Hear my Brief Interview on the “Words to Write by” Podcast

Thank you to Kim Smuga-Otto and Renee K. Nelson for including me in their podcast! You can find my comments at 5:22, but you might enjoy the entire podcast episode.

https://wordstowritebypodcast.com/podcast/speeding-up-and-slowing-down-your-novel/

I respond to Jack M. Bickham’s concept of sequels from his writing craft book Scene & Structure. Bingham calls sequels the glue that holds scenes together, in that scenes build on the action of previous scenes.

Kim’s provocative questions led me to describe how the structure of my novel Lucky Ride includes scenes that both enforce and violate Bingham’s tenets and assumptions. It was great fun.

I recommend the Words to Write by podcast for any writer who wishes they had time to read seminal writing craft books, including those from John Gardner and Ray Bradbury. Kim and Renee apply insight and wit to boil the books down to their basics, and they take on a different chapter or concept in each episode. Think of it as eating your dessert first.

New Video Recording: Lucky Ride from Memoir to Novel plus an Excerpt  

I recently described my process of transforming Lucky Ride into a novel and read a brief excerpt from Lucky Ride for the California Writer’s Club. Memoirs and novels share many characteristics, but I eventually chose the creative freedom of a novel. In short, I lied.

https://youtu.be/NK2KIe8P9kk

Find out more about Lucky Ride HERE.