The Stories that Shaped Us

With the release (or pending release) of many aughts nostalgic media like Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer and A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins, we decided to have a chat about the stories that inspired us to tell stories of our own. PJ and I had no shortage of media to discuss from books, to movies, to television, to video games. I myself am very partial to poetry such as that of Sarah Kay, while PJ and I both stan Buffy ALL DAY EVERY DAY.

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For Writing Community News, we talked about why it is SO important to do your research on agents before you start throwing your book baby at anyone who is willing to take a look. This was especially apt considering we are only a few days from PitMad--an offshoot of PitchWars where authors have the chance to pitch their manuscript to agents on Twitter. I lamented the nasty business of summing up your book in 280 characters because YIKES.

We also chatted about one of my favorite new Twitter games #storyloversaesthetic, where a themed prompt goes up every Monday for authors to create an aesthetic to release on Friday. If you've interacted with me on Twitter, you know there is little that brings me more joy than a beautiful aesthetic.

Lastly, I mentioned the delay of publishing dates including my mentor's book Lakesedge. Publishers are pushing back releases based on when they think a book will do best. In the case of Lakesedge, from February 2021 to October 2021.

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We found out that PJ FINALLY finished Snow Crash this month and is on to new stories, specifically The Fever--a book about a mysterious illness that makes you tell all of your secrets. I think I may be a lifelong sufferer of this.

Personally, I had the opportunity to read Lyndall's book Lakesedge, which I highly (but poorly) recommend. I'm also currently reading a few more of my friends as of yet unpublished manuscripts, but don't worry, I'll yell and flail when the time comes.

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And for our final segment of the episode, Getting Crafty, we kept with our Bookisode theme and discussed craft resources we love. There's a lot of good info there...so why aren't you listening to it RIGHT NOW?

As always, thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoy this episode of Write Away with Nat & PJ!

<3 Nat