Episodi

  • Cabin Tales Podcast Trailer
    Jul 31 2020

    A 1-minute trailer for the upcoming podcast, Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. Launching next week, Friday, August 7th, 2020. 

     

    Trailer Transcript:

    "Listen to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers, a podcast where every episode focuses on one aspect of creative writing. Featuring original stories told around a fictional campfire, plus creative writing commentary, excerpts from classics, and interviews with some of Canada's finest authors for children and young adults. Hosted by Catherine Austen. Launching August 7th, with new episodes every Friday at 30 minutes each. Visit CabinTales.ca for more information. Build a fire in your mind, seat some young storytellers around it, pull up a chair and listen in. Then take your turn and write your own tale."

     

    (Music credit: "Stories of the Old Mansion" by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo, Standard license for online use)

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    1 min
  • Things Hide in the Dark (Episode 1: Setting)
    Aug 7 2020
    A 40-minute episode for young writers interested in developing a strong setting. With an original spooky story, "The Sacrifice"; setting examples from Beowulf, The Scorpio Races, and The Incredible Journey; interviews with Tim Wynne-Jones, Lori Weber, and Caroline Pignat; and a story prompt set in a creepy basement. PG-13. A "fright-free" version for younger listeners is available at CabinTales.ca.  See the full episode transcript at CabinTales.ca. Shownotes: [0:00] Intro: Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode One: Things Hide in the Darkness. I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are Tim Wynne-Jones, Lori Weber, and Caroline Pignat. [1:10] Introduction to today’s story, “The Sacrifice” [2:00] Trigger warning: Today’s tale is about a young teen left alone on a lake. If you have a special sensitivity to drownings, monsters, or creepy men, skip ahead 7 minutes when you hear the musical bar at the beginning of the story. If you want to share the podcast with very young listeners, please download the “fright-free” versions of episodes on CabinTales.ca. [3:20] Spooky Story: “The Sacrifice” [12:50] Commentary on today’s story and how to show a setting that is hidden. [15:20] Excerpt from E. Talbot Donaldson’s translation of Beowulf, the monster’s lair (and how to copy the technique) [17:05] Excerpt from Maggie Stiefvater’s The Scorpio Races (and how to copy the technique) [18:45] Excerpt from Sheila Burnford’s The Incredible Journey (and how to open with a setting)   Interviews [22:10] Tim Wynne-Jones on the setting of The Emperor of Any Place. [23:50] Lori Weber on Newfoundland and Montreal. [25:20] Caroline Pignat on writing Ireland.   Advice for young writers [26:20] Caroline Pignat on setting exercises for young writers. [28:15] Lori Weber on the importance of setting for young writers. [30:25] Tim Wynne-Jones on immersing yourself in a setting .   Scary settings [31:40] Tim Wynne-Jones fears the woods at night. [32:50] Lori Weber fears insects and animals. [33:55] Caroline Pignat fears camping and heights.   [35:00] Catherine tells a creepy story, "The Drummer in the Basement." (Read this story prompt and the fright-free prompt, “The House with Two Doors, on the Cabin Tales Write page.)   [38:15] Thanks, etc. You’ll hear more from today’s guest authors this fall. Submit a story for October. See the Cabin Tales Submit page for details.   Next week’s episode will feature interviews with Karen Krossing; Jan Coates; Rachel Eugster; Amanda West Lewis; and Monique Polak. Week 3, August 21st, I’ll be back with stories and excerpts and prompts in Episode Three, “Nasty People meet Nasty Ends,” an episode all about character. In the meantime, stay safe and sane and keep your social distance because, as a Hollywood monster-killer once said, “If we break quarantine, we could all die.” (Do you know what monster movie that line is from?) Thanks for listening.   Guest Authors: Caroline Pignat is the two-time Governor Generalʼs Literary Award-winning author of novels, non-fiction, and poetry. At age 16, she wrote a short story that years later became Greener Grass, winner the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award. The Gospel Truth, a novel in free verse poetry, won her a second Governor General’s Award in 2015. With over 20 years’ experience teaching in schools, workshops, and at conferences, Caroline loves helping young writers find and share their unique voices. Website: www.carolinepignat.com; Twitter: @CarolinePignat Lori Weber is the author of eight young adult novels, including Yellow Mini, a novel in verse, and Deep Girls, a short-story collection; one historical middle grade novel, Lightning Lou; and one picture book, My Granny Loves Hockey. She has also published short fiction, poetry and non-fiction in several Canadian literary journals. A native Montrealer, she lived for several years in Atlantic Canada where she taught English in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Upon returning to Montreal, she began teaching English at Vanier College in 1994 before moving to John Abbott College in 1996, a position she recently retired from. She has represented Quebec twice for TD Canadian Book Week and has been offering classroom workshops around Quebec as a member of the Culture in the Schools program since 2005. She currently lives in Dorval, Quebec, where she hopes to do more writing, taking inspiration from her cat, Bogey, and the beautiful Lac Saint Louis which is at her doorstep, and which she loves to photograph daily. Website: www.lori-weber.com; #lacsaintlouis (Instagram) Tim Wynne-Jones has written 35 books for adults and children of all sorts of ages. He has won the Governor General’s Award twice and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award twice, most recently for the thriller, Blink & Caution. He has twice won the Arthur Ellis Award of the Crime Writers of Canada, as well as the Edgar Award of the Mystery ...
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    41 min
  • Author Interviews on Fictional Settings (Episode 1.5)
    Aug 14 2020
    Interviews with 5 Canadian authors for children and teens about their favourite fictional settings, feared real-life settings, and exercises they recommend to young writers who want to develop effective fictional settings. Hosted by Catherine Austen, with a story prompt at the end. 40 minutes. All ages.  Visit CabinTales.ca for a full transcript of this episode. [1:10] Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode One Point Five: “Author Interviews about Fictional Settings.” Today’s episode is a “talking tales” format, which mean it’s all interviews, extending last week’s episode, “Things Hide in the Darkness,” and keeping the focus on the subject of fictional settings. I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are Karen Krossing; Jan Coates; Rachel Eugster; Amanda West Lewis; and Monique Polak. [1:15] Interviews Introduction to Karen Krossing. Karen talks about her favourite fictional setting and exercises she does when building a setting. [4:10] Introduction to Jan Coates. Jan talks about researching the real settings in her own books. [6:10] Introduction to Rachel Eugster. Rachel talks about her favourite fictional setting and researching the historical setting of her play. [9:20] Introduction to Amanda West Lewis. Amanda talks about her favourite setting and researching the settings of historical fiction. [13:25] Introduction to Monique Polak. Monique talks about her favourite settings and real places and how little setting planning she does before drafting. [16:35] Catherine’s approach to setting   [18:20] Scary settings: [18:55] Karen Krossing’s fear of closets. [19:50] Jan Coates’ fear of water. [21:30] Rachel Eugster’s fear of heights. [23:25] Amanda West Lewis’s fear of elevators. [24:35] Monique Polak’s claustrophobia.   [26:15] Setting exercises for young writers [27:00] Monique Polak’s setting advice [28:20] Amanda West Lewis’s setting collages [30:50] Rachel Eugster’s setting immersion [31:20] Karen Krossing’s sensory details   [32:10] Basement prompt (All guests from episode 1 and 1.5 respond to the prompt word: Basement) Story prompt: Take a setting that most people think of as scary, and make it the most wonderful place.   [36:45] Coming up on the podcast: Next week we'll have original stories, excerpts, prompts and interviews about fictional characters in Episode 2: "Nasty People meet Nasty Ends." Thanks to today’s guests. Thanks for listening.   Music: Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).  Art: The B&W illustration on this page is a cropped version of a wood engraving by Paul Gavarni from Oeuvres choisies de Gavarni, volume 4, 1848. Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com. Guest Authors: Jan Coates grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia where her parents owned a bookshop and a music store. She has lived in Wolfville for most of her adult life. A teacher by trade, she’s been writing for young readers for close to 20 years, and she has published six picture books, six middle grade novels, and 18 levelled chapter books for emergent readers. Her first novel, A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, was a finalist for the 2011 Governor General’s Literary Awards. She has two adult kids, both married and, sadly, both living in Ontario. One of Jan’s goals in life is to life within an hour’s drive of her kids. For now, she lives with her husband Don, and her Golden Irish, Charlie, in Wolfville. Other than reading and writing, she loves riding her bike, learning to illustrate, second-hand shopping, being outside and travelling. She does not like housework, cold weather and people who are dishonest.  Blog: www.jancoates.ca; Twitter:  @JanCoates13; Email: janlcoates60@gmail.com   Rachel Eugster keeps her fingers in a whole rack of pies. She is the author of the picture book The Pocket Mommy (Tunda/Penguin Random House)*, and the Ingredients of a Balanced Diet series (Franklin Watts). She has written magazine articles for adults and children, and was formerly an editor at Walking magazine (published out of Boston), where she was a one-woman copyediting department.             In a parallel orbit of her professional life, Rachel is a theatre artist, singer, and choral conductor. She is a co-founder and core artist of Bear & Co., a tiny indie theatre company that has produced 23 shows since its founding in 2012, and she conducts the SJCC Adult Choir and the Tamir Neshama choir for developmentally delayed adults. In 2015, Rachel premiered in her original play Whose Æmilia? at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Rachel is also an active member of Democrats Abroad, for whom she co-hosts The Blue Vote Café podcast with David Schellenberg. Website:  https://racheleugster.com/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/...
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    38 min
  • Nasty People Meet Nasty Ends (Episode 2: Characters)
    Aug 21 2020
    A 50-minute episode about creating fictional characters. With an original spooky story, "The Spot;" commentary on excerpts from Dracula, The Bad Beginning, and The Universe versus Alex Woods; interviews with Canadian authors Karen Krossing, Monique Polak, and Tim Wynne-Jones; and a final story prompt to help you write your own tale.    A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.   [1:50] Trigger warning: Today’s story includes cruelty, crime, references to suicide, and a fairly disgusting parasite. So if you have a special sensitivity to any of those things, skip ahead 10 minutes when you hear the musical bar near the beginning of the story. Or download the “fright-free” version at CabinTales.ca. The podcast is rated PG-13.   [3:10] Story: “The Spot”   [14:35] Commentary: Introducing characters [15:50] Excerpt from Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897) [18:30] Copy the technique   [19:15] Introducing a character from an omniscient point of view [20:10] Excerpt from The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket [22:15] Copy the technique   [23:00] First person narrators as characters [23:50] Excerpt from The Universe versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence [25:20] Copy the technique   [26:30] Interviews [27:05] Karen Krossing’s favourite characters [28:40] Monique Polak’s favourite characters [30:35] Tim Wynne-Jones’ favourite characters   [32:35] Karen Krossing on empathizing with monsters [35:45] Monique Polak on empathizing with characters [36:45] Tim Wynne-Jones on empathizing with characters   [38:25] Advice for young writers on developing characters [39:15] Tim Wynne-Jones on drafting to discover a character [41:00] Monique Polak on stealing characters [41:45] Karen Krossing on observing setting as a character [42:20] Character Exercises to find plot   [43:45] Story Prompt: “The couple at Swimmer’s Graveyard”   [48:00] Write your own tale You can find a mini-lesson on developing characters and a template for young writers on Catherine Austen's blog.   [48:45] Monster movie line "Nasty little fellows such as yourself always get their comeuppance."   [49:10] Thanks and coming up on the podcast I want to thank today’s guests – Tim Wynne-Jones, Monique Polak, and Karen Krossing. Next week, we’ll have Episode 2.5, “Author Interviews about Character.” My guests next week are Caroline Pignat, Rachel Eugster, Amanda West Lewis, Lori Weber, and Jan Coates. Thanks for listening.   Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Her novels have won the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award and the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s Literature. Her stories have appeared in anthologies and journals including The Fiddlehead and The New Quarterly. Catherine is a literacy tutor for Sage Youth and a mentor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (Canada East). She has given creative writing workshops and presentations from coast to coast. She lives in Gatineau, Quebec. Music: Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use) Art: The image on this page is a cropped B&W version of an illustration by Paul Helleu from a 1913 collection of his work.  Guest Authors: Karen Krossing wrote poetry and rants as a teen and dreamed of becoming a published writer. Now, she’s the author of seven award-winning novels for kids and teens, including Punch Like a Girl, Bog, and Cut the Lights, with two picture books on the way. Karen encourages new writers through workshops for kids, teens, and adults. She lives in Toronto, and you can find her on Instagram and Twitter or at www.karenkrossing.com.     Monique Polak is the Montreal-based author of 29 books for young people. She is a two-time winner of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature. She has been teaching English and Humanities at Marianopolis College in Montreal for over 30 years. She is also a columnist for ICI-Radio Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit! As you can imagine, Monique operates at high speed to get all these things done. But she brakes whenever she hears (or smells) a good story. To learn more about Monique, visit her website at www.moniquepolak.com.   Tim Wynne-Jones has written 35 books for adults and children of all sorts of ages. He has won the Governor General’s Award twice and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award twice, most recently for the thriller, Blink & Caution. He has twice won the Arthur Ellis Award of the Crime Writers of Canada, as well as the Edgar Award of the Mystery Writers of America. His books have been translated into a dozen languages. Tim was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2012. His latest novel, The Starlight Claim, came out in 2019. Website: http://www.timwynne-jones.com/; Blog: https://...
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    50 min
  • Author Interviews about Fictional Characters (Episode 2.5)
    Aug 28 2020
    A “talking tales” episode about developing fictional characters, featuring interviews with five guest authors for children and young adults: Caroline Pignat; Jan Coates; Lori Weber; Rachel Eugster; and Amanda West Lewis. Hosted by Catherine Austen. 46 minutes. All ages.   The full transcript of this episode and more information on the podcast is available at CabinTales.ca.   [0:00] Introduction   [1:15] Interviews on favourite villains and protagonists [2:00] Caroline Pignat on Darth Vader and Gollum [4:10] Jan Coates on Skellig, The Nest, and Kate DiCamillo [6:45] Lori Weber on Heathcliffe, Remington, and favourite characters [9:40] Rachel Eugster on Miss Slighcarp and beloved characters [12:20] Amanda West Lewis on the Terrible Trivium    [15:50] Commentary and interviews on empathy Excerpt by Colum McCann from Letters to a Young Writer [18:00] Caroline Pignat on crying through a scene [18:45] Jan Coates on sitting down with her character [19:50] Lori Weber on loving her characters [20:30] Rachel Eugster on acting and writing [22:25] Amanda West Lewis on making historical characters feel real   [24:50] Exercises for young writers [25:15] Amanda West Lewis on making historical characters feel real [27:00] Rachel Eugster on plotting characters [28:30] Lori Weber on discovering a character as she writes [31:15] Jan Coates on living with a character in her head [32:20] Caroline Pignat on connecting with characters   [35:15] Write your own tale   [35:45] Interviews on humans vs monsters [36:55] Caroline Pignat on deceptive appearances [38:10] Jan Coates on recent real-life monsters [38:40] Lori Weber on scary humans [39:00] Rachel Eugster on noble monsters [40:00] Amanda West Lewis on humans and monsters [40:15] Karen Krossing on monstrous humans [40:25] Monique Polak on writing monsters from life [41:25] Tim Wynne-Jones on monsters, humans, and monster stories   [43:30] Story prompt [43:45] Thanks   [44:50] Coming up on the podcast Thanks for listening.   Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).    Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.   Guest Authors: Jan Coates grew up in Truro, Nova Scotia where her parents owned a bookshop and a music store. She has lived in Wolfville for most of her adult life. A teacher by trade, she’s been writing for young readers for close to 20 years, and she has published six picture books, six middle grade novels, and 18 levelled chapter books for emergent readers. Her first novel, A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, was a finalist for the 2011 Governor General’s Literary Awards. She has two adult kids, both married and, sadly, both living in Ontario. One of Jan’s goals in life is to life within an hour’s drive of her kids. For now, she lives with her husband Don, and her Golden Irish, Charlie, in Wolfville. Other than reading and writing, she loves riding her bike, learning to illustrate, second-hand shopping, being outside and travelling. She does not like housework, cold weather and people who are dishonest. Blog: www.jancoates.ca; Twitter:  @JanCoates13; Email: janlcoates60@gmail.com   Rachel Eugster keeps her fingers in a whole rack of pies. She is the author of the picture book The Pocket Mommy(Tunda/Penguin Random House)*, and the Ingredients of a Balanced Diet series (Franklin Watts). She has written magazine articles for adults and children, and was formerly an editor at Walking magazine (published out of Boston), where she was a one-woman copyediting department. In a parallel orbit of her professional life, Rachel is a theatre artist, singer, and choral conductor. She is a co-founder and core artist of Bear & Co., a tiny indie theatre company that has produced 23 shows since its founding in 2012, and she conducts the SJCC Adult Choir and the Tamir Neshama choir for developmentally delayed adults. In 2015, Rachel premiered in her original play Whose Æmilia? at the Ottawa Fringe Festival. Rachel is also an active member of Democrats Abroad, for whom she co-hosts The Blue Vote Café podcast with David Schellenberg. Website:  https://racheleugster.com/; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepocketmommy/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RachelEugster Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/racheleugster/   Caroline Pignat is the two-time Governor Generalʼs Literary Award-winning author of novels, non-fiction, and poetry. At age 16, she wrote a short story that years later became Greener Grass, winner the 2009 Governor General’s Literary Award. The Gospel Truth, a novel in free verse poetry, won her a second Governor General’s Award in 2015. With over 20 years’ experience teaching in schools, workshops, and at conferences, Caroline loves helping young writers find and share their unique voices. Website: www.carolinepignat.com; ...
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    47 min
  • Welcome to the Cabin (Episode 0)
    Sep 4 2020
    An introductory tour of the podcast, about the origin of the Cabin Tales stories, creative writing themes on fall episodes, upcoming guest authors; and a submission call for the Halloween Special Episode. 20 minutes. All ages.   A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca. [1:15] What is Cabin Tales? Cabin Tales is a podcast with an unusual format—a mix of fiction, education, and interviews. It’s really like having an author visit every week – only it’s absolutely free. And I bring talented friends with me. You don’t have to like spooky stories to enjoy this podcast. If you like books and author talks and encouragement to write your own tales, then this podcast is for you.   [1:50] The Origin of Cabin Tales Catherine Austen developed the Cabin Tales Podcast during COVID-19 to take the place of author visits in 2020. The stories in the podcast are from her draft novel, Cabin Tales, in which four young teens tell scary stories around a campfire (while their mothers disappear one by one).   [4:00] The Podcast Format Each episode of Cabin Tales focuses on one aspect of creative writing. Episode formats alternate thus: First is a full episode that opens with an original story, followed by excerpts from three books that exemplify the week’s theme—one for adults, one for young adults, and one for children—and a final prompt, told as a story, that listeners are invited to finish. In between readings, you get writing tips, commentary, suggested exercises, and 3 author interviews. Then the next episode features interviews with five more guest authors talking about the same creative-writing subject. So you get two weeks on each creative writing theme. We’ll alternate between these formats, “Telling Tales” and “Talking Tales,” all season.    [7:20] The Audience The Cabin Tales Podcast is for readers and writers of all levels of experience, but especially teen writers. The kids whose schools I won’t be visiting this year. Stories told on the podcast are the sort that young people might tell around a campfire to spook their friends. Some are serious; some are silly; and some are a little scary. Consider them PG-13. For younger listeners, “fright-free” versions of episodes are available on the website at CabinTales.ca – all the good educational stuff with no scary bits.   [9:00] Where to Listen The Cabin Tales Podcast is available through iTunes, Google Podcast, Spotify, SoundCloud, Stitcher, TuneIn, I Heart Radio, Learning out Loud, and through its host, Podbean. (Those platforms stream the original episodes only. For the fright-free versions, go to CabinTales.ca.) To be notified by email of every new episode when it comes out, follow the CabinTales.ca blog or follow Catherine on Facebook. Or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or from any other streaming platform.   [10:20] The Interviews All episodes of Cabin Tales feature excerpts from interviews with great Canadian authors for young people. Guest authors featured in August were Caroline Pignat, Lori Weber, Tim Wynne-Jones, Karen Krossing, Jan Coates, Rachel Eugster, Amanda West Lewis, and Monique Polak. Guests featured in September include Philippa Dowding, Ishta Mercurio, Wendy MacKnight, Amelinda Berube, Robin Stevenson, Raquel Rivera, and Kari-Lynn Winters. Guests coming up in the fall include Cary Fagan, Don Cummer, Sarah Raughley, Kate Inglis, Farida Zaman, Katherine Battersby, Christine Tripp, Peggy Collins, and many more.  You’ll hear little bits and pieces from all of these interviews this fall, and you can hear complete, edited interviews with each featured author in the winter, starting January 2021.   [11:35] The Excerpts The podcast follows guidelines of Fair Dealing with the brief excerpts of copyrighted material used to illustrate fine writing. Episode shownotes link to the sources for all of these books.   [12:30] Write your own Tale The Cabin Tales Podcast encourages listeners to write their own tales. Episodes include suggested writing activities, and each full episode ends with a story prompt that listeners are invited to finish. Some episodes also link to creative writing mini-lessons and templates that teachers can use straight out of the box.   [14:25] The Halloween Episode Submissions are being accepted for a special Halloween episode of Cabin Tales, which will feature just student stories. Original spooky stories of up to 2000 words. Send your story, along with a few words about yourself and when and why you wrote this story, in the body of an email to cabin(at)catherineausten(dot)com or use the form on the contact page at CabinTales.ca. Sadly, we pay you nothing but respect.    [16:45] The Cabin Tales Host, Catherine Austen I’m an author of short stories for adults, novels for children, and reports for corporate clients. I’ve won some awards. I’ve had stories published in great literary journals. I’ve given writing workshops at schools and libraries across ...
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    20 min
  • Spooky Stories are all Around Us (Episode 3)
    Sep 11 2020
    A 50-minute episode that answers the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” With guest authors Philippa Dowding, Amelinda Berube, and Kari-Lynn Winters. Featuring an original spooky story about an insatiable animal; excerpts from All Quiet on the Western Front, The One and Only Ivan, and The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom; and creative writing exercises and prompts.   A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.   [0:00] Intro [1:15] Story Introduction: Today you’ll hear a story about a boy whose stepfather told him repeatedly not to do something but the boy did it anyway. And he soon found out why he shouldn’t have. [2:50] Darryl’s Story: “Don’t Feed the Wildlife” Rated PG. Unless you’re terrified of chipmunks, it’s not scary.   [15:15] Commentary: Where ideas come from Look around you and you will see stories waiting. Often writers don’t know where their ideas come from. But just as often, the source of a story is obvious. Some of the world’s most famous books had their inspiration in the author’s life.   [17:10] Excerpt from All Quiet on the Western Front [18:30] Copy the Technique Think of a moment in your own life where something happened that made you laugh, or made you cry, or embarrassed you, or frightened you. And write about it as if it happened to someone else.   [20:00] Finding ideas in the news Another place that you can find story ideas is in true stories from history or from current events. Take a spark of truth and ask, “What must that have been like?”   [21:00] Excerpt from The One and Only Ivan [22:05] Copy the technique Pay attention to the world. Read the news.  Read history books, and natural history books. Read the footnotes. When you find something that makes you think, “Wow, I never knew that. People should know about that,” then you have found your story idea.   [23:10] Finding ideas in other stories A third place where you can find great ideas for stories … is other stories.   [23:55] Excerpt from The Hero’s Guide to Saving your Kingdom [25:15] Copy the technique Read myths and fairy tales and bible stories and Shakespeare and Jane Austen and the Brontes and think: Could there be a different ending? A different perspective?    [26:20] Author Interviews about where ideas come from [26:45] Philippa Dowding on finding stories in dreams [28:00] Amelinda Berube on finding ideas in “true” ghost stories [30:40] Kari-Lynn Winters on finding ideas all around her   [32:55] Finding Ideas in your fears [33:10] Amelinda Berube on conquering fears through fiction [35:50] Kari-Lynn Winters on finding a story in a real spooky prank [36:55] Philippa Dowding on writing about anxiety   [37:45] What to do with all your ideas [37:55] Kari-Lynn Winter’s Thousand Journals [38:40] Philippa Dowding on her several journals [40:00] Amelinda Berube on no longer journaling [41:00] Amelinda Berube on finding ideas in prompts   [42:00] The need to stare out windows To take a simple idea and build it into something complex enough to become a story, you need to just let these ideas flow in your mind.   [42:40] Start with an object Copy Chekhov when he picked up an ashtray and said, “Now I’ll write a story about an ashtray.” Start with an object.   [43:15] Story prompt Finish the story beginning. Or pick up another object near you and write a story about that. If you’re really stuck and you want to write a scary story, sit in the dark at night in the woods, and within 5 minutes you'll have lots of scary ideas in your head.   [47:55] Monster movie line If you are stumped for ideas for scary stories, look to reality, the world around us. Because, as a Hollywood character once said, “Mother Nature is a serial killer. No one's better or more creative.”   [48:30] Thanks and coming up on the podcast Thanks to today's guests. Guests next Friday will be: Robin Stevenson; Wendy McLeod MacKnight; Raquel Rivera; Ishta Mercurio; and Cary Fagan. They’ll be telling you where they get their best ideas and where you can find yours. I’m Catherine Austen. Thanks for listening.   Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).    Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.   Guest Authors: Amelinda Bérubé is a freelance writer and the author of the YA novels The Dark Beneath the Ice (Sourcebooks Fire, 2018) and Here There Are Monsters (Sourcebooks Fire, 2019). A mother of two and a passionate gardener, she lives in Ottawa, Ontario, in a perpetual whirlwind of unfinished projects and cat hair. Find her on her website at www.metuiteme.com or on Twitter: @metuiteme.   Philippa Dowding is an award-winning children's author, a poet, musician and marketing copywriter. Her poetry and short fiction have appeared in many ...
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    49 min
  • Author Interviews about Inspiration (Episode 3.5)
    Sep 18 2020
    A “talking tales” episode in which guest authors Cary Fagan, Wendy McLeod MacKnight, Raquel Rivera, Ishta Mercurio, and Robin Stevenson answer the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” 40 minutes. All ages.   A full transcript of this episode is available at CabinTales.ca.   [0:00] Introduction Welcome to Cabin Tales: Spooky Stories for Young Writers. This is Episode 3.5: “Author Interviews about Inspiration.” I’m Catherine Austen. And my guests today are Cary Fagan, Wendy McLeod MacKnight, Raquel Rivera, Ishta Mercurio, and Robin Stevenson. They’ve written over 70 books—picture books, short story collections, non-fiction, and novels for children, teens, and adults – and their advice on where to find ideas for stories, where to keep them once you find them, and how to create fiction from your real-life fears, is coming up right now on Cabin Tales.   [1:15] Interviews about finding inspiration for stories [2:10] Cary Fagan on finding inspiration from his own childhood [5:30] Robin Stevenson on finding inspiration in life and news [7:50]: Raquel Rivera on finding inspiration inside and out [10:10] Ishta Mercurio on walking into inspiration [13:25] Wendy McLeod MacKnight about being nosy [16:15] Quote from Jack Gantos on eavesdropping   [17:00] Interviews about finding inspiration in real-life fears [17:10] Robin Stevenson on her apocalyptic fears [18:05] Raquel Rivera on writing from fear [19:45] Wendy McLeod MacKnight on giving characters her phobias [20:35] Cary Fagan on using fear directly and indirectly [22:05] Ishta Mercurio on needing distance from fear   [23:20] Tapping into fear and other emotions to inspire stories [24:20] Quotes from S.E. Hinton and from Peter Sears’ student handbook   [25:40] Interviews about journals [25:55] Wendy McLeod MacKnight’s embarrassing journals [27:35] Robin Stevenson on the need to write ideas down [28:55] Raquel Rivera on writing, drawing, and designing ideas [30:25] Ishta Mercurio’s many kinds of journal [32:55] Cary Fagan’s journal is called a notebook.   [35:45] Things to do in journals [36:30] Find inspiration by reading [39:05] Start with a prompt Download an Object Study exercise template at CabinTales.ca.   [40:10] Thanks and coming up on the podcast Next week it’s Plotting in Episode 4: “Bad Things Happen.” Thanks for listening   Music on the podcast is from “Stories of the Old Mansion” by Akashic Records, provided by Jamendo (Standard license for online use).  Host: Catherine Austen writes books for children, short stories for adults, and reports for corporate clients. Visit her at www.catherineausten.com.   Guest authors:    Photo by Mark Reynes Roberts Cary Fagan has written many books for children, including The Hollow Under the Tree, Mort Ziff is Not Dead, and Wolfie and Fly. His many awards include the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, the IODE Jean Throop Award, the Betty Stuchner--Oy Vey!--Funniest Children's Book Award, and the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for his body of work. Cary lives in Toronto. Find him online at https://www.caryfagan.com.   Wendy McLeod MacKnight grew up in a small town with a library card as her most prized possession. She worked for the Government of New Brunswick for twenty-five years until the siren call of writing became impossible to ignore. She is the author of three middle grade novels: It’s a Mystery, Pig Face! (Sky Pony Press), The Frame-Up and The Copycat (both from Greenwillow Books). In her spare time, she gardens, hangs with her family and friends, and feeds raccoons. Visit Wendy online at wendymcleodmacknight.com or on Twitter @wendymacknight or Instagram @wendymcleodmacknight.   Ishta Mercurio was born and raised in an interracial family in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she developed a love of reading and books and big ideas. After leaving for college at the exactly right age of 16, she went on to explore the world and, with it, to explore various ways of storytelling, from dance to theatre to poetry to prose. She now lives and writes in Brampton, Ontario, where she serves as the Chairman of the Board for The FOLD Foundation, a non-profit whose mandate is to lift underrepresented and marginalized voices in Canadian literature. Her picture book debut, Small World, illustrated by Jen Corace (ABRAMS Books for Young Readers), was selected as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2019 and won the SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for the Canadian region. Find Ishta online at www.ishtamercurio.com or on Facebook at @theoneandonlyishta/, on Twitter @IshtaWrites; or on Instagram @IshtaMercurio.    Photo by Katya Konioukhova Raquel Rivera is a writer, artist and performer based in Montreal since 1999, where she has published five books for young readers. Prior to this, she lived and worked as a copywriter in Washington DC, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore, and she taught ESL in Barcelona. Raquel also writes about books for Constellations, a library and ...
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    42 min