Episode 83: Writing Outside Our Experience – with Nicholas Petrie

Today I’m talking to Nicholas Petrie, author of the stunning debut The Drifter, an explosive thriller written with a strong literary sensibility. In our conversation, we tackle a topic that many authors often struggle with: how do we write about something when we have no first-hand experience with it? This question goes deeper than “how do… Read more »

Episode 82: Start Small and Embrace the Power of Zero

Hey there Word Nerds! I’m so glad you’re here. First OMG! today is the day after my birthday. But more important, I am excited to share today’s topic because it’s a big one. Today I want to talk about the power of starting small and embracing the power of zero. A lot of people resist starting something (writing a book, launching a… Read more »

Episode 81: Why We Write About Ourselves – with Meredith Maran

Hi there Word Nerds! Thanks for joining me for today’s episode of DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to Meredith Maran about her latest book: Why We Write About Ourselves. Following up on her previous collection: Why We Write, Meredith’s most recent book is a collection of essays from memoirists, talking about why they write memoir in… Read more »

Episode 78: Building an Email List – Interview with Kirsten Oliphant

Hey there Word Nerds! Welcome back to DIY MFA Radio. Today I’m talking to blogger and writer, Kirsten Oliphant, and we’ll be discussing one of my absolute favorite writing topics: email list-building for writers! But first, a little bit about Kirsten. She earned MFA in fiction from University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has been blogging for… Read more »

Goal-Setting for Writers

You are WRITER. You are a wizard who takes funny-shaped squiggles on the page and weaves them into stories that mean something. Your words have the potential to tug at people’s emotions and even change their minds. This is magic in its purest form. Other people go through life completely oblivious to the magic that… Read more »

#5onFri: Writing Apps to Help You Finish That Book

I’m always on the lookout for writing apps that will boost my productivity and make all my creative troubles disappear. You know what I’m talking about: that perfect app that combines the power of a PC with the form-meets-function beauty of a Mac. Oh, and it writes your book for you too. Yeah, right. The… Read more »