ODBC 042 - Refilling the Creative Well, Raking Story Threads, and the Return of Unicorn Western
The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* I’m currently recording the audiobook of The Artisan Author (check it out here before it ends, if you’re a writer) — stories of recording foibles abound. * Mike and I talked about the nebulous ideas of “the need to express oneself” and “refilling the creative well.” Both sound pretentious … and both are very real.* I shared a “keeping track of the story” metaphor I haven’t talked much about before … that of “raking everything constantly back to the center.” (Stephen King doesn’t rake. He sets off bombs.* And finally, I buried the lede with Mike by casually mentioning my return to the Unicorn Western story world — something I thought he knew, but that was instead an underwhelming announcement. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com/subscribe
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BONUS EPISODE - The Self Publishing Podcast reunion episode
This week’s episode isn’t actually an episode of the ODBC! I thought I’d share it here, though, because I think faithful One Drink Book Club listeners would enjoy it. Back in the long-long ago, I used to be on one of the first major self-publishing podcasts … early enough, in fact, that we simply called ourselves “The Self Publishing Podcast.” It was me and two fun, irreverent partners: Sean Platt and David Wright. And guys, we had SO MUCH FUN on that show. It wasn’t just us, either; it was the audience that made it fun as well. We had a great community … and doing the Kickstarter for The Artisan Author (which is still going for just a bit longer, by the way) got me thinking about that old show and community. So I pitched Sean and Dave on doing a single “reunion episode of SPP” … and this is it. OH! And if you’d prefer the video version of this show, it’s here. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com/subscribe
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ODBC 041 - Picking Books Apart, Kickstarter, and the Parts of Any Art That the Creator Can't Control
The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We opened by talking about my thinking about the “college” portion of my current Kickstarter campaign for The Artisan Author. The short version is that college is cool and we should all watch more 80s movies about it. (Or, rather, the short version is that you should check it out here before it ends, if you happen to be a writer.) * Do kids still read? If yes, how and how much do they read? And do they (as well as adults, really) take IDENTITY from their reading? * Bill took us down a weird rabbit hole wherein he’s reading only parts of his favorite book out of order … and how the dissection ruined it, but not for the reasons that sound obvious as you read this sentence. * Which led to a fascinating chat about how all kinds of art are collaborative, meaning that the creator can’t control at least half of the experience … which depends on what the reader/observer/listener/consumer brings to that art. This one was such a cool thread that it will be our topic for next time! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com/subscribe
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ODBC 040 - The Behind-the-Scenes Story of My First Novel That I've Literally Never Told Before
The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* Mike, who just finished a poetry book he’s been working on, said he didn’t feel excitement or happiness on finishing … just sort of done. We talked about the “finishing the project” vibes and the oddity of it, seeing as I feel the same. * Reliving the writing and editing of my very first book (The Bialy Pimps), I regaled the others with stories of how self-indulgent the first draft was, and how I fixed it.* When is it true that theres’s “too much of the author in a book,” and how can you tell? * I then dropped a BIG OL’ BTS EXCLUSIVE: A story about The Bialy Pimps’s early draft and exactly what I removed because it was so personal, it made for terrible reading. You’ll hear a scoop I’ve literally never shared before, about those early drafts, what I cut from them, and the true of this particular writer’s earliest working days. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com/subscribe
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ODBC 039 - Book Clubs, Dissecting Reads, and Deceiving Readers in Just The Right Way
The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. Here’s what we talked about in this episode:* We have our first guest, despite the fact that we don’t have guests on the show. Actually, we just expanded outward from the four of us who usually host ODBC from the local wine night group and this time included Bill’s wife Paula. (My wife will never come on. Sorry. She’s the opposite of into it.)* We talked about how there are sometimes “seasons” for writers, and how it can be best to accept sometimes that you’ll be able to write and sometimes your attention should go elsewhere. (Teaser: Paula actually had a whole line of questions on this one that we talked about afterward and will definitely be discussing the next time she’s on. * Then we talked bout the local book club and how terrified I am to have my book read by it. Also: What’s the function of book clubs? Is it really mostly about the wine? * What’s this phenomenon of “reading the same book over and over” about? Bill and I equated it to the no-bullshit way we watch some TV shows. * Everyone shared how they read differently as writers … or as regular listeners of the ODBC. What do you notice? What gets spoiled?* Finally, we talked about a favorite geek-out topic of mine: the fine balance as a writer between sharing just enough information so that you’re being honest with a reader, while still subtly misdirecting them so they’ll be surprised by a twist or shock ending. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit johnnybtruant.substack.com/subscribe
The One-Drink Book Club is an informal, (almost) weekly series in which fellow author Emma Lee Jayne joins me and our other creative friends to talk about the life, business, and art of writing and making books … for the duration of one Friday-afternoon drink. johnnybtruant.substack.com
Netherlands