PODCAST · arts
KidLit Craft Podcast
by kidlitcraft
At KidLit Craft we look at mentor texts to figure out the mechanics of how writers do what they do so we can improve our own writing. In season one, we do a deep dive into Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats.
Episodes
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In-Betweens, Ep. 4: Writing Mental Health and Other Difficult Topics with Rocky Callen
Anne-Marie talks with Rocky Callen, author of A Breath Too Late, about writing about difficult topics, including suicide, suicidal ideation, and domestic violence. We cover what to consider in drafting and revision, as well as how to take care of yourself as an author. If you or someone you know…
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In-Betweens, Ep. 3: All About Developmental Edits with Denise Santomauro
Anne-Marie is joined by freelance editor Denise Santomauro. We break down what a developmental edit is, why you might want one, and how to work with a freelance editor, from initial contact through contracts to the final edit letter. Denise works as a freelance editor and book coach. You can find...
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In-Betweens, Ep. 2: Writing Retreats with Lindsay Lackey and Kristi Wright
Anne-Marie is joined by middle grade author Lindsay Lackey and KidLit Craft co-editor Kristi Wright to talk all things writing retreats! What conditions make it possible to get work done, how to plan your own writing retreat, and favorite writing retreat snacks. Find Lindsay Lackey at...
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In-Betweens, Ep. 1: Everything MFA--and Michael Leali's MFA Boot Camp
Anne-Marie sits down with middle grade author Michael Leali to talk everything MFA: what programs are out there, why you might want one, our MFA stories, how to apply, and Michael's new MFA in Writing for Young Readers Bootcamp, offered through University of San Francisco. REGISTER FOR MFA BOOT...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 12: The END--A Satisfying Ending That Also Sets Up a Sequel
Episode 12 In our last episode of season 2, Erin and Anne-Marie take a closer look at THE END of Thieves’ Gambit, specifically, how Kayvion Lewis creates a satisfying ending for this novel and at the same time sets up the sequel. Han Solo in carbonite The Twilight series Kurt Vonnegut–The Shape…
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Thieves’ Gambit, Ep. 11: How to Plan a Heist
Episode 11 We’re gathering the people with essential skills, making a plan, anticipating obstacles, doing reconnaissance, and pulling off a heist. Erin and Anne-Marie break down the elements needed for a heist and analyze how Kayvion Lewis designed and executed the (writing of the) sarcophagus...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 10, Chapter and Scene Pacing
Episode 10 Pacing scenes and chapters in an action/thriller might seem to be all about how to move through the story as fast as possible, but in this episode, Anne-Marie and Erin focus on controlling the pace, why you want slower moments, and how to move fast without sacrificing clarity or...
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Thieves’ Gambit, Ep. 9: Overarching Pacing
The pacing of a story determines how a story feels to read, and writers get to control that pacing by placing story elements at certain moments in the book and by how they move from chapter to chapter or scene to scene. In this episode, Anne-Marie and Erin explore how Kayvion Lewis keeps the pace...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 8: Action Scenes
Action scenes in a thriller novel need to be fast-paced, but fast-paced means more than lots of really quick actions in a row. Erin and Anne-Marie break down three different kinds of action scenes in Thieves’ Gambit to find tips and tricks for hitting the perfect sweet spot of pacing. Books we…
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 7: Relationship Arcs
Like character arcs and story arcs, relationship arcs can span the course of the novel, explore themes, reveal and challenge the main character, and complicate plot lines. In Episode 7, Erin and Anne-Marie examine Ross’s friendship arc with Noelia and her romance arc with Devroe. Things we…
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 6: Introducing a Big Cast of Characters
Introducing a lot of characters can lead to a muddle in readers’ minds. Erin and Anne-Marie explore why you may want to use a big cast, identify pitfalls to avoid, and break down how Kayvion Lewis introduces the nine teen thieves in Thieves’ Gambit in a way that draws readers in rather than...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 5: Complicated Family Relationships
In Episode 5, Erin and Anne-Marie examine the complicated family relationships in Thieves’ Gambit and explore why to use them, how to introduce them for maximum effect, and how to leverage those relationships to create more tension without taking away the main character’s agency. Things we…
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 4: Shifting Desire Lines
In Season 1, we talked about internal and external desire, but how does it work when the character wants one thing at the beginning and switches to wanting something else? In Season 2, Episode 4, Erin and Anne-Marie dive into Kayvion Lewis’s YA thriller, Thieves’ Gambit, and dig into why it the...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 3: The World As It Is
The opening of a book establishes The World As It Is, and Kayvion Lewis’s Thieves’ Gambit is no exception. Lewis masterfully establishes Ross Quest’s world of international thievery and how she relates to it, including her desire to escape into something more normal. Get your copy of THIEVES’...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 2: Theme
We’re starting with theme! Kayvion Lewis introduces the theme of TRUST in the very first sentence of Thieves’ Gambit. In this episode, Erin and Anne-Marie explore the different strategies Lewis uses to explore the theme through characters, situations, and plot twists that challenge the main...
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Thieves' Gambit, Ep. 1: Intro
Introducing Season 2! We're taking a deep dive into Kavyion Lewis's YA thriller THIEVES’ GAMBIT. Find out why we chose it and what we have in store for this season. Get your copy of THIEVES’ GAMBIT from Bookshop.org and support the podcast Find more content like this at kidlitcraft.com Support...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 14: Martine Leavitt Interview, Part 2
In this second part of our interview with Martine Leavitt, the author of Buffalo Flats, she tells us about the mountains that inspire her, how to put emotion on the page, what the heck an objective correlative is, and much more, including what she’s working on now. Links: KidLit Craft website...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 13: Martine Leavitt Interview, Part 1
Episode 13: Martine Interview, Part 1 In this episode, we interview Martine Leavitt herself! She talks to us about her inspiration for Buffalo Flats, the painful process of writing it, and her secret to sticking with writing when it's hard. Martine had so much wisdom to share that we split the...
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KidLit Craft: Summer Update 2024
Find out what's next for the KidLit Craft podcast, and exciting upcoming offerings from KidLit Craft. Links: Sign up for the KidLit Craft Newsletter For information on the Writing MG for PB Authors class, email Anne-Marie at [email protected]. Or find out more here: INFO SHEET. KidLit Craft...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 12: Language and Metaphor
Throughout Buffalo Flats, Martine Leavitt uses rich language and evocative metaphors. We break down how and why she uses specific language and metaphors, and to what effect. We also talk about how to decide what language and metaphors to use in your own work. Links: KidLit Craft website Martine...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 11: In-Community Accessibility
In Buffalo Flats, Rebecca belongs to a religious community that exists within the larger community in the Northwest Territories of Canada. In this episode we look at how Martine makes this community recognizable to those in it and accessible to those not, and we share our personal experiences...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 10: Historical Feminism
We explore how Martine incorporates feminism into historical fiction in a way that respects history and characters, by finding friction points between the character’s desires and their experience of the world. Also, Erin emotes about corsets. Links: KidLit Craft website Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 9: Humor
At risk of making Martine’s humor less funny, we take apart the humor in Buffalo Flats, from set-ups and punchlines to adding a funny twist, from individual sentences to full subplots. Links: KidLit Craft website Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo Flats Laurel & Hardy, “Chickens Come Home” Pizza Pirate…
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 8: Romance
In this episode, we’re talking ROMANCE! We look at how Martine Leavitt sets up the balance between physical intimacy and emotional intimacy, uses contrast in secondary romances, and manages a perfectly balanced love triangle for the main character, Rebecca, in her YA novel Buffalo Flats. We also...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 7: Subplots
A novel requires more than just one main plot. In this episode, we look at three major subplots in Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt, one that involves Rebecca’s family, one that involves her local community, and one that involves the larger community. We look at how Martine weaves in these…
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 6: Misbelief
In this mini-episode, we switch things up! Anne-Marie defines what a misbelief is, how it connects your character’s internal and external journey, and we see the concepts in action in Martine Leavitt’s YA novel, Buffalo Flats. Links: KidLit Craft website Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo Flats Writing...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 5: Internal Desire
Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats is full of desire. In addition to wanting to own a piece of land, the main character, Rebecca, also wants to become the person God wants her to be, and that means loving other people, most of whom she finds annoying or unlovable. Erin walks through how the...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 4: External Desire
Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats is full of desire. The main character, Rebecca Leavitt, wants more than anything to own a piece of land near where her family is homesteading in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Erin traces how Martine introduces the external desire right from the…
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Buffalo Flats: Update
We’re three episodes in, and we’re taking a holiday break! Anne-Marie and Erin share how life is in podcast land and encourage you to read Buffalo Flats during the break. Starting in Episode 4 there will be spoilers. But the book is so rich that even if you listen first, you’ll have wonderful...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 3: Opening Chapter
Erin takes us through the four scenes that make up the first chapter of Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats. We talk desire line (both internal and external), character, setting, language, humor and more. Links: Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo Flats "Making Your Character's Desires Concrete" by...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 2: Opening Scene
Erin takes us through the powerful opening scene of Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats and examines how the elements of the first scene set up the entire novel–character, desire lines, themes, setting, voice, tone, humor, and more. Links: Martine Leavitt’s Buffalo Flats The Sound of Music...
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Buffalo Flats, Ep. 1: Introduction
At KidLit Craft we look at the mechanics of how writers do what they do, so we can improve our own writing. In this series, we’re taking a deep dive into Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats. Erin has called this the perfect novel, so we’re tearing it apart to see how Martine put it together....
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does KidLit Craft Podcast have?
KidLit Craft Podcast currently has 32 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is KidLit Craft Podcast about?
At KidLit Craft we look at mentor texts to figure out the mechanics of how writers do what they do so we can improve our own writing. In season one, we do a deep dive into Martine Leavitt’s YA novel Buffalo Flats.
How often does KidLit Craft Podcast release new episodes?
KidLit Craft Podcast has 32 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to KidLit Craft Podcast?
You can listen to KidLit Craft Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts KidLit Craft Podcast?
KidLit Craft Podcast is created and hosted by kidlitcraft.
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