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So… how’s your NaNo?

Olivia No Comments

It’s been a week of NaNoWriMo, and so far I have found it super tough to really get into my book the way I need to if I’m going to, um, finish it this month. Or, indeed, this year. But I am making time to write every day, and I think I’m doing the thinking that I need to do to write the book, even if the writing itself is hard.

So Meghan and I really liked this post, How Not To NaNoWriMo, which totally fits into our ethos on the podcast – not forcing things too much, living up to your idea of success (not others’) etc.

And, if you’re needing more inspiration, this Independent article summarizing 22 lessons from Steven King about writing novels and short stories (and, really, doing art in general) was good.

Next year, I think I’m going to do NaNo for real – get a new project, start and (hopefully) finish it – and see what happens. I actually do like to see all the words everyone is getting onto the page!

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magic, news, podcast

Episode 9 is up, and we talk making time and space for writing, and Nanowrimo

Meghan No Comments

Today, we’re stoked to talk to librarian Ayanna Gaines about reconnecting with her creative side, balancing work and writing, and how she sets up her space to nurture her art. We also chat National Novel Writing Month, and Olivia helps Meghan figure out how to set her Nano goals.

Ayanna Gaines is a librarian and pop culture geek in Southern California. She’s just made the switch from academia to public libraries and is reconnecting with her creative writing side.

Her academic work includes the chapter “That’s Women’s Work: Pink-Collar Professions, Gender, and the Librarian Stereotype” in The Librarian Stereotype: Deconstructing Perceptions and Presentations of Information Work” and papers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls.

She writes poetry and is hard at work on her first novel. You can find her and her adorable kittens on Twitter @popcullibrn or Instagram @againeslibrarian

Full show notes are here, and you can subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever get your podcasts.

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Writing Prompt 1: Olivia’s response and Meghan’s comments

Meghan No Comments
Earlier this week, Olivia posted my response to our first writing prompt and her critique. As promised, here’s her response and my critique — remember, rule #1 is be kind.

“Have a seat.” Gareth turned away from the window and waved towards a chair in front of his desk.

I squeezed past the desk and settled between the chipped maple arms, onto the seat made of worn office-blue fabric with tiny pink dots. He pulled the tall leather chair back from his desk and sat, gazing patiently at me from a chair set at considerable height. I felt like I was visiting the principal’s office, seven years old, sulking in cheap mass-produced furniture.

“I made some calls.”

“What did they say? Will he live?”

Gareth shook his head, almost shrugged. “They still don’t know.”

We sat for a few seconds in empty quiet. I let the image of Igor, surrounded by doctors, sink in.

“But he’s in London?”

Gareth nodded, his eyes betraying a feint surprise – perhaps that I was still there.

“Getting the best care, at least.” My words felt flippant, revealing how much I wanted to pretend that everything was okay.

“Anna, I think you should go –” he glanced around the room, pausing deliberately “– on the business trip. That we planned.”

“We – um, did?”

“The meetings in London?” He nodded, eyebrows raised.

I frowned, shook my head, then belatedly noticed the way he’d left spaces between the phrases, like signs in the words, to lead me through the conversation.

“You have two days. After that, I can’t guarantee anything.” He pulled open the drawer, pulled out a folded piece of paper.

“It’s your ticket.”

I smiled at the ink-jet-printed page, with its black and white Russian airline logo. As if nothing on the internet was real unless it was transferred to paper.

So, in terms of comments:
  • First of all, I love the way the information unfolds in the dialogue, in little stepping-stone bits. It’s a dynamic way to move the scene along. We don’t know where they are, or what the relationship is between Anna and Igor, but we get hints.
  • I like how this motion is echoed in the phrase, “I frowned, shook my head, then belatedly noticed the way he’d left spaces between the phrases, like signs in the words, to lead me through the conversation.”
  • I also liked the comment about nothing on the internet being real unless it’s transferred to paper.
  • I’d like to see other senses pulled into the descriptions — maybe convey the cheapness of the chair by describing how the fabric feels, rather than looks.

Remember, this is really draft and we haven’t particularly edited it – we wanted to be genuine with you! This is a great way to realize that everything can be revised, that each comment isn’t a way to say you can’t write something, but just a suggestion for how to make it better in the next draft.

We’d love to hear your responses — send them to us and let us know if you’d like them to be featured on the show.

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Episode 8 is up, and it’s scary (for us)

Meghan No Comments

In episode 8, we do something super scary — we share our responses to this month’s writing prompt, and have a mini-critique session.

If you want in on the fun, send us yours here, or post in the comments! We’d love to hear what you came up with. We talk at the end of the episode about how useful it is to get feedback on our writing, both to improve and to realize that room for improvement is natural, and doesn’t make you a bad artist.

We also talk more about schedules and managing the stress of multiple projects — good to think about as National Novel Writing Month (for those who wonder what the heck this Nanowrimo thing is) approaches — and Olivia comes up with a great motto.

The writing prompt, if you missed it in episode 6, is:

Your boss calls you into their office. What happens next?

What mottos keep you going?

motto less crisis

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getting it done, magic, news, podcast

Episode 7 gets real

Olivia No Comments

We posted Episode 7, and in it we open up about the ugly side of writing when you have a day job – when you can’t really manage to fit everything in, when you feel frustrated, or when you’re just really freaking tired. We know everyone feels this sometimes, so we just went with this feeling, picked it apart, and then talked about some of the things that can get us to writing.

Some of it comes down to this –

– but there’s some other stuff in the episode as well.

As always, we would love to hear how you are doing – so contact us here, on Instagram, or by email. Send us a voice memo, and we will include it on the show!

Full show notes are here.

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Episode 6, now with a writing prompt

Meghan No Comments

Today we publish our first mini-episode, where we just talk a bit about what we were up to last week, with audio clips of our daily off-podcast voice memos (and the kittens!). We also share our first writing prompt exercise! Next week, we’ll have a quick critique session of our responses, and would love to have you share yours here, on Instagram, or by email. Send us a voice memo, and we will include it on the show!

Full show notes are here, but the prompt is:

Your boss calls you into their office and closes the door. What happens next?

October writing prompt: Your boss calls you into their office. What happens next?

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news

When the world gets in

Meghan No Comments

We talk a lot about the importance of getting the writing done before the world gets in the way. As journalist and author Sigrun Davidsdottir says on this week’s podcast, “These early hours, they are worth gold.” Even if you’re not a morning person (we aren’t).

This week, it has been especially hard to get the writing done before the world gets in. There’s a lot coming at us, all the time. I live in the U.S., where we have had a decades-long problem with gun violence and domestic terrorism, and police violence, and systemic oppression, and climate change. Waking Monday morning to the news from Las Vegas definitely got in my head and heart, already broken wide open because bad things just keep coming. The most I have been able to hope for is 45 minutes right after waking up, when my mind is still foggy and my body slow, because after that, it’s time to start making phone calls to my senators and state governor to ask them what’s your plan? and the world — and the anger and horror and frustration — gets in. And that’s where I am right now.

The world doesn’t need another hot take, but it needs even less people being quiet.

A prayer is not a plan. We know this as writers — you can wish you were writing or think about writing or fantasize about being published, but unless you actually write, none of it does any good. Unless our leaders actually do something, none of their public “thoughts and prayers” do any good. It’s also clear that our leaders won’t do something until we force their hands.

So why was I talking about writing in the morning? Because it’s okay to protect your writing time. Writing makes us — I hope — more empathetic. More connected. More human. So protect your time before the world gets in so you’re ready to meet the world when it does. Protect your voice — so you can use it when its needed.

-Meghan

Some stuff to read

Why Mass Shootings Keep Happening (Esquire)

We Have to Stop Pretending We Can’t Do Anything About Gun Violence (Teen Vogue)

Your Silence Will Not Protect You by Audre Lorde review — prophetic and necessary (The Guardian)

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Episode 4 is up, and we talk identity

Meghan No Comments

Episode 4 is live — this week is all about identity. How do you handle the dreaded question, “So, what do you do?” Also, whether or not you’re public about being a writer, the intersection of age and shame, and being ambitious while female. We also talk writing uniforms — keep an eye on Instagram this week, and share your writing outfit with us! Use #marginallypodcast or tag us (@marginallypodcast).

As usual, get show notes here, get the show on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play, or wherever get your podcasts.

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