10 Top Podcasts about the Craft of Writing

Podcasts on Writing

1. The Creative Penn
2. Dead Robot's Society
3. Helping Writers Become Authors
4. I Should Be Writing
5. The Narrative Breakdown
6. Scriptcast
7. The Secrets
8. Write Now!
9. Writing Excuses
10. The Writing Show 

Thinking Like a Writer: Positive Thinking

How mental attitudes might reverse the effects of old age: A conversation with Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer about her latest research on how positive thinking can improve your health.

http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2014-12-01/ellen_langer_mindfulness_and_the_power_of_thought

Website: http://www.ellenlanger.com/art/

Writing a Story

Saw this advice and really liked it. This is simple straightforward and doable.

• Give the character a problem, no matter how small. 
• When the character tries to solve the problem, make the attempt fail. 
• Make it fail in such a way that things get worse.
• Now the character has a bigger problem. 
• When the character tries to solve that one...
• ...add another try/fail cycle.
• To end the story, have your character put everything on the line in one last big try, which either succeeds or fails.

Irony Builds Character

Recently heard, Matt Bird on the Narrative Breakdown talk about how irony is central to character and storytelling. He writes, "When stories seem meaningless, it is usually because they lack irony. When stories are especially powerful, you can be certain the author has packed it full of many different types of irony. "

Morning Pages

Oliver Burkeman recently wrote in The Guardian about how he was won over to the practice of Morning Pages.

Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories Even Though the Pay is Peanuts

New article:
Ten Reasons to Write Short Stories Even Though the Pay is Peanuts

5 Alternative Sites to Visit After Triggerstreet

The great site, Triggerstreet, is being shut down. Triggerstreet has been a great place for sharing creative works (stories, screenplays, films) and getting feedback. It was set up well to make sure you had to put in an effort to provide accurate feedback, and if you wanted feedback on your stuff then you had to help others first. Sadly I learned today that it will be going off-line.

Here are some alternatives to go to:

• Zoetrope Virtual Studio Home
• Scribophile
• Critique Circle
• Script Frenzy
• SimplyScripts