WriterSpark: Tips & Tricks for Fiction Writing

How to Research and Write Historical Mysteries

Episode 10:
How to Research and Write Historical Mysteries
Writing historical mystery books--or any novel, for that matter--is no easy feat. It takes time, research, a desire to learn about the era about which you are writing,
And if you want to write a real showstopper, you have to fully immerse yourself.
 
Heather Redmond
Heather Redmond knows just how to do the research required to write truly authentic novels. She is the author of the Dickens of a Crime series with Kensington.
 
Heather's Tips
Heather has got some great tips, so if you have a hankering to write an historical mystery--and even if you don't have that hankering--check out our chat. Heather is a delight.
 
Listen Now!
 
Also...
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Heather Redmond's website: https://www.heatherredmond.com
Thank you for listening!

Creating Workable Systems for Writers to Elevate Your Career

Episode 9
Creating workable systems for writers is a clear and strategic way to elevate your writing career. As a creative, my brain doesn't naturally skew toward creating systems. Being an author is one thing, but elevating that writing career to a business that earns in the 6 figures is a different ballgame for most of us.
Prolific USA Today bestselling author Tonya Kappes has figured out just how to do this--to go from an author to a savvy businesswoman running Tonya Kappes Books. She has elevated her career with sales and fans far beyond what most authors achieve.
How did she do it? Tonya Kappes is my guest today and she's sharing all kinds of great strategic and business tips. "Those folders are like gold to me," she says about the social media folders that store all of her re-purposable content. "Everything feeds the machine. Work smarter, not harder." These are her mottos.
Join me on WriterSpark: Tips and Tricks for Fiction Writers and get ready to learn about the business-side of a career as an author. 
 
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
Share with a friend: https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5rfg5-12f29e6
 
Resources
 
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Tonya Kappes's website: https://tonyakappes.com/
 
Thank you for listening!
 
 

Lessons Fiction Writers can learn from the Hollywood Writer’s Room

Episode 8:
WriterSpark: Tips and Tricks for Fiction Writers Podcast
How writers in a writer's room write is different from fiction writers. But there are lots of lessons to be learned from those writer's rooms.
Really, wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall in a Hollywood Writer's Room? I would!
 
Reality
Unfortunately, most of us don't get that chance, but mystery author Ellen Byron spent years in a variety of Writer's Rooms. On the podcast today, she is sharing lessons she learned from those experiences. You don't want to miss this. She's a delight, and offers so much information.
 
Martha Stewart
Plus, she worked for Martha Stewart in Martha's early days. That's pretty cool.
 
Listen Now!
 
Listen to other Episodes
Check out more WriterSpark: Tips and Tricks for Fiction Writers episodes and ignite your WriterSpark!
 
Start with Daryl Wood Gerber and our talk on Plotting and Panting!
 
 
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Ellen Byron's website: https://www.ellenbyron.com/
Thank you for listening!

All authors were aspiring and unpublished. They all have an origin story.

Episode 7
All authors were unpublished, aspiring authors at one point.
All authors started at the beginning. They all have an origin story. How did they get their start? What was their path to publication?
 
Inspiration
These stories can be inspiring. Motivating. Whether it’s the Joker’s, Batman’s, or our own, they are all meaningful.
 
WriterSpark
WriterSpark is me…I am WriterSpark. Today I am sharing my origin story. I started my writing journey in the early ’90s, but my first book wasn’t published until 2008. What happened in between those years?
 
The In-between Years
What happened was that I wrote five mystery series, one romantic suspense duo, and a few stand alone novels. How that happened is my origin story.
 
More Episodes
 
Check out more WriterSpark: Tips and Tricks for Fiction Writers episodes and ignite your WriterSpark!
 
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
 
Share with a friend! https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-bvwrt-12eb248
 
 
Resources
 
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Melissa Bourbon's websites: http://melissabourbon.com 
 
Thank you for listening!
 
 
 

How to Excel at Plotting your Fiction Novel

Episode 6:
How to Plot your Fiction Novel
So how, exactly, do you plot a fiction novel? Bestselling author Libby Klein has some plotting 101 tips that are invaluable.
Plotting Versus Pantsing
Plotting versus pantsing is a popular topic. Everyone has their own process, and there is no one way to do things when it comes to writing. The most important thing is to figure out what works for you.
 
In this Episode
In this episode, author Libby Klein joins me to talk through her plotting process, her love of colorful stickie notes, and her top three tips for writing a mystery.
 
Take Notes
Get ready to learn a lot, and take notes. 
 
Listen Now!
 
Share this episode with a writing buddy! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-f7bma-12cc4c2
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Take a listen to some of our other podcasts: https://writersparkacademy.com/tips-tricks-and-the-craft-of-writing-podcast/ 
 
Thank you for listening!

How to Add Humor to your Writing

Episode 5:
Do you know how to add humor to your writing?
You don't have to be a side-splitting funny person to be able to add humor to your writing. You don't even need to be funny at all.
So what do you need?
You just need to understand the techniques needed to add humor to your writing and you'll be golden.
Scott Sedita
There are a lot of ways you can approach humor. Scott Sedita's Eight Characters of Comedy is one way to create characters with that sole intention. His Eight Characters of Comedy are the comedic archetypes and are the basis for myriad sitcom characters on TV.
They translate just as well to fiction writing, which is all about character. Think about your favorite comedies (TV, movies, or in books and comics). Can you identify characters who fit into these roles:
The Logical Smart One
The Lovable Loser
The Neurotic
The Dumb One smart
The Bitch/Bastard
The Materialistic One
The Womanizer/Manizer
The In Their Own Universe?
Talking with Diane Kelly
I had the opportunity to talk with bestselling mystery and romance author Diane Kelly. She talks about these eight comedic archetypes, and gives a myriad of other tips for adding comedy to your writing, whether or not you consider yourself funny.
You Don't Have to be Funny
I am NOT a funny person. I'm shy, pretty quiet, and introverted. Humor is rarely my Go To. But the great thing about being a writer is that I have ample time to ponder, which give me the chance to come up with the perfect comedic comeback, the idea one-line zinger, or anything else that will give a scene the levity it needs.
My chat with Diane reveals how you can be very intentional about adding humor to your writing. It doesn't have to come spontaneously. It doesn't have to be 'you'. Just like everything else, writing humor can be learned.
 
Thank you for listening!
 
Share this episode with a writing buddy! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-f7bma-12cc4c2
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Take a listen to some of our other podcasts: https://writersparkacademy.com/tips-tricks-and-the-craft-of-writing-podcast/ 
Thank you for listening!
#Writinghumorinfiction #writingtips #writingtipsandtricks #writingfiction #onlinelearning #eightcharacteristicsofcomedy #rikrobertsschoolofcomedy

Outlining while Still Writing by the Seat of your Pants

Episode 4
 
Outlining while Still Writing by the Seat of your Pants
Outlining (or plotting) seems opposite of writing by the seat of your pants. In a lot of ways it is. But it doesn't have to be. See how they work together. In this episode, I'm talking with bestselling mystery and suspense author Daryl Wood Gerber about how these two methods of writing actually work hand-in-hand.
First
First of all, are you a plotter or a pantser? Most writers fall somewhere in between. Plotting can be a roadmap, allowing you to still write by the seat of your pants.
Learn More
Learn more in this episode of WriterSpark: Tips and Tricks for Writing Fiction.
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
Share this episode with a writing buddy! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-f7bma-12cc4c2
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Daryl Wood Gerber's website: https://darylwoodgerber.com/
Thank you for listening!
 

How do you Write a Compelling Villain?

Episode 3
How do you Write a Convincing Villain?
The villain is just as important as the hero. In fact, in the WriterSpark Ready, Set, WRITE! course, I recommend starting with the villain to ensure complexity.
 
In This Episode
In this episode, Melissa chats with author Annette Dashofy about her tips to writing a compelling villain. Annette gives several tips on writing villains. Definitely keep them in mind as you write yours.
 
Listen Now!
 
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
 
Share this episode with a writing buddy! https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-f7bma-12cc4c2
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Take a listen to some of our other podcasts: https://writersparkacademy.com/tips-tricks-and-the-craft-of-writing-podcast/ 
Thank you for listening!

Tips for Writing Historical Mysteries

Episode 2
How to Research and Write Historical Mysteries
Writing historical mystery books--or any novel, for that matter--is no easy feat. It takes time, research, a desire to learn about the era about which you are writing,
And if you want to write a real showstopper, you have to fully immerse yourself.
 
Heather Redmond
Heather Redmond knows just how to do the research required to write truly authentic novels. She is the author of the Dickens of a Crime series with Kensington.
 
Heather's Tips
Heather has got some great tips, so if you have a hankering to write an historical mystery--and even if you don't have that hankering--check out our chat. Heather is a delight.
 
Listen Now!
 
Also...
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Heather Redmond's website: https://www.heatherredmond.com
Thank you for listening!

Writing Your Bliss Rather than Following the Market

Episode 1
Writing your Bliss Rather than Writing to the Market
Writing your bliss rather than writing to the market may not be easy to do. It's tempting to want to write to the market. If you do that, however, you risk:
being uninspired by your own plot
boring readers because they will sense the lack of inspiration
your writing lacking authenticity
your readers sensing that lack of authenticity
 
Follow Your Heart
In this episode, Melissa chats with mystery writer, Brook Peterson, about 'Writing Your Bliss', or following your heart when you write instead of following the market.
 
Get Inspired
I love it when I get inspired by people. Brook Peterson is inspiring, and I love her approach to writing. Get inspired by her.
 
Listen Now!
 
Check Out Other Episodes
Check out more WriterSpark: Tips and Tricks for Fiction Writers episodes and ignite your WriterSpark!
 
Start with Daryl Wood Gerber and our talk on Plotting and Panting!
 
 
Please LIKE this episode, follow the podcast, and leave a review! I appreciate you!
 
Resources
Sign up for the WriterSpark newsletter: https://writersparkacademy.com/newslettersignup/
WriterSpark Website: http://writersparkacademy.com
Learn more about the host, Melissa Bourbon: http://melissabourbon.com
Subscribe to WriterSpark on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnKN2ZVZwjoAOeHlBO-cRIw/videos
Follow WriterSpark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWriterSpark
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheWriterSpark
Instagram: http://instagram.com/bookishly_cozy
Visit Brook Peterson's website: https://www.brookpetersonauthor.com
Thank you for listening!