PODCAST · arts
Lit Lessons on Flight School
by NYT Bestselling Author, Jennifer Lauck
Internationally celebrated author with 25+ years of teaching experience who demystifies the creative writing game. Learn what you need to finish a memorable and publishable book in simple, easy to understand lessons. jenniferlauck.substack.com
Episodes
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Write Heroic. Be Heroic.
Welcome into Flight School: It’s back-to-school at the Studio but also at the Conscious Writers Collective where I’m teaching Bones of Storytelling for Maya C. Popa and a lot of very bright, hungry and inquisitive minds. NOTE: Yes, you can join us. It’s never too late. More on that in a moment.…
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Lost and Found
Welcome into Flight School: What a treat to speak with Nina Schuyler, a woman lit up by a well-made sentence the way some people are lit up by music or by light on water. In a time when language has been reduced to a means to an end via the caption, the text, the email that sounds like a text,...
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What the Algonquin Taught Me About the Novel
Welcome into Flight School: In this post, Maya C. Popa and I talk about the Foundations Intensive I’ll be teaching for her Conscious Writers Collective this September. First about Maya: She is a terrific lady. Whip-smart (as Tay Hohoff said about Harper Lee). Funny. Bursting with style, energy…
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The Summer of the Finch: The Question That Remains
“We’re all like trees. If you cut us in half you can see exactly where our conscience began to form. But we’ve got all these rings.” ~ Patricia Boynton Welcome into Flight School and our last live conversation about these two amazing books. One we all know, one most of us cannot finish. Go Set…
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The Summer of the Finch: A Conversation in Paris
“You go to the very end, Jennifer. Which is why I wanted to be here.” — Pamela Combastet, Paris, 8 p.m. Welcome into Flight School and this deep conversation I was lucky to have with Pamela who is the President of WICE, a Paris literary program, a former New York magazine editor, and one smart...
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The Summer of the Finch: Launched
Welcome into Flight School for our Summer of the Finch: We had a full house of writers signed up for this meeting and then, come Go Time, we only had two and then one and then two again. That’s summer for you so I’m delighted to bring you this follow up conversation from our launch. I opened with...
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The Romp Knows Something You Don't
Welcome to Flight School: When Heide Island emailed asking for a blurb on her new book Romp, I almost said no. I’d worked with her briefly, years ago, when I was just starting to build what would eventually become The Blackbird Studio and this fabulous tributary: Blackbird’s Flight School. She…
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The Egoic Trap Running Your Hero's Life
Welcome into Flight School: Week 1: What your hero fights for (and which level your story actually reaches)Week 2: Which plot you’re actually writing (not the one you wish you were)Week 3: The egoic trap you can’t see yet (but your writing will reveal) Over these three classes we had fifty people...
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The Plot Your Story Is Actually Following
Hi and welcome back to Flight School: Class two of our series was so different from class one. We weren’t just learning framework now, we were applying it to real stories in real time. I opened with a review of Christopher Booker’s Seven Basic Plots and asking them to think about: Which plot best...
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Is Your Hero Fighting for the Right Thing?
Hi and welcome into Flight School: Fourteen writers signed up for this first class and all had one question to ponder: Who is your hero, and what do they want most? The answers came fast: A 19-year-old seeking to assuage existential guilt (Carrie). A 12-year-old girl navigating grief and secrets...
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What's Your Image
Welcome to this speedy, but deep, masterclass on the core image that holds your entire story. You’ll be watching an excerpt from an advanced writing workshops at Blackbird, where I share a prologue titled Boxes that opens my new memoir Revert about my three-years in a self-imposed retreat on the...
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Blackbird. A Memoir: Going the Distance or Not?
…you are giving us a unique perspective in class by studying Blackbird. I wonder how many NYT best-selling authors would be so honest about perceived flaws in their work and in so doing give us baby writers some practical knowledge from your experience. Thanks. ~ Richard Peeples, SII Welcome: In...
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Blackbird & the Timeless Power of Scene Writing
“Lauck has constructed a riveting narrative from the awful mess of her life.That she has managed to do so fills me with an admiration for which I cannot find words. The best I can do is to suggest that you read this book.” ~ The London Times Welcome into Flight School: The video is a conversation...
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Fathers, Freedom, and False Friends
When we were kids, in school, most of had to read Huck Finn by Mark Twain. Book report required, too. But how many of us ingested what this book offered and what it means to the American debate on morality, race, and the original sin of slavery that we contend with in ever-changing degrees? If…
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From Banned Book to Literary Classic: The Power of Authentic Voice
Welcome into Flight School: This is a terrific conversation with a wonderful writer, Richard Peeples, from my Blackbird Studio workshop. Richard’s writing a memoir about a wife who died at the height of their marriage, and explores what it means to love and lose. Here is a piece published in…
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Proof of Concept: When a Writer Does the Work
Hi and welcome: Every teacher dreams of the moment when a student takes a craft lesson and transforms it into something wholly their own. Konrad Nau gave me that moment. A retired family physician with thirty-five years of patient relationships and one memoir under his belt, Konrad had never...
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Flannery O'Connor's Pig Parlor Prophecy: When Smugness Meets Its Mirror
Welcome to Flight School and now and again, I’ll repost teachings that are powerful or hit hard. This post, from May, is one of those primarily because a writer here on Flight School responded to the prompt and blew my mind. Konrad and I talked about the story he submitted: Fear in West Texas and...
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Why Some Stories Grip from Page One and Others Leave Readers Mysteriously Unsatisfied
Welcome to Flight School: Our third and final mini-class unveiled a key structural secrets behind stories that grip readers versus those that fall flat. 1. You Don't Have One Antagonist—You Have Nine Most writers focus on the obvious villain but Robert McKee's model in Story shows us nine…
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When Plot Reveals Itself: The Rototiller vs. Clippers Problem
Welcome: Our second mini-class from my Bones series was a huge success. Our big takeaways, plus next weeks guidelines, are here. Let’s go. Takeaway 1: The tool dilemma every writer faces Plot, like a rototiller, is complex, intimidating, and avoided until absolutely necessary. But when you treat...
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When Your Reader Finally Leans In
Welcome back to Flight School: Konrad has done extensive research about medieval medicine, Berber-Arab conflicts, and historical context spanning centuries. His what-if exercises walked us through all this fascinating background material. Mary listened, polite, but then leaned in when Konrad...
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Stop Writing in Circles: The Structural Secrets Behind Every Great Story
Hi and welcome into Flight School, where good writers become great: The cool kiss of fall in the air. Dry leaves dropping from still green trees. Shorter days. It’s back-to-school time and this fall I'm opening the vaults to three free mini-classes pulled from my core teaching, The Bones of...
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The Question That Changes Everything: Who Are You Writing For?
Hi and welcome back to Flight School: If you missed our live summer conversation, not to worry. I’ve edited it and present it here. Watch and witness writers discovering their true audience and experiencing real-time breakthroughs. Our central question (thanks to Becky) was deceptively simple…
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Time Management + Scene Writing = Breakthrough
Hi and welcome to Flight School: Our first paid-subscriber Studio titled Perils & Promise was a hit. Thanks to everyone who showed up live. REMINDER: The Second Perils and Promise with Becky and me is coming August 14th. If you are a paid-subscriber, you get in free. Look for your code in the...
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Crafting the Best, Beautiful, Greatest Novel Requires a Reckoning: With Yourself
Welcome into Flight School: Save the dates: July 31st & Aug. 14th at 9:00 a.m. PST (🐦⬛Free for subscribers. Find your code in the footer of this email) What: A two-part live conversation with me and my co-teacher, Becky Ellis. We are both memoirists and fiction writers and will share what have…
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Brutal Convergence from the Master of Story Escalation: Flannery O'Connor
Welcome to Flight School: It’s time to take a deep dive on “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” If you haven’t read it, click the link, read, and come on back. If you have, let’s continue. “Everything” is one of the last stories Flannery O'Connor completed before her death and emerges from a...
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If You're Not Interesting? Who is?
Welcome to Flight School: Our first live meeting was packed with early risers ready to talk about process and stay inspired through connection and community. The Universal Struggles Time emerged as our collective nemesis and we learned the solution isn't finding more hours—it's claiming the quiet...
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Flannery O'Connor: Writing Against the Tide
"Well, if it's a symbol, to hell with it," Flannery O'Connor said and silenced a room of NY intellectuals. This Exclusive Writing Lab explores how a sharp-witted Georgian created literature that still unsettles readers sixty years after her death. Welcome into Flight School: The first time I read...
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The Accidental Teacher: How a Meadow Conversation Changed My Life
Welcome into Flight School: “You would make a wonderful teacher,” she said. She being a spiritual guru in the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Gray hair slicked back into a bun, deep red robes worked over a white cotton blouse, and black cotton pants. She was in her late fifties, I think. So…
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The Untaught Secret to Stories That Captivate to the Final Page
Welcome into Flight School: When All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr released, the hype drew me in. Like many others, I invested in the hardcover and zoomed through this oh-so-promising book. Near the end, I noticed something that seemed impossible. The story fell apart. What happened?...
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From Resistance to Renaissance:
Welcome into Flight School: I hope you enjoy watching this rich, insightful, touching conversation of the six-week Light Keeper’s Challenge. I created the Light Keeper’s Challenge to help myself and others shine the light on our creative lives amidst darkening days and a flurry of festivities. I...
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The Scene That Sees You
Hi and welcome into Flight School: There's a moment in writing when the world cracks open. Not with the thunderous drama of revelation, but with the quiet gasp of recognition. As a New York Times bestselling author and writing teacher these two decades, I've witnessed this countless times…
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The Sacred Pain of Creative Growth: A Writer's Journey
Welcome into Flight School: There's a moment in every writer's journey when the fantasy of being an author collides with the reality of becoming one. It's like stepping into a cathedral of creativity where the stained glass windows are made of your own vulnerabilities, each pane illuminating a...
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Shattered Dreams, Reforged Purpose: A Literary Crucible
Hi Flyers: “You can be as mad as a dog at the ways things went, you can swear and curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.” ~Captain Mike’s death speech in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button I was as mad as a dog. I swore. I cursed the fates. It wasn’t a battle on the...
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Get Your Creative Writing Done!
Welcome back: …every author attests to the two states of writing—inspiration and waiting for inspiration. These words from the chapter titled A Novel of Your Own (I) of 13 Ways of Looking at the Novel by Jane Smiley become the overarching truth for our ten week “Get it Done" Challenge that…
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Don't Mock Theme, It Matters
An open mic post and free teaching on theme, why it matters and how applying yourself to the study of theme can take some of the sting out of your memoir writing. Welcome: Who cares about my story? My book? Me? If you are a writer of any form, you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t ask these...
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🎧 Unforgettable Characters: A Memoir Writer's Secret Weapon
Welcome into Flight School: Every person in your story deserves careful attention, even those who appear only briefly. The best writers know this - they make every character memorable through precise, thoughtful description. Let me show you how they do it. The Masters at Work Look how these…
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🎧 The Anatomy of Tension: A Scene Study Workshop
Join our deep-dive analysis of "Crazy for the Storm," featuring marked-up pages that reveal exactly how a master writer builds tension. Plus, discover the moment when craft becomes invisible and story takes over, and learn to create that magic in your own work. Hi and welcome: It’s time to…
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🎧 From Theory to Practice: Scene Study Workshop
Take your Scene Recipe Card into the field with an interactive study of "Crazy for the Storm." Follow along with downloadable materials as we discover how Norman Ollestad brings scenes to vivid life, and learn to spot the essential elements that make memoir memorable. Hi and welcome: In my last...
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🎧 Building Scene by Scene: A Master Class in Memoir's Foundation
Learn the essential building block of great memoir, featuring a practical tool that transforms good writing into unforgettable storytelling. Plus, discover why mastering scene is the key to moving from reporting to art. Welcome into Flight School: Generally speaking scene is the building block of...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Internationally celebrated author with 25+ years of teaching experience who demystifies the creative writing game. Learn what you need to finish a memorable and publishable book in simple, easy to understand lessons.
jenniferlauck.substack.com
HOSTED BY
NYT Bestselling Author, Jennifer Lauck
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How many episodes does Lit Lessons on Flight School have?
Lit Lessons on Flight School currently has 39 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Lit Lessons on Flight School about?
Internationally celebrated author with 25+ years of teaching experience who demystifies the creative writing game. Learn what you need to finish a memorable and publishable book in simple, easy to understand lessons. jenniferlauck.substack.com
How often does Lit Lessons on Flight School release new episodes?
Lit Lessons on Flight School has 39 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Lit Lessons on Flight School?
You can listen to Lit Lessons on Flight School 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 Lit Lessons on Flight School?
Lit Lessons on Flight School is created and hosted by NYT Bestselling Author, Jennifer Lauck.
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