Season 3 - That's a Wrap!

Season 3 - That's a Wrap!

Matt: Welcome everyone to Write Out Loud, a podcast where words come to life. Creativity reigns supreme and every episode is an adventure in the storytelling that we hold so dear. Whether you are a seasoned author or you're just sitting down to write your first book, this is your weekly audio escape into the world of writing.

So hi, I'm Matt. I'm your guide to the world of stories. We chat about thrilling plots and touching tales, and joining me is the fantastic, the fun loving, the fabulous, the freewheeling, the freakin amazing, Christina. Hello.

Christina: K. A. horse of a different color.

Matt: Ha ha ha ha ha.

Christina: Yes,

Matt: Exactly.

Christina: just, pre show we were talking Wicked

Matt: Mm hmm. Ha ha ha

Christina: a shirt that says a horse of a different color. So,

Matt: ha.

Christina: um, not that you can see us.

Matt: No, no,

Christina: But

Matt: not that you can, but that's okay. That's okay.

Christina: Tina

Matt: Well.

Christina: is here.

Matt: You are, and I'm so thankful for that, is this, you know, week of Thanksgiving. Um, I was thinking because as we are starting to wrap up season three, and I wanted us to kind of think back and reflect on some of our favorite episodes this season, and some of the things that we're, that we've learned.

Highlights in what we've covered

Christina: Too many, too

Matt: I know we've had so many amazing conversations this, this season. It's been incredible. Uh, just to give you a little bit of a rundown. I mean, if we go all the way back right to our first couple of episodes this season, we had Ted Lasso. We talked about Ted Lasso.

Christina: god, that was this season, yeah.

Matt: It was, we talked about the rise of monster romance.

Battling burnout.

Christina: yeah,

Matt: I mean, we've talked to so we've had so many amazing guests. We had, I mean, Tom Colgan, right?

Christina: oh yeah,

Matt: We had Tom Colgan. We had Erin was back.

Christina: yes,

Matt: talked to some great authors, including Del Sandeen, Ruby Dixon, Michael Fedor, Sean Vigue.

Christina: yes,

Matt: And then we just had Jenn Sterling on, so we've been super lucky to get some amazing guests.

And I think, you know, probably for Season 4, we're gonna look to have more.

Christina: I think if in particular that I am, um, have been emailing, if she comes to fruition, this, this could be a, a two parter.

Matt: Nice.

Christina: to record a couple episodes because I think there's just too much of a laundry list of things I want to ask her.

Matt: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Christina: yeah. Um, I, I had so much this season.

Matt: hmm.

Christina: I learned a lot. I mean, you were naming all the different episodes, it was like I could pull You know, this from Tom Colgan, I could pull this from, you know, Del Sandeen and Jenn Sterling and Ruby Dixon and just everybody had a unique perspective

Matt: Yes.

Christina: unique way of coming at the industry. And I said to you from the very beginning that I don't, I don't want to be you know, a podcast just about writing.

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: you know, this aspect of it. I, you know, I, I am not the person that's going to go, yes, go niche, go so super niche, I think there are so many aspects to writing as, you know, first of all, such a personal thing, you and the computer, you and your story.

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: Um, I have different views on what, and writing are, you know,

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: versus, you know, writing, um, my whole, Stephanie Meyer deal where, she's a great storyteller.

Matt: Yeah.

Christina: be the best writer out there, but she's a great storyteller. And if you can be one or the other, choose to be a storyteller.

Matt: Absolutely.

Christina: Even just from, last week's J. Sterling talking about, the ins and outs of Kindle Unlimited and, best becoming a bestselling author and then, going through all, I mean, there were so many things you could pull from, I loved Tom's story. Uh, about James Patterson is on my phone, you

Matt: Yes.

Christina: was great.

Matt: Yep. Mm

Christina: on that side of it. There are so many aspects to writing the types of writing, um, I think, know, it's interesting because season one we spent on one particular show

Matt: hmm.

Christina: did, it was based on. So that, was really great to tie in. Season two didn't really have a theme other than us kind of exploring different ideas,

Matt: Mm

Christina: different techniques for writing. Um, this season tended to be more guest oriented,

Matt: hmm.

Christina: I really enjoyed

Matt: Yeah, it was great.

Christina: I love, you know, getting the different perspectives in. But, you know, I I think that next season we're going to grow into something else

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: well. Just because of some of the things that you and I have talked about, the possibilities of, like I said, some of the, the people were already in talks with, coming on the podcast,

Matt: Yep. Ha ha ha ha.

Christina: people that we can talk to, you know, to bring in their perspective.

But yeah, what about you? What was. What was your favorites and what did you learn?

Matt: Gosh, I had a lot of favorites. One of my favorite ones was our collaboration with "Literally Books" with Magda and Lindsay talking about what readers want. It was just a fun conversation. It's fun to get together with those two and they bring a lot of dynamic and energy to the podcast too.

I really enjoyed Michael Fedor.

Christina: Yes.

Matt: he had such a great, uh, and, and admittedly, cause it wasn't romance. So it's a little bit more in my wheelhouse, which is great too. I just think I really enjoyed having him on. I learned a lot from him, even outside of writing. Like there was a lot of history that I picked up from, from Michael, right.

Which was awesome.

Christina: Yeah.

Matt: but I really enjoyed Del Sandeen learning about her journey, you know, and, and getting to write her first book. Full published book through Berkeley

Christina: Yeah.

Matt: Through their open submission program like that was the coolest and she was so sweet

Christina: Yeah.

Matt: So, you know, I really

Christina: I

Matt: like those

Christina: her perspective, telling us about how, she stood up for a part of her story

Matt: Yes

Christina: editor wanted to cut.

Matt: Yep

Christina: and I think that's such an important thing for. What I want writers to understand is that if they know their story best, they know what parts can be cut and

Matt: Mm hmm. Yep

Christina: yeah.

Matt: Yep. So what are some of the topics you want to explore? Next season 

Christina: Well, so, um, off camera, so

Matt: Uh huh.

Christina: I've become obsessed with, um, imposter syndrome because a lot of my clients seem to be, going through it now. So I've been exploring that I think I know the root origin of it and how to move through it.

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: uh, for next season.

And so if anybody wants to know about it. You know, maybe email us some questions that we can answer, during that podcast.

Matt: Sure.

Christina: there's another one that's not as and time I talk to you about it, you're kind of skirting it like, Oh, what do we want to talk about next? Um, someone on threads this week talked about it.

They didn't call it what I call it. Uh, they called it, um, writing resistance.

Matt: Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. Mm

Christina: I, I've got an idea kind of rattling around in my head that maybe we talk about it at the beginning of the season as an opener offer you a book

Matt: hmm.

Christina: and then by the end of the season we can talk about how it is resistance fiction and what the idea of resistance fiction is.

So it's

Matt: Oh, interesting.

Christina: around.

Matt: Yeah.

Christina: I think we're going to have guests on, I think, um, you and I, after, you know, closing out three seasons, have learned to kind of go with the flow

Matt: mm hmm.

Christina: I think, we're able to adjust very quickly. Um, you know, do our research very quickly. Um, stay. In, know, what the hot topics are,

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: you know, and sometimes that's hard with the podcast, um, because things happen so quickly and if we plan everything out to the T and we can't, you know, make room for adjustments, um,

Matt: Yeah, we've learned to kind of do that.

Christina: to have our little literally pod, um, besties BFFs, um, back on.

Matt: Yes.

Christina: got some more. Um, ideas to talk about with them.

Matt: Yep. Yeah, I've got ideas around. I know that we want to talk a little bit about Kickstarter. And using that as a way to kind of fund or get yourself some, a little platform from which to write because you can, you can raise some significant funds that way in particular. I think talking to there's some other podcasts that we've.

reached out to,

Christina: Mm

Matt: um, that we might want to collab with as well. So, you know, we may be bringing them in, in certain dimensions. Um, so you might see some of those. There are some other authors we've reached out to, like you said, that we were kind of in, in talks with getting them on the, on the show next, next season.

So I think the future is bright.

Christina: And, and by the way, if Stephen King would like to come on,

Matt: Yeah,

Christina: you know,

Matt: exactly.

Christina: episode. Yeah. On Threads, he's, he's moved from known as Twitter. Um, he's, he's deleted his account there. He's now on Threads and he's literally, pun intended, become the king of Threads. So, people literally, someone just said, So all you have to do is say his name and he appears? And then right underneath it you see Stephen King responding with, Hi! So, you

Matt: Nice.

Christina: I'm, I'm trying that here. Stephen King, come on

Matt: Yep. Yep. I mean, there's a bunch I would love to have on the show, like Mark Greaney.

Christina: Oh, yeah.

Matt: would love to have Mark Greaney on. Um,

Christina: because I

Matt: so many.

Christina: editor.

Matt: I think we do. I think we do. Yeah. So I, I'm also going to say this to you. I think you should consider what you want to hear. Topics you want to hear us talk about and you need to reach out.

Send us an email, send us a text. There are options on the website to get in touch with us. Tell us what you want to hear, because it's only going to make it more interesting for you if you've got skin in the game. And if, you know, we start kind of picking up some ideas that we didn't even think about, right?

Like we're, we're two brains. We're two good brains, but we can't think of everything. So.

Christina: we don't know everything. I

Matt: Nope.

Christina: been very clear about that. We have opinions,

Matt: Yeah. Yep.

Christina: to reiterate, I loved all the guests that we had on. know, this season, because everybody brought a different perspective and there are a multitude of pieces to the publishing and writing and storytelling perspectives.

Matt: Yep.

Christina: Um, I would love to have a screenwriter on.

Matt: Mm.

Christina: about, you know, storytelling process from a screenwriter perspective. Um, there is still my dream episode. The Last of Us.

Matt: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Mm hmm.

Christina: if, if you have not seen The Last of Us, um, please watch it. And if you only watch it through episode three, um,

Matt: Yeah.

Christina: little teaser. The, writer of episode three got, an email. I think it was an email, but it could have been a letter. I don't know.

Matt: Mm hmm.

Christina: personally from Steven Spielberg saying it was one of the best episodes of TV. So, I would really love to, to break that puppy down.

Matt: Oh, if we could get Yeah, if we could get Brett Goldstein.

Christina: Oh,

Matt: Maybe he could be the one to talk about writing, the scripts and such, because, I mean, he had to go recruit Harrison Ford, and Harrison Ford told him it was the best script he'd ever read.

Christina: I have not

Matt: So.

Christina: I am on Season 2 of Shrinking.

Matt: Nice. Good. Good. Good. It's fantastic. Yep. Hmm. Mm

Christina: that I was talking about who wrote that episode of The Last of Us. He also did, um, the series on Max

Matt: hmm. Okay.

Christina: of the best. Television ever. It's very, very hard to watch. So not for the faint of heart.

Matt: Yeah. Nice.

Christina: Um, but also the way that Craig Mason presented it. Um, think he's the only one that could have, you know, done it in such a way that. Didn't gloss over how scary it was, but yet. it to the human level, um, and just made it amazing. I'd love to have, you know, a screenwriter on just to get some perspective, that way that's something that we haven't, um, talked about.

Matt: Yep.

Christina: So,

Matt: talking. Let's really shoot. Let's shoot for the, you know, shoot for the stars, right?

Christina: um, I forget her name, but she used to write for the West Wing, but now she's writing, um, and showrunning for the Diplomat. her name, but she would be excellent.

Matt: Yes.

Christina: get Aaron Sorkin, she would be

Matt: That'd be awesome.

Christina: mutually Oh, and Shonda Rhimes. Shonda Rhimes, who I, um, I keep a quote on my desk. She posted on Threads a couple months ago, if you can entertain, you can teach. And I think that's a very important lesson for writers

Matt: Yep.

Christina: can entertain your audience, you know, you can teach us something.

Matt: Yep. Yeah.

Christina: So

Matt: the other thing too for that we talked about Hornick Season is even bringing on, like, a bookseller.

Christina: yeah,

Matt: obviously, you've had that in your background. But, you know, what's, what's going on today, right? Like, it's different than it was. So, yeah. So, bringing on a bookseller that

Christina: Um, I just recently read that Barnes and Noble is actually opening up new stores.

Matt: Mm hmm. Mm hmm.

Christina: have opened. Rather than closed. So, um, that's interesting.

Matt: Yep.

Christina: Um, they're also opening up more independent bookstores that are, you know, being successful.

Matt: Yep.

Christina: So,

Matt: Yeah, it would be interesting to have, you know, even a local bookseller, like, That wants to join, you know, a little independent book, bookseller would be kind of cool.

Christina: there's a little independent bookstore that opened up in Tampa.

Matt: Is there?

Christina: Yes, there is. Your favorite. Genre.

Matt: Oh, nice. Nice.

Christina: I know. I know. No. Um, I think we have, you know, a lot that we can, we can do for

Matt: Yep.

Christina: and might be a little ambitious to do it all,

Matt: Yeah, we gotta save some for other seasons, you know. We got lots of seasons to come, so.

Christina: Yes. Yeah.

Matt: Um, you know what? We are going to take a little bit of a break. I think in the kind of interlude between seasons, we're going to do some more of the Rewind replays. So there will still be new episodes. Well, replay episodes that will drop in between.

Um, just to keep your feet alive so that you can, you know, Get, get some more goodies from some of our past episodes that you've enjoyed. So we might even put out a poll and say, which one do you want to hear this coming week? So,

Christina: you know, there might be some episodes that people maybe missed or think were going to be interesting to them but are actually some of our most popular episodes.

Matt: yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So be on the lookout for that. But, uh, you know what? Again, we're going to take a little break for the holidays and we will be back. in January. So look for us then. But I will tell you, we've had a lot of fun and you know, we're looking forward to bringing you back a lot of fresh, cool stuff in the new year.

Awesome. Well, thank you for joining. Thank you for listening. And as always, keep writing, keep creating, and keep getting your voice out there because that's why we're here.

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