Ep129: Non-Traditional Writing Prompts, with Zachary Jeffries
Announcements:
Group Coaching Sept 12- $500 for 3-months (works out to $165/mo and my 1:1 weekly coaching is $500, so you can see the price difference there) Go to valerieihsan.com/shopping DISCOUNT: podcast (10% off)
Early registration for the 2024 retreat opens November 1 for the public, but EARLY access to the Early Bird registration is Oct 1 (next month) so if want early access for sold out tickets, become a patron this month.
I'm in a new anthology by Tsunami Press with my essay "Eye Contact." You can preorder at http://www.tsunamibooks.org/shop/pre-order-tsunami-press-first-anthology Due out the beginning of October 2023.
Preorder of Season of the Shadow up now. (Erick's new title.)
I'M READING:
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
Harness: A Systemic Approach: Guaranteed to Revolutionize Your Coaching by Tess Cope
Erick's Reading:
In the Woods by Tana French
Parable of the Sower (Zach Jeffries)
Show Notes:
Zachary Jeffries hails from the southeastern United Sates where his first jobs were lawn mower, pizza cook, and stable hand. His overactive imagination and love for reading led to to various routes of storytelling through improv, screenwriting, and the Chicago theatre scene. After working under a myriad of names, Jeffries now writes contemporary Young Adult fantasy brimming with tropes, humor, and action. Along with The Unseen Curse and Angel of Fate, Jeffries also publishes middle grade books under the pen name Z Jeffries. You can read books from either pseudonym by signing up at ZJeffries.com.
Romantasy: high fantasy with romantic story
K-letics says paranormal romance trending down; fantasy romance trending up
Host TikTok Live every week, Mondays @JeffriesBooks 9:30 p.m. Eastern
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
Holly Black books
Writers group started every meeting with a ten minute writing prompt. Didn't like it. Didn't want to put words into something else besides WIP. Caused self-doubt. Moved. Started new group. New prompts: seed for current WIP--fits any projects. Look at your WIP with new lens. Started giving Nanowrimo talks with writing prompts.
#Zprompt (TikTok) neurodivergent folks appreciate these prompts because of hyper focus engaging in a traditional writing prompt.
Zach's newsletters have writing prompts at the end.
Book is based on prompts per story elements.
Can use the book prompts for drafting or editing.
Sometimes you don't have writing momentum. Strategy: step back and focus on something different (character relationships; plot on auto-pilot) How the character hides a secret, for instance.
Visual media's focus of the camera is interesting.
Someone asked for THE BOOK.
Boredom is good.
Think about one aspect that is different from the movie you just watched. (CopLand fave movie.)
Neuro-divergent writer as a long-time critique partner, gives great feedback. Used autistic and ADHD beta readers for this book.
Re-organizing the ebook with hyper-links in order to make the prompts accessible throughout the book, in multiple elements. (Making it easier to jump around the book.)
Found the audience for something in an organic way.
Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch (follow the idea)
Can you use this prompting to decide if a story idea has legs? If you love the story, the story prompts can help. Story development exercise at back of book. Help with outlining.
More books are coming.
Book on preorder now. (Wide.) Break Through to "The End": Practical Writing Prompts to Elevate Your Work-in-Progress Scene-by-Scene by Zach Jeffries
Urban fantasy with sweet romance: The Unseen Curse
Angel of God's End by Zachary Jeffries (preorder)