Creative, Actually Podcast

Brandi Badgett, Fictionary’s star Editor and Instructor guides you through the most important aspects of storycraft to help you write your best book.Today’s topic is all about show vs tell: Discover how you can balance the tools of showing vs. telling to write immersive fiction that keeps a reader engaged. Brandi also shares how there are specific times when it’s best for your story to use telling!I’m excited to share this series with you. Packed with lots of useful information and actionable tips, it’s perfect for both aspiring authors and seasoned writers!About Brandi Badgett:I am a wife and mother of five beautiful children. My husband is a rocket scientist, so we live in Alabama, just outside of Rocket City. I’m a lifelong bibliophile and learner which means my home is covered in books.I am a senior at BYU-Idaho, working on a degree in Family and Marriage Studies. The things I have learned in classes and reading studies have influenced my life greatly, and I hope to share the knowledge with others.I’ve played with writing since I was young, but when it came to a novel—I always got stuck until I landed upon Fictionary. Between the knowledge of story I learned there and the kindness of the community, I stayed for years and became a Certified StoryCoach Editor and Instructor.I also write fiction under my pen name Leigh Romero.Chapters & Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:44 Show Versus Tell Basics02:59 Dialogue Subtext Examples04:55 Why Showing Works06:05 Thoughts and Inner Voice08:43 Action Beats Not Talking Heads11:01 Setting and White Room16:23 Revision Stage Techniques19:27 When Telling Helps27:18 Wrap Up and Next EpisodeLinks:FictionaryLove in Development (Amazon ebook)Love in Development Goodreads pageDid you know that I work with amazing creatives from all over the world? If you are working on a project and you would like a mentor, coach, editor, or work through any stucks, I have plenty of ways to meet your needs and at every price point.I’d love to help you reach your goals!Check out what I can do for you! > Work with me This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eacarter.substack.com/subscribe

Brandi Badgett, Fictionary’s star Editor and Instructor guides you through the most important aspects of storycraft to help you write your best book.Today’s topic is all about non-linear timelines: Brandi defines non-linear timelines as a single timeline visited out of order (not alternate realities), and clarifies how writers can use dual timelines, flashbacks, flash-forwards, and fragmented structures to control what readers learn, avoid info dumps, increase tension, and reveal past secrets, and much more!I’m excited to share this series with you. Packed with lots of useful information and actionable tips, it’s perfect for both aspiring authors and seasoned writers!About Brandi Badgett:I am a wife and mother of five beautiful children. My husband is a rocket scientist, so we live in Alabama, just outside of Rocket City. I’m a lifelong bibliophile and learner which means my home is covered in books.I am a senior at BYU-Idaho, working on a degree in Family and Marriage Studies. The things I have learned in classes and reading studies have influenced my life greatly, and I hope to share the knowledge with others.I’ve played with writing since I was young, but when it came to a novel—I always got stuck until I landed upon Fictionary. Between the knowledge of story I learned there and the kindness of the community, I stayed for years and became a Certified StoryCoach Editor and Instructor.I also write fiction under my pen name Leigh Romero.Chapters & Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:55 What Backstory Means02:53 Wound - Belief - Behavior04:09 Worldbuilding as Backstory08:01 Why Backstory Matters10:09 Avoiding the Info Dump12:13 Breadcrumbing Examples15:52 Modern Readers and Pacing18:09 World First or Story First22:07 Balancing Worldbuilding Time25:29 How Fictionary Helps28:09 Final Thanks and Wrap UpLinks:FictionaryLove in Development (Amazon ebook)Love in Development Goodreads pageDid you know that I work with amazing creatives from all over the world? If you are working on a project and you would like a mentor, coach, editor, or work through any stucks, I have plenty of ways to meet your needs and at every price point.I’d love to help you reach your goals!Check out what I can do for you! > Work with me This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eacarter.substack.com/subscribe

Brandi Badgett, Fictionary’s star Editor and Instructor guides you through the most important aspects of storycraft to help you write your best book.Today’s topic is all about backstory: what is backstory and why it’s important and what three things you need to know about how to use backstory the best way possible. Brandi shares solutions on how to use backstory to write an engaging book while avoiding the dreaded info dump. (Yay!)I’m excited to share this series with you. Packed with lots of useful information and actionable tips, it’s perfect for both aspiring authors and seasoned writers!About Brandi Badgett:I am a wife and mother of five beautiful children. My husband is a rocket scientist, so we live in Alabama, just outside of Rocket City. I’m a lifelong bibliophile and learner which means my home is covered in books.I am a senior at BYU-Idaho, working on a degree in Family and Marriage Studies. The things I have learned in classes and reading studies have influenced my life greatly, and I hope to share the knowledge with others.I’ve played with writing since I was young, but when it came to a novel—I always got stuck until I landed upon Fictionary. Between the knowledge of story I learned there and the kindness of the community, I stayed for years and became a Certified StoryCoach Editor and Instructor.I also write fiction under my pen name Leigh Romero.Chapters & Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:55 What Backstory Means02:53 Wound - Belief - Behavior04:09 Worldbuilding as Backstory08:01 Why Backstory Matters10:09 Avoiding the Info Dump12:13 Breadcrumbing Examples15:52 Modern Readers and Pacing18:09 World First or Story First22:07 Balancing Worldbuilding Time25:29 How Fictionary Helps28:09 Final Thanks and Wrap UpLinks:FictionaryLove in DevelopmentLove in Development Goodreads pageDid you know that I work with amazing creatives from all over the world? If you are working on a project and you would like a mentor, coach, editor, or work through any stucks, I have plenty of ways to meet your needs and at every price point.I’d love to help you reach your goals!Check out what I can do for you! > Work with me This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eacarter.substack.com/subscribe

Brandi Badgett, Fictionary’s star Editor and Instructor guides you through the most important aspects of storycraft to help you write your best book.Today’s topic is all about theme: what is theme and why it matters, how to figure out what the theme of your book is, and how to craft it into every part of your story without being preachy.I’m excited to share this series with you. Packed with lots of useful information and actionable tips, it’s perfect for both aspiring authors and seasoned writers!About Brandi Badgett:I am a wife and mother of five beautiful children. My husband is a rocket scientist, so we live in Alabama, just outside of Rocket City. I’m a lifelong bibliophile and learner which means my home is covered in books.I am a senior at BYU-Idaho, working on a degree in Family and Marriage Studies. The things I have learned in classes and reading studies have influenced my life greatly, and I hope to share the knowledge with others.I’ve played with writing since I was young, but when it came to a novel—I always got stuck until I landed upon Fictionary. Between the knowledge of story I learned there and the kindness of the community, I stayed for years and became a Certified StoryCoach Editor and Instructor.I also write fiction under my pen name Leigh Romero.Chapters & Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Series Intro01:08 Why Theme Matters02:32 Theme vs Moral Lessons04:29 Topics and Universal Themes08:52 Thematic Statements Explained12:13 Theme as Story Engine13:04 Major and Minor Themes15:43 Finding Theme in Revision18:04 Weaving Theme Into Craft22:23 Originality and Universal Ideas24:50 Theme and Reader Connection31:11 Tips to Identify Theme Mid Draft33:54 Wrap Up and Next EpisodeLinks:FictionaryLove in DevelopmentLove in Development Goodreads pageDid you know that I work with amazing creatives from all over the world? If you are working on a project and you would like a mentor, coach, editor, or work through any stucks, I have plenty of ways to meet your needs and at every price point.I’d love to help you reach your goals!Check out what I can do for you! > Work with me This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eacarter.substack.com/subscribe

In today’s conversation, Elizabeth sits down with her good friend Ruana, co-owner of Dunie, a multidisciplinary design studio in Almaty, Kazakhstan to talk about how having a special needs child has affected her life and her creativity as a writer.Ruana’s young son Idris suffers from a very, very rare genetic disorder that severely impacts his life and future. During the course of the long, frightening and uncertain journey to stabilize him, Ruana needed a heart ablation for what some considered a broken heart. If you are a parent of a special needs child, please be aware that some of the conversation might feel triggering. Please be gentle with yourself.Thank you so much to Ruana for sharing her journey with us and of how she overcame her loss of creativity to express it in new and wonderful ways. Ruana is a truly inspiring person and I am grateful for this meaningful conversation that will encourage many listeners.About Ruana:Ruana Esengosova is the co-founder of Dunie Design. With a background in International Management and Japanese Art, she has always been passionate about heritage and culture. After living for 14 years in the UK, she has come back to Almaty with dreams of establishing Dunie as an international Central Asian brand and gaining more insight into her roots. When she’s not juggling motherhood, she likes to watch anime, write teenage angst romances and send cat memes to her loved ones.Chapters & Timestamps:00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:42 Thoughts on Borat and Kazakhstan02:11 Almaty Travel and Seasons03:10 From Wattpad to Long-Term Friendship04:54 From Delivery to Diagnosis Journey07:55 Creativity Through Pain11:06 Finding Dunie Community13:53 Starting Dunie Vision15:55 Building a Design Movement in Central Asia19:38 Writing Meets Design22:36 Visual Diary Practice27:09 Future Goals and Doubts31:34 Social Media Double Edge36:22 Two Versions of Ruana’s Life39:15 Writing Serious Stories43:15 Closing Thanks and FarewellLinks:DunieDid you know that I work with amazing creatives from all over the world? If you are working on a project and you would like a mentor, coach, editor, or work through any stucks, I have plenty of ways to meet your needs and at every price point.I’d love to help you reach your goals!Check out what I can do for you! > Work with me This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit eacarter.substack.com/subscribe