Writers are always told to "write what they know," but what if you don't know? This week, CC got the opportunity to fill out her life experience by going to Las Vegas' famous male revue: " Magic Mike Live ." She takes our listeners through each step of the show: from hair-and-makeup to the dancing and athleticism of the show to the post-show meet-and-greet with some of the dancers. CC then spends some time outlining how she's going to apply this experience to her current work in progress. Also d...
Jul 02, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 122
Episode 121 is started slow, but evolved into something interesting and complex. We talked about about our minimal efforts on our works in progress. The challenges for CC is finding the time to hit the keyboard. My challenge is I'm making things up as I go along, so I think I created a readable adventure, but not a viable ending. If you're in a similar situation, we have ideas. We put togethere a mailbox yesterday. Gently speaking, it was our usual comedy of errors. The main gist of the podcast ...
Jun 25, 2023•43 min•Season 1Ep. 121
Happy Father's Day and Juneteenth to all who celebrate! Episode 120 is all about: - Our works in progress, - JT's new part-time job, - Visiting places from our youth and feeling the ghosts walking through us, - Readers' reading habits, and - Tighter plots for the shorter attentions spans of the 21st Century. Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA! LYL!
Jun 18, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 120
Episode 119 is our examination about setting fiction in places where the writer has never traveled. CC uses a great example of space to illustrate the challenge. We talk about the tools we use to overcome this barrier. Also discussed is the Wrath of God hail storm from June 10 and our usual flailing at the keyboards on our current WIPs. Have a listen and check us out www.carsonhume.com TIA LYL!...
Jun 11, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 119
The podcast is back after a two-week hiatus due to JT driving to the East Coast and back to see his sister. Today's episode is all about that eleven-state tour (NV, UT, WY, NE, IA, IL, IN, OH, PA, MD, DE, and back). For those scoring at home, JT drove over 5,500 miles. Also: Visiting the Gettysburg National Military Park What's the one color you'll see from coast to coast? Happy 41st Anniversary! Gettyburg is a must-see for the history nerd (guilty). If you can't get there, Justin Scarred from R...
Jun 04, 2023•50 min•Season 1Ep. 118
Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate and should be celebrated! This week, we spent most of the podcast bragging about our kids, but we also debated a fair amount trying to crack the tough nut of Time. Question: how do you find the time to write? Even as empty nesters, CC and I struggle to set aside time to work on our WIP. We bounce around some ideas and plans. Have a listen, check us out at www.carsonhume.com , and send us your suggestions. TIA! LYL!...
May 14, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 117
Bonjour! Today's writer's podcast is all about the City of Lights: Paris, France. We were lucky to spend more than a week discovering the wonders of Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs-Élysées, and a thousand places in between. From the Paris Metro to a famous graveyard. We walked along the Seine and took a long boat ride on the Seine, yet we barely scratch the surface of this wonderous city. From a writer's POV, we learned about communication gaps, French culture and history, and whether t...
May 07, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 116
For Carson City's Mark Twain Days, we went to a writers' workshop on Nevada and came away with interesting perspectives and ideas. CC might even have a new story to tell. Our thanks to the Nevada Arts Council for sponsoring the workshop. We discuss our own works in progress and our upcoming trip to Europe. Here's a plug for CC's past colleague Rich Moreno who wrote a timely piece on "Frontier Fake News," available through the University of Nevada Press . Good guy and good writer. Have a listen a...
Apr 23, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 115
Episode 114 of the "helping writers write" podcast touches on messages to our younger selves. What we have learned and what would we say to ourselves if we could go back in time. "Never give up" is the obvious advice, but the rest is not so obvious. Also discussed: -Paris (France) -Mark Twain -Our Basement -Retirement -Significant Birthdays -Going to College -Our current WIPs And the real reason they made you take algebra in high school. It wasn't a waste of time! Listen to this and other podcas...
Apr 16, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 114
Been a low and slow day at the CC and JT Amateur Hour where "we help writers write" because Spring has finally sprung. Woo! We talked about the craft of writing last week, which is the technical aspect of grammar, editing, and publishing. These are universal to all books. What is not universal is the creative process or the art of writing, so today's podcast is all about pulling words from our brains and getting them on the screen. CC and I compare and contrast our respective styles as we talk a...
Apr 09, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 113
Episode 112 of our writer's podcast tackles Spring Cleaning, the ritual of opening the windows, letting in the fresh air, and getting your house organized. For writers, it's about the craft of writing: organizing your manuscripts, filing documents in their proper folders, and reorganizing your brain for the next manuscript. Also discussed: our basement (sigh), France, Mark Twain in Nevada, and the artist's right to change their work. Lots of good stuff here. Lots more on our website at www.carso...
Apr 02, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 112
For those of us at certain age, we recall when Rod Serling spoke of the dimension of mind. Episode 111 of our "writer's podcast for writers" dives into the mind as we discuss "reality vs. memory." They're often not the same thing. We use a fender bender that CC and I saw firsthand this week. Even though it happens a few feet from us, we took away different perceptions of the event. We also provide updates on our individual works in progress which we hope to publish this year, plus the weekly wea...
Mar 26, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 111
Another polyglot of a podcast from the Worldwide Headquarters where "we like to help writers write." We discussed writing comfort zones, and how writers like to stick to familiar troupes and character because they over a rich source of inspiration. John Grisham and his love for the Deep South is specifically mentioned, as is my books of Nevada. We push our own buttons (again) of the complex subject of social media and the increasing amount of overhead dedicated to advertise our works, almost to ...
Mar 19, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 110
Another podcast, another joint therapy session. Northern Nevada is being pummeled by waves of rain and snow, and some of it overflowed into our basement. CC and I talk it out to get perspective and context, and as a means to reduce our stress. Also discussed: -Writing as an escape -Getting yourself into writing mode. -Memories and context. -Word games with kids. -Cochlear implants. -Rain and snow and rain and snow. -How we'd love to hear back from you. Trigger: I use a naughty word (a naughty Ir...
Mar 11, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 109
We clearly had things on our minds in this week's writers podcast: -Snow. -So much snow. -The Northern Nevada Floods of 1997. -Heated sidewalks at the Nevada Legislature. -Our respective works in progress. -Staying focused on the story at hand and not getting sidetracked. -So much respect for veterinarians and their teams. We wrap it up with a dive into the taxes that writers must consider every year. We're not experts and do not mean to imply we have the answers, but we do share some thoughts o...
Mar 05, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Time for another CC and JT Amateur Hour "where production values go to die." We like to help writers write. The past is always present and grips us all in more ways than one. CC and I discuss how to fold the past into your writing. We talk about the Hume Museum. Peggy the doll there has been handed down through generations, and her wooden friends come from overseas. We also chat about the Hume Clock ( TikTok link ) and my deer video with over ten thousand views ( TikTok link ). Have a listen and...
Feb 26, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 107
"The podcast where production values go to die" is more discombobulated than usual in this episode. We started talking about the value of developing routines and habits to establish comfort zones for writing. That's valuable stuff, but we somehow segued into the importance of fan fiction. We have a lot of respect for these artists, especially for middle and high schoolers who write and put themselves out there for (sometimes) very harsh criticism. Not much to reports on our personal works in pro...
Feb 20, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 106
CC and I meander all over the map in this week's podcast about Love. We agree, and we agree to disagree, but we're fairly safe in saying there are no absolutes other than "Love is Love." We hope you have it all figured out for yourself because listening to this podcast, you can tell we are clearly clueless. Have a listen and let us know what we got right or wrong. And check us out at www.carsonhume.com TIA! LYL!
Feb 12, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 105
We discuss "the doldrums," which we define as a normal interruption in the creative writing process. You have a story, but you don't what to with it or which direction to take it. We're going through this ourselves. We have some ideas on what got us there and what it will take to get us moving again. We also chat about our gift to you on Valentines Day and current events. Have a listen and check us out on www.carsonhume.com . TIA! LYL!...
Feb 05, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 104
We struggled this week with "the big reveal": the completely out-of-the-blue plot twist. Does it take the reader out of the story? Does it improve the plot? Does it change a "routine" experience into a memorable one for all the right reasons? Thoroughly spoiled: "The Crying Game" and "Murder on the Orient Express." We also discuss our personal works in progress. This and other goodies on our website at www.carsonhume.com Have a listen and take care. LYL!...
Jan 29, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 103
CC and I chat about what may be the most important emotional tool for a writer. We need a lot of moxie to get a book from a random idea floating in the ether to a real live book. We talk about the challenges of believing in yourself, plus we give some ideas in how to keep believing in yourself. There's the usual updates about our works in progress, and we make a big announcement about our next book. Check us out at www.carsonhume.com and thanks for listening! LYL!...
Jan 22, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 102
In today's Amateur Hour, CC and I discuss the books that took us from childhood reading to adult fiction, and the impact they continue to have on us as adults. We chat about sump pumps, our works in progress, and "From Tundra to Tiara," as well as our plans for the future. Have a listen and check us out at www.carsonhume.com . TIA! LYL!
Jan 15, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 101
Twenty-two months since we started in isolation, and here is our 100th episode of the CC and JT Amateur Hour ("where production values go to die"). This episode coincides with the debut of " From Tundra to Tiara ," so honestly, how could we not do this today? Not all is sunshine as real life taught us a valuable lesson about perspective (trigger: COVID). We're also thankful that small businesses survive and thrive, like Hoffman Plumbing who helped us not have a flooded basement. We chatted about...
Jan 09, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 100
Our 99th podcast, and we're almost done with another cycle of writing-editing-publishing a book with "From Tundra to Tiara" being released tomorrow, Monday, January 9. We talk at length about what we learned from our collaborative effort in writing a book, along with the challenges of contrasting writing styles and the English language itself. We segue over to the biggest roadblock for independent writers: getting the word about our new book. Marketing is pushing that big rock up the mountain wi...
Jan 08, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 99
We started 2023 with a power and internet outage from a humungous storm that knocked out services for a hundred-plus square miles in Northern Nevada. We're finally back on line, so here is the delayed second chapter of your future favorite Netflix/Hallmark cozy romantic movie. The first two chapters of "From Tundra to Tiara" are posted on our website , so feel free to follow along. It will be released in a week and it's still 99¢. Always free on Kindle Unlimited. https://www.amazon.com/gp/produc...
Jan 02, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 98
As promised, here we are, reading the first chapter of your future favorite Netflix/Hallmark cozy romantic movie. Well, we can hope, anyway. The first two chapters of " From Tundra to Tiara " are posted on our website, so feel free to follow along as we read. We also chat about good and bad holiday movies, and we pick our favorite of the season: " A New York Christmas Wedding " on Netflix. And there's the usual talk about the holidays along with the hope and prayer that you're having the best se...
Dec 24, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Ah, "the horror of the holidays are upon us," as my grandfather used to say. One common theme, no matter your culture or beliefs, are the strong emotions we feel during these days. CC and I remember two of our strongest Christmas memories, and we use them to illustrate how to transcribe those memories into prose. There's the usual chat about the plans for our current works in progress, and there's the YouTube thing I'm doing . We also talk about our plans for our current book scheduled for relea...
Dec 18, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 96
Jam-packed podcast where we talked about my completed space epic and how it differs from the three modern eponymous sci-fi adventures. Lots of talks about techno-babble and characters. If you're writing one, or considering writing one, here are some great ideas. Also: Two free chapters from our latest release, "From Tundra to Tiara," hitting the shelves on January 9, 2023! Go to our website at www.carsonhume.com Speaking of which, a reminder that FTTT is 99¢ until January 9, so preorder while it...
Dec 10, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Our single brain is on display in this podcast because we wandered all over the writer's landscape today, starting with writing posture, segueing to mojo and frame of mind, and ending with a chat about writers spending money. We did learn that CC and I had different elementary school experiences. Have a listen! Related: the podcast on Money got a lot of love this week, per the analytics. We're at the end of our first graphic arts class. Hope you enjoy the logo! We also did the usual update of ou...
Dec 04, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 94
Writing believable dialogue is one of the biggest challenges in prose because "dialogue is character," and characters are what drive our books. We discuss dialogue at length with examples from famous movies, and we provide ideas on how to improve your own written dialogue (spoiler: "listen"). We bring you up to speed on our own writing projects and the progress of our marketing plan for "From Tundra to Tiara." ( Preorder now for 99¢ before the price jumps to $2.99.) Learn more about us at www.ca...
Nov 27, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 93
