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This is the podcast for aspiring writers, an A-to-Z guide to writing, publishing, and promoting your article, book, or any other writing project. Your hosts are Melissa Parks and Dave Goetz, co-founders of Journey Sixty6, an editorial services company and independent publisher for the family business community. Each episode is designed to inspire and instruct writers as they take the long road trip to write and promote their ideas.
Episodes
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
A developmental edit for your book project is as essential as eating right and working out if you want to be fit. You always need a developmental edit, no matter your experience as a writer. The most sophisicated writers expect it. Developmental editing is not about tearing down your work or diminishing your voice as a writer. It's a collaborative effort between an expert and you. In this episode, Melissa and Dave define what a developmental edit is and identify some of the emotions when hearing the editor's recommendations and seeing her edits for the first time.
Great Moments in the Episode
(8:40) Who needs a developmental edit? Every writer, including veterans and newbies.
(10:20)What a developmental edit is NOT. Plus, the other kinds of editing services that you will need for your book project.
(17:25) What do to if your agent or publisher isn't engaging you in a developmental edit of your book.
(19:00) A developmental edit is, for starters, a meta edit.
(29:18) Why we resist someone giving us a developmental edit.
(39:49) The best writers crave developmental editing.
(41:53) Words of the Episode
Malaise: a general feeling of discomfort or unease or overall bodily weakness
Brigand: A thief with a weapon, especially one of a group living in the countryside, stealing from people who are traveling through the area.
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
Thursday May 11, 2023
Thursday May 11, 2023
Lisa Cron is no fan of how the writing world teaches writers to craft stories. She has several beefs with the standard ways novel writing is taught, including starting your project with "plotting." In this episode, Lisa offers a fresh, practical perspective on the key to writing a compelling story. Lisa has written three books on story, including Wired for Story, Story Genius, and Story or Die. She has worked in publishing at W.W. Norton, as an agent at the Angela Rinaldi Literary Agency, as a producer on shows for Showtime and Court TV, and as a story analyst for Warner Brothers and the William Morris Agency.
Great Moments in the Episode
(5:06) The two things that the writing world has gotten wrong about writing stories.
(7:00) Page one of the novel is the first page of the second half of the novel.
(10:05) The biggest lie that the writing world tells you: "Use backstory sparingly and only when the reader needs to know something."
(14:25) What are "misbeliefs" and the importance of knowing the origin story of the misbeliefs of your main character.
(19:20) The art of writing is to take what is inchoate ... and put it into language.
(25:35) Story structure is a byproduct of a story well told. And the story polishes the prose, not the other way around.
(30:01) Story is story, whether you're writing nonfiction, a memoir, or fiction.
(39:03) The mark of a writer is being able to throw stuff away.
(43:08) Words of the Episode
Pluviophile - someone who loves rain and rainy days - and the fresh smell of rain.
Mercurial - subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood or mind.
Visit Lisa's Website
Lisa's Books
Wired for Story: The Writer's Guide to Using Brain Science to Hook Readers from the Very First Sentence
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel (Before You Waste Three Years Writing 327 Pages That Go Nowhere)
Story or Die: How to Use Brain Science to Engage, Persuade, and Change Minds in Business and in Life
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Monday Apr 17, 2023
Ultimately, your memoir is not about you. It's about the reader. And what the reader takes away from spending hours, even days reading your book. In this practical episode, Cristen Iris gives memoir writers a clear path to writing a memoir that gets read. Cristen is an award-winning ghostwriter, developmental editor, and publishing consultant who specializes in working with high achievers on commercially viable nonfiction and upmarket fiction projects.
Great Moments in the Episode
(6:04) The importance of focusing on why you want to write a memoir
(9:05) The challenge of writing survival memoirs - cancer and divorce
(18:27) How you know that you have enough material for a memoir and the importance of vulnerability
(23:45) How to think about which structure will work for your memoir
(31:24) The two types of writers and how each approaches writing a memoir
(35:51) The difference between creating suspense and pacing - and how to use both in your writing
(37:28) What a "scene" is and why creating scenes are so important
(41:36) The difference between backstory and exposition and how to write better dialogue
(45:20) A memoir is not really about you, it's about the reader
(46:17) Words of the Episode
Jetsam - the part of a ship's cargo or equipment that is thrown overboard to lighten the load in a storm
Prorogue - to discontinue a legislative session without dissolving it entirely
Visit Cristen's Website
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Saturday Apr 01, 2023
Most writers simply want to write and publish. And not have to deal with the hassle of social media and selling their book. In this episode with book marketing coach Emily Enger, she introduces the concept of "good enough" book marketing. She says that writers should focus on the writing first and foremost, putting "your perfectionism marbles in that corner."
Great Moments in the Episode
(4:18) How marketing a fiction book is different from marketing a nonfiction book.
(6:54) The essence of good enough book marketing.
(7:13) Emily defines what marketing is.
(9:20) How authors must create a personal brand.
(14:07) What is the "awkward newsletter" and how not to create one.
(20:37) A short history of publishing and the emergence of the "indie" author.
(24:59) Emily sets expectations on how many copies a book will sell.
(26:35) Some powerful sales strategies for fiction and creative writers who have some resources to spend.
(34:39) How to select some early or beta readers for your book.
(37:40) How minimalist marketing can create natural momentum if the writing is exceptional.
(49:28) Words of the Episode
Raconteur - a person who excels in telling anecdotes, a spinner of yarns
Sobriquet - a person's nickname
Follow Emily on Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/emilyengerwrites/
Visit Emily's Website
Visit Emily on Substack
https://goodenoughbookmarketing.substack.com/
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
Saturday Mar 11, 2023
Saturday Mar 11, 2023
The word sacred is not too lofty of a word to describe your time set aside to write. In this episode, Melissa and Dave co-opt a religious term and apply it to the time set apart to write.
Great Moments in the Episode
(1:49) Dave's progress: his daughter is picking up the sport of lacrosse in high school.
(4:39) Melissa's progress: she launched her website for Megillicutti, something she has wanted to do for years.
(8:03) How the idea for this episode came up in our research for a workshop on writing rituals.
(10:35) Some may use the word sacred to describe the kind of writing, but we use it to describe the act of writing itself.
(13:52) Sacred is the opposite of secular. The secular in in our lives is the grind, the daily parts of life - making dinner for the kids, attending sporting events, attending meetings - and everything that we do to make our way in this world.
(17:45) So much of our lives flows towards utility - exchanging time for money or for survival.
(22:37) Your sacred time for writing may not look like actual writing. It might be a long meditative walk or a visit to a museum.
(26:23) No one is coming to save you; no one will help you set aside sacred time to write. It's on you.
(29:12) The role of rituals in creating sacred space for you to write.
(36:46) Words of the Episode
Apricity - the warmth of the sun in winter
cynosure - a person or thing that is the center of attention or admiration
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
https://www.facebook.com/journeysixty6
https://www.instagram.com/journeysixty6/
Follow Dave on 2 Guys and a River
https://www.instagram.com/2guysandariver/
Follow Melissa on Megillicutti
Saturday Feb 25, 2023
Saturday Feb 25, 2023
In this extensive interview, Rosanne Bane helps writer's unlock their resistance to write. Author of "Around the Writer's Block," she explains the science behind our procrastination and excuses, and provides practical tips to get back on track.
Great Moments in the Episode
(3.30) The story of a woman in France in 1906 with a brain injury and how her response to pain illustrates conscious and unconscious memory.
(8:08) Rosanne discusses how, traditionally, the brain is thought to be made up of three main areas.
(11:06) Rosanne says that we don't need to know the why of writer's block to overcome it.
(13:41) How writing rituals put you in the right state of mind to write.
(15:40) The different cues that you may use for your writing ritual.
(24:01) "If you want to write well, you have got to be willing to write crap."
(24:58) The difference between process writing and product writing.
(34:04) The six stages of the writing process.
(46:17) The importance of separating writing from publishing.
(51:38) Words of the Episode
Jebel
Equipoise
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
https://www.facebook.com/journeysixty6
https://www.instagram.com/journeysixty6/
Follow Rosanne Bane
Blog: https://baneofyourresistance.com/
Book: https://baneofyourresistance.com/around-the-writers-block-book/
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Friday Feb 03, 2023
Bryan Cohen is Da Guru when it comes to selling your book with Amazon ads. In this practical interview, Bryan gives us the inside scoop on how self-published authors can use Amazon ads to promote their books and other products and services. Bryan, the founder of "Author Ad School," is a USA Today bestselling author. He is also CEO of "Best Page Forward" and the author of many fiction and nonfiction books.
Great Moments in the Episode
(4.10) How Bryan used fictionalized characters to engage the reader on an emotional level with his nonfiction books
(6:20) Bryan's writing rituals
(9:15) Bryan explains what an Amazon ad is and how it works
(14:00) How Amazon is unique in that if you set a low enough bid, Amazon won't spend all your budget
(19:19) How specific targeting helps you find the right audience for your book, including book titles, author names, and key words
(22:34) How writing a fiction series can benefit you with Amazon ads
(24:34) How nonfiction authors can promote courses and services with Amazon ads
(26:59) The importance of growing your email list
(29:30) Using a QR code in your nonfiction book to get people to visit your website
(30:08) How Bryan thinks about social media as it relates to his publishing strategy
(33:59) Where to go to create your first Amazon ad
(35:50) Managing your expectations with your first Amazon ads
(41:08) Words of the Episode
Obdurate
Ineffable
90 Day Cohort Coaching Intensives
Be sure to check out our 90 day cohort coaching intensives for writers who want professional editorial expertise to complete their writing project.
Visit https://www.journeysixty6.com/cohort-coaching-intensives for more information.
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
https://www.facebook.com/journeysixty6
https://www.instagram.com/journeysixty6/
About Bryan Cohen
Podcast: https://www.sellmorebooksshow.com/
How to Get Started with Amazon ads: https://www.authorsadvertise.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bryancohenblurbs/
Website: https://bryancohen.com/
Monday Jan 16, 2023
Monday Jan 16, 2023
In this interview with youth fantasy fiction and non-fiction writer Jaimie Engle, she describes her journey to become a RomCom screenplay writer.
Great Moments in this Episode
(4:30) How Jaime made a surprise connection to an attorney in the film industry during what she calls the Apocalypse (the first couple years of Covid)
(6:00) Her decision to take a Zoom class on "How to write the Christmas RomCom"
(8:20) The moment Jaime heard the news that she had landed a contract for her first screen play
(9:25) What Jaime learned from the screenwriting class that she applied to her writing
(11:40) The importance of cliffhangers in any kind of writing
(16:35) What inspired the idea for the RomCom
(17:54) The definition of a logline in screenwriting
(19:24) How to write dialogue for a screenplay
( 21:32) The hardest thing to remember when writing a screenplay
(36:38) Words of the Episode: freudenfreude and preternatural
Visit Jaimie Engle's website
Follow Journey Sixty6
https://www.journeysixty6.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@journeysixty6writingforpub
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
At one point in writing her debut novel, The Road between Two Skies, Linda Fifer lost the entire manuscript. Her husband had misplaced it, and there was no digital copy. In our interview with Linda, she discusses how she reconstructed her story and how she persisted for years before she was able to complete and then self-publish the novel. The story is about how an abduction upends a woman’s life. The main character loses her memory after the kidnapping and finds herself on a journey to remember who she was while discovering who she is. New writers will come away inspired from Linda's story of persistence and creativity.
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
Thursday Dec 01, 2022
It's a big expense to publish your book. And most likely the sales from it won't cover the publishing costs. At least for most writers. We all have fantasies about landing a big publisher and selling millions, but the super majority of books sell around 250 copies. At least that's what Google says. If that's true, there's no way to recoup the costs to publish your ideas. At least not from book sales only. So why write? In this episode, Melissa and Dave get real about the true costs of publishing a book. You'll come away with more clarity on what you can expect while also feeling more inspired to get back to your project.