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Like many writers, I've known what I wanted to do since childhood, and I've always known I'd need a dayjob. But, I didn't recognize how hard it would be to break into publishing in the first place. To be honest? This is taking longer than I wanted. So, let's talk about one writer's path -- or at least, one writer's roadblocks. If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Bookshelves are packed with volumes about how to properly submit your manuscripts, but how does professionalism function in real-world publishing relationships? Moreover, what defines professionalism from culture to culture?_ =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Whether you've been writing for a while or dreaming of getting away and actually having time to write, many of us have wondered if a writer's workshop was right for us. Here are the vetted ones mentioned: Clarion - Established in 1968 at Clarion State College (now University) in Pennsylvania. The workshop is now in University CA, San Diego. Clarion West - Founded by Clarion alum in 1971 and based in Seattle. Odyssey - Founded in 1996, typically based at Saint Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire, although, a large portion is now offered online. Hugo House - Founded in 1996 in Seattle. LitReactor - Founded in 2011, based online. Rambo Academy for Wayward Writers - Founded by Cat Rambo around 2010, based online. Week-long retreats Taos Toolbox - Founded by 2005 in Taos Ski Valley, now in Angel Fire, New Mexico. Viable Paradise - Founded in 2016, and based in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts. 3. Rainforest Writers Village - Founded in 2007, and based on Lake Quinault, Washington. If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Trilogies and longer series seem to dominate the market regardless of genre. From a craft perspective, how do you set up a successful series from the start, with characters that continue to be interesting five books in, and plots that are sustainable across hundreds of thousands of words? At what point in your career does it make sense to pitch a series? =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Most publishers are in it for the love of books. Yes, even the acquiring editors, the marketing team, and the contract specialists. It's a labor of love that hopefully breaks even. But! That doesn't mean there aren't some problematic publishing companies out there. Whether you go with traditional publishing or small press, you need to be careful. =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

As writers, we're always refining and adjusting our processes, trying to figure out what works best for this novel, today. Me? I finished up a round of revisions this weekend, and tossed them off to beta readers -- but I might have been too hasty. Of course, no two writers work the same and the best process is what works for you. But, here are some of the mistakes I've made, and a few I've managed to avoid. =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Everyone is putting out content these days. Should you join the masses? =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

With a mother who was a children's librarian and did the best bedtime stories, I've always been fascinated with audiobook narration. As an adult, I've dabbled in voice acting with the fairytale podcast, Anansi Storytime (Anansi, like the spider). So, how do you get started with audiobook narration, how do authors find a narrator for their works, and should you ever record your own stories?_ =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Heroes and villains step aside: We're here to talk about your lieutenants, your seconds in command, your BFF, your life partners. What is the purpose of these characters? What are their demographics and what are the characteristics of the best ones? Recommendations: (w/sponsored links? I forgot I could do that. So far, I've made 0 cents off that thing) Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison There Will Come Soft Rains a short story by Ray Bradbury Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (also a TV miniseries) =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

From werewolf clans to alien hives, authors shared the most imaginative and thought-provoking examples of family structures in genre works. Here are the recommendations: Books of the Raksura by Martha Wells Murderbot also by Martha Wells The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey The Deepest Rift by Ruthanna Emrys The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester The Alliance-Union series by C.J. Cherryh No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull Star Wars: Thrawn Ascendancy by Timothy Zahn The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge Astro Boy (Mighty Atom in Japan) by Osamu Tezuka Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

The good, the bad, and the bumping uglies. Writing a compelling sex scene that moves the plot forward without turning your work into erotica is a balancing act. Where you fade to black depends on your audience and your own writing style. Authors share how to depict "the act" in your writing. The recommendations were: Our Share of the Night by Mariana Enriquez The Incubus series by A. H. Lee The Knight and the Necromancer K. J. Charles XenoGenesis trilogy by Octavia Butler Crash by J. G. Ballard Titane, an odd french film Kristan Higgins If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

The more issues the characters face in a novel, the bigger the story feels. Yet the subplot can’t take over the book. Here are 5 tips for writing better subplots. The suggested titles were: The Invisible Life of Addie LeRue by VE Schwab Luckenbooth by Jenni Fagan Norman Mailer for his twisty plots Mayor of Easttown =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

How getting the science right improves a story, types of science you can use, and aiming your story for the right audience. =============================== If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

The reluctant hero: Not every protagonist wants to be the hero of the story. How do doubt and hesitation develop heroic characters, and how does reluctance change over the course of a narrative? Here are tips on: motivations to demur ways they're relatable - favorite tropes If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.

Everyone loves free stuff, but authors need to pay the bills. Can you make money by giving your work away, and if so, how do you choose what to distribute for free? What tools and metrics can you use to show a publisher or business partner that the work that you give away for free is driving sales? The panelists were Brenda Clough, Leonardo (Leo) Espinoza Benavides, Jean Marie Ward, and Donald Ekpeki, with Angela Yuriko Smith as moderator. If you find my content of value, please share it with your friends! Join me Sunday afternoons for "Morgan's Lazy Sunday Afternoon 'Productivity' Sprints" on YT/Twitch, where sometimes we're productive, and sometimes we're not, but we always bring snacks. If you're looking for an agent, check out My Agent Database on Patreon, where for $1/month you can have access to a spreadsheet of over 2,000 vetted agents, sorted by sub-genre, categories, and tons of other data. Also available are worksheets to fix your writing issues, submission package edits, and more. You can find me all over the internet If it fits your budget, show your support at Ko-fi Thanks for listening! I'll be back next Monday with more rambling ideas about writing.