So Long — Season 2 Episode 13 As much as I hate to do it, I’m saying so long — for now. Yes, that’s right. I’m stepping away from my podcast. It might be for a month or two or… forever. It makes me sad, but… it’s what I need to do for now. At […]
Smörgåsbord — Season 2 Episode 12 A smörgåsbord is a Swedish meal consisting of a variety of foods. This episode is filled with various topics, I’m 1/2 Scandinavian, so… it seemed a fitting title for this week’s episode. You know I’m going to talk about the weather, but… what else? Billie Eilish I talk about […]
Writer’s Block & Other Stuff — Season 2 Episode 11 In this week’s podcast episode, I talk about writer’s block & other stuff. What’s the other stuff? Y’know, just… stuff. Stuff like… the weather (which has been a teensy bit wild), why I don’t hate all advertising, and some of my favorite writing tools. But, […]
At The Movies With Elvis & Music Biopics — Season 2 Episode 10 At the movies with Elvis & music biopics is this week’s topic in Episode 10 Season 2 of The Djuna Shellam podcast. Aside from the silent movies of a bygone era, the written word is important and essential to the making of […]
People & Characters Are Complicated — S2E9 A lot of times when I happen to say people & characters are complicated, complicated is a euphemism for crazy. You know what I’m talking about. That’s not true for this blog or this week’s podcast episode. No, today, I actually mean to say they’re complicated. People are, […]
Story Arcs — The Djuna Shellam Podcast S2 E8 Riffing off last week’s episode, this week I’ve set my sights on the story arcs. I’m using an excellent article by Joe Bunting on The Write Practice website as a reference, but there are scads of others if you feel compelled to explore further. I won’t […]
Explaining The Trope Season 2 Episode 7 What, praytell, is a trope? In Episode 7 I address that very question. The use of the word trope can be confusing because depending upon the context, it can have a different meaning. Figures of Speech In literature, it’s one of the major types of figures of speech, […]
Plotter or Pantser? The Djuna Shellam Podcast Season 2 Episode 6 Are you a plotter or a pantser? Well, first of all, are you a writer of fiction novels? If you’re not, the question is moot. If you are a fiction writer, knowing what you are may be helpful. Plotters Plotters outline their novels to […]
Alpha, Beta & ARC Readers Season 2 Episode 5 In this episode of The Djuna Shellam Podcast, Season 2 Episode 5, I discuss Alpha, Beta & ARC readers, and explain who and what they are. Independent authors and publishers often rely upon other people’s help to polish their work and avoid making mistakes prior to […]
Avoiding The Idiot Plot and More — Season 2 Episode 4 When writing fiction, avoiding the idiot plot is highly advisable. What’s an idiot plot? When the reader or the audience can see clearly what the character(s) should also be able to see but don’t. Why? Among many possibilities, the author wanted to push the […]
