Hello Creatives, I'm Joanna Penn from TheCreativePenn.com. On my channel, I share information and inspiration about writing craft and business. Get your free Successful Author Blueprint: www.TheCreativePenn.com/blueprint Buy books directly from me: www.CreativePennBooks.com I write non-fiction for authors and I am an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. I'm also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker.
Yes hope so - it looks complicated with delivering on line content but that’s not digi books obviously - it’s fantastic what ever the nitty gritty that you mentioned this today ( for me any way :) )as i’ve just seen my Accountant so i feel i am going into a much more aware environment - i am vat reg and we’ve worked in EU through a lot of changes with haulage bus’ for 30 years so I’m hyper aware of how awkward it can be dealing direct with individual ms etc 😂 great pod cast - thanks
Yes re thresholds!!!! I gave up because of it back then. I remember when they brought in the 9k and then brexit stopped that for us!!! Some really good news:)
Lindsay Buroker is one of my all time favorite writers, so it is wonderful to meet her via video. The still photo on Amazon does not look like her at all and of course hearing someone speak conveys a lot more about a person than just a photo. I've read every one of her books, and enjoy her humor very much.
Hello Joanna, I went back to your 2018 interview with Dave Hendrickson. Amazing information. Looking forward to seeing what he is up to in 2024. Love your show! So happy to be a Patron!
Wait? you can post original work on Ao3? Did I know that? Have I forgotten that? I started in FFN and again like you two, have worked out after years of breaking my stories on the rack of story structure, that I really do write better using the discovery style AND knowing that someone is waiting to read the next chapter. I had just decided to do that on Ream when it imploded this month July 2024, and I changed my mind... but a03 could work...
I remember dragging my kids along to see my childhood home - fully prepared for it to be bulldozed - and it was exactly the same. I was not ready for that!
Kind of disappointing. I was hoping for actionable tips but it all felt a bit self-congratulatory. It seems like the best way to become successful is to already be successful and it's simple, simple, simple when you're as amazing as I am.
Sorry it didn't resonate with you, but there are lots more episodes, so hopefully you will find some that help with your situation. We all start with nothing. We all build from nothing.
AI is getting crazy. I've just been playing a made-up as I go adventure called ARKANE: Operation Eternal Light on a site called WebSim. Just ask it for a website and it creates it, in this case a text-adventure game. Here's my mission log so far. Mission Log 21:00 - Team enters the catacombs through the secret ARKANE access point. 21:15 - Dr. Morgan Sierra detects faint traces of supernatural energy. Team proceeds cautiously. 21:30 - Jake Timber neutralizes two cult lookouts using non-lethal methods. Path clear to proceed deeper. 21:35 - Dr. Sierra begins analyzing the mysterious symbols on the catacomb walls. They seem to be a form of ancient Sumerian script. 21:40 - Team contacts Theodora Sinclair for her expertise on the symbols. She suggests they might be related to an ancient Mesopotamian eclipse ritual. 21:45 - Jake Timber leads a careful search for any signs of a sacrificial chamber. The team remains on high alert.
It's starting to sound like the AI writing tools might be more trouble and time consuming than helpful, however, I'm still going to give it a try and experiment one of these days. Thank you for your research and study!
I had some rare free time but not feeling inspired to write. I decided to listen to this podcast. So glad I did, the conversation was spot on for me and I’m now inspired to get back to my writing with renewed enthusiasm. Time out from writing well spent, thank you so much.
I have aphantasia and i'm a writer. It's hard to describe my thinking process but no visuals, sound, etc. I tend to skip description in rough drafts and then add it later. It's not that I can't it's just doing so in the rough draft would slow me down and make me lose the flow, so I do [describe] and leave it to editing me. I make notes of what characters look like or i'd never remember. Personalities I got just fine, but not looks. I am a pantser but I am reverse outlining as I go which is helping. I say pantser but the story i'm writing started off pantsing, then I got to chapter 3 and so many things came to me and I wrote them all down. It was out of order initially so I ordered them into an outline, filled in the blanks and now I have an outline and am 42k in and on chapter 21. I think i'm about in the middle... my longest story before this was 23k. Anyway I also use images and videos on google, pinterest etc. to help me out with descriptions.
This episode really resonated with me! I'm glad I came to terms with discovery writing as my process after my second book. It's made all my other books so much easier to write now that I'm okay with it being my process. Also, loved her insight on her podcast establishing herself and her voice as her brand. I want to learn how she's doing this too!
Great video! Can you create a custom trim size in Vellum? Hardcover and paperback, depending on the POD service, can have slightly different trim sizes. I use Scrivener to write, but their compilation tool for output is so onerous! I've used it for years and still feel like I'm relearning how to use it after each of my books.
Don't use Scrivener for formatting - it's awful :) I still use it for writing, as it's awesome for that, but NOT formatting! I just use the standard trims in Vellum, but you can also look at Atticus depending on your needs.
You should give Novelcrafter a spin. Just its codex/story bible is awesome even without the AI assisted writing with hugely flexible prompting and the ability to use your AI model of choice.
Wow. This is a remarkable question-thank you for this…I haven’t set upon an answer yet, but I too ponder about my works in progress and the happenings beyond my lifetime. Hmmm…
Very goo overview of this tool. Two questions Does it correct punctuation for dialogue? Can I target its editing for middle grades (ages 9-13) fiction?
I found the last part of this the most interesting. I can relate it to having many books on my shelf I have never read. In fact today I gave up on the book that I was 3/4 finished reading I just wasn't enjoying it any longer. I'd love to know more about my own personal interest in books, what I love and what keeps me reading. Sometimes I'm just not aware of why I love one book and don't like another book that my friends tell me they really loved. This will be interesting if in the future somehow we can analyse are reading styles and the writing style and maybe able to match it up with our readers I think this is very fascinating and I wish you would have talked to her more about that topic maybe you can have her back on or have another person to discuss the topic a little bit more in depth.
Glad you found it interesting! We are speculating now as to what can be done in the future, but I loved talking to Rachelle, so yes, will get her back on as AI continues to develop.
Loved this! You are so helpful! But I'm disappointed that as a Christian author and entrepreneur you promoted the work of someone who uses Tarot (divination).
I'm interested in AI writing tools for research and historical context. I, too, worry about the question of the human voice and the loss of creativity when using AI. Thank you for an informative and interesting interview.
Thanks for another interesting episode. The huge problem with AI is that it provides a disincentive for young people to develop fundamental writing skills. Established authors may find it a useful compliment to their seasoned skill set, but youngsters would not have had the same hard earned experience to draw on yet. AI can foster a culture of taking short cuts and to NOT put in the work to develop fundamental skills. I've seen this happening in visual art too. Keen to hear your thoughts on this topic.
Thanks for your comment, but I think that things will just change as they always have done. I used to hand write my essays when at University, and in my final year there was a discussion that maybe we should be able to use computers (this was 1996-1997 so still pre-widespread-internet). The teachers said that it would make us lazy and we wouldn't work as hard and it would make it easier - but in fact, it helped us make more of our knowledge, I was able to organize my thoughts more easily, and they could read it! The same happened with the internet. It was going to make research easier so people would be more lazy and wouldn't have to go to the library anymore. But we adapt and we learn, and we learn specifically the things we are interested in. Those who love whatever medium they love will still get into the fundamentals and they will excel more than those who don't want to learn. So I am not worried - it is just another iteration of technology. Young people will adapt to the news ways of doing things. The question is, will older people?
Coming back to this because of your latest episode. Loved this episode then and it hits differently now that I am a published author and have embraced my Creativity fully. Bless you Joanna. Thank you for you and your work. Love and Gratitude from a fan here in Manila.
" Skip navigation Search Avatar image 0:04 / 1:11:34 "Writing Through Fear." What a luxury that most will not have. To write out of fear that one's publisher has given a deadline to finish the first draft and she is running late. Publisher, and agent. One of the hurdles most won't make on his/her journey to a published story.
Thank you, Joanna and Caroline, for shedding some light on the fears of writing (and providing tips for overcoming them), however you still took it to the usual place - that most writers fear being creatively inadequate, that they will "do it wrong" and be judged for it, and that that is the core of all our fears. I beg to differ! After years of listening to shows like this, no one ever talks about fears related to financial problems, survival, family, health, and other daily stresses that some of us just NEED to prioritize over writing - in other words, fears unrelated to self-esteem issues. As a pro writer for the past 15 years, I do not fear being inadequate when it comes to writing. It's what I do best. I also used to consult authors on indie publishing and marketing, so I do not fear that either. And I also honestly don't care about being judged! My only fear is that I will STARVE by spending time finishing my novel as opposed to allocating that time to doing something actually fruitful, like a side hustle that will boost my currently INADEQUATE salary (hence, a fear related to survival)! And since I already write for my day job, I'm often too tired to write novels at the end of the day and I deal with unbearable neck and shoulder pains, too - which proves to be yet another reason completely unrelated to "getting it wrong" or "being judged" (rather, it's a fear related to survival yet again, splashed with some health anxiety - Will my body be able to handle more writing?). What can I say, maybe I am the exception to the rule? Maybe most writers have an easygoing life with only very few responsibilities, more than adequate income, no health concerns, and plenty of free time, with their only real problems and fears being related to their self-esteem? Sorry for the lengthy comment, just wanted to respectfully share my thoughts (and fears!) to showcase that this view/conclusion on perceived inadequacy as a core fear doesn't apply to all writers. P.S: Thanks for the Kickstarter tips, that might actually be worth setting up!
Thanks for the comment, Angelika and I absolutely respect your opinion. But most authors do not write full-time and have other jobs, so the fear is not about money as it relates to books as that is handled elsewhere. For most writers, it's a hobby or a side hustle. But I understand what you mean, and I certainly consider money as this is my fulltime living, although I have multiple streams of income, like the podcast and patreon etc as I find book sales to be too erratic to be my only income.
@@thecreativepenn Hi Joanna! I've been making a living with just my books since 2012, and I actually have this fear. Income fluctuates like crazy. At one time, I made $200K a year. I don't make that anymore. My income has steadily dropped over the years. I'm still making a living wage. Last year, I brought in $46K. (This has been the lowest it's been since 2011 when I made $18K.) While I do attribute that to not marketing very well and taking time off from writing due to burnout, I am now worried I won't be able to get my income back up. The fear of survival has started to kick in. I don't know if inflation is crazy where you are, but in the US, it's been awful. Groceries and gas are at least double what they once were, for example. That only compounds my fears. I will be attending the Inkers Con online conference next month to sharpen my skills to help me compete. I will also be taking a six-month course on being a virtual assistant in case I need a side hustle. So I am trying to improve my situation. But anyway, if you can find someone to interview to speak on writing and publishing through the "fear of survival" mindset, that would be wonderful. If you can't find someone to do it, I understand. I don't think most authors struggle with this fear. I do believe people like me and Angelika are in the minority. That all being said, I still love your show!
Wanting things done instantly is a very old human weakness and affects how we interpret even the Bible, even in its original language -- which is why the only word in ancient Hebrew that can be interpreted as "era" or "day", "day" is the most common interpretation. Too bad, or it would be common knowledge that, according to Genesis, in the eras leading up to the final one, the one in which we humans appear, there existed an era in which the family of animals defined by birds were the dominant life form. When we discovered birds are remnants of dinosaurs, and they once dominated the biosphere the way mammals do now, it would have been seen as a confirmation of Genesis not a challenge to it. And you 7th Day Adventists professors would have been able to be morally and intellectually honest.
