Whenever I think about writing, I inevitably think how the creative process of writing is similar to other creative processes. One thing many don't know about me is that when I write, I start from a foundation of logic. This week, I touch on how presenting scientific research or developing a theory is similar to creative writing and may help the writing process click in some people. I also take a short time to talk about setting pieces and the value of using objects and places in a story. My Web...
May 01, 2019•40 min
On this week's episode of How to Write Good, I had the opportunity to interview the Brazilian musician Igor Leal. Igor and I talk about everything from the creative process to American vs non-American burgers, to metaphors, to connecting to other people. So, I think this is the artist Igor brought up. Bobbie Carlyle is actually the original artist. Here is an article about her work: http://www.bobbiecarlylesculpture.com/SelfMadeManBio.php If you want to support Igor, here is where you can find h...
Apr 24, 2019•41 min
When you want to write, you often hear the advice that you should analyze when you read. This has some validity. If you want to be able to write well, it is good to study good writing. My issue with this advice is that it only takes into account half of the picture. Most writers seem to fall into the rules of writing, but they do not always talk about the part of writing that goes beyond understanding (or, at least, seems to go beyond understanding). In this episode, I talk about the value of re...
Apr 17, 2019•36 min
This week's podcast episode is my final writing rule. Rule #14: Write the Book You Want to Read. You can probably guess why I think this, but maybe you will be surprised. I recorded this episode three times. I just couldn't figure out how I wanted to say. My Website: www.danielpoppie.com HTWG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood HTWG Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast HTWG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet: https://www.spreak...
Apr 10, 2019•33 min
Isaiah finds himself in a hospital room. The emotion of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah show clear on their face, but Isaiah feels nothing for this man on the bed, his father. He hears only the hushing breathing machine, the arguing of his brothers, and the whimpering of Jeremiah. Intro Music: Purple Nurple by Alex Beroza Story Intro Music: Longing for Tumbleweeds by Admiral Bob Exit Music: Hidden Blues by Pitx
Apr 08, 2019•43 min
This week I talk about communication on How to Write Good. This week was really me talking about a question that was on my mind. My Website: www.danielpoppie.com HTWG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood HTWG Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast HTWG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet: https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zombies from Area 51 by Moolen http://c...
Apr 03, 2019•32 min
This week's guest on How to Write Good is Vince Jacobson. We talk about why he does not think there are any good arguments for atheism or for the existence of God. You can't hear me on this episode, but you can hear him. Isn't that all that matters? My Website: www.danielpoppie.com HTWG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood HTWG Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast HTWG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet: https://www.spreaker.com...
Mar 27, 2019•1 hr 16 min
On this week's episode of HTWG, I talk about what videogames can teach us about storytelling. (I've been sick for the past 24 hours, so that is why this is up late.) My Website: www.danielpoppie.com HTWG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood HTWG Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast HTWG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet: https://www.spreaker.com/show/one-last-toast-for-ebenezer-fleet Intro and Exit Music Credit: Brain-Eating Zo...
Mar 20, 2019•33 min
This week we talk about my penultimate writing rule. Writers often express the frustration that they have a difficult time finding what needs to be written. I just think y'all have too high of standards on your first draft. Screw that crap up. My Website: www.danielpoppie.com HTWG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/howtowritegood HTWG Twitter: https://twitter.com/HTWGPodcast HTWG Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howtowritegood One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet: https://www.spreaker.com/show/...
Mar 13, 2019•35 min
When you read a book or when you watch a movie, one thing that grabs you is what the characters say. Oftentimes, it is not the action sequences we remember in a movie (unless you are watching fight scenes in Oldboy), it is the dialogue. I am sure you know where the following quotes come from: "Why so serious?" "No. I am your father." "Well, do ya, punk?" "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." These, among other quotes, elicit specific emotions and ideas in our minds. Within stories, I would ev...
Mar 06, 2019•38 min
For this week on How to Write Good, I interview The Band Eden. They are an alternative rock band from Wisconsin. You are really just going to have to listen to it. The Band Eden's Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/thebandedenofficial/ Here is one of the drummers Tyler mentioned: Jojo Mayer: http://www.jojomayer.com/ (The other band has sixteen drummers or something like that.) Set for the Fall was the other band that was mentioned. My Website: www.danielpoppie.com HTWG Facebook: https://ww...
Feb 27, 2019•55 min
We are going to deviate from writing itself to talk about an idea that I believe is one of the most important things in life. Most people have children. Some people are good parents, and some parents make me feel sorry for their children. One of the biggest gifts that I think any parent can give to their children is that of sacrifice. It is part of being a parent. Some people become bitter about the sacrifice they have to make for their children, but perhaps if a person is willing to sacrifice, ...
Feb 20, 2019•37 min
We continue with my writing rules. I don't know whether people don't have much faith in themselves or whether it is used as an excuse, but I have met many people who use the excuse that they are not creative. People will often say that they do not have the same bursts of insight like a creative person. This rubs me the wrong way because I know that creative people often don't feel creative themselves. Instead, they have developed a habit in which they produce their art and become creative by she...
Feb 13, 2019•38 min
I've got a (likely) stupid pet peeve. When I was putting together my book, I saw a lot of author headshots. One thing I noticed about these headshots is that they presented many authors as sophisticated intellectuals. What I have noticed since that time is that if you do any type of creative work or are in a prominent position, your public relations team wants to present you in this same way. Very few people actually play out what this is presenting in their real lives. Maybe Nietzche always act...
Feb 06, 2019•33 min
On this episode of How to Write Good, I have my first guest of the year. Evan Swonke joins me. One thing that has been going through my head has been changes in music. Since Evan is a musician, we dive into how rebellious music does not exist in the mainstream and how mainstream music no longer has anything left to rebel against. We talk about the value of rebellious music (and rebellious art in general), but we also dive into how technology has changed different forms of art. Check out Evan's p...
Jan 30, 2019•56 min
Recently, there was a controversy around the actor Bryan Cranston. The actor who played in Malcolm in the Middle and more recently in Breaking Bad starred in a movie called The Upside where he plays a wealthy, quadriplegic man. Some say that he is should not have taken the role in the movie and stated that someone who was disabled should have played in the movie instead. The controversy brings up a question in my mind: Should artists, especially authors, write from perspectives not their own? He...
Jan 23, 2019•38 min
This week on How to Write Good, I continue with my rules. Sometimes, I run into something that I continue to go back to again and again. One of the things that has stuck with me since I read it is a personal essay by Annie Dillard called "Seeing." In the essay, Annie talks about how she used to hide pennies so people would have a surprise they can find. She then connects this idea of pennies to finding small but beautiful things in the world. In my own life, I have found her ideas to be connecte...
Jan 16, 2019•37 min
This week on How to Write Good, I talk about starting over. One of my biggest fears is that I am doing something wrong and that I am going to find years down the road that because I have been doing something wrong, I will have wasted my time. I think a lot of people think the same way. This stops a lot of people from moving forward. For those of you who are starting out, the answer is planning and perseverance (easier said than done), but what about those of us who have found yourself at a point...
Jan 09, 2019•33 min
The seminal chapter of One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet. Hosea arrives at his parents' house for their thirtieth anniversary with the fear of telling them that he is engaged, but this fear quickly goes away when he discovers something else, something wrong, very wrong. Thanks for checking out my story, One Last Toast for Ebenezer Fleet. If you enjoyed this story, please leave a review on iTunes. Find out more about me and other work that I am doing at www.danielpoppie.com . Follow me on Faceboo...
Jan 08, 2019•31 min
On this episode of How to Write Good I talk about the plethora of remakes, sequels, and based-on-a-true-story movies that are coming out in 2019. I discuss why we go see movies, why moviemakers make movies, and how I expect the movie industry to change in the next 10 to 15 years. Remember to stay in touch at my website at www.danielpoppie.com and follow How to Write Good on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to get all the latest updates on what is happening with the podcast....
Jan 02, 2019•34 min
In writing, as in most creative endeavors, patience is a requirement. On this week's episode of How to Write Good, I talk about how taking your time can help you write better as well as a strategy for starting out slow and developing writing stamina.
Dec 19, 2018•30 min
We take a break from writing rules on this week's episode of How to Write Good to talk about realizing that success happens overnight for very few. We discuss the need to find intrinsic motivation to write or do something creative.
Dec 12, 2018•35 min
We continue with the rules for How to Write Good. Join me as I talk about Mad Max, musical dynamics, and loud noises on this week's episode of How to Write Good.
Dec 05, 2018•31 min
On this week's episode of HTWG, I have the honor to host the musical duo 7000 Apart. Not only a musical duo, they are husband and wife, and we talk about everything from their band name, to creativity, to the creative process used to arrive at both compelling music and compelling story. Learn more about 7000 Apart by visiting their website, www.7000apart.com , or following them on Facebook or Instagram @7000apart.
Nov 28, 2018•36 min
On this week's episode of How to Write Good, I talk about how paragraphs should be used to convey ideas. How should sentences fit into specific paragraphs? How should paragraphs fit into chapters? How should chapters fit into a larger story? And is it okay to use topic sentences to describe something in a story? Find out on this week's episode of How to Write Good.
Nov 21, 2018•35 min
One of my biggest pet peeves in writing is when a writer tells me I shouldn't do something or use a specific word, whether this writer is Stepen King telling me I shouldn't be using adverbs or Vonnegut telling me that I shouldn't be using semicolons. I love semicolons; they make me happy. In this episode of How to Write Good, I talk about the different rules writers have put on the writing world as well as why they have done this. Besides this, I talk about my objections to these rules while sti...
Nov 14, 2018•37 min
We have gone through the first five and most important rules for writing. Now, we continue by talking about rules that apply to creative writing more specifically. For Rule #6, we talk about how each reader has a specific set of information they are coming to writing with, and we are not trying to convey something perfectly specific in our writing but are trying to get across a basic idea they are able to fill out themselves.
Nov 07, 2018•30 min
For Rule #5, I talk about the necessity of knowing what you are talking about when you are writing. If you want to write something that you know nothing about, you need to take time to understand that thing. For non-fiction, this requires close reading, but for every time of writing, it requires time for you to ruminate about the topic. For fiction, you will have to kick your imagination into gear (which is why fiction writing is so much more fun). Stay in touch with my by visiting my website at...
Oct 31, 2018•30 min
Rule #4 makes its debut on How to Write Good this week. Why is it so much better to read something that is describing something you can touch, smell, taste, and feel, and why should you always write to appeal to the five senses? Find out on this week of How to Write Good. To stay in touch with me, check out my website at www.danielpoppie.com .
Oct 24, 2018•29 min
My third writing rule on this week's episode of How to Write Good. Why does it matter that people have short memories? Join me as I talk about Rubik's cubes, spinning plates, translating math problems (eww), and the best Word of the Week in the history of Words of the Week. Stay in touch at www.danielpoppie.com .
Oct 17, 2018•31 min
