A curated collection of the latest and most interesting podcast episodes about the author life.
A greeting! Thanks for taking a look today. I’m V.E. Griffith, and I’m a Three Story Method Certified Editor who works mostly on science fiction and fantasy. I’m an active member of the Author Life Community, where I participate in and host a variety of activities to help you become the author you want to be.
This week I’ve been playing around with my methods for actually getting words on the page. I’ve been using my AlphaSmart Neo, a discontinued device a lot of writers swear by, to get words in while I’m at lunch on my day job.
Top 3 Must-Listen Episodes
The Dialogue Doctor // Episode 98 – Three Story Method Editors on Worldbuilding
This week, Dialogue Doctor Three Story Method Editor Jeff Elkins hosts a discussion with fellow Three Story Method Editors J.P. Rindfleisch, Miss Catherine Hernandez, and me (V.E. Griffith) on the Story Rubric and worldbuilding.
We discussed what makes a good world, what authors commonly leave out that they should consider including, and and practical tips for keeping track of it all. And we even find out one of Jeff’s weaknesses as a writer. We love you, Jeff!
Plus, next week in Episode 99 Jeff and I will be discussing putting details into your dialogue as we edit one of my own scenes. Even editors need editors!
Writer’s Ink // Episode 142 – How to deal with Rejection With Eva Lesko Natiello
We’ve featured Writer’s Ink before, but I want to highlight their latest episode as particularly relevant to new writers. Author Eva Lesko Natiello discusses with J. Thorn the methods and philosophies she used to become a New York Times best-selling author as an independent publisher, after getting rejected by more than 80 agents.
She discusses her philosophy of marketing that she learned from Estee Lauder (the person, not just the company) and how to start from being an unknown to getting your name out there and becoming a success.
Her methods including attending any book club that invited her, giving away her books and getting publicity for doing so, and using free sampling effectively to get readers hooked.
I found this episode enlightening and exciting because it gave me a new outlook on my own marketing.
Grammar Girl // Episode 881 – ‘Ant’ or ‘Ahnt’? Capitalizing Cocktail Names. Archie Bunker.
We’ve featured Grammar Girl before too, but with episodes running under 20 minutes, Mignon Fogarty is always worth a listen for suggestions about the mechanics of the English language that can help writers get it right the first time, saving editing and revision time later. Also, her historical deep dives into questions can sometimes give insight into other parts of good storytelling, and this week is no exception.
In her discussion of the pronunciation of the word “aunt” as “ant” or “ahnt,” Fogerty looks at historical regional and even class differences in how this word is pronounced. I can think of ways to use this idea in worldbuilding and using words and phrases unique to a location to indicate where a character comes from in my world by showing, rather than telling.
In a segment that might be helpful to writers of contemporary fiction or that are based on “real world” settings, she also looks at the niche rules of capitalizing the names of cocktails … or not, depending on the style manual you consult.
And finally, Mignon discusses a listener’s word that’s used only in her family.
The Latest from The Author Life Podcast
69: WHEN SHOULD I START TRANSLATING MY WORK?
This week authors J. Thorn and Crys Cain discuss when it is beneficial for authors to start translating their work and the process that it involves.
The Wildcard: Interesting Episode from a Non-Writing Related Show
Twenty Thousand Hertz // Breathe
Dallas Taylor and his team produce an amazing podcast about the world of sound and the sounds of the world. Every two weeks Taylor shares an amazing story focused on sound in a thoughtful, engaging way. The back catalog includes episodes on such iconic sounds as the THX Deep Note, the Netflix and HBO sonic logos, and the startup sounds in various iterations of Windows, but there is also the stories of a man learning to hear for the second time after he gets a cochlear implant, audio-only video games, and ghost writers in the hip-hop music world. Every episode is an amazing story and well worth the time investment.
This week, in collaboration with the podcast Meditative Story, Taylor tells his own never-before-told story of starting life as a potentially world-class trumpet player, only to be felled by performance anxiety and how that pivoted him into his life today as a sound designer and podcaster.
I found it applicable to my own life as a writer and editor, because I also have anxiety around my skills. Is my writing good enough? Do people want to read it? Is the editing I’m doing what the client wants? Is the story entertaining? Are the edits helpful? It’s always refreshing to hear someone else’s story to know that I’m not alone in my worries.
Inside The Author Life
I’m on vacation this week from the day job! Hooray for paid time off!
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