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Hey, Time-Strapped Author! Wanna write great fiction? BUT writing is hard because you… - Have NO TIME because you work a full-time job or go to school full-time - Doubt your writing ability - Are unsure how to write the kind of captivating stories you love to read. Then welcome to The Adventurous Author, the podcast for underdog authors on a mission to achieve legendary feats in the publishing world but have to overcome impossible obstacles, limited time, and paralyzing inner skepticism along the way. Through these episodes, you will… - Gain confidence in your author identity. - Master the process and structure needed to write captivating stories EVEN WITH limited writing time. - Learn to use AI effectively and ethically to constantly improve your writing skills and story quality. I’m your host Bonnie Jean Schaefer. Under my pen name of fantasy author D.K. Drake, I write action-packed, wholesome adventures without the snooze-worthy fluff. But as your personal writing coach, I’m here to unlock YOUR narrative prowess, guide you in crafting spellbinding tales, and navigate the wild world of writing with AI. Adventure awaits, so ignite your imagination, latch on to that dragon swooping overhead, and let the storytelling quest begin. It’s time to play in our own fabulous fantasy worlds.
Episodes
Saturday Sep 23, 2023
Saturday Sep 23, 2023
Today’s Fantasy fiction Friday episode is coming to you on storytelling Saturday just to shake things up a bit.
In this chapter of The Dragon Collector, we see the first hint of romance for Javan, some backstory on the romance of his grandparents, and some foreshadowing about what’s to come in books two, three, and four.
Here’s a storytelling tip for you. Telling backstory with narrative tends to be boring. Making it part of a conversation is a much more interesting to share the same information without putting your readers to sleep.
I thus orchestrated a conversation between Javan and his grandmother as she answers his question: Why does Ravier hate me? Through the answer, we get to know Ravier a bit better, and that helps us understand why he has such a grumpy attitude toward his grandson.
Enough explanation. Let’s go to Zandador!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Get Your Free DK Drake Starter Library here.
Snag one or all of the Dragon Stalker books here.
See the Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors here.
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Thursday Sep 21, 2023
Ever heard the terms "WPH" or "Words Per Hour" but had no clue what they meant?
Then today's episode is for you. In it, you'll learn what this key writing metric is, six reasons why it's important, and how to calculate it.
Listen in!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Sign up for the FREE Revolutionize Your Writing Masterclass. The On-Demand Virtual Experience launches October 11!
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review this show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Friday Sep 15, 2023
Friday Sep 15, 2023
Happy Friday! I’ve got chapter 34 of The Dragon Collector ready for you today.
It’s not an action-packed chapter, but not every chapter in your book should be filled with non-stop action. Your characters need downtime to recover, and so do your readers. That’s why pacing in a book is so important. Go too fast and pack too much in and you exhaust your readers. Go too slow and take forever to get to the action and you bore your readers.
We don’t want our readers to be bored or exhausted. We want them to be engaged, to feel like they are right there with your characters experiencing the story as it happens even during scenes like the ones you’ll hear today where you as the author have to set up the next adventure.
Let’s go to Zandador!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Become an Insider and get the D.K. Starter Library for FREE.
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
Thursday Sep 07, 2023
If you’re worried that you won’t have a clue how to market your book once it’s finished and published, this episode is for you. I’m interviewing Lynda Sunshine West, and she shares three effective ways to market your book that don’t cost any money. Not only has she written and published her own #1 internationally bestselling books, she has also launched 25 #1 internationally bestselling books through her publishing company, Action Takers Publishing.
In other words, she knows a thing or two about marketing books. And even though she doesn’t specialize in fiction, the same marketing tactics apply.
Tune in to hear how her running away from home at age five led to her publishing dream at age 50. Then write down and apply her marketing tips to your own books, and listen in for an interesting opportunity that could help you get published fast.
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Connect with Lynda Sunshine West:
CEO/Founder of Action Takers Publishing
Award-Winning, International #1 Bestselling Author, Speaker
The mission of Action Takers Publishing is to empower 5 million women and men from all over the world to share their stories to make a greater impact on the planet.
If you’re ready to share your story, check out Action Takers Publishing.
Connect with DK: dk@authordkdrake.com
Want to join the League of Adventurous Authors? Send me an email TODAY with "I'm an Adventurous Author" in the subject line.
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Thursday Aug 31, 2023
Ever wonder how AI works and if you should use it to help with your writing? Then listen in to today's episode. In it, you'll hear a snipped of last week's live writing workshop where the League of Adventurous Authors combined ideas to feed chatGPT. The results of the experiment shocked us all.
Enjoy!
Your friend,
D.K.
Want to join the League of Adventurous Authors? Email dk@authordkdrake.com. Put "Adventurous Author" in the subject line and tell me one fun fact about you in the body of the email. Then we'll chat about whether or not the League is the right fit for you.
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Friday Aug 18, 2023
Friday Aug 18, 2023
Feeling isolated as a teen author? Wondering if you’re the only one who thinks the way you do? Who dreams the way you do? Who understands this crazy desire you have to make up people and worlds and stories? I get it. I felt isolated for years. Decades, really. Which was unnecessary. I didn’t have to feel alone. And neither do you. Today I’m sharing three ways I have learned how to connect with other authors that will help you do the same.
Listen in to find out how to conquer that feeling of isolation.
DK
Next Steps:
Sign up for the Writing Workshop on August 23!
During this workshop, you will learn the basic principles of the three-act story structure. This three-act framework is the backbone of great storytelling, so when you understand this structure, your stories become easier to write and harder for readers to put down once they start reading.
Since you don’t really learn something until you experiment with that knowledge, we’re going to do some writing experimentation during this workshop. We’ll let AI do the fast writing for us to demonstrate the structure elements, and every attendee will have chance to contribute at least one idea towards the creation of this story. So if you show up and participate, you will have the chance to be a contributor of a short story I will read on this podcast in a future episode.
Did I mention it’s free to attend? And that the amazing group of guys who are making incredible progress on their books within the League of Adventurous Authors will be in the workshop? And that I’ll be opening the doors to the League at the end of this workshop? Well, it is free. The authors in the League will be attending. And you’ll have a chance to join the League when I reopen the membership again at the end of the workshop.
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Friday Aug 11, 2023
Friday Aug 11, 2023
It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today's episode features chapter 33 of The Dragon Collector. Tune in to find out why I wrote the chapter in this specific way, and how it kept me from being bored with my own story.
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Sign up for the Writing Workshop on August 23!
During this workshop, you will learn the basic principles of the three-act story structure. This three-act framework is the backbone of great storytelling, so when you understand this structure, your stories become easier to write and harder for readers to put down once they start reading.
Since you don’t really learn something until you experiment with that knowledge, we’re going to do some writing experimentation during this workshop. We’ll let AI do the fast writing for us to demonstrate the structure elements, and every attendee will have chance to contribute at least one idea towards the creation of this story. So if you show up and participate, you will have the chance to be a contributor of a short story I will read on this podcast in a future episode.
Did I mention it’s free to attend? And that the amazing group of guys who are making incredible progress on their books within the League of Adventurous Authors will be in the workshop? And that I’ll be opening the doors to the League at the end of this workshop? Well, it is free. The authors in the League will be attending. And you’ll have a chance to join the League when I reopen the membership again at the end of the workshop.
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!
Wednesday Aug 09, 2023
Wednesday Aug 09, 2023
Sometimes your imagination needs a jumpstart. So I’m going to share — with the assistance of AI — 5 creative writing prompts you can use to start your next story. Let’s dive in!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Sign up for the Writing Workshop on August 23!
During this workshop, you will learn the basic principles of the three-act story structure. This three-act framework is the backbone of great storytelling, so when you understand this structure, your stories become easier to write and harder for readers to put down once they start reading.
Since you don’t really learn something until you experiment with that knowledge, we’re going to do some writing experimentation during this workshop. We’ll let AI do the fast writing for us to demonstrate the structure elements, and every attendee will have chance to contribute at least one idea towards the creation of this story. So if you show up and participate, you will have the chance to be a contributor of a short story I will read on this podcast in a future episode.
Did I mention it’s free to attend? And that the amazing group of guys who are making incredible progress on their books within the League of Adventurous Authors will be in the workshop? And that I’ll be opening the doors to the League at the end of this workshop? Well, it is free. The authors in the League will be attending. And you’ll have a chance to join the League when I reopen the membership again at the end of the workshop.
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
Rate, Review, & Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love DK and Published Before College.” If that sounds like something you’d say, please rate and review my show. Your rating and review helps the show get found by other authors with big writing dreams. It’ll take a quick 30 seconds to scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then share what you enjoyed most about this episode.
And if you haven’t already done so, follow the podcast. That way you’ll never miss an episode and will be better prepared to write and publish your novel. Follow now!