Pep Talk for Writers
A podcast for when you sit down to write and you feel uninspired, lonely, or scared of writing. A little pep talk, some ideas, and some instrumental music. Host Nick Jaina is an Oregon Book Award finalist and teacher of memoir and fiction writing workshops. He is also a musician who has toured the world. Your little buddy for writing sessions, listen to an episode and then on your way!
Episodes
12 episodes
Editing Starts Sooner Than You Think
Writing is mostly editing, but editing doesn't need to be dry and lifeless. It's actually where a lot of sparks and innovations can occur. You just have to be willing to break apart what you think is precious.Write to
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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17:41
How to Write a Prayer
I didn't grow up praying, but I've found it to be a great way to reconnect to what I'm grateful about, and ease some of my fears and worries.Music by Nick JainaWorkshops, books, and albums at w...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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12:30
You Can Write About the Good Times
It's okay to write about the good times. I give you permission. You will write plenty about the bad times. But give the good times a try today.Music by Nick JainaWorkshops, books, albums at www...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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9:37
Throwing A Bomb In There
Here's a fun way to approach tension in your writing. Start with the MOST tension you can imagine and then ground that tension at an appropriate lever for your characters and your world. I'll explain.Email peptalkforwriters@...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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22:00
How Is A Raven Like A Writing Desk?
How can we make connections between disparate things? That skill is really important in writing and it's actually something we can work on and improve. Let's try a fun exercise, based on a non-sequitur from the Mad Hatter.Email peptalkf...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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14:11
Can We Remove Judgment From Our Writing?
I want my writing to be strong and multi-dimensional. I want it to face difficult truths. Can I do all that and also remove judgment from my writing? Why should I try to do that? Let's explore.For my writing workshops, my books, and my ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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16:56
Reading and Watching Like a Writer
We can learn something from every TV show and film we watch, and every book we read. Some quality that our writing doesn't have, that we can perhaps carry over to our work. It just takes switching on a part of our brain to consider what is draw...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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15:22
What Do I Really Want to Say?
So many times with writing, we got lost in language and cleverness and wanting to sound smart. How can we get back to the point? Often I give myself a simple prompt to re-set myself.Write to Nick at peptalkforwriters@gmail.comMo...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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12:03
Before and After
Containers can help us to focus our writing. When I was faced with the big expanse of writing a novel, the first step was to start dividing things in half. Even though I didn't know what journey the characters would go on, I at least knew there...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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21:00
Everyone Thinks They're Bad At Writing Dialogue
What if we think of dialogue not as something we add to our story, but as a tool of divination, a way that we learn to understand ourselves and our characters? Writing is a relationship, and we need to prove ourselves reliable and serious by sh...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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13:47
Let's Start With Your Current Emotional State
One asset we always have when we sit down to write is our current emotional state. Whatever it is—even if it feels annoying or negative—it has power, and we can potentially use that power to generate some writing.Good luck.Learn...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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14:42
Something Too Small to Mention
How do you write on those days when you don't feel like writing? Here is a way to start. Just write about something that is too small to mention. Shrink the frame of engagement to something so tiny that there is no pressure in getting in right....
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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15:28