journey, her process to start a mystery, her methods and tools, and productivity along with two keys that unlock success. She also provides our inspiration! Enjoy part 2 of multi-published Kaye George, this week on the Write Focus. TIMINGS 1:05 how to find her books; also, out-of-print books 2:40 updating her out-of-print books 3:45 how Kaye started writing 4:55 Kaye’s process to start a

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20:33

3:26 / Interview with Kaye George, part 1 / Mixed...

The Write Focus ·

2022/06/22

Multi-published Kaye George is our 1st interview! We had a grand conversation about how she develops her series, world building, writing short stories vs. writing novels, and work-for-hire, plus a lot more. And this is only the start of our interview. Next week we’ll talk details about her writing process, productivity, and more and more. Here it is, part 1 of our conversation with National Best-Selling writer of mysteries with a twist, Kaye George. TIMINGS 1:14 Kaye George talks her books 4:19

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16:19

3:25 / Short Narratives, part 4 / Mixed Miscellany...

The Write Focus ·

2022/06/15

Building Blocks for Short Narratives Do we ever start writing blind to story? Not blind as in sightless, but blind in having no idea where we are going with a story? I say no. Many writers agree with me. Even if we have only the faintest glimmer of an idea, we have something to guide us. The best short narratives engage and surprise us. Lester Dent knows how to keep each story separate rather than a dull repetition. He decides main points before he begins; these are his building blocks. We should,

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17:22

3:24 / Short Narratives, part 3 / Mixed Miscellany...

The Write Focus ·

2022/06/08

Major plot points in short narratives keep the story moving—whether a short story, a narrative poem, or an anecdote to personalize a blog post. Explosive excitement, an angsty soul-changing crisis, a boxed-in corner that forces an intellectual revelation—these are perfect for the major story parts or movements, the opening and closing of each 1,500-word scene or a poem’s stanza or an article’s anecdotal paragraph. What do we write in the middle of those parts? This episode can help. Timings 1:22

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18:29

3:23 / Short Narratives, part 2 / Mixed Miscellany...

The Write Focus ·

2022/06/01

Success with short narratives? That’s our current goal. We’ve found Lester Dent’s Plot Formula. We’re creatives, so we can adapt the formula to fit our genre needs. We know the four parts of the 4 movements. We’re writing fiction / poetry / non-fiction. What’s next? The details, man. It’s all in the details … of the narrative. Timings 1:05 Opening 1:52 Check-in 2:55 Lester Dent’s Plot Formula 7:21 Coincidence is a No-No 8:04 Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls” with the Formula 15:08 Riddling: a Tricky

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14:29

3:22 / Short Narratives, part 1 / Mixed Miscellany...

The Write Focus ·

2022/05/25

Having trouble with short narratives? Short stories? Narrative poems? Anecdotes in your blogs and essays/articles? I had trouble. Free admission. I would launch into a story that I hoped would be 8,000 to 10,000 words only for the word count to top 20,000 or more. I was rather proud of myself when a planned short story ran less than 15,000 words. My narrative poems ran longer than 5 or 6 stanzas. Think “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” length. For the blog I wrote, my example stories ran more than 15

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23:14

3:21 / Research / Mixed Miscellany A

The Write Focus ·

2022/05/18

MixMisc A / Research / 3:21 / E110 Research: a Ho-Hum topic? Not quite. Research is necessary in all realms of writing. Whether discovering the details that given veritas to our fiction, the details that we shouldn’t get wrong in commemorative poems, or just adding specific and elaborating details to our nonfiction, HUMDRUM RESEARCH is totally necessary. The challenge comes in determining how many research details to use. 1:11 Check-In 2:50 Opening 3:27 Challenges 3:49 Fiction and Research 4:31

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23:51

3:20 /Sequences / Enhancement series

The Write Focus ·

2022/05/11

We're going from A to Z this week, as we discuss Sequences, the last of the Enhancement series. Climbing higher and higher = foothills, ridges, mountains. Getting worse and worse = aged, ancient, decrepit. Listen up to discover ways to sequence, progress / regress, ascend / descend, and create clever jumps in meaning. 1:10 opening 2:45 deliberate ordering: ranking, progressions, expansions 8:08 anticlimax 9:25 auxesis 12:14 zeugma 15:06 parallelism 17:26 isocolon 18:50 elliptical

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