The Writer's Tavern

Writers talking about writing, and other things that writers talk about. If you're a writer, and you talk, join in!

What if Edgar Allan Poe and Lewis Carroll teamed up to solve a murder? Intriguing, isn't it? That's what Melanie's new alternate history novel is …

Bribe your gods, or your muse, or whatever it is that brings you that holy stream of creativity, because really, they need something in return. Money …

Scrivener 3.0 for Windows is finally out of beta and Jerry has been using it on his gaming laptop, but even though he's having no trouble with the software, he's struggling with his current work in progress. Melanie is …

Part of being a fiction writer is to be a creator of characters. Part of creating a character is to study people. 

Around the 18 minute mark in this episode Melanie brings up an important point: be aware that there are people out there who get off on making other writers, especially new writer, feel horrible about their own writing, …

In this episode Melanie discusses the problems with writing under stressful situations (she lives in Texas, which is still a mess due to the recent …

A very cold edition of The Writer's Tavern! Melanie is prepping for some frigid Texas weather, and meanwhile Jerry is staring at 0° on his …

Deconstructing your favorite TV shows for plot and character development; the importance of book covers (hint: they may be as important as your story and prose, if you're concerned about actually selling copies); and …

Dragons? Check! Selkies? Check! Rogue coffee robots? Check! Socks? Double check! Okay, we're good to go. Press play now.

In this episode, Jerry knocks out a writer's block using a bottle of absinthe and Melanie puts her sales in overdrive using one simple trick.

Unless you are a glutton for punishment, Melanie urges you to not do what she did. Plus, Jerry learns some interesting tidbits about scheduling and …

Errant muses dropping better ideas on your head when your work is already in progress and you have a deadline? We hear you. We feel your pain.

Jerry doesn't know if it's actually "writer's block" or if it's just a case of seasonal writer's avoidance, but he's not getting much done. Mel is, though, and she's writing some very sexy stuff with lots of lovers, and …

Melanie is ready for Christmas and she's on the nice list. Maybe. Jerry is also ready for Christmas and is on the naughty list. 

Maybe.

Melanie and Jerry are delighted to have the up and coming booktuber Izzy from @Izzys_ink_ as their guest here in The Writer's Tavern. Subjects include the challenge of writing a story in a setting where you can't visit …

Deep into NanoWriMo, Mel and Jerry discuss the unexpected treasures that pop up when you force yourself to write through a transition instead of jumping from one scene to another. Also they talk about some talented …

We skipped a week because of a pandemic emergency, but we're back now, and apparently living in a science fiction world.

Price your digital copies too low, and you might make sales, but they may never get read.  Price them too high and you pass the pain point and encourage pirating. Where's the happy medium where you actually make enough …

The ins and outs of producing a newsletter for your readership, and why you should do it, and what to avoid. Also Mel explains to Jerry the …

Should you make an author's website? And what should you put on it? And how can you keep it "fresh" in the robotic eyes of the Google bots? We also …

What happens to your book on Amazon if they arbitrarily decide to categorize it as "erotica?" Also, Melanie tells the tale of why she made the jump from traditional publishing to indie publishing (Melanie to Jerry: do …

Its writer's tavern talk with Nebula Award winning author and aerospace engineer William Ledbetter! We chat about what it was like to win the Nebula …

Typing, scribbling with a pen/pencil/stylus, or dictating into a microphone?

Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Scrivener, or Google Docs? Microsoft OneNote, Apple Notes, or Evernote? Roam Research, or Walling?

How about …

More than ever, just about all fiction writers currently face something that has plagued Science Fiction writers for years: how do you keep a story from being overtaken by actual events? Even considering how quickly you …