Nairobi Thriller, Road Trip Love Story, Blitz Writing, and the Spiritual and Emotional Aspects of Writing
Podcast: Download (Duration: 1:40:43 — 92.3MB)
In this episode 314, we’re joined by guest co-host Misha Lazzara to talk about writing craft and her novel Manmade Constellations, a modern-day love story wrapped up in road trips and small town life in the Midwest. We also feature Akbar Hussain’s novel Truth Is a Flightless Bird, which one reviewer calls a fast-paced story set in an African city that never sleeps. Plus Bryan Mitchell shares how blitz days help him finish a first draft.
Today’s Featured Authors:
Akbar Hussain Time Stamp: 7:45
Truth Is a Flightless Bird, soon to be an eight-part TV miniseries, is a character story and city noir set against the backdrop of Obama’s historic visit to Nairobi.
Bryan Mitchell Time Stamp: 48:17
Bryan Mitchell shares his blog post “Blitz Writing,” where he breaks down how he manages his time to knock out a first draft.
Misha Lazzara Time Stamp: 58:11
Jill McCorkle calls author, editor, and writing teacher Misha Lazzara “an extremely talented writer with a compelling story to tell.” Manmade Constellations is a smart, magnetic, and emotional novel dedicated to the American landscape, exploring how taking to the open road teaches lessons that can’t be learned at home.
Community Updates:
Listen to our episode for updates on the Charlotte writing community, including events from the Charlotte Writers Club, Charlotte Lit, and more.
Host Updates:
Sarah: I’m continuing to work on a rom-com feature I’m developing with a studio, and writing some short fiction on the side. I also just wrote an article for the Phoenix Screenwriters Association to talk about lessons from fiction that screenwriters can use. And when this comes out, I’ll be in NY, seeing the city and catching up with some writer friends!
Landis: I just gave a talk at Yonder Bar in Hillsborough about Deadly Declarations. On November 15th, I’ll be speaking with the Charlotte Writers Club about all the marketing I did not know while launching my recent novel.
Misha: I am busy teaching writing at UNC Charlotte and homeschooling and working on my next novel.
Book Recommendations: Time Stamp: 30:36
Sarah recommends:
The Figure in the Glass and Other Stories by Barbara Kremen
Landis recommends (by way of Park Road Books):
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel by Grady Hendrix
Misha Lazzara recommends:
No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull
Mark West, Storied Charlotte Blog, recommends:
Song of Redemption by Malika J. Stevely
Alyssa Pressler, That’s Novel Books, recommends:
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
From Instagram:
Joe Congel recommends Geller’s Find by Sandra Cox
2-Minute Tip: Time Stamp: 42:13
Don’t miss Charlotte Lit co-founder and executive director Paul Reali’s tip about how to build detail into a scene.
Writing Tips:
From Bryan Mitchell’s blog post “Blitz Writing,” we take these tips: Time Stamp: 48:17
- A consistent daily writing schedule works for some writers, but it may not be the way to be the most productive.
- Schedule days in advance where you can notify your family you’ll be writing, set aside as much time as possible, plan what you’ll work on ahead of time, and then use that time to up your word count.
- On a blitz day, focus on getting words on the page first, then revise if you have time.
Community Voices:
Thanks to listener Joe Congel for his comment on Instagram about ep. 311: “Listened to this terrific interview today. Jennifer McMahon has great energy and an amazingly dark mind – loved listening to Hannah fan girling a bit over one of her favorite authors. Both ladies provided a fun, entertaining and engaging interview. This book is now on my TBR list.”
Takeaways:
We had a great time talking about the writing process with Misha, and picked up some reading recommendations we all want to try. Today we learned a lot about experimentation and rule breaking in writing: both in what you write, and how you get it done, figure out what works for you and then set your own rules!
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