From Flash Fiction to Full Novels: The Writing Journey

Edith and Teri discuss summer plans and share book recommendations, including Heather Walter’s Malice and Misrule, a duology retelling the Maleficent–Aurora story from Alice/Malice’s first-person perspective with romantic elements and multiple twists. They talk about how strong writing helps readers “become” a character regardless of narration style and how state of mind affects immersion. Edith describes teaching One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus, its shifting viewpoints, and creative student assignments such as a funeral letter from the deceased and a school newspaper article, plus flash fiction work in English as a foreign language. The conversation shifts to publishing advice: revising multiple times, letting manuscripts rest, using tools like Autocrit, and the value of editors. They also cover author visibility and marketing—podcasting, consistency, avoiding overwhelm, marketing the author brand rather than a single book, and starting platforms early in a saturated market.00:00 Welcome and Summer Plans00:47 Fantasy Duology Pick03:49 Becoming the Character04:51 First vs Third Person08:52 Teaching a Mystery Novel10:58 Creative Test Assignments14:00 Flash Fiction in ESL16:03 Learning Languages and Dreaming21:27 Editing Before Publishing26:29 Editors Make Books Better31:48 Description vs Story Pace41:26 Interview for Story Impact43:32 Visibility Book Origins44:44 Podcasting For Exposure47:19 Avoid Marketing Overwhelm51:25 Market Yourself Not Books53:39 Start Early Stay Consistent55:14 Branding With Thumbnails01:00:23 Podcast Guest Confidence01:06:21 Finding Readers In Saturation01:12:45 Reading Like A Writer01:18:38 Writing Reality And AI01:21:15 Closing Thoughts FarewellMusic: artlist.io