June 3, 2024
12 Essential Lessons for Writers from BOOKSPO
Bookspo Season 1 is complete, and I’m now at work on Season 2, coming this fall, but in the meantime, I want to sum up some of the wisdom shared by writers in this first round of interviews, lots of great tips and insight from writers across a ride range of genres. This is writing advice worth listening again for!
Thanks to all the authors who generously donated their time to this project, and thank you also (and ESPECIALLY!) to everybody who was listening.
Episode 1: Kate Hilton and Elizabeth Renzetti, Bury the Lead
Your characters have to be vulnerable.
Episode 2: Charlene Carr, We Rip the World Apart
Trust your gut about your character’s journey, and don’t worry about what your reader will think.
Episode 3: Shawna Lemay, Apples on the Windowsill
Know the importance of being an ordinary human being looking at the world and sharing what you see.
Episode 4: Ashley Tate, Twenty-Seven Minutes
Don’t be afraid of pushing the limits of genre to write the book you want to write.
Episode 5: Waubgeshig Rice, Moon of the Turning Leaves
Enhance the literary world you’ve built by writing a character who sees it through a different lens than you do.
Episode 6: Emily Austin, Interesting Facts About Space
That not everyone is going to like your book is a a hit you have to take along with the gift of the readers who embrace it.
Episode 7: Leslie Shimotakahara, Sisters of the Spruce
Literary inspiration for fresh stories can be found in classic texts and family lore.
Episode 8: Robin Lefler, Not How I Pictured It
Writing outlines is really valuable (even IF you think you HATE THEM).
Episode 9: Adrienne Gruber, Monsters, Martyrs and Marionettes
It is possible to inhabit a liminal space between literary forms.
Episode 10: Michelle Hébert, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic
Compassion and curiosity are important when you’re writing a villain.
Episode 11: Deepa Rajagopalan, Peacocks of Instagram
Writing with constraints can be inspiring and useful.
Episode 12: Andrea Warner, The Time of My Life
