As Phil notes in this episode, “character voice” can make or break your manuscript. It’s one of the most common reasons for manuscript rejection. So maybe it’s a little bit […]

Nothing Secret About Character Agency: Write@YA Episode 20

Jul 5th, 2019 26m 52s

Characters without agency always feel a little off. You wonder why they’re not engaging, why the story is moving without them. Why they spend so much time reacting instead of […]

Your Online Presence—Newsletters and You: Write@YA Episode 19

Jun 21st, 2019 28m 20s

Okay, listen up. Websites are so last episode. Blogs are out. Well, they’re not totally out, but Phil is pretty sure they’re out. You know what’s not out? I’ll give […]

Your Online Presence—Creating a Website: Write@YA Episode 18

Jun 7th, 2019 30m 7s

You know about websites. You use them all the time! In this episode we talk about why you might (or might not) need a personal website, what might go on […]

Writing a Synopsis… Or, Not: Write@YA Episode 17

May 24th, 2019 22m 4s

Synopses are the worst. This is publishing’s worst-kept secret. Who are we kidding, it’s not even that much of a secret to begin with. Almost nobody likes writing them (you […]

Your Online Presence—SEO For Writers: Write@YA Episode 16

May 10th, 2019 26m 1s

We continue our series about Your Online Presence with a sneak peek into the world of Search Engine Optimization, for writers! Which is really just a fancy way to say […]

You Wouldn’t Steal a Library—Book Piracy and You: Write@YA Episode 15

Apr 26th, 2019 23m 36s

This week, we’re talking about something that can be a touchy subject around certain circles on the internet. No, not Twilight fanfiction. Our topic today is book piracy. And libraries. […]

Your Online Presence—Social Media: Write@YA Episode 14

Apr 12th, 2019 25m 54s

The information age is here! And so is the oversharing age and the food pics on Instagram age. This week, we’re kicking off a series on “Your Online Presence” by […]

Bad Takes from the Internet— When (not) to Hire an Editor: Write@YA Episode 13

Mar 29th, 2019 19m 1s

Our next episode in “Bad Takes from the Internet” looks more closely at the idea that hiring a freelance editor before you query will get you requests for fulls and offers […]

Bad Takes from the Internet—the Day Job: Write@YA Episode 12

Mar 15th, 2019 28m 17s

Ah, the Internet. When it’s good, we get cat videos, communities full of well-spoken friends with smart opinions, and great articles about when to use an em dash versus a […]

Conflict, and How to Create It: Write@YA Episode 11

Mar 1st, 2019 19m 34s

The last episode in our Goal / Motivation / Conflict series is here. It’s so hard for me to see my characters suffer; some of our other hosts don’t quite […]

Talkin’ Bout My Character’s Motivation: Write@YA Episode 10

Feb 15th, 2019 25m 5s

What drives us? What drives our characters? Why do we do the things we do and want the things we want? This is not just some overthought Livejournal entry! This […]

Write@YA Episode 9: Setting Character Goals

Feb 1st, 2019 20m 53s

Today we’re taking a deeper dive into character goals. Whether it’s goal posts or squad goals or something a little larger-than-life, our characters need to strive for something. We talk […]

Write@YA Episode 8: Intro to Goal, Motivation, Conflict

Jan 18th, 2019 26m 26s

Today we embark on a short series diving into the “GMC” we (and Jo) are always talking about. Goal (what your character wants) Motivation (why they want it) Conflict (what’s […]

Write@YA Episode 7: Building a World Worth Reading

Jan 4th, 2019 24m 59s

When it’s fully realized, a setting can feel like a character. It can draw in the reader, it can have its own dramatic arc, it can make the whole story […]

Write@YA Episode 6: Character Overview

Dec 21st, 2018 29m 9s

Without characters, our stories are … a series of events. Those events are not unfortunate until they matter to someone. With that in mind, this week why dig in to […]

Write@YA Episode 5: Dive Into Plot

Nov 30th, 2018 23m 2s

Plot drives our stories and causes our characters — and those of us writing them — all kinds of headaches. Today we talk about what plot is, how it shapes […]

Write@YA Episode 4: After Drafting

Nov 16th, 2018 22m 33s

Today marks just beyond the halfway point of NaNoWriMo, but we’re skipping ahead a few pages and talking about what, exactly, we do after we write “THE END” on a […]

Write@YA Episode 3: First Drafts

Nov 2nd, 2018 28m 15s

It was the best of drafts, it was the worst of drafts. You can’t fix a blank piece of paper, but you can’t expect your first draft to be amazing, […]

Write@YA Episode 2: Outlining

Oct 19th, 2018 23m 50s

Once you’ve got an idea all squared away, how do you cross that weird divide between “I have an idea” and “I have started to write a book?” With an […]

Write@YA Episode 1: Idea Generation

Oct 5th, 2018 22m 51s

Hello and welcome to an all-new writing podcast — based in part on an old writing podcast we used to do! It’s Write@YA, and we hope to help. This week […]

UpvoteYA Episode 16: On Pacing in Revisions

Aug 18th, 2017 33m 49s

Sometimes life comes at you fast. Other times it takes a bit longer to get everything just perfect. Like a podcast episode. (Ahem.) Prose can be like that too. So […]

UpvoteYA Episode 15: Critique Partners In Depth

Jun 22nd, 2017 32m 12s

We get by with a little help from our friends, and you can too — with critique partners! (Or are they beta readers?) Listen today for our personal experiences, tips, […]

UpvoteYA Episode 14: Tackling Revisions

Apr 28th, 2017 37m 3s

Welcome again to another episode of UpvoteYA. Today we explore what we do — and what we should be doing — when we polish up our drafts. Join us for the discussion! […]

UpvoteYA Episode 13: Writing With a Day Job

Mar 24th, 2017 35m 24s

Welcome again to another episode of UpvoteYA. This week we tackle the topic of what it’s like to write with a 9-to-5 day job (or 8-to-5, or 11-7, or whatever […]