Beacons Podcast

In which the Beacons talk about how they deal with feedback from readers and offer some tips and tricks for making this part of the writing process not sting so much. 

In this episode, Kat and Leah talk about writing groups, both online and in person, and the ways writing with others can help propel your writing forward. 

The Beacons talk a little bit about what it would be like to win an award or contest and different ways to think about that part of the writing journey. 

The Beacons go over how important it is to know your strengths as a writer and to be proud of what you do well. 

Kat and Leah talk about dialogue and how they make their characters speak in authentic ways and offer some tips and tricks about making dialogue convincing and interesting. 

Re-entry into writing on a project can be difficult, but the Beacons are here to whip you into shape. 

The Beacons talk about writing kits, the things they need to write so they are prepared to write at all times. From laptops to bank pens to notebooks, Kat and Leah talk about what they are using right now in their writing kits. 

In this episode, Kat and Leah offer their opinions on writing workshops and conferences and how they feel largely shut out of them. In their tips and tricks, they talk about how they can conquer these feelings and gain the skills gained from attending workshops or conferences. 

Sometimes the smaller parts of stories can help inform the larger world you are creating. Today, the Beacons talk about how they make sure everyone in their stories has a voice.

In this episode, the Beacons dive into Kat's favorite part of writing: world building. Kat will share her tips and tricks to help build your world for your stories and Leah, like many of you, will mostly take notes.

Advice often given to writers, the Beacons talk about what "writing what you know" means to them as writers who mostly write in genre. 

Kat and Leah talk about the different ways they are blocked in their writing and how they move through that age old nemesis of writers.

Kat and Leah talk about the resilience you need as a writer to keep going at any point in your writing life. 

A writing technique used by both Kat and Leah, they talk about their history with writing marathons and why they've relied on them for the last several years to up their word counts.

Short spurts are a writing technique used by Kat and Leah. They'll talk about what they are, how they do them, and why you should practice short spurts, too. 

Last episode, the Beacons covered submissions, so this week the topic is the dreaded rejection: how to handle them, how to move on from them, and why writers keep going (spoiler alert: because everyone gets rejected, so soldier on!). 

The next step after completing a project is submissions, which can be a scary step for most, if not all, writers. Kat and Leah talk about their experience with submissions and some tips and tricks that help them get through the submission process.

Kat and Leah talk about one of their favorite parts of the writing process, which is how side-writing works and why it's important to keep track of as you write.

Pre-writing for the Beacons looks a little different. Kat and Leah talk about how pre-writing does and doesn't fit into their processes.

Time management is a sticky subject for many writers, so Kat and Leah discuss how time management helps their writing lives.