Authors-In-Training: Recent Episodes
Authors-In-Training
Authors-In-Training is all about writing, books, and storytelling. It's a podcast for everyone, from novices to experts, talking about writing and sharing experiences.
Episode 49: Our Favorite Creatures
Creatures are wonderful additions to novels as they can help expand the world and with so much variety, an author has no shortage of choices. Come listen in to Halle and Marissa discussing their favorite creatures.
Warning: Explicit content
Also: Evil Dead=The Walking Dead. Marissa was tired and got her words mixed up.
Fanfiction has always had a mixed reaction. Some think it is a legitimate form of literature, others believe it’s terrible writing about nothing but sex and steals other people’s ideas. In this episode, Halle and Marissa talk about how they feel about fanfiction.
They told you their least favorites, now listen as they praise their favorite genres. Come listen in to Halle and Marissa talk about the sections of the library they gravitate toward.
The new year has begun and you want to start writing a new book. The first thing you have to do is decide what book to write. Which idea is the one to go with? In this episode, Halle and Marissa talk about how to narrow your ideas down to choose your new writing project.
Halle and Marissa are back but this time they have chosen their favorite exercises as a send off for 2017. The theme is holiday and Marissa and Halle were given more time for longer stories. Tune in for the madness.
Warning: Explicit Language
It’s the holiday season, so now’s a good time to read a holiday book. There’s books for even horror fans and those who celebrate hanukkah! Join Halle and Marissa as they play another round of Would You Buy It? with a holiday twist.
First impressions are extremely important. In this episode, Halle and Marissa will tell you how to start your book and give it the first impression it deserves.
Halle and Marissa are back with more exercise to work out your creativity, but this time they have a new friend. More people means more stories to share with all of you. Come listen in and enjoy the examples we’ve created that left us in stitches.
Halle and Marissa pull questions from Reddit about writing and try to answer them to the best of their ability. What could go wrong?
They told you their favorites, not listen as they rant about they consider the worst book tropes. From love triangles to the liar’s reveal, agree or disagree with Halle and Marissa’s least favorite book tropes.
Warning: lots of swearing in this episode
It’s time to play Guess the Book again! How well do Halle and Marissa know some of their favorite books? Listen and play along, and see if they can recognize their favorite books by a small section alone.
There are three kinds of stories: those that are driven by character, those that are driven by plot, and those that are a mix of the two. Not sure whether you have a plot-driven or character-driven story? Halle and Marissa will answer your questions and explain to you the difference.
Stressed about giving or getting criticism, or just want some tips? Halle and Marissa are here to help you out!
Another round of Halle and Marissa passing judgement. From the mysterious Penpal by Dathan Auerbach to the sexually insane The World According to Garp by John Irving, we'll tell you which books we would and wouldn’t buy.
Most writers will have it at some point and have learned a few tricks of the trade to get rid of it. Some say it doesn’t exist, but Halle and Marissa disagree and are here to provide tips to get rid of the nasty thing called Writer’s Block.
As Halle and Marissa move on to the adult novel world, they remember their favorite YA novels. From Fallen to Clockwork Angel, join them as they say goodbye to the past and move on to a new chapter in their reading lives.
Writing exercises is back, but this time with a Halloween twist! Come listen in to new writing exercises and examples from the dark and comical minds of Halle and Marissa.
NaNoWriMo (a.k.a. National Novel Writing Month) is a once-a-year event where writers torture and push themselves to the limit to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. Halle and Marissa will give you the tips you need to run this writing marathon to the finish line.
Writer's Burnout is the feeling of not wanting to write, but how does one kill the feeling? Listen to Marissa and Halle discuss how burnout can affect you and how to get rid of it.
Everyone has that section in the bookstore they avoid whether it’s erotica, fantasy, historical, or westerns. In this episode, Halle and Marissa discuss their least favorite genres.
As a writer, you will run into a variety of people who will say a lot of interesting things. Some good, some bad, and mostly not what you want to hear. Come listen to Halle and Marissa talk about the things they're tired of hearing.
How well do Halle and Marissa know some of their favorite books? Listen and play along with their new game, Guess the Book, and see if they can recognize their favorite books by a small section alone.
Favorite book tropes, we all have at least one or two, so come listen to Marissa and Halle talk about theirs. Maybe yours will be on the list.
Worried that your character is a Mary Sue/Gary Stu? Halle and Marissa will tell you the signs to watch out for and how to fix your character if they are one.
Planning to kill off some of those pesky characters? Us too, so join Halle and Marissa in finding out the best way to end your characters' lives.
It’s hard enough writing a book through one character’s point of view….now try two or three? In this episode, Halle and Marissa go through the pros and cons of writing a book in multiple POV and tips on how to best write it.
Thinking of writing a series, but not sure what type to write or even if you should write one? Then come listen to Halle and Marissa talk about the three types of series and some tips to help you write them.
We all love our characters, but some are stubborn. We all have those characters that we have a hard time writing. Halle and Marissa talk about the characters they have trouble writing and how to make it easier.
Another round of judging a book by it's summary and asking if we would buy it or not. Join Halle and Marissa, and see if you would buy these books from their summaries alone.
Whether you know it or not, you’ve seen a book adaptation. It could’ve been a movie, play, TV show, whatever. Halle and Marissa discuss what makes a good book adaptation.
Some writers love them and some hate them, but not many know when to use them. Join Halle and Marissa as they tell you when and how to use prologues and epilogues.
The inevitable sequel to our least favorite characters is here. From Hamlet to Magnus Bane to Tony Stark, Halle and Marissa discuss the best of the best characters.
Need more ways to work out your creative muscle? Then check out disk two of the Authors-In-Training workout video. Halle and Marissa will give you more ways to give your creativity the killer bod you want or your non-existent money back guaranteed.
For some people, children are very difficult to write. We all have written children as either too stupid, too smart, too hyperactive, or older/younger than they’re supposed to be. Halle and Marissa have, and they will tell you their tips on writing child characters correctly.
We all have those characters we hate reading, here is ours. From the woman dripping pheromones to the man that’s a douchebag but somehow gets the girl, Halle and Marissa talk about the characters they hate to read.
Does writing consume your life? We all have a hard time finding that balance of living a healthy, social life and making time to write a novel without taking X amount of years. Halle and Marissa struggle with it and they will give you tips and advice on how they keep their life in check.
What characters do you hate with a burning passion? In this episode, Halle and Marissa talk about the worst of the worst characters.
Whether it’s online, live-action, or tabletop, role-playing can help you become a better writer. “How?” you may ask. Well, listen as Halle and Marissa teach you the basics of role-playing and how it has helped them become better writers.
Meet Dr. Jarret Keene. Writer, Poet, Freelance Editor, and College Professor. He's a man of many talents and in this episode Halle and Marissa pick his brain about how he writes poetry, the funniest mistakes he has seen as an editor, why he decided to teach ancient literature, and much more.
He has written: The Killers: Destiny is Calling Me, Monster Fashion, A Boys Guide to Arson, and Las Vegas Noir.
The books we read as a child will forever stay in our hearts and help us become who we are. Listen as Halle and Marissa take a trip down memory lane and talk about the books they have read when they were children.
With every good story there is a beginning. This is theirs. Join Halle and Marissa as they take you through their journey as writers and introduce the world to Authors-In-Training.
Before every mission, before every journey, you should have a plan of action. For us writers, our plan is our outline. Halle and Marissa will talk about different outlining methods, even for those who like to wing it, and tell you how they outline their works.
From the inspiring The Color Purple, to the witty The Princess Bride, Halle and Marissa list some of their favorite books of all time.
From your ears to your hands, music can inspire what you write and put you in the mood. Listen as Halle and Marissa talk about what they listen to as they write.
Don't judge a book by it's cover...judge it by it's summary instead! Halle and Marissa play a game where they read the summary of a book and decide if they would buy it.
When mastering the art of writing, writers need to form their own writing habits. Are yours more Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? In this episode, Halle and Marissa will discuss the good and the bad, and also give you some tips.
Want to Rocky your writing skills and creativity? Halle and Marissa will tell you how to mentally pump iron with writing exercises. Try these exercises to give your writer brain abs of steel or your nonexistent money back.
As all writers know, the art of writing comes with many fun, creative, and kooky moments, but with moments like those come the frustrating, depressing, punch-a-hole-in-the-wall moments as well. In this episode, Halle and Marissa will discuss the best and worst parts of being a writer.
Every writer is Dr. Frankenstein. We take pieces of ourselves, people we know, and different traits to create our monsters known as characters. Halle and Marissa will tell you how to make characters that will become someone’s future favorite.
Writing can be a process of solitude...or it can be a collaborative journey filled with action, adventure, and drama. Halle and Marissa will introduce the world of co-writing and give you the tips and tricks to navigating this new world.