Category: Scratch Paper Podcast

Welcome to the end of “Season 1”–what I’m calling my first 1.5 years of podcasting. This will be the last episode for a while, and I hope you’ll listen in! I share my favorite episodes, books, and TV, whether or not I think my podcast was a success, and my big turning point.

Links mentioned:

• Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano Murillo
• The Crafty Chica
• Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella
• Suck It Up and Revise
• Marginally Podcast (here’s the episode where they interviewed me)
• My ebooks as PDFs
• Episode 31 (my most popular one)
• Episode 20 (my favorite one)
• The Snarling Girl by Elisa Albert
• Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart
• Fortune’s Rocks by Anita Shreve
• Girlboss

I plan to reboot Scratch Paper after a break–but I’m not sure when. Please sign up for my newsletter to get a heads up when it returns! And in the meantime, I’d love to hear what you’re working on. I’m @likesoatmeal on Twitter and Instagram and I love (love love) getting to know listeners. You can also use #scratchpaperpodcast to share your work and find other nice, happy writers 🙂

Here’s a box to sign up for my newsletter. I’ll let you know when Scratch Paper resumes, what happens with Wait, and any other projects that come down the line–plus, you’ll get a free ebook all about revising.

Sign up here!

And thank you! My newsletter list is a key part of my success as a writer and podcaster. Your support means a lot to me!

How to listen:

• You can subscribe on iTunes or on Stitcher.
• You can listen to it right here in your browser by clicking the play button below.

Pssst…find all of the podcasts here!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

*This draft is terrible**This draft is perfect!* Sound familiar? Listen in for five steps to get started revising that terrible/perfect draft. I share how I managed to revise my 120-page thesis in two weeks, plus my favorite way to tie a big project together (with highlighters! And lists!).

Also! Scroll down for a free ebook–newsletter readers, it’s coming your way.

Links mentioned:

• Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions
• Girl Waits With Gun
• Uprooted
• The Secret Rules of Writing (Ep. 10 of Scratch Paper Podcast)
• How to run a writing workshop in person or via email (Ep. 17 of Scratch Paper Podcast)

Your turn: How do you revise? Share in the comments below or use #scratchpaperpodcast on Twitter or Instagram. Tag me! I’m @likesoatmeal and I love (love love) getting to know listeners.

And now here’s a free ebook! I wrote Suck It Up and Revise a while back and  *just* got around to polishing it up and putting it online. It’s fourteen chapters plus exercises to get you revising right this minute (after you take a break, of course). If you like down-to-earth advice (like this podcast) and practical  tips for getting through the often opaque writing process, you’ll love this book. Read more about it here.

Instead of publishing Suck It Up and Revise on Amazon, I decided to give it away as a free PDF for newsletter subscribers. If you’re already on the list, great!  Thank you so much for supporting me–the book is on its way. If not, you can sign up right here, and I’ll send the book to your inbox.

Sign up here to get Suck It Up and Revise!

And again–thank you! My newsletter list is a key part of my success as a writer and podcaster. Your support means a lot to me!

How to listen:

• You can subscribe on iTunes or on Stitcher.
• You can listen to it right here in your browser by clicking the play button below.

Pssst…find all of the podcasts here!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

After a 2-month hiatus, I decided to share how I work as a writer, from idea to draft to what feels to me like “finished”–when my work goes out on submission. My process has changed significantly since I began working with my agent, but whether or not you work with an agent, you can find ways to make your writing process satisfying. I really believe in process; it’s what’s allowed me to keep going. Listen below!

Links mentioned:

• Currently reading this book about death and swimming in really cold lakes.
• WAIT (my novel manuscript about a psychic who helps an evangelical family whose foster daughter has stopped talking) is going out on submission soon–meaning my agent will send it out to publishers and see if anyone wants to publish it. Yay!
• A video I made with Kelly of KMR Publishing about my planning/outlining process. Enjoy 2014 Alicia.
• How to run a writing workshop in person or via email
• Why you should go on a DIY writing retreat (and here’s a helpful, inexpensive guide to go on one)
• In case you’re curious, here’s how I found my agent (thank you, Twitter)
• My friend Larry Clow
• Love @racheliswriting‘s bullet journal ideas

Your turn: how do you know when you’re “done” with a project? What is your final step? Share in the comments below tell me on social media–use #scratchpaperpodcast on Twitter or Instagram. Tag me! I’m @likesoatmeal and I *love* getting to know listeners.

How to listen:

• You can subscribe on iTunes or on Stitcher.
• You can listen to it right here in your browser by clicking the play button below!

Pssst…find all of the podcasts here!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Last episode, I talked about how to interview for nonfiction writers. Luckily, the stakes are lower for fiction writers. There are a lot of fun ways you can use books and people’s expertise to help write your story. In this episode, I share how unexpected resources (like self-published ebooks) have helped me create believable characters and plots. Listen in to hear how you can find help in surprising places.

Links mentioned:

• Dating God by Jocelynn M. Burton
• Bipolar 101 by Deborah Kaminski (who I mistakenly referred to as a “guy”–sorry!)
• It’s Witchcraft by Jamie Weaver (which I also reviewed here, way back when)

How to listen:

• You can subscribe on iTunes or on Stitcher.
• You can listen to it right here in your browser by clicking the play button below!

Pssst…find all of the podcasts here!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download