Though everyone knows a book needs a good cover, writers often overlook the importance of a well-designed book interior. Book designer Tamara Cribley lends her expertise to a discussion on the nitty gritty details of interior book design: from choosing (and licensing) fonts, formatting ebooks, preparing margins in a print book, deciding when and how to hire a book designer, and more.Have you read any books whose interior design impressed you? @ our socials to share examples of beautiful books with us.Links: The Book DesignerIBPA (Independent Book Publishers Association)Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Bonnie and Miranda discuss their takes on the infamous writing advice, “Show, don’t tell.” They explore the advice from an editor’s perspective as well as a writer’s, give some examples of showing and telling, and discuss when you would want to use one or the other.So, what do you think about “show, don’t tell”? @ our socials to let us know your questions and comments on the hotly debated maxim.Links: How to Show and When to Tell blog postFollow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Whether your story is set in a fantasy world or downtown Cleveland, scenic details are important—but how do you avoid getting caught up in the minutiae? Today, Steve Stratton joins Miranda to talk balancing worldbuilding details with story, in a variety of genres.Links:Pro-Writing AidFollow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

In today’s episode, Bonnie and Miranda chat with Leah Busboom about outsourcing for authors. They discuss what self-published authors can or should outsource; some best practices for collaborating with other publishing professionals; and how to balance budget, time, skillset, and enjoyment levels as you navigate the publishing process.Links:Alex K Newton of K-lytics. https://k-lytics.com/Booksprout review service: https://booksprout.co/Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Prolific romance author and publisher Bernadette Marie brings her experience with the genre to help Miranda and Bonnie nail down the differences between Romance as a genre and romance as a B-plot in a greater story. Along the way, they’ll talk about the different aspects of romance from the importance of setting, to building relationships between characters, to different “spice” levels.Happy Valentine’s Day!Links:https://www.5princebooks.com/https://www.romancingthebeat.com/Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Erin Austin, teacher and author of The Ultimate Guide to Selling Your Original World Language Resources, talks with Bonnie and Miranda about how to find time and motivation for your writing while balancing all other aspects of your life. Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Dr. Melanie Peffer, author of Biology Everywhere, joins Bonnie and Miranda for this episode’s discussion of the old adage “Write what you know.” Whatever their day job is, any writer can utilize their day-to-day experiences to inspire and strengthen their writing.Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Bonnie and Miranda welcome in Season 2 of the show by discussing goal setting for writers. It’s important to define what your goal as a writer is, and we discuss four broad paths you can take to define what kind of writer you want to be.Thanks for listening, we can't wait for the amazing guests and information coming up this season. Links:Shutupwrite.comhabitica.com Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersJoin the Writing Heights community at writingheights.com  Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donationsSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

On this holiday special of The Writing Forge, Bonnie and Miranda get in the Christmas spirit by discussing the movie The Man Who Invented Christmas. Though the movie is a historical fiction take on Charles Dickens writing A Christmas Carol, it has a lot of relevance to modern writers. We cover a range of topics from publishing vs self publishing, traditional book binding, tropes about authors, and the writing process. Happy holidays and we’ll see you all again in Season 2!Follow us on social media:Facebook: @writingheightswritersInstagram: @writingheightswritersSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations

Humor writer Julie Vick joins us this week to talk about all things funny.Tips and Tricks:Surprise is a key element for writing humor. Play up the unexpected. The rule of three is part of this.If you’re going to be satirizing someone directly, make sure not to “punch down.”You don’t having to be funny on the first draft. Editing can and should make things funnier.Read your work out loud to judge your comedic timingPut the funniest bits at the end of a paragraph.Analyze reading that you find funny to figure out how the writer did it.Your type and level of humor will depend on your genre. Make sure to think about your intended audience as you’re crafting jokes.Humor can work differently in fiction vs. nonfiction, particularly if you’re writing fiction in a 3rd person POV. Formatting like footnotes and parentheses and italics can change how your funny elements come through in the end.Humor can carry the reader along so they don’t pay as much attention to other aspects of the writing.Certain phonemes are inherently funnier than others. Saying “Tropicana” is funnier than saying “orange juice.”Comparisons can be very helpful for adding humor to writing.Follow us on social media:Facebook: @northerncoloradowritersInstagram: @ncw_writersTwitter: @northcolowriterSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-writing-forge/donations