This episode is all about self-editing: what is it, why do you need it, and what the heck does it encompass? What's the point of self-editing if you can just ask an editor for help? Rebecca talks about that on this episode (hint: it's critical to get another set of eyes on your writing, learning to self-edit can save you time later on because you're growing your skills, can save you money, and can help you be more intentional with your goals). Listen to Rebecca talk about all the things she'd...

Editor Abigail Perry talks to Rebecca about one of the stories from season 1 (the story she wrote using the prompt "death in a small town"). Abby has great advice on how to expand and explore the story, but more importantly, she and Rebecca talk about how to build confidence as a writer and how to stop expecting your first drafts to be perfect so you can just keep writing. Abby offers advice on taking the pressure off yourself as well as how to explore the story you truly want to...

Editor Leslie Watts talks to Rebecca about what it takes to build an author career, starting with giving yourself permission to figure out your own process. She talks about creating a writing practice and the importance of reading what you write so you can get curious and play in those spaces that light you up. Leslie gives Rebecca about lengthening her story and talks about what works and what doesn't. Leslie Watts is a Story Grid Certified Editor, writer, and podcaster based in Austin,...

Editor Griffin Gartner talks to Rebecca about a piece of micro-fiction she wrote for an NYC Midnight competition. He walks her through what's working, how to make it scarier, and how she could expand it just based on the idea itself. Griffin is a master at horror and gives tons of advice on what it means to write horror and as well as how to consistently write stories that speak to you as a writer. Griffin helps horror writers craft scarier stories. Find out more at...

Editor Kim Kessler talks with Rebecca about how to expand a short screenplay she wrote for an NYCM competition. Together they discuss what's working about this piece in particular, but also how to use what you know about yourself to write better stories in the future. Kimberly Kessler is a Story Grid Certified Editor, TEDx speaker, and one-fourth of the Story Grid Editor Roundtable Podcast. As an editor, she specializes in helping writers craft authentic character arcs and...

Editor Julia Blair walks Rebecca through what's working and what she can change about a short story she wrote. Julia helps Rebecca tighten the story and they dive into their own writing processes to compare. Before she became a Story Grid Editor, Julia Blair worked as an archaeologist and a preservation archivist where she was occasionally caught sniffing old books in the stacks. As a developmental editor and story coach, her mission is to help aspiring novelists make the best use of their...

Editor Shelley Sperry talks Rebecca through the process of writing a memoir and everything holding her back from getting her writing done. Together they discuss how to keep writing and when a story should be a memoir vs how to vs big idea.  Shelley Sperry runs a writing, editing, and research shop in Alexandria, Virginia, called Sperry Editorial. As an editor, she specializes in nonfiction. She likes working with writers of memoir, science, history, and just about any other topic. As a...

Editor Lori Puma talks about everything you should think about before you start writing a single word. She focuses on helping writers build a career, make money, and improve their skills. And in this episode, she tells Rebecca about how to craft better pitches so that her stores are more unique to her and (hopefully) easier to write.  Lori Puma helps writers create page-turning fiction. She works with authors who dream of making a living writing novels in popular genres like fantasy,...

This season you’ll hear from a variety of editors who look at various aspects of different types of stories. I love writing everything from horror to love, screenplay to short story, essay to micro-fiction. And my goals are to eventually make a living as a writer (which I understand makes it a job and that it isn’t going to be easy), but understanding where I want to go, what my process looks like, and all the places I can improve will help me reach those goals in time. So long as I keep...

So what can you expect during this season of A Story That Works? Well, each episode will include a short story I wrote. I’ll read the story and then welcome in an editor who has agreed to talk with me about the story for an episode. Together we’ll discuss various aspects of what’s working, what isn’t, the genre in general, or whatever else comes up based on how each editor works. I’m getting a hodgepodge of advice to show you that everyone’s opinions are different (writing is subjective...

We’re back—well, I’m back—for season 2 of A Story That Works, the podcast that gets you writing by showing you examples of what it looks like to figure out your own process and just do the work already. In case you forgot, I’m Rebecca a Story Grid certified editor and writer who does everything I can to not write, even though I love to do it. Last season, Katelyn and I talked you through the process of writing a story three times. We shared our very different processes for prewriting,...

We've written the first draft of a story using the prompt Everyman/Popsicle. How can we edit the story, improve it, and what can you learn from this process?

In this episode, we dig into the world of Twitter and social media. Then we'll read the stories we wrote using the prompt Everyman/Popsicle.

Once again, we're discussing the process we use while writing a story. This time we're using the prompt: Everyman and a popsicle. During this episode, we'll discuss all the things we had to think about to get the story on the page.

We're back to discussing the process we use before we start writing a story. This time we're using the prompt: an everyman and a popsicle. During this episode, we'll discuss all the things we had to think about to discover our story.

We've written the first draft of a story using the prompt death in a small town. How can we edit the story, improve it, and what can you learn from this process?

In this episode, we talk about feeling like a fraud as a writer, the word 'aspiring', and comparing our work to others. Then, we'll read our stories based on the prompt: death in a small town.

Once again, we're discussing the process we use while writing a story. This time we're using the prompt: death in a small town. During this episode, we'll discuss all the things we had to think about to get the story on the page.

We're back to discussing the process we use before we start writing a story. This time we're using the prompt: death in a small town. During this episode, we'll discuss all the things we had to think about to discover our story.

We've written the first draft of a story using the prompt an abandoned couch in the woods. How can we edit the story, improve it, and what can you learn from this process?

In this episode, we talk about fighting Resistance, coming back to the work, and sharing what we've written. Then, we'll read our stories based on the prompt: an abandoned couch in the woods.

What are all the things that came up while we were writing? Here's where we talk about how we kept going, what we learned in the process, and getting to the end.

We each wrote a story using the prompt "an abandoned couch in the woods" and in this episode, we'll talk about all the things that came up before we started writing.

The first episode will cover what you can expect from A Story That Works, what the overall intentions for the podcast are.