Author, speaker, licensed counselor, and life coach, Tina has won over twenty-eight writing awards. She is passionate about guiding people across the threshold of healing to access life’s potential and has over twenty years of teaching experience. Two of her writing workshops are available through Serious Writer Academy. Tina is the publisher of Inkspirations Online, a writers’ devotional and mentors four chapters of Word Weavers International. Beautiful Warrior, her upcoming book on women’s esteem, is scheduled to release with New Hope Publishers in July of 2019. For the latest on Beautiful Warrior, or to connect with her as a speaker, coach, or manuscript therapist, visit tinayeager.com.
Click here to check out Tina’s latest release: Beautiful Warrior
Show Notes
Caleb: How has your experience in counseling helped you in character development?
Tina: Characters should be as realistic as possible, so they should be as human as possible. The more you know about the mindset of a real person, and how someone is constructed … it’s going to give your characters a more three-dimensional quality that captures the imagination and the heart of your reader, and immerses them in the story.
Caleb: What is the first step you take in getting to know your character?
Tina: I’m a daydreamer. I’m an organic writer. I like to just go with what appears in my mind as that character. You can use a tool like a personality test if you really want to go in to thinking about things like are they an extrovert or an introvert? Think about not just their personality but their backstory. How does that play into what’s going to happen with that character, and daydream that character into existence before you put them onto the page. That will keep you from info-dumping on the first page of your novel. You might want to flush all that out, but don’t do that for the reader, or the reader will be board. Know your character well enough to paint them, and then write them.
Caleb: How simple/complex should a character’s psychological struggle be?
Tina: I would err on the side on complex than on the side of too simple. Someone has to have enough layers of complexity in order to be realistic.
Caleb: What is the difference between an internal struggle and an external struggle?
Tina: An internal struggle is the character discovering who they really are, something that is an issue within them that is a conflict they’re trying to resolve. Whether that is a mental conflict, a conflict with their emotions or a conflict overcoming a wound, or a trauma, or a lie, or a fear in their past that was created. They are changing as the story goes along. The external conflicts are the forces that are coming against your hero from the outside, whether it’s a decision or a circumstance or an antagonist. That’s the external conflict.
Caleb: As complex as human motivations are, how do you choose which internal conflict drives the character through the story.
Tina: It depends on your story and it depends on your character. You shouldn’t just pick [an internal struggle] and say, “Oh here’s a popular, trendy thing!” You should pick something that is appropriate to the story and appropriate to you as a writer.
Caleb: How do you properly portray a character with a mental illness or trauma?
Tina: Please do your research if you are going to put a character into your story that has mental health issues, because you will have readers who experience those mental health issues and it will be insulting to them if you get it wrong. Please do your research, and please do not stereotype anyone with a mental illness. Make sure you’ve put enough depth into your character so they will be relatable, and realistic and that they have qualities that the reader admires.
“I just want to write!” Every author knows the frustration of trying to do all the marketing things we’re supposed to do and actually find time to write! Corey with Book Brush has developed a great platform to make pro level graphics quickly. Listen to the interview and learn more!
Listen to the episode here:
In this episode:
What is Book Brush? How did it get started?
What kind of graphics can you do with Book Brush?
What are the advantages of Book Brush over other competitors (like Canva and others)?
What is available for free and what is a paid service?
How do writers create conflict in their stories? Listen as the Brew & Ink crew discuss the different kinds of conflict and how we get our characters in those impossible, dire situations.
Then it’s time to figure out who killed Aaron the Heckler! Dr. Wolfe interviews the first suspect, the Bartender – Henri Custeau. Listen and vote for who Dr. Wolfe will interview next!
In this episode:
Why is conflict important?
What are the different kinds of conflict?
How do writers chose the type of conflict? What creates conflict?
What are some examples of stories that don’t do conflict well?
Joyce Glass is a writer, speaker, writing coach and lover of most things chocolate! Her desire is to encourage you to write your book and share your expertise with the world. She loves to teach the power of story in nonfiction, and has a passion to see you connect with your clients and customers.
She has self-published two books while helping others create their nonfiction book. Weekly she shares writing tips on her podcast The Write Hour – Nonfiction Tips From The Write Coach.
The best part of being a writing coach is watching her clients create their own masterpiece, and seeing their joy when they share it with the world.
You can connect with Joyce through social media and on her website www.thewritecoach.biz
Show Notes
How did you become a book coach?
It took me four years to write my first book, and that’s what lead me to coaching. I tried this, and tried that, and worked really hard, but I didn’t make a whole lot of progress. Finally, when I got a system down, that’s when it helped me. It also encompasses my love for teaching, because I love to teach people concepts that they aren’t sure about or don’t know, and then watch them grow. It’s so much fun for me. It’s the blend of all of my gifts in the perfect way.
What are lessons you’ve learned as a writing coach?
I, now that I edit so much, am much more conscientious when I’m writing, and I’ve got to turn that editor off sometimes. But, it’s also helped me make my writing stronger.
What does a coaching session look like?
With each client, I always start them with getting their content organized. We have a lot of fun. I get to know them. We work hard, and I take them through the steps. And then after they get their clarity and they get their outline done, then I take them on the journey of actually writing. Essentially, when you’re working with me you’re getting coaching and editing all at the same time.
Explain the coach/client relationship.
You need the mindset that this is like a business. You need to have that kind of seriousness. If you didn’t show up for work every day, you wouldn’t get paid and you’d eventually get fired. Essentially, the relationship is that if you want to get the book done, then you need to make the commitment to do it. I want that kind of client, who is ready to get it done.
How do you know when you’re ready to hire a writing coach?
I’d say even if you’re at the beginning stages you can use a writing coach. But, you’ve got to be ready to be serious about it, because it is a commitment. If you’re not ready to get serious – if you know you want to do this, but you’re not quite there yet – just keep writing. The main thing is get the content out there, and then we can make it beautiful later.
Do you have any advice for writers who are considering becoming a book coach?
Take baby steps. Get one or two clients. Don’t try to get five at one time. Get a process. I learned how to create a system to take them through. Figure out a process that works for you, and a style that works for you. And know the kind of client that you want, the kind of book that you want.
What is your four step process to the “Best Book Ever?”
(This is the process in a general since. A complete course in the process can be found for free at www.thewritecoach.biz)
1. Know your general, overarching topic 2. Break that down into your specific topic 3. Know the desired outcome. What do you want the reader to think, know or do after reading the book. 4. How can they achieve this outcome?
What is one piece of advice you would like to give to a new writer?
Give yourself permission to free-write, to get your ideas out. Then you can go back and get that organized.
In addition to being a loving father and husband, Aaron Gansky is an award-winning novelist, teacher, and podcast host. In 2009, he earned his M.F.A in Fiction at the prestigious Antioch University of Los Angeles, one of the top five low-residency writing schools in the nation. Prior to that, he attained his Bachelor of Arts degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from California State University of San Bernardino, where he studied, in part, under Bret Anthony Johnston, now the Director of Creative Writing at Harvard University.
His first novel The Bargain (2013, Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas) was a finalist for the Selah Award for debut novel. Two years later, The Book of Things to Come (2015, Brimstone Fiction), the first book in his Hand of Adonai YA Fantasy series, won the Selah Award for YA Fiction. He has written two books on the craft of fiction; Firsts in Fiction: First Lines and Write to Be Heard (with Diane Sherlock). To find out more about his books, visit AaronGansky.com.
As a Creative Writing teacher in California, he brings his expertise on the craft to several writing conferences around America where he speaks on a variety of topics.
In 2013 he began his Firsts in Fiction Podcast with Steve McLain. Shortly after, Heather Luby joined the line up. Lately, he chats with his father, novelist Alton Gansky, about elements of the craft. Each week they dispense practical, in-depth analyses of how to write powerful fiction.
You may find Aaron on Twitter (@adgansky) and Facebook.
Show Notes
Caleb: Why did you decide to write fantasy novels?
Aaron: Writing fantasy was not something that I had ever planned on doing. I had just completed my first novel, “The Bargain” and agonized over every word, every turn of phrase, every simile and every metaphor. I just really wanted that to be the Great American Novel. After that I thought, “fantasy sounds like fun!” I love the Final Fantasy series, and I was playing a lot of Skyrim, and I thought it would be fun to do a fantasy. I don’t have to worry about trying to be highbrow literary and worry about every turn of phrase. Turns out I still worry about every turn of phrase, and every chapter, and every word, and every sentence.
Caleb: What made you want to write a YA series? How does fantasy change when written for teenagers as opposed to adults?
Aaron: Typically, it’s the age of the protagonists. In Game of Thrones, your primary characters are all adults. For me, I was dealing with contemporary teenagers, and as a teacher I felt like that was a natural thing. Teenagers are interesting. They take things very, very seriously. There’s a lot of interpersonal conflict, a lot of self discovery that goes on as well as discovery of a new world. I felt like that was a natural way to increase the tension and then the stakes and the conflict in the story.
Caleb: What are some of the main characteristics of fantasy that publishers and readers will look for?
Aaron: Really what they’re looking for is kind of an epic scope. Fantasy readers are very big into setting and world building. They’re very in tune with that and they want to know what this new and strange world looks like. It’s discovery for them. They’re also pretty militant about rules – the rules that you set up in your world. They’re looking for usually some sort of swords and sorcery… elves and dwarves and things of that nature. But really, they want something that feels unique and original. Even if it’s familiar, they want something that’s going to be different enough.
Caleb: How does the structure of a novel change when you move into the fantasy genre with things like word count and story flow? I’ve heard that fantasy requires a longer length to account for things like world building.
Aaron: Fantasy readers are notoriously patient, shockingly so I would say. By and large in terms of word count you have a lot more room to play with. If you’re a new writer, I would default to the normal industry standards (75,000 to 95,000 words). If you look at the Sorcerer’s Stone (the first book in the Harry Potter Series), it’s much smaller than Deathly Hollows. Each book increased in length, and that’s because JK Rowling had developed a reputation and people would drop 30 or 45 bucks on her books. That was far less of a risk for the publisher.
Caleb: What are some things that you do to help with the world building process?
Aaron: I think I’m different than the normal fantasy author. I was intentionally writing to kind of challenge and perhaps even break a lot of the expectations, the rules and expected tropes of fantasy. I was going to write a standalone novel. I wasn’t going to write about politics and I wasn’t going to fall into writing 18 chapters of world building. When I started the novel, I wanted kind of a quick, fast paced story. I found out when I was writing that the genre really demands those things for a reason. I had to start putting in some political intrigue, and I had to start putting in some more of the world. I tried to do it a little more organically. A lot of people will sit down and world build first, and come up with their magic system and their rules. I just started writing. As I was writing my main story, I was also creating my story bible at the same time.
Caleb: Are you an organic writer or an outliner?
Aaron: I’m very much a discovery writer. If I know where my story is going, I feel like my readers know where my story is going. I don’t like to write things that are too wildly predictable. Give them something that they didn’t expect but that they like more than what they expected. I outline the next scene or two, if that, but it’s usually just the title of what’s going to happen in the scene and that’s about it.
Caleb: If you already have most of the story in your head, is there still a way to write organically?
Aaron: You can still be organic in that way. I’ve outlined an entire novel and then I didn’t follow the outline.
Caleb: I guess it’s just a matter of following what the character would naturally do as opposed to strictly following the outline?
Aaron: Right. What would my characters naturally do in this situation? My formula is very simple. It’s just to create characters that people love and then mess up their lives.
Caleb: You mentioned character development. Do you go about that organically as well, or do you like to use things like character sketches?
Aaron: A little bit of both. I will try to find out as much as I can about the characters. When I begin writing, I always challenge myself to put some sort of scene where a character does something that I don’t expect. A normal person would do A. This person is going to do B, and then I challenge myself to figure out why. What it does is it helps me understand that my characters are not my characters. They are their own people, making their own decisions, and there’s something that’s happened to them in their past that I don’t know.
Caleb: What are some of the common mistakes or clichés that newer writers might make with fantasy stories?
Aaron: I really think that the number one issue is the clichés. They rely too heavily on worlds that too closely resemble that of Tolkien or Narnia, or “insert favorite fantasy series here.” Fantasy readers like new and exciting things. It’s a problem that all writers have, especially when they’re beginning, is how to be inspired by something without copying something. My recommendation is to mix and match. What does Tolkien look like when you mix it with Narnia? Or in my case what does Jumanji look like when you mix it with Skyrim?
Caleb: If you had to give one piece of advice to an aspiring writer, what would that advice be?
Aaron: It’s hard to narrow it down to one, so I’ll make it a compound recommendation, and it’s the thing that really got me going. I was at the Blue Ridge Writer’s Conference, as a writer originally. I think it was Todd McNair who was talking, and he said something to the effect of you have to start thinking of yourself as a writer. He says if you sit down on a plane and the person next to you says “what do you do?” and you tell them what you do for your day job, maybe that’s not the right train of thought. I was telling people I was a teacher left and right. Now, when people ask what I do, I say “I’m a writer.” I also teach high school, but I define myself as a writer. The biggest thing is to think of yourself as a writer, and then to write. You have to read, and you have to consume as much information as humanly possible about how to become better at the craft.
