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The Author Alchemist

Arts & Culture Podcasts

Writing is magic but that doesn't mean it is easy! In this podcast, KimBoo York aka The Author Alchemist focuses on the most annoying part of being a writer: writing! After all, you can't become a better writer if you aren't actually writing anything, amirite???!? With a focus on motivation, inspiration, hard work, and fanfiction, this podcast is for writers who are determined to Get Their Words Out.

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United States

Description:

Writing is magic but that doesn't mean it is easy! In this podcast, KimBoo York aka The Author Alchemist focuses on the most annoying part of being a writer: writing! After all, you can't become a better writer if you aren't actually writing anything, amirite???!? With a focus on motivation, inspiration, hard work, and fanfiction, this podcast is for writers who are determined to Get Their Words Out.

Language:

English

Contact:

8502128473

Episodes

Deepest Fears #3: Guilt, Fear, and Resiliance (041)

7/22/2022
The third installment of my Deepest Fears series focuses on "writer's guilt" and, in a round'about way, our fear of guilt. Oftentimes we slap a label on what is holding us back from writing, calling it perfectionism or guilt, when it is in fact a deep-seated fear of those very emotions. It sets up a dangerous feedback loop of negative emotions that can be hard to break! Hopefully this episode will help you identify what your real stumbling block is and provide you with ways to deal with...

Duration:00:19:36

Deepest Fears #2: Vulnerability and Shame (040)

7/8/2022
Welcome to the second episode in a mini-series I’m doing about confronting our deepest fears as authors! Fear of being vulnerable is at the core of many of the fears that keep authors from writing, and in this episode I am taking aim specifically on the fear of being seen and of being shamed. I cover the ways guilt and shame are not the same thing, and techniques you can use to understand what you are feeling and how to deal with it. The goal is always to get you back to writing what you...

Duration:00:24:39

Deepest Fears #1: Mary Sue (039)

6/21/2022
Welcome to the first episode in a mini-series I’m doing about confronting our deepest fears as authors. This is not simply about the fear of being bad at writing, or the fear that no one will read our work, but rather about the fears that keep us from writing in the first place…which often circle back around to simply one word: vulnerability. Fear of vulnerability can take many forms, though, so I’ll be diving deep into the types of fears we may have about being “seen” for who we are as...

Duration:00:19:48

Show, Share, Be Inspired (038)

6/7/2022
A recurring theme in a lot of advice about creativity is "show your work/share your work." It is often hailed as a great way to "grow your audience" but I want to go a step beyond that and talk about how it is a great way to stay motivated and find inspiration, even if what you have to show is not polished and perfect yet. I've grabbed three classic modern stories that were created and molded on the internet as examples of how wonderful and inspiring it can be to simply show your...

Duration:00:19:43

Permission to Succeed (037)

5/27/2022
Giving yourself permission to sit down and write is a major hurdle most writers face...but then what? The next step is giving yourself the permission to succeed as a writer, however you want to define "success." That can be just as hard, though. We all say we want to be successful, but do we feel like we have earned that right? In this episode I use Elissa Altman's fantastic post from 2016 "Writing and the Permission to Succeed: The Intersection of Art and Shame" as a jumping off point to...

Duration:00:15:11

Tools for Writing (036)

5/8/2022
There are a lot of tools out there which are designed to help you be a better writer, but did you know there are also a lot of tools that can help you simply write the words? There are! In this episode I talk about apps, communities, and systems that you can use to help you get the words out of your head and into a document! Resources...

Duration:00:19:45

War of Art: book review! (035)

4/29/2022
This is all about one of my favorite motivational books for writers, The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (Note: this is an affiliate link with bookshop.org!). This is justifiably considered a modern classic in the field of motivating and inspiring authors, with great insights into productivity and our eternal nemesis, Resistance. However, it's not perfect, and in this episode I talk about the good, the bad, and the ableism. ⨌⨌⨌ Transcript [in progress, coming soon!]

Duration:00:16:52

Think Big (034)

4/22/2022
Too often, well meaning people discourage writers from "thinking big," or getting too big for our britches. They want to protect us from disappointment, but what they are really doing is crushing our inspiration and motivation. I want writers to get clear on what "thinking big" means to you (bestseller? award winner? literary journal renown? mid-list lifestyler?) and embrace it! Doesn't matter if you don't "make it" or not, what matters is creating the kind of life as a writer that you want...

Duration:00:17:51

Trust Your Instincts (033)

4/15/2022
What happens when you get in a fix and a story stalls out on you? Or runs away from you? Or forgets to that that left turn at Albuquerque? In this episode I talk about the metamorphosis of my in-progress novel, The Bones & Brews Café, which was originally envisioned as a trope-tastic rom-com novella. Turns out it was anything BUT, and because I did not sit down and really look at what I was working with, didn't trust my instincts, and stalled myself for over a year on it. A sordid tale!...

Duration:00:21:27

Why Are You Outlining? (032)

4/4/2022
A deep look at outlining from the perspective of whether it is actually helping you or not, and why it is helping you (if it is!). NOW WITH TRANSCRIPTS! Thanks to otter.ai I am getting easy, fast, quality transcripts for these podcasts now. whew! Links discussed in this episode: 10 Different Outlining Techniques Brian Sanderson's BYU 2020 class lectures ⨌⨌⨌ Transcript Promo Intro: It's KimBoo! Welcome to the 11th episode of the Author Alchemist podcast, season two, where today we're...

Duration:00:18:41

Trust Your Obsessions (031)

3/21/2022
(FYI: I recorded this back in January, and it was originally supposed to be the 7th episode, which is what I say in the opening, but nope! It's really truly the 10th episode of season 2!) Inspired by part of a graduation ceremony speech Neil Gaiman gave wayyyyy back in 1997, this episodes starts from there and spirals out into talking about the value of your obsessions to you as a writer, not just as "things that you can talk about in a story" but as things that inspire you on a daily basis...

Duration:00:18:27

1 Million Words (030)

3/15/2022
1 Million Words! Have you written that many? Do you know, or are you guessing? Thanks to the stats page for my first fandom account at AO3, I knew pretty close to the day when I went over the 1 million word mark officially. However, I'm fairly certain I had hit that mark years ago, given how many stories I have written since I was a kid. My first "book" was a Jack London rip-off titled Timber Trails and Wolf Wails (I was super proud of that title, dontchaknow) and was 40 single-spaced type...

Duration:00:19:36

I Quit my (day!)Job! (029)

3/7/2022
Hooo boy! Another unplanned, unexpected episode to delight and amaze! ...well, it should be interesting, at least? Herein I talk about quitting my day job — why, how, when — and what my plans are now going forward as a "solopreneur," as the kids call it. ;) Hit "play" to get the inside scoop and why I prefer working from home as well as what you can expect from me for the rest of the year (courses! books! more podcasts!!!). I value your support and appreciate you taking the time to listen...

Duration:00:22:29

Out from Fanfic course - the backstory! (028)

2/28/2022
My FIRST online course, Out from Fanfic! is live!!!! WHEW!!! In this episode, I talk about the backstory of this course: the idea that inspired it, how long it took to put together, and what I hope people will get out of it. Whether you are interested in the course or not, you might enjoy this episode where I talk about my trials and tribulations and, eventually, success in brining this course to life. Let me know what you think, whether you plan on taking the course (or not!), and what...

Duration:00:20:11

The Hidden Life of Prompts (027)

2/14/2022
Prompts often get a bad rep in writing circles, considered as nothing more than teaching tools at best. In the fanfiction community, though, prompts are often tools of inspiration, motivation, and community building. In this episode, I dive into the value of prompts not just as "tools" but as little sparks of creativity! The discussion ranges from the inherent value of prompts to the different ways to use them. Places to find prompts: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/...

Duration:00:16:57

Writer, Know Thyself (026)

1/17/2022

Duration:00:13:58

Negativity is Bad, Actually (025)

12/29/2021
"If you want to be a Real Writer you need to toughen up!" ...that's what we are told, anyway. But do we? Do we really? I argue that no, that's not what we need to do, and in fact, "toughening up" makes us worse off as writers and as people.

Duration:00:21:14

Fighting Insecurity, Developing Self-Confidence (024)

12/20/2021
This episode covers a lot of ground: insecurity, confidence vs. self-confidence (not the same thing!), self-trust, the growth mindset, and more! Trust me, it's all connected. Listen in to hear more about how to develop self-confidence as a writer.

Duration:00:16:34

Write what you WANT to write! (023)

12/12/2021
Why aren't you writing what you love to write? Is it insecurity? Fear that no one will read it? A belief that you need to "write to market"? In this episode KimBoo talks you through the hurdles you put in your own way so you can sit down and write what the stories you want to tell!

Duration:00:16:36

Who are you writing for? (022)

11/6/2021
The story behind the story of my oft-used quip, "Write what you love to read!" I read a LOT of things but I don't necessarily want to write them; on the other hand, the stories I NEED to write are definitely filling the void of stories I want to read that don't exist (yet). How about you!?

Duration:00:17:25

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