Royalty Free - A Writing Podcast

Royalty Free - A Writing Podcast

by Melissa M. Rivers, Ellie Lerum, and Kaitlyn King

Season 1

The Publishing Dating Game - Which Publishing Option is Right for You?

On this episode, we discuss the three different types of publishing for those ready to enter the world with their printed book. All three of our contestants are dashingly handsome, but, do you really know them? We go over all three publishing world options for you so you know the good, the bad, and the ugly before you commit to dating one type of publishing. All three are great and difficult in their own ways, but ultimately, you need to decide which is the right one for you! We will cover traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and independent publishing. There are pros and cons to all three. We discuss how traditional publishing has changed, we briefly go into how hybrid publishing has affected one of us and how it is often perceived to the world, and we cover some of the unthought of topics for independent authors that you may want to think about before you dive into the deep end. So, step on up and meet your potential match on today's episode of The Publishing Dating Game! And if you would like us to go into more detail about publishing, or if you have any questions and/or topics you would like us to discuss, please drop us an email at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com or leave us a review. Plus, if you like what you have heard so far, drop us a like and subscribe (because Melissa is needy and wants to know people are enjoying the podcast. Please, I'm desperate for validation!) ;)

Blueprints for Plotters - The Many Ways to be an Architect

On this episode of Royalty Free, oh how the tables have turned! It is Kait and Melissa this week (as Ellie is sick) and so the two of us have conspired to discuss a topic she loathes: How to Plot - or more accurately, the many ways in which a writer can plot and the resources we have gathered through our journey in learning what kind of plotters we are. We discuss different philosophies of plotting, archetypes, books you should check out, as well as the instinctual side of being a plotter that you pick up with time and media. Join us for a deep-dive into the many layers of being an architect type of plotter, as well as how to garden your way into the perfect amount of plot so you don't get bored. Some books we discussed: Save the Cat! by Blake Snyder Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger The Better Novel Project (google search is the only option for this, sorry) Write the Magic Within by Gail Carson Levine Writing Fantasy by Orson Scott Card and an honorary shoutout to K.M. Weiland's books Structuring Your Novel and Creating Character Arcs (don't know why I didn't bring up her books, I adore them and they have helped me immensely) If you would like to ask us any questions (perhaps a topic to cover in a future episode) email us at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com or drop us a like and subscribe so you can always stay up to date! Thanks for listening!

Bring the Heat - Our Opinions on Modern Spicy Books

On this episode we will be discussing Spicy Books. Modern books are now featuring a lot of spice in books, whether it is closed door, open door, fade to black, or explicit content warnings, we talk about how modern spicy romances and books containing spice have changed over the years opinions on where spice is expected, our personal opinions on when spice is appropriate and beneficial, what it brings to a story or how it can take away. This episode is another opinion piece on how the Spicy Book market has become the norm and our opinions on what writers need to consider if they are planning to include spice. Ellie is of the opinion less is preferable for both her own writing and in what she reads. Melissa is of the opinion what does the spice add to the story because any level of spice can be beneficial to the telling of the story. If you would like to leave a comment or insights of your own, email us at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com or drop us a review. We'd love to hear from you and would love to answer any questions you have! Maybe your question will be our next topic!

Romantasy Domination - Our Opinions on the Smooshed Genre Takeover

On this episode we discuss the sheer domination and takeover of the latest genre, Romantasy! This genre has taken the book world by storm with millions of lovers. Ellie and Melissa share their opinions on Romantasy (in a not so great light, as well as in a late addition glowing review), and they discuss how Romantasy has affected other genres and taken it over like a Mean Girl demanding Dark Fantasy "get in the car, loser." This episode is purely our own opinions on Romantasy and is not meant to be an inditement on the genre as a whole - because as the new kid on the block, this genre has left this librarian flustered as to how to talk about it, and displaced Dark Fantasy writers with an eviction notice and feelings were felt. If you would like to comment or leave a review please reach out to us at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com and please be respectful with all hate mail for this episode. I, personally, would love to have a follow up episode to discuss your insights on Romantasy! P.S. Kait, don't listen to this episode. I say the word 'orgasm.'

The Mugging of Dark Fantasy - Classic vs. Modern Changes

On this episode, Kaitlyn is off on an important mission, and it's just Ellie and Melissa today talking Dark Fantasy. We discuss the genre expectations, what Dark Fantasy is about, what makes a Dark Fantasy, and how it has changed over time: aka, how Dark Fantasy was mugged in a back alley. Dark Fantasy is meant to feel creepy, uncomfortable, and its supposed to reflect reality back at us like a mirror just using fantasy to say something deeper, and we discuss how these changes has made Dark Fantasy's expectations differ from one generation to the next. Ellie and I also dive into the cult classic, The Labyrinth, and how that movie a great example of the darker themes of Dark Fantasy, as well as how Bowie's pants was an awaking moment for everyone. If you have any questions you would like us to discuss, drop us a review, or contact us at our email at: royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com we would love to help dig into a topic of your choice.

Practice Makes Competent - First Projects are Bad, and that's Okay!

On this week's episode, we take a stroll down memory lane as we reflect on our first projects - and remember just how bad they were. We discuss how we got better at writing, we discuss why its okay for you to cringe at your first projects, and we talk about what we learned from those first projects. Also, no one said it, but it was fanfiction. We wrote different forms of fanfiction. If you would like to leave a review or request a topic for us to discuss, please email us at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com, or drop a comment below. We'd love to hear from you all so we can steer our conversations towards what you would like to hear. Thanks for joining us!

Wave Those Character Flags - How to Write Character Motivation Through Action

On this week's episode, we talk how to write Character Motivation through Action. A character doesn't simply speak the truth (rarely does anyone), but a character does show who they are through their actions. We discuss different techniques, use examples of when motivation was shown brilliantly, and dig into why showing the character's internal motivations through actions is preferable to making statements in dialogue or internal monologues. If you have any questions on writing you would like us to discuss, drop us a review or write us an email at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com We'd love to hear from you!

Writer Mythos Historia - Deep Diving into Themes You Write Subconsciously

On this week's episode of Royalty Free, we deep dive into a concept Ellie learned called Writers Mythos. Every writer draws upon personal experience, themes, and subconscious childhood informative years as to what, and how, we write. She asks the hard questions and we have to identify what is deep inside us as to what has informed our writing over the years, and we learn a few things about ourselves along the way. Join us as we discuss how the writer's mythos can be used to better your writing, and how it can be abused if it isn't reined in. And if you would like to drop us an email, you can reach us at royaltyfreewritingpodcast@gmail.com we'd love to answer your questions in the next episode!

Character Death Mamba - Why You Must Kill Characters and How Not to do it Poorly

In this week's episode, we will be discussing character deaths. We talk about why you would want to kill a character, how to do it right, and also, how not to kill a character that will leave your readers angry, confused, or betrayed by your work. Meaningful deaths vs. meaningless deaths, and how to use both because both are useful techniques, you just need to know when to use them. Also, the Goblin here is giving you the reassurance it's okay to kill the dog or the horse. Just make it mean something to the plot if you do. Plus, here are the books we think handled the topic of death well. Literature recs: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson Moon Called by Patricia Briggs Love, Ruby Lavender by Deborah Wiles And whatever horse series Kate read that we still don't know the name of.

Live! It's Authorpalooza!

In this week's episode, we are recording at Authorpalooza in front of a live audience! So exciting. Authorpalooza is an event our public library hosts with local authors giving readers and local writers a chance to interact and talk with each other. Today we will be discussing how identify your unique writing ability and harness it to create, then we take questions from the audience and cover everything from marketing, audience expectations, and branding. We had a blast at Authorpalooza, and our live audience was a dream to speak in front of. Thank you to everyone at the event, and remember, keep writing!

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