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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
Friday Jul 07, 2023
Friday Jul 07, 2023
It's Fantasy Fiction Friday! Today I'll be reading chapter 30 of The Dragon Collector. Enjoy your trip to the Land of Zandador.
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
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Super Simple Overview of the Publishing Process for Self-Published Authors
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“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 Jun 30, 2023
Friday Jun 30, 2023
Have you ever been slapped by a tree? I have. But it’s usually because someone in front of me on a hike in the woods moved a branch out of the way only to have it snap back and slap me.
So annoying when that happens.
That was the start of the inspiration for the action that happens in the chapter from The Dragon Collector that I’ll read for you today. I took that inspiration a few steps further when I developed the idea of crooked trees and tree tremors that Javan learns about in this part of the story.
This was a fun chapter to write. I hope it’s a fun one for you to listen to. Let’s get to the Land of Zandador!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Snag your freebies:
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 Jun 28, 2023
Wednesday Jun 28, 2023
When I decided I wanted to be a writer, I realized I needed some training. Since I learn best by reading, I did what made sense and what was within my budget to get that training. I bought a book.
But it wasn’t a book about novel writing. Frankly, I didn’t think I had the patience to write a novel. I wanted to be able to write a manuscript fast that focused on the action without getting bogged down with describing details. In other words, I initially wanted to be a screenwriter. I figured that since I imagined my stories as movies anyway, I should learn how to write scripts for movies.
I thus began studying screenwriting. I picked up a habit in studying screenwriting that has served me well with novel writing. I’ll explain what I mean and why I pivoted to novel writing in today’s episode. Let’s get to it!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Snag your freebie:
The Essential Publication Checklist for Teen 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 Jun 23, 2023
Friday Jun 23, 2023
It’s Fantasy Fiction Friday! After about a four month pause, it’s time to resume the reading of The Dragon Collector.
Today I’ll be sharing chapter 28, Mertzer.
In this chapter, you’ll get to witness a Dragon Stalker at work hunting his prey. You’ll also be introduced to new animals like raxens and gorzelles. I totally made these creatures up, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
It’s time to enter the Land of Zandador!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Snag your freebies:
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 Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Today we’re continuing the Write a Novella in 18 Weeks series. Here in week 5, the challenge is to write a full outline in 15 steps.
In the past, I would write this step outline by jotting down the action steps in scene one, then the action steps in scene two, then the action steps in scene three. I thus ended up with a lot of steps after this outline.
But I’ve recently finished reading Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. In it, she shares the Save the Cat! Beat Sheet, which she also refers to as your structure cheat sheet. I like structure. I like experimenting with ways to improve my storytelling skills. And I like that it’s divided into the standard three acts, and subdivided into 15 sub-steps from there.
So I gave it a go and outlined my story according to her beat sheet. I enjoyed the process, and it took me less than three hours to complete. I also found that thinking through my outline in this way enriched my story, so thank you Jessica Brody for writing this book. If you haven’t read this book, I recommend it. I don’t know Jessica and am not getting any kind of kickback for promoting her book. I just think you’d benefit from reading it.
In the meantime, I want to share her outlining process so you can make sure your story has the structure it needs to keep your readers turning pages. Let’s get to it!
Your friend,
DK
Connect: dk@authordkdrake.com
Check out the related blog post.
Next Steps:
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 Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
The summer writing season is officially upon us! If your writing plans include busting out a novella this summer, then this episode is for you. I’m picking up where we left on in the write a novella series, and we are on week four.
If you missed the action steps for weeks 1-3, check out episodes 43, 45 and 47.
Those episodes focused on getting the foundation of your story in place regarding your market research, premise statements, setting, and character development. Today we’ll start building your story framework with phase one of the outlining process. Let’s get to it!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
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 Jun 07, 2023
Wednesday Jun 07, 2023
These two things I’m about to share with you don’t cost a dime but have the power to change the way you feel and how fast you write.
Ready for today’s fun episode to learn two weird things you can do to speed up your writing success? Let’s get to it!
Your friend,
DK
Next Steps:
Snag your freebie:
Super Simple Overview of the Publication Process
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 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 May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
I've got a super short episode today to highlight the super simple overview of the publishing process.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to get your book published, you can secure your super simple overview of the publishing process here.
Connect with me: dk@authordkdrake.com.