So I'm Writing a Novel...

In the show's first interview, Oliver speaks with two authors whose work - The Red Man and Others - not only entertained him, it provided him with a great deal of hope for his own novel-in-progress and the future of sword & sorcery in general. Aside from Red Man, they discuss being a couple who also write together, what they like & dislike in author's public presences, the very concept of writing advice, and more.
Buy The Red Man and Others on Amazon in paperback & eBook formats. Doesn't matter what country you're in, you can get it from Amazon.ca, .uk, etc
You can also check out their blog, Turnip Lanterns, as well as find both Remco and Angeline on Twitter. Their linktree is also a good hub for all links related to them and their work.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Oliver looks at the risky proposition of mixing some scifi in with his fantasy via the sub-sub-genre known as Sword and Planet, explores S&P and makes some recommendations, then walks you through the thought process that got him to the kind of S&P story he'd like to tell in his Untitled Sword & Sorcery Novel. He also tries to be "a good podcast boy", whatever that is!www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Author of the recently concluded Ring-Sworn trilogy, editor of the most excellent sword & sorcery magazine Tales of the Magician's Skull, and teacher of a heroic fantasy writing class Oliver recently attended (the next session just opened to registration), Howard Andrew Jones has been a source of inspiration, knowledge, and encouragement for Oliver while our earnest podcast host has worked on his book.In this conversation they cover a lot of ground about the sword & sorcery genre and writing in general, including Howard's personal definition of S&S, when origin stories are necessary or just tacked on, Robert E. Howard's classic Conan short story The Tower of the Elephant, and a whole lot more!You can find Howard on Twitter, Facebook, and his personal website. His new book is When the Goddess Wakes.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Oliver chats with you about how easy it is to miss putting Zelda lore in your non-Zelda stories, the deadly disease known as "Wikipedia Mouth", and other aspects of how he handles research for writing fiction.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Outlining the rest of the book has begun! Oliver walks you through how he outlined the second story in the novel, currently called "The Woman Who Floated Through Time", which includes discussion of whether or not characters should change over the course of a story, templates vs writing prompts, when its time to really break down who your protagonist is, "poop pipes", and more.
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

This time around we're outlining story number three in our sword & sorcery short story cycle! Oliver introduces you to the marvelous book which made him want to tell this story, thrusting his protagonist Voe into the middle of a mighty battle between empires in the absolute meat grinder of a canyon floor with arrows raining down from either side! He then goes on to dissect the mentor/mentee relationship, share a formative story from his very Canadian youth (yes, it involves ice skating), and Ursula K Le Guin rears her head once more as Oliver looks to one of her better quotes for a great theme to explore, in which the very idea of deserving is framed as a fake idea.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

This time around we're outlining story number four in our sword & sorcery short story cycle!Oliver sets out to write a sword & sorcery love story, but is that what he ends up with? He also gets into that time the rural Canadian mafia murdered Oliver's brother because his parents wouldn't give them gold, knowing when to break your own format, the dangers of trying to will what you want into existence, and, as always, more.
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

With this, the fifth short story, we've reached the end of the first act! In Disgrace the Stone, the outlining of which Oliver will share with you, Voe is finally a "hero" as she's struggled to be but the events of this story will change her mind about that being what she wants. The brainstorming for this story involved an unexpected intersection between the webcomic Achewood, Leonard Cohen, and the pandemic (though this isn't a plague story, have no fear). This sent Oliver off on a journey that involved putting the this tale down for an entire year before coming back to finish it, providing unexpected benefits as well as a lesson in why it's important to always make very clear notes so that future-you can easily pick up where they left off...no matter how long it's been.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

We're kicking off a block of interviews with a chat with Oliver's mum, about her relationship to creativity as both parent and "pre-parent", the book she wrote, the book Oliver's dad says he'll finish, what it's like for both Oliver and Christine to look back on his decision to try making writing what he does for a living, and more. Oh and of course they cover the time she struck back at workplace sexism with a picture of a big ol' penis.If you'd like to see the jewelry Oliver's parents make together, you can check out at www.brackenbury.ca
www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury

Oliver has a long, highly informative chat with author, actor, and voice actor J.M. Frey about her experiences as a writer, including what happens when your book grows to around the 200K word mark, self-publishing, the challenges of author exhaustion (incl. frank discussion of how the economics of publishing deals have evolved), when she received her first piece of fan art based on her work, and more! Jess is terribly knowledgeable, and we strongly recommend you check out her site not only for all the great advice it contains, but also to study how Jess presents herself online.Jess's Author Page
Jess on Twitter / Facebook / Instagram / Youtube / Tumblr / Wattpad / RadishAlso mentioned in this episode: Print Run Podcast, and Writer Beware.www.soimwritinganovel.comPATREON: www.patreon.com/soimwritinganovelBUY OLIVER'S BOOKS: https://www.oliverbrackenbury.com/storeSO I'M WRITING A NOVEL... TWITTER: https://twitter.com/so_writingOLIVER'S TWITTER: https://twitter.com/obrackenburyOliver's Link Tree (For everything else): https://linktr.ee/obrackenbury