Have you gotten the DIY MFA Starter Kit yet? This is a two week email series full of worksheets to help you DIY your MFA. You’ll learn more about how to write with focus, read with purpose, and build your community. You’ll also start getting Writer Fuel, our newsletter full of words of wisdom and resources to help you keep the momentum going in your writing. And you’ll be the first to hear about other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! You can sign up with your email at diymfa.com/join.

In this episode, Mary Pascual and Lori discuss:

• Finding the inspiration for a retelling and adding a fresh spin.
• Why she used an urban setting to tell a grittier tale.
• The importance of avoiding labels and creating multi-dimensional characters.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Mary Pascual

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 settings that are more than meets the eye. She grew up in California and enjoys reading, art, traveling, exploring outside, and building elaborate stage sets for Halloween. Writing has taken her on a number of unexpected adventures, including working in high tech, meeting psychics, interviewing rock bands, and even once attending a press conference for Bigfoot. She got hooked on reading adult science fiction and fantasy in the fifth grade—so in retrospect, much of her reading material was completely inappropriate (which probably explains a few things). She lives with her husband, son, and assorted demanding cats in San Jose, California.

You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The Byways

High school student CeeCee Harper has special needs, a temper, and a reputation for trouble. Angry at the rumors and afraid she’ll never fit in, she makes a wrong move—and lands in the byways, a world of alleys, magic, and forgotten people . . . some that aren’t even human. And if she doesn’t escape quickly, CeeCee learns, she’ll be trapped for good.

Searching for a way out, she gets lost among monsters, drug pushers, the homeless, and political upheaval, and soon finds there are those who will stop at nothing to keep her from leaving. But the byways pull people in for a reason. CeeCee must figure out why she got stuck in the first place—before her loved ones are put in danger and she loses them forever.

A dark retelling of Alice in Wonderland meets Neverwhere, this contemporary fantasy will enchant Neil Gaiman and Christina Henry fans.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link where, if you choose to purchase via the link, DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 465

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 465: Complex Characters, Dark Retellings, and Urban Settings – Interview with Mary Pascual appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for November is Science, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Lenore Borja and Lori discuss:

• Balance the trust you have in your reader with necessary exposition.
• Creating a fun friendship dynamic that your reader will want to be a part of.
• Crafting an intriguing, dynamic, and short prologue that will hook your reader.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Lenore Borja

Lenore Borja grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. She attended Arizona State University before moving to New York City to study acting at The American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After a brief career as an actress, she spent several years working in executive search and human resources in both New York and San Francisco. She now resides in Fort Collins, Colorado with her husband and a bossy feline named Maximus. When she’s not writing, she enjoys adventure travel and anything that gets the heart racing, whether it’s hiking, running, or getting lost in a good book. 

The Last Huntress is her debut novel. She is currently working on Book 2 of the Mirror Realm series.

You can find her on her website or follow her on Instagram.

The Last Huntress

Alice Daniels has a problem. Her reflection keeps misbehaving when she looks in the mirror—and the longer she ignores it, the harder it tries to get her attention. On her eighteenth birthday, she learns why: she is a huntress, someone gifted with the power to enter mirrors and the magical world that exists beyond. But with this power comes immense responsibility, for in the Mirror Realm lurks an evil that has infected the human race for centuries: demons. It is up to her and her three huntress sisters—with the help of one handsome and overbearing protector—to hunt and banish this evil one demon at a time, thereby keeping the chaos in check. But when an ancient god pays Alice a visit that turns deadly, it is clear the Mirror Realm is more than it seems, and she soon finds herself in a race against time to save the life—and soul—of the one man the gods are determined to never let her have.

The Last Huntress is a story of redemption and sacrifice, the bonds of true sisterhood, and the impossible, sometimes frightening, things we’ll do for love.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link, DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 434

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 434: How to Let Your Characters and World Building Flow in YA Fantasy – Interview with Lenore Borja appeared first on DIY MFA.

Have you signed up to be a DIY MFA Radio Insider yet? This is an exciting new monthly newsletter especially for our podcast listeners. Every month, you’ll get an email from our podcast producer with recaps of the most recent episodes, a curated Listening List of episodes on a particular theme, and other fun goodies we only share via email. Best of all, it’s free to join! The theme for January is Debut Authors, and you can become an insider by signing up with your email at diymfa.com/insiders.

In this episode Leslie Vedder and I discuss:

• What genre inspired her and helped her keep a fast pace throughout her novel.
• Why she loved blending science and magic and how her characters approached each.
• How she approached varying levels of character relationships—both romantic and friendship.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Leslie Vedder

Leslie Vedder is a queer ace author who loves fairytale retellings with girl adventurers and heroes! She grew up on fantasy books, anime, fanfiction, and the Lord of the Rings movies and met her true love in high school choir. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in creative writing and currently lives in Colorado with her wife and two spoiled house cats.

When she’s not reading or writing, you can find her watching anime and sci-fi shows, walking in the woods and pretending they’re enchanted forests, or playing old video games. She always collects all the Skulltulas in Zelda and all the Dalmation puppies in Kingdom Hearts.

Her debut YA novel The Bone Spindle released in January 2022 from Penguin / Razorbill.

You can find Leslie on her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

The Bone Spindle 

The Bone Spindle is a genderflipped Sleeping Beauty meets Indiana Jones fantasy, starring two girl treasure hunters!

Fi is a bookish historian under a dark curse. Shane is a fierce, queer, ax-wielding warrior with a past she’s left firmly in the dust. They team up to take on a lost ruin, looking for the score of a lifetime, but get a lot more than they bargained for when Fi pricks her finger on a bone spindle and finds herself face to face with the spirit of the sleeping prince, Briar Rose. Now she’s stuck with him—literally forever!—unless she and Shane can break the ancient curse on his kingdom.

Traps, ruins, riddles, curses, and bad exes all stand in their way, not to mention a mysterious Witch who might just steal Shane’s heart along with whatever else she’s after! 

Set in a lush world inspired by beloved fairytales, The Bone Spindle is a fast-paced young adult fantasy for fans of Sorcery of Thorns and All the Stars and Teeth.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 392

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 392: World Building and Character Friendships in a YA Fairy Tale Retelling – Interview with Leslie Vedder appeared first on DIY MFA.

Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

As the author of The Seraphim Resistance Prequels and The Transcendents serial, Stephanie has built her own self-publishing empire. She is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, and columnist for DIY MFA.

In this episode Stephanie BwaBwa and I discuss:

• How comic books helped her develop the world in her YA fantasy universe.
• Her method for crafting a serial series and dealing with the unknowns.
• Why she loves world building and how she avoided sharing too many details at once.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Stephanie BwaBwa

Stephanie BwaBwa is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive power that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

Stephanie has authored the The Seraphim Resistance Prequels, and The Transcendents serial, and is an avid reader of fantasy and fiction. 

Jesus is her Lord, Disney+ is her safe place, she dreams of being a monkey mama and she’s always penning a new story in Elledelle. 

You can usually catch her going for a walk through a park, or simply binging Disney+ with too many snacks.

You can find Stephanie on her website or follow her on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub, and Reedsy.

The Crescent and the Ash Queen

A deadly assassin seeking freedom. A manipulative queen seeking power. A depraved court hanging in the balance.

Zavala Nightingale is a deadly assassin with a slick mouth, and devastating magic. Even though she’s the most feared Crescent in the Bones Court, she still wants out.

Zavala has one more job to finish, then she’ll collect her coin and leave…

But the Ash Queen has other plans for her.

When the Ash Queen declares Zavala as her heir and the next Crescent Queen, Zavala will be faced with one of two choices:

Accept and be a Crescent for life, or deny the Ash Queen, drawing the wrath of every assassin alive.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 380

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 380: World Building and the Fantasy YA Serial – Interview with Stephanie BwaBwa appeared first on DIY MFA.

I had attended a local YA Fest in August, met a best-selling author in my genre, Cinda Williams Chima, and vowed to take her advice about focusing on the first draft of my novel.  By end of the year, I knew what I had and what I had left to do.  In January 2020, I joined the local writers’ group that had hosted the YA Fest. 

I started writing new content for a few months, but struggled.  I got discouraged and promptly ignored the advice that I had vowed to take earlier, about just getting that first draft done.  Instead, I researched how to find agents and write queries, which clouded my mind and loomed as such a daunting task!

I signed up for a local conference, starting March 12, excited about making new connections and finding ways to dispel my growing fears.  March 11, the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic.  I was so deflated, but tried to soldier on.  This pandemic thing could be the perfect storm for a struggling author, right?  Wrong!  It worked exactly the opposite for me, because of various factors.  By April, I had flat-lined on writing either one of my works in progress.  Still struggling, I finally decided to take the summer off. 

Come September, I started to attend the local writers’ group monthly meetings via Zoom!  I got a tip about a free event on writing skills, a DIY MFA webinar delivered by Gabriela Pereira.  Inspired, I signed up for and then completed DIY MFA 101 in November.  Now, I am on track to finish the first draft of my novel by end of April 2021.

My hope is that my experience will inspire others, like you, to keep the wolves at bay – those doubts and fears that get in the way of writing.  Ideally, you can apply these ideas in your own way and in your own time, at any point in your process, to realize your dreams.

Setting the Right Context

First, setting the right context involves setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-bound) goals and scheduling regular time to write.  SMART goals were an early lesson in DIY MFA 101.  I had already used them in managing business projects, but I had not tried to apply it to my writing.  Apparently, I thought that the more left-brained practice of setting goals would be a barrier to the more right-brained creative process of writing a novel.  Wrong again!! 

The act of setting a word count goal and reducing that to weekly and daily targets was a huge asset in getting my project – yes, writing a book is indeed a project! – jump started.  Plus, having regular times when I committed to be writing – not researching, not editing, not plotting, not developing characters, but putting new words to the page – was game changing!  I am retired, so I assigned weekdays as my writing space.  Mondays, I do auxiliary activities, like those noted above.  Tuesday through Friday, I schedule two hours in the morning and two more in the afternoon for writing new content, with specific word count goals per day.

Priming the Pump

Second, priming the pump is a phrase that I first “heard” from Sarah Ban Breathnach in her book, Simple Abundance.  She defined it as pursuing “a carefully crafted ritual of comfort” that eases you into the process of creating.  Gabriela calls it “setting the mood.”  For me it means preparing myself for the act of writing, so I can convert the ideas in my mind into scenes for my novel.  My ritual involves first making sure I stay hydrated – having a cup of tea in the morning or a glass of sparkling water with lime in the afternoon.  Next step is entering a creative physical space (my office has Monet prints on the wall and a standing desk in front of a window with a pastoral view) and practicing the mental exercises that open my mind to inspiration.   The mental exercises include some combination of a daily reflection from Sarah’s book, a purge of negativity in my “angst journal,” (my version of Gabriela’s Angst Jar), entries in my “gratitude journal,” a poetry reading, and finally, my beach music playlist, just as I start to write.

Following a Disciplined Writing Process

The third thing that saved my novel from oblivion is following a disciplined writing process.  For me, that starts with the advice that I had ignored early.  The author Chima’s exact words were, “Give yourself permission to write badly.  You can always fix it later.”  That mantra gives me the courage to start the process.  Next, I use a technique that I learned from Gabriela, the Domino Method.  Wherever I am in the novel, I look back to the previous scene, describe what should happen in this one, and look ahead to know what should (probably) happen next.  Finally, I use the Pomodoro Method, a technique I know from both business practices and DIY MFA events, for when the words start to flow.  The cadence of twenty-five intensive minutes, then five minutes to regroup, creates a productive rhythm that makes the planned two-hour sessions just fly by.  

Tracking Progress

Fourth on my list, tracking progress is another trick that I learned from Gabriela.  On a daily basis, I write down the word count achieved and/or the hours spent.   I note whether I was following my process – no fuss, no judgement.  If I’m behind, I make an effort to put more words on the page the next day.  At the end of each week, I tally the week and either celebrate or dole out forgiveness, then adjust the next week’s goals upward, if necessary, but never downward.  Finally, in tracking progress, I plan a monthly review.  At the end of January and February, I reviewed my process to see how well it was working.  So far so good, so I have made no changes to date.  However, I will stay vigilant and continue to iterate monthly.

Building a Writers’ Circle

Last on the list, yet more important than anything else, is building a writers’ circle.  Ours is both a support and a critique group.  We act as each other’s trusted advisors in our writing practices, cheerleaders in our triumphs, gentle but constructive reviewers of our works in progress, and general inspiration when the well goes dry.   We have documented practices, a structured communication platform, a commitment to each other’s success, diverse perspectives, and a deep connection beyond writing.

I have so much more to say about this last element.  If all goes well, I will write another #5onFriday article that shares the story of how and why our writers’ circle works so well.  Until then, find your way and let me know how it works.

Angyne Smith is a second generation American, wife, mother, grandmother, retired business professional, and most recently, a young adult fantasy author.  She is a native Pennsylvanian, who has been living in the Garden State, (that’s New Jersey), for just over 40 years.  Angyne (pronounced like the two names Ann and Jean stuck together) is inspired by Monet paintings and music of all kinds, from classical to classic rock.  She is energized by gentle exercises like Tai Chi and leisurely morning walks, preferable along a warm, sandy beach.  Reading was her passion even before writing, mostly in fantasy, science fiction, and historical adventures. Follow Angyne on Facebook.

The post #5onFri: Five Things That Saved My Novel From Oblivion appeared first on DIY MFA.

Ellie Cypher grew up in Northern California, received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from UC Santa Cruz and got her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California Davis. She has lived and worked all over the world from New Zealand to Tasmania to the United Kingdom.

When she is not writing, you can find her spending her time caring for all manner of creatures great and small, dreaming about traveling, drinking too much coffee or generally wandering about the beautiful Smoky Mountains with her husband and eleven-year-old black lab.

Today we’ll be discussing her debut novel, a YA fantasy titled The Girl from Shadow Springs.

In this episode Ellie and I discuss:

• How the first line is usually what pops into her head first and inspires her to write the book.
• Why the arctic wilderness was the perfect backdrop for her novel as it has “a sense of being alone in a void…massive expanse and insular isolation”.
• What part language, vernacular, and modulation of voice play in stretching the boundaries of the speech characters use and building the world around them.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Ellie Cypher

Ellie Cypher grew up in Northern California, received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from University of California Santa Cruz graduating with Highest Honors in the major and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California Davis. She has lived and worked all over the world from New Zealand to Tasmania to the United Kingdom. When not writing, she can be found spending her time caring for all manner of creatures great and small, dreaming about traveling, drinking too much coffee or generally wandering about the beautiful Smokey Mountains with her husband and eleven-year-old black lab.

You can find Ellie on her website or follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

The Girl from Shadow Springs

The Revenant meets True Grit with a magical twist in this thrilling and atmospheric debut fantasy about two teens who must brave a frozen wasteland and the foes within it to save their loved ones and uncover a deadly secret.

Everyone in Shadow Springs knows that no one survives crossing the Flats. But the threat of a frozen death has never deterred the steady stream of treasure hunters searching for a legendary prize hidden somewhere in the vast expanse of ice. Jorie thinks they’re all fools, which makes scavenging their possessions easier. It’s how she and her sister, Brenna, survive.

Then Jorie scavenges off the wrong body. When the dead man’s enemy believes Jorie took something valuable from the body, he kidnaps Brenna as collateral. He tells Jorie that if she wants her sister back, she’ll have to trade her for the item he thinks she stole. But how can Jorie make a trade when she doesn’t even know what she’s looking for?

Her only source of information is Cody, the dead man’s nephew and a scholar from the South who’s never been hardened by the harsh conditions of the North. Though Jorie’s reluctant to bring a city boy out onto the Flats with her, she’ll do whatever it takes to save her sister. But anything can happen out on the ice, and soon Jorie and Cody find they need one another more than they ever imagined—and they’ll have to trust each other to survive threats beyond their darkest nightmares.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 345

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 345: Language as World Building in YA Fantasy – Interview with Ellie Cypher appeared first on DIY MFA.