Podcast
I call my podcast Writing Muse and Writing Mentor, because sometimes I talk about what inspires writers, and sometimes I give practical tips.
Introduction to Using Meditation in Your Writing Practice
If you already have a regular meditation practice, just add the writing I’m outlining in this exercise. If you’ve found traditional meditation difficult, this is a good starting place to channel your mind into enhancing your practice. All you need to get started is a timer, notebook, and pen.
4 Characteristics of Compelling Characters (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor)
One of the most fundamental tasks of any novelist is to make the reader care about the characters. To this end, I offer four characteristics of compelling characters. “Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.” (Kurt Vonnegut)
What do your characters need?
The Evolution of the Mystery Genre (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor)
Chesterton seems to have cared far less for genre standards than detective fiction writers before him, writing stories and creating a character that denies one basic, traditional assumption of the genre: the material world is all that exists. Once his readers let go of this premise, Chesterton opens the genre to a host of story and theme possibilities.
For instance, where Holmes solves paradoxical crimes by denying false clues, Father Brown uses a spiritual understanding of paradox to solve crimes. Where formerly one-dimensional secondary characters abound, Chesterton gives them purpose by using them to spread philosophical messages.
Being Inspired by a Writing Tradition (Writing Muse)
“The secret is to follow the advice the masters give you in their works while doing something different in yours.” (Edgar Degas)
The Mystery of Creativity (Writing Muse)
Much of being creative is mysterious. In fact, creativity is in a sense a mystery religion! And humans by their nature want everything to be clear and understandable. But touching our innermost creativity means not just connecting with mystery, but also settling into it.
Your Writing Practice Goals (Writing Mentor)
Let’s start big. Leave off everything that’s sensible and practical and for just one moment, let your heart take wing. What is your dream vision for your writing practice? Take some time—an hour, a day—and just let your imagination run wild. We’re not looking at plans or goals, and we’re not even looking at 2021. What is your dream for your writing for the next five to 10 years? Before you set an annual goal for 2021, you need to get clear on where you see your writing practice headed in the future.
Why Do I Write? (Writing Muse)
Every life, Tranströmer writes, “has a sister ship,” one that follows “quite another route” than the one we ended up taking. We want it to be otherwise, but it cannot be: the people we might have been live a different, phantom life than the people we are. I think it’s some of these unchosen lives that drive me to write. To explore what I haven’t in real life had the time, or the opportunity, or the inclination, or the money to explore. To play with options and possibilities.
Revising Your Manuscript
Finishing your first draft is a major accomplishment. Bravo! But now the real work begins as you make your way through all the necessary revisions it needs before it goes out to an agent or a publisher. Many writers resist revision because it can be difficult, tedious, and not terribly glamorous. But it is what separates professionals from dilettantes, and might not be as tricky as you’re probably thinking it is.
Creating is DOING (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor podcast)
“To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows.” (Jean Anouilh)
Craft is doing. You learn to write by writing. Ideas are a dime-a-dozen; it is the person who turns ideas into writing that moves readers who is the true author. We need to find a balance between ideas and execution, between thinking and doing.
Balancing Characters and Plot in Fiction (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor series)
The holy grail of good storytelling is great characters in a great plot. Learning to recognize the proper balance of plot and character is sometimes easiest when you first learn to understand what an imbalance looks like. If you can spot and correct instances where your plot is operating without enough input from your characters, you’ll be well on your way to writing exceptional stories.
Tighten Your Writing! (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor series)
Beginning writers often think they sound more “literary” when they use lots of words, or expensive words… in truth, clear and direct writing is what keeps forward momentum going and readers’ interest in the story. Hear how you can tighten your writing in this episode!
Blogging for Authors (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor series)
There’s no one-size fits all when it comes to blogging, and you need to address your own specific audience in your own specific way. But it can be an excellent way to draw people to your website, introduce yourself as a prominent author, and generate content that readers will enjoy.
Finding Your Writing Practice
Author Jeannette de Beauvoir discusses how to avoid writer's block, where her writing fits into the canon, and how writers can find their own place and practice.
Why Should Authors Have Newsletters?
Newsletters are a vitally important tool authors can use to connect with readers. If you haven’t started your list or started dedicating time or energy to your list, I would strongly recommend making this an area of focus over the next year. Need a reason? I’ll give you a few!
How to Combat Inertia (Writing Muse & Writing Mentor series)
Most people call it writer's block. Jeannette de Beauvoir prefers to think of it as inertia, something inner that can be addressed by a number of different strategies (as opposed to writer's block, which seems external and therefore not amenable to change). Today's podcast offers strategies to deal with inertia: assessing your current situation, making writing a priority, micro-writing, setting word-count goals, finishing unfinished projects, using a writing partner, creating cliffhangers, getting physical, and daydreaming.
Arts Week Featuring Jon Richardson & Peter Donnelly
Join presented Jeannette de Beauvoir as she talks with musical duo Jon Richardson and Peter Donnelly (the "gay Simon and Garfunkel") and previews two of the songs on their new album, Mighty Mississippi and Dance All Night.
Recommendations for a Pandemic: Arts Week (WOMR)
This week Jeannette recommends books, subscriptions, series, courses, and even virtual art museums, so that the coronavirus doesn't make us all lose our minds completely. Among the recs: Fogland Point by Doug Burgess; The Americans, Occupied, and Jo (streaming online), newsletters by Heather Cox Richardson and Sarah Lazarus, the Google Art Project, and free courses at Class Central and edX.
Interruptions! What to Do?
Join Jeannette de Beauvoir as she discusses how detrimental interruptions can be to your writing.... and what to do about them.
Where Can I Get Some of That Creativity?
This episode isn't just for writers—it's for anyone wanting to stimulate their creativity! Join Jeannette as she inspires... and gives you tips for harnessing your inner muse.
How to Avoid Discouragement?
All creative types have ups and downs, and discouragement can haunt you, affect your work, lead you to question your vocation. Here are a few ways to avoid feeling discouraged from bestselling author Jeannette de Beauvoir.