DIY MFA Radio
by Gabriela Pereira
Take your writing from average to awesome, and learn tools of the trade from bestselling authors, master writing teachers, and publishing industry insiders. This podcast will give you tools and techniques to help you get those words on the page and your stories out into the world. Past guests include: Delia Ephron, John Sandford, Steve Berry, Jojo Moyes, Tana French, Guy Kawasaki, and more.
Episodes
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485: Lesson 10 – Embrace the Journey
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode ends our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 10 – Embrace the Journey. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week...
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484: Lesson 9 – Take Baby Steps
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 9 – Take Baby Steps. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week...
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483: Lesson 8 – Track the Money
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 8 – Track the Money Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week...
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482: Lesson 7 – Practice, Practice, Practice
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 482 – Practice, Practice, Practice Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This…
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481: Lesson 6 – Balance is Fallacy
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson #6 – Balance is Fallacy. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two...
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480: Lesson 5 – Choose Abundance Over Scarcity
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 5 – Choose Abundance Over Scarcity Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This…
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479: Lesson 4 – Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 4 – Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit...
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478: Lesson 3 – Embrace the Power of Iteration
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 3 – Embrace the Power of Iteration Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This…
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477: Lesson 2 – Act "As If"
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode continues our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 2 – Act "As If" Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email...
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476: Lesson 1 – Jump First, Build After
Welcome to DIY MFA Radio, where I do a deep dive into the writing life as well as the craft and business of writing. Today's episode kicks off our series: Ten Lessons from Ten Years of Podcasting. This is Lesson 1 – Jump First, Build After. Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a…
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475: Craft Jam: Get Your Story to "The End"
Welcome, today is DIY MFA's monthly Craft Jam. Once a month, Christa and I jam about the craft. In these episodes, we do a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month's episode is a deep dive into how to craft the perfect…
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474: Craft Jam: Nail Your Narration
Welcome, today is DIY MFA's monthly Craft Jam. Once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month's episode is a deep dive into how to...
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473: Craft Jam: Revise Your Writing Like a Pro
Today's episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building, and more. In this...
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472: Craft Jam: Conferences
Today's episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Christa and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month's...
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471: A Behind the Scenes Look at How to Craft a Bestselling Thriller Series— Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Kathy Reichs. We'll be talking about her book The Bone Hacker and how to craft a bestselling thriller series. Kathy Reichs' first novel Déjà Dead, published in 1997, won the Ellis Award for Best First Novel and was an international bestseller. To date…
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470: Craft Jam: Draft Zero
Today's episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Lori and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building, and more. This month's...
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469: Craft Jam: Weave Your Story's World
We're back for another episode of our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Lori and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more....
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468: Raise Your Story's Stakes with Tension and Surprise - Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing MT Anderson. We'll be talking about his book, Elf Dog and Owl Head, and raising your story's stakes. M. T. Anderson has written stories for adults, picture books for children, adventure novels for young readers, graphic novel adaptations of ancient…
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467: Craft Jam: Perfect Your Plot
Today we have another monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Lori and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month's...
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466: An Inside Look at the Publishing Industry - Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Bianca Marais, CeCe Lyra, and Carly Watters. We'll be taking an inside look at the publishing industry. Before diving in, I wanted to make a quick note. Our wonderful guests are the co-hosts of a fantastic podcast that has a particular word in its title....
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465: Complex Characters, Dark Retellings, and Urban Settings - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Mary Pascual. They'll be talking about her debut novel, The Byways, and creating multi-dimensional characters. Mary Pascual is a writer and artist who believes finding magic is only a matter of perspective. She loves stories about characters with heart and fantastical...
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464: Craft Jam: Create Compelling Characters
Today's episode is our monthly Craft Jam. This is a new feature at DIY MFA, where once a month, Lori and I will be jamming about the craft. In these episodes, we'll be doing a deep dive into various craft topics like character development, story structure, world building and more. This month's...
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463: Revealing a Character through Their Survivors - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Daniel Weizmann. They'll be talking about his neo-noir mystery, The Last Songbird. Daniel Weizmann got his start at 13 under the nom de plume Shredder, writing for the legendary Flipside Fanzine. He went on to write for the LA Weekly, LA Times, Billboard, the Guardian,...
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462: Organize a Short Story Collection as a Full Experience - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Jolene Mcilwain. They'll be talking about Sidle Creek and centering a short story collection around a place. Jolene McIlwain's fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and appears in West Branch, Florida Review, Cincinnati Review, New Orleans Review, Northern...
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461: Start with a Setting: Creating a Rich World for Your Story - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Ginny Kubitz Moyer. They'll be talking about how she started writing her debut novel, The Seeing Garden, with the setting. Ginny Kubitz Moyer is a California native with a love of local history. A graduate of Pomona College and Stanford University, she's an English...
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460: Pantsing Your Way to Dynamic Characters — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Neely Tubati Alexander. They'll be talking about Love Buzz and the importance of listening to your intuition when crafting a novel. Neely Tubati Alexander is a first-generation Indian American mother of two. Originally from the Seattle area where Love Buzz, her debut...
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459: The Power of Poetry to Survive, Heal, and Connect — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Anne Marie Wells. They'll be talking about her poetry collection, Survived By: A Memoir in Verse, and using poetry as a method of dealing with heavy emotions. Anne Marie Wells (She | They) is an award-winning Queer poet, playwright, memoirist, and storyteller…
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458: Intuitive Writing: Capture Your Character's Energy and Paint with Your Words — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Donnaldson Brown. They'll be talking about Because I Loved You, and about how her background in screenwriting has influenced her prose. Donnaldson 's debut novel, Because I Loved You, is due out in April 2023 with She Writes Press. An attorney and former screenwriter,...
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457: Take the Leap: Chase Your Passion, Quit Your Job, and Write a Memoir — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Leslie Karst. They'll be talking about weaving past experiences into your writing and her new book Justice is Served. The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst waited tables and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for a "real"…
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456: Therapy for Poets: On Reading and Writing Poetry — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Danielle Mitchell. They'll be talking about the methodology of writing and reading poetry. Danielle Mitchell (she/her) is an intersectional feminist, poet, and teaching artist. She is the Founding Director of The Poetry Lab, an online learning platform that rallies in...
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455: The Magic and Science of Writing — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Patricia Leavy. They'll be talking about her book, Hollyland, and the science behind the art of writing. Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and…
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454: Exploring Themes of Grief and Loneliness in a Neo-Noir Speculative Novel — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Jinwoo Chong. They'll be talking about themes of loss and disconnection and how they relate to his book Flux. Jinwoo Chong is the author of the novel Flux, coming March 21, 2023 from Melville House. His work has appeared in The Southern Review, Chicago Quarterly…
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453: Turning One Book into Eight: Planning and Writing a Thriller Series — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Laurie Buchanan. They'll be talking about Impervious and the mechanics of writing a series. Laurie writes the Sean McPherson novels—fast-paced thrillers set in the Pacific Northwest featuring a trifecta of malice and the pursuit and cost of justice. As a photographer…
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452: Pivot, Payoff, and the Geometry of Story — Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Steven James. We'll be talking about his multifaceted storytelling framework, and his book The Art of the Tale. Steven James is the bestselling, critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels that have won or been shortlisted for more than a dozen…
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451: Collaborating on a Fairy Tale-Inspired YA Series — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Sorboni Banerjee and Dominique Richardson. They'll be talking about collaborating on their book, Red as Blood, and the sisterhood they found. Dominique Richardson and Sorboni Banerjee are the coauthors of THE EVERBEACH SERIES—a young adult, romantic suspense series...
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450: Double Entendres, Meet Cutes, and Smart Sex: Writing Contemporary Romance — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Thien-Kim Lam. They'll be talking about writing romance with depth and spice. Thien-Kim Lam writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. A recovering Type-Asian, she guzzles cà phê sữa đá, makes art, and bakes her...
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449: Genre Hopping, Process, and Time Management: The Life of a Working Writer — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Courtney Maum. They'll be talking about honesty in memoir and her book The Year of the Horses. Author of five books, including the game changing publishing guide Before and After the Book Deal and the memoir, The Year of the Horses, (chosen by The Today Show as the…
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448: From Drafting to Marketing: A Debut Author's Journey — Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Jenna Miller. They'll be talking about her publishing experience as a debut writer with her book Out of Character. Jenna Miller writes Young Adult books about fat, queer, nerdy girls who deserve to be seen and have their voices heard. When she's not obsessing over…
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447: Flying by the Seat of Your Pants: Writing without an Outline — Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Monte Schultz. We'll be talking about his book Metropolis, and the intricacies of writing alternative history. Monte Schulz received his M.A. in American Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara. He published his first novel, Down by the…
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446: Exploring Social Justice Topics in a YA Thriller – Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Jumata Emill. They'll be talking about exploring social justice through multi-cultural experiences and his book The Black Queen. Jumata is a journalist who has covered crime and local politics in Mississippi and parts of Louisiana. He earned his B.A. in mass...
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446: Exploring Social Justice Topics in a YA Thriller – Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Jumata Emill. They'll be talking about exploring social justice through multi-cultural experiences and his book The Black Queen. Jumata is a journalist who has covered crime and local politics in Mississippi and parts of Louisiana. He earned his B.A. in mass...
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445: IP, Fandoms, and Nostalgia: Rebooting a Beloved Series - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Kendare Blake. They'll be talking about her new book One Girl in All the World and writing a reboot series. Kendare Blake is the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Three Dark Crowns series, the Anna Dressed in Blood duet, All These Bodies, and others. She…
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444: Lies, Secrets, and Tension in a Closed-Setting - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Iris Yamashita. They'll be talking about how her experience as a screenwriter helped her create tension in a closed setting. Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima. She has been working in Hollywood for fifteen…
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443: Writing Diverse Characters via Nuanced Shifts in Language - Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Mary Robinette Kowal. We'll be talking about challenging your default assumption about the world and her latest book The Spare Man. Mary Robinette Kowal is the four-time Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning author of The Glamourist Histories series…
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442: Opening Lines and Characterization: Maximize Your Opening Chapters - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Amy Christine Parker. They'll be talking about coming up with unsettling ideas and Amy's book, Flight 171. Amy Christine Parker is the author of the critically acclaimed young adult thriller novels: Gated, Astray, Smash & Grab, and most recently the horror novel…
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441: Writing an Experimental Short Story Collection - Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Terena Elizabeth Bell. We'll be talking about experimental fiction and her book of short stories, Tell Me What You See. Terena Elizabeth Bell is a fiction writer. Her debut short story collection, Tell Me What You See (Whiskey Tit), publishes Holiday…
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440: Music and Magic: Writing a Brazilian Story for an English-Speaking Audience — Interview
Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Heloisa Prieto. We'll be talking about all of the puzzle pieces in her book, The Musician. Dr. Heloisa Prieto is one of Brazil's most celebrated children and YA authors. She has sold over two million books in her native country. Her Mano series of YA...
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439: Blending Family Trauma with the Supernatural - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Deeba Zargarpur. They'll be talking about family trauma and her book House of Yesterday. Deeba Zargarpur is an Afghan-Uzbek American. She credits her love of literature across various languages to her immigrant parents, whose eerie tales haunted her well into the…
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438: The Stories We Tell and the Secrets We Keep in Family Sagas - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Fran Hawthorne. They'll be talking about her new book I Meant To Tell You and Broad Topic. Fran Hawthorne has been writing novels since she was four years old, although she was sidetracked for several decades by journalism. During that award-winning career, she wrote...
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437: The Freedom of a Pen Name and the Power of Voice in Memoir - Interview
Today, Lori is interviewing Carolyn Hays. They'll be talking about the freedom that can be found in a pen name and her new book A Girlhood: Letter to my Transgender Daughter. Carolyn Hays is an award-winning, critically acclaimed, bestselling author who has chosen to publish A Girlhood: Letter to...
About this show
Take your writing from average to awesome, and learn tools of the trade from bestselling authors, master writing teachers, and publishing industry insiders. This podcast will give you tools and techniques to help you get those words on the page and your stories out into the world. Past guests include: Delia Ephron, John Sandford, Steve Berry, Jojo Moyes, Tana French, Guy Kawasaki, and more.
Hosted by
Gabriela Pereira
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