New Podcast Up: There And Back Again Once More

In the first podcast of 2015, we discuss a little bit of literary failure before launching into why we continue writing even in the face of adversity. What keeps you going? We also discuss the final Hobbit film and how it holds up to the text of Tolkien’s work. Finally, we answer some listener mail

New Podcast Up: Beginning Lines and Ending Hobbits

In this end of year podcast we discuss the most important beginning of any novel: the first line. The first line is something that writers like Stephen King spend a month preparing. It is the line that hooks the reader, that sets the tone for the novel, and is a sort of “thesis statement” for

Tolkien’s 5 Tips for Writing to an Audience

One of the most important things a writer must consider is the audience.  Who will read this massive tome we are constructing?  To what group of people are we directing our story?  J.R.R. Tolkien considered this in retrospect after The Hobbit had been on the shelves for a while.  He was asked the following questions by The