non fiction Archives -

#44 – Charles Christian – Write Through The Roof

On September 9, 2018

In characters, fantasy, feedback, interview, journalism, non fiction, paranormal, podcast, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 44 with Charles Christian – award-winning journalist, podcaster & author

“People get carried with their gadgets… and forget about the human element.”

Episode 44 – Charles Christian – Show Notes

Novella length is favourite length. Better for ebooks and easier to consume.
Writing every day and learned discipline from career as a freelance journalist
‘All written out’ by freelance journalism
Green tea, dark chocolate, chips and baked beans
Exploring how one event can change the entire direction of life – JB Priestly
Stop doing courses and start writing your own stories
Stick to the brief, meet the deadline & work count – who, why, what, where, how
Asking the question – is this project fun to write?
Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, MR James, David Sedaris, Richard Brautigan
Genre fiction tips: less about the gadgets, more about the characters

“Get on with it and be business-like about it.”

“If I can’t be bothered reading it, I can’t expect the reader to.”

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#43 – Trevor Young – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On August 26, 2018

In business, editing, interview, journalism, marketing, melbourne, non fiction, podcast, reading, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 43 with Trevor Young – PR and marketing specialist

“If you’ve got a blog you’ve got a digital heartbeat. You’re not on rented land.”

Episode 43 – Trevor Young – Show Notes

Books are more permanent but blogging helps develop a writer’s conversational personal style
Writing in focussed short sharp bursts; doing less but doing more
Fiction at night with beer and non-fiction in the morning with coffee
Joining the dots, identifying a trend and developing a philosophy
Tips on writing 1300 characters micro-stories – start with one tight idea
Writing Melbourne Noir. Inspired by childhood reading of Ed McBain and Ian Fleming
With non-fiction you need to know your market but with fiction you can write what you want to read
Creating an alter-ego for fiction writing
Seth Godin, Dorie Clark
Micro Domination and the changing nature of blogs
New book coming in October 2018 – Content Marketing for PR

“Getting more done by doing a little bit every day.”

“Edit your way to greatness.”

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#41 – Nin Harris – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On August 12, 2018

In fantasy, interview, non fiction, podcast, scifi-fantasy, short story, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 41 with Nin Harris – author, poet & Gothic scholar

“I really love to dig into the guts of a novel to see how it works.”

Episode 41 – Nin Harris – Show Notes

Inspired to write short stories by Angela Carter
Both a plotter and a pantser
Water or rooibos tea
SFF and gothic but writing about the human experience
Identity, memory and difficult connections between people
Gothic in space
Reading carefully – go outside your fishbowl
Throwing books across the room – like a book poltergeist
Beat sheets: major beats and minor beats; cause and effect
Frances Hardinge, Graham Joyce
Different writing depending on mood. Academic v fiction writing

“The first draft does have a bit of vomit in it.”

“For me, space is very gothic.”

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#27 – Charles Chu – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On April 22, 2018

In interview, non fiction, psychology, reading, rejection, write through the roof, writers, writing, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 27 with Charles Chu – non-fiction writer & Medium top contributor

“You need to do a little guerrilla warfare as a new writer.”

Episode 27 – Charles Chu – Show Notes

Starting with an emotion or aesthetic in essays and non-fiction
Walking as a ritual and Japanese coffee
As a Chinese American growing up in a white culture
Psychology first – consistency, then building on improving writing practice
Writing for the internet; how digestible is the writing? Trial and error approach
John McPhee, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, copywriting
Moving into fiction; the Year of 100 Rejections
Gene Wolfe, Haruki Murakami, Ken Liu
Juggling lots of projects to balance out the failures
Ray Bradbury inspiring the year of 100 rejections
Tips on how to get stories featured on Medium

“I grew as a child questioning where my place was.”

“Visualising things from the reader’s perspective.”

“Reframing failure as something I should try to do.”

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#10 – Dee Dee Chainey – Write Through The Roof

By Madeleine D'Este

On December 17, 2017

In folklore, non fiction, podcast, research, storytelling, superstition, write through the roof, writing tips

Welcome to Write Through The Roof, the podcast for writers who want to improve their craft.

Episode 10 with Dee Dee Chainey – Folklorist & freelance content marketer

“Bringing magic to the mundane”

Episode 10 – Dee Dee Chainey – Show Notes

Do your writing first
Instagram pictures of cake
Dark folklore; Krampus, hand of glory and the tooth fairy
Confidence
Don’t keep rewriting the same piece, move on
Squeezing a massive topic into an introductory book
A non-fiction writer mainly influenced by fiction
Aubrey Burl, Carrie Ann Noble, Jackie Morris, Phillip Pullman
Madeleine’s tip – 10 story ideas per day

“What do you want to say to the world and to yourself”

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Recent reads – Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley

By Madeleine D'Este

On March 29, 2017

In book review, inspiration, non fiction, reading, scifi-fantasy, writers, writing tips

Today I’m talking about Geek Feminist Revolution by Kameron Hurley, a collection of personal essays by science fiction author Kameron Hurley, published by Tor in 2016.

Hurley is an award winning author and her personal essays covers feminism, geek and internet culture, the perils of being a writer, health and rebellion. Hurley critiques and challenges in a raw and honest way, drawing on her own personal experiences and life story.

Coincidence is a funny thing. I picked up this book right after finishing The Female Man by Joanna Russ (a feminist sci-fi novel I reviewed a few weeks ago). Hurley credits Joanna Russ with lighting her feminist fire. In fact, the book is dedicated to a “Joanna’.

The book is divided up into sections starting off with a section about writing and the rollercoaster ride of a writers life. As a writer myself, I found this section heart-warming and depressing at the same time. My favourite essay was the first, named Persistence and the Long Con of Being a Successful Writer. The title says it all.

The Smashed Avo Affair and trying new things

By Madeleine D'Este

On January 7, 2017

In creative outlets, melbourne, my writing life, non fiction, stuff about me

When I started taking my writing seriously, I was pig-headed. Or maybe I was “clear about my goals.” I said I’d only write my own stuff. Fiction.

And to date, my stuff has been long form novels and novellas in the speculative fiction genre. I didn’t want to write other stuff for other people, I wanted to focus on my “Art”.

But a few weeks back, I read this article – The Secret to Doing What You Love. This gave me a kick in the bum. The author James Altucher argues that you don’t know what the future holds so you shouldn’t be anchored to one outcome.

Since then, I’ve been thinking of other opportunities to tell stories (aside from my current projects).

And here’s the first product.

Battle Lines Drawn in the Great Australian Smashed Avo Affair – a short piece featured on the fantastic Roads and Kingdoms about a recent furore in Australia about brunch, generational warfare and house prices.

Enjoy.

Tag: non fiction

#44 – Charles Christian – Write Through The Roof

Episode 44 – Charles Christian – Show Notes

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