Write Pack Radio
250 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 5 years ago - ★★★ - 4 ratingsThere are many talks on the internet about writing, but nothing like Write Pack Radio. Write Pack Radio features a panel of writers--traditional published, independent published, hybrirds, and hopefuls, who explore the maze of the writing industry.
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Episodes
(Meet) the Write Pack Part 1
February 08, 2015 21:00 - 45 minutes - 40.9 MB(Meet) the Write Pack Part 1 As Write Pack Radio brings its first season to a close, we explore who are all these people on our weekly panels? What are their backgrounds and where are they in their writing career? What have they over come? What have they learned as a writer about themselves, the craft of writing, and the publishing industry? How did the Write Pack begin? What generated the idea of Write Pack Radio? This is part 1 of an in-depth look into the Write Pack. In this episode we ...
Gatekeepers—Now and Then
February 01, 2015 21:00 - 1 hour - 59.3 MBGatekeepers—Now and Then In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores the Gatekeepers—Now and Then. Before the internet became popular you had to get published in lit mags. But have the modern day gates been abandoned? Do Gatekeepers still exist? Who are they? What do they do? Do you still need to get past them to get into the world of publishing? Are gatekeepers needed? What do the gatekeepers need and why won’t they publish your book? What if the gatekeepers aren’t rig...
Tightening Tension
January 25, 2015 21:00 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBTightening Tension In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores: How to tighten tension? What is tension? What are the elements of tension? How can authors tighten tension? What is a McGuffin? Is there a difference between the stakes of the story and the tension? Is the tension built differently between each of the genres? What is the role of tension in suspense? Are they the same thing or are they gears within each other? What are the mechanics of building tension? Ho...
Punking the Punk
January 18, 2015 21:00 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBPunking the Punk In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores the punk subgenres of Science Fiction. We discuss Clock Punk, Steam Punk, Diesel Punk, Cyber Punk, Atomic Punk, and a lot more! What is all of these punk genres? How are they defined? How do you write them? Isn’t it just cos play? Can’t you just add “punk” to anything? What makes it punk? Can’t I just start writing or do I have to research? Where in the bookstore can you find any of the punks? What’s the diff...
The Elusive Voice
January 11, 2015 21:00 - 53 minutes - 48 MBThe Elusive Voice Writers are told to find their voice. But what is this voice? How do you find it? Is there a yellow brick road that leads you there? In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack seek how writers find that elusive voice. Why is voice so important? Can the lack of a distinctive voice keep you from getting published or read? How is narrative voice different from character voice? Where does your voice appear in the story? Does voice resonate in the plot, the dialogue...
Writer Resolutions in the New Year
January 04, 2015 21:00 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBWriter Resolutions in the New Year Happy New Year from the Write Pack Radio. In this episode the Write Pack explores (after we discuss a resolution of a special celebrating Pi day) what kind of resolutions writers might want to make and should avoid. Do you have control over the end goal? How far do you plan ahead? What about micro-goals? What is the difference between a resolution and a hope? What are book ancillaries? What are the resolutions of the members of the Write Pack? What if ...
Writing About Differently Abled Characters
December 28, 2014 21:00 - 55 minutes - 49.9 MBWriting About Differently Abled Characters In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores about writing characters who have mental or have physical impairments in various stories. What is the spectrum of impairment? Should the impairment be the center of the story? How can you use it as an element of plot? How do you write about the character with the impairment and keep it real? How do you handle “normal society’s” reaction to the impairment? When can you tell that the ch...
Write-ins and Writing Retreats
December 21, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBWrite-ins and Writing Retreats In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores the power and allure of write-ins and writing retreats. What is a write-In? What is a writing retreat? Do writers really get vacations? Why are write-ins so important? How do they help keep you writing? Why is keeping an appointment to a write-in an important dedication? What do writers get out of them? What are the downsides of a write-in? How do you plan a write-in? Why are writing retreats so im...
Guilty Pleasures of Writing
December 14, 2014 21:00 - 58 minutes - 52.7 MBGuilty Pleasures of Writing In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores the various guilty pleasures that they have (or at least admit to the world) in writing. Do writers write their guilty pleasures? Are there books that writers read that they wouldn’t normally admit to in public? What are some of the guilty pleasures writers indulge in while writing? Like—writing in the bathtub, like a famous French mystery writer claimed to do. Who? You will have to listen. What abo...
Addiction and Writing
December 07, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 58.6 MBAddiction and Writing In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores the addiction: the addiction to writing, the use of addiction in stories, and how there is an idea that you can’t write unless you are drunk or stoned first. Can you be addicted to writing? Can you be addicted to something you have a passion for? After all, how can you be addicted to something that doesn’t have any chemical substance? Is it the high of disappearing into a different world? Can readers be addi...
Rest In Peace: When Your Favorite Characters Die
November 30, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBRest In Peace: When Your Favorite Characters Die. In this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack explores what happens when your favorite characters (or just important characters) are killed in a story—be it as the author of the novel, story, or screenplay or as a member of the audience. If you have created a good character, and the readers get attached, they care and have experienced a connection to that character. Sometimes the death of a character can end the characters arc to sh...
Know Your Audience? Who are they?!
November 23, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 58.3 MBKnow Your Audience? Who are they?! Write Pack Radio explores: How do you identify and connect to your audience? Where do you start? Are you using the right social media? Are you hashtaging? Why is that important in finding your audience? Does it matter which social media do you go to? Can’t you just post the same stuff to all of them? Can’t you just promote, “Buy my book” all over social media or is that like spamming? How often do you interact with your audience? How do you make it meanin...
Setting as Character
November 16, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MBSetting as Character In this episode, The Write Pack is joined by a special guest, award winning mystery writer Rick Skwiot. Rick Skwiot is the award-winning author of three novels and two critically praised memoirs. He has published numerous feature stories, short stories, essays and book reviews in magazines and newspapers. Rick has taught creative writing at Washington University in St. Louis and at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he served as the 2004 Distinguished Visitin...
Why be a Writer?
November 09, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBWhy be a Writer? With the insanity of the world or writing, the constant rejection, and the pressure that comes with being a writer, Write Pack Radio explores the question: “Why be a Writer?” Writers don’t get paid sick days, paid vacation days, nor a guarantee that their work will ever see the light of day. Writers don’t have a pay day like those with regular jobs. Writers don’t get the respect they deserve that people with “regular jobs” normal do. You get rejected---A LOT! Sometimes writ...
Elements of Story
November 02, 2014 21:00 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBElements of Story In this episode Write Pack Radio explores the elements of story. When we start off writing we go to classes, read magazines and books on how to write, and go to workshops, but what are the elements of a good story? Are characters more important than setting? Can you care about a character and still hate them? Do characters have to change? Is setting a character? Should series characters “reset” in episodic stories? Does there have to be a plot? Is plot conflict? Is confli...
Pitching your Work
October 26, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBPitching your Work It’s the wind up and the pitch across the plate . . . or is it across the table or the query or the twitter world? In this episode, Write Pack Radio explores the scariest step in writing—pitching your work to a publisher or agent. What are the dos and the don’ts of pitching? Where should you pitch? How do you find out about the agent or publishers to pitch to? Where can you meet these people to pitch face to face? How long should your pitch be? Does this apply to a quer...
Plot Fails and Forgivable Sins
October 19, 2014 20:00 - 56 minutes - 50.5 MBPlot Fails and Forgivable Sins Write Pack Radio explores the traps and sins of story plots: Do your characters suffer from a case of the plots and barf backstory all over each other?Do your characters have an exposition couch?Did the characters’ journey take a turn around a cul-de-sac?Did they fall into a bamboo trap? Did your character walk through a giant plot hole?Did your characters have a convenient misunderstanding? What are your plot problems? Do famous books and authors suffer fro...
Fear in Suspense and Horror: Scare vs. Gore
October 12, 2014 20:00 - 59 minutes - 53.9 MBFear in Suspense and Horror: Scare vs. Gore In this episode, The Write Pack explores the use of scare vs. gore. What are some of the tropes in horror and suspense? What is a slasher? What is splatter punk? What is the psychological thriller and how does it differ? What is the goal of the story? The Write Pack explores what makes better suspense? And they explore what makes a great horror? How is suspense and horror built up well and how does it fail? What are the elements of scare and ho...
Futurism, Past-ism, Romanticism, or Wish Fulfillment
October 05, 2014 20:00 - 58 minutes - 52.9 MBFuturism, Past-ism, Romanticism, or Wish Fulfillment This is a topic that may sound like it should only belong to Science Fiction, but it can apply to all genres. When we write are we writing Futurism (or past-ism for historical fiction), romanticizing the world, or is it wish fulfillment? Here is a thought…is the FBI a “real world” descendent of the futuristic ideas of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes? Do we have agendas behind what we write? When we write about the past, the present,...
How to Filter Out All the Writing Advice
September 28, 2014 20:00 - 55 minutes - 49.5 MBIn this episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack asks: How do writers, especially new writers weed through all the good and bad advice on writing? What are their sources? Is everything you read about writing worth your time? Are the lessons in school and college correct? Is even Write Pack Radio’s thoughts on writing on target? How can you tell what works or won’t work? Where do you go for writing advice? What sources should you trust? What about books on how to write? What about the man...
Reboots: The Rise of the Success or the Rise of the Failure?
September 21, 2014 20:00 - 50 minutes - 45.6 MBReboots: The Rise of the Success or the Rise of the Failure? In this episode of Write Pack Radio: What really is a reboot? What is the difference between reboot and a retelling? What is an adaptation and how does it differ from a reboot? What about a re-imaging? Do reboots only apply to television or movies? Can it apply to books? Listen to the Write Pack try to define the differences as they explore various examples (and disagree). Do they only keep the name? What about the characters? Wh...
Fact Checking Your Writing
September 14, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBWhile fact checking is normal in non-fiction books, but what about fiction? We mean it is fiction—why fact check it? If you are the “god of your universe, is there a purpose? Does it matter? (YES!!!!!!!!) In this episode listen to the Write Pack discuss why research matters, how to do it and where to go for it? So you want to call experts? Isn’t the internet enough and not talk to an actual person? If you talk to a person, what should you be prepared with? Listen to the Write Pack disagree...
The Story Telling of Radio Dramas
September 07, 2014 20:00 - 56 minutes - 51.2 MBThe Story Telling of Radio Dramas In the 28th episode of Write Pack Radio, the Write Pack kicks it “old school” and exams how old time radio dramas and modern audio drama podcasts can help authors of all media. Old time radio dramas was the form of entertainment that was popular before TV and radio drams bridged the media change. Now they are podcasts. Some radio drams have been on radio, books, TV shows, movies, and even comic books. But how can they help a novel writer, play write, or sc...
Submissions: Worry, Regret and Rejection
August 31, 2014 20:00 - 46 minutes - 41.4 MBRecorded in front of a live audience at Writers in the Park, a free writers conference given by St. Louis Writers Guild (www.stlwritersguild.org) in the heat of a St. Louis August, Write Pack Radio explores facing the worry, regret and rejection that comes with submitting our writing. The Write Pack is joined by authors Margo Dill (http://www.margodill.com/) and Sarah M. Anderson (http://www.sarahmanderson.com) . How do you face the fear of submission? How do you face the worry? How do you f...
Breaking the Block: What are the Crazy Things We Do to Break Writers Block?
August 24, 2014 20:00 - 47 minutes - 42.9 MBBreaking the Block: What are the Crazy Things We Do to Break Writers Block? The voices in our head have gone silent. What do we do to bring our muse back? In this episode, the Write Pack explores breaking writer’s block. Some say it doesn’t exist. Others say it does. There are thousands (or more) books and articles on how to break it. How do the members of the Write Pack break writer’s block? What are the things that cause writers block? Stress? Fear of Failure? Some techniques we talk abo...
Litmus Tests and Writing about Social Issues
August 17, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 57.7 MBWrite Pack Radio explores social issues such as racism, sexism, sexual exploitation and more. Listener Discretion is advised. Also, if you are in St. Louis area on August 23rd, 2014, Write Pack Radio will be recording in front of a live audience. We will be recording at the St. Louis Writers Guild: Writers in the Park writers’ conference. This is a free writers’ conference that is open to all genre and levels of writing. It will be at the Kirkwood Park Lion’s Amphitheater from 10 AM until 2 P...
Conferences, Conventions and Expos
August 10, 2014 20:00 - 56 minutes - 51.1 MBIt is time, you tell yourself, to attend a writers’ conference—or maybe a convention—or what about that expo you have heard about? But you pause. You wonder if it is worth all of the expense. You wonder if there aren’t other conferences you should go to instead. Join the Write Pack as they explore how to discover where to go, what to expect, and what to do at these events. In this episode we discuss: Writers’ Digest Writers ConferenceSaint Louis Writers GuildWriters in the Park (a free write...
Critique Groups, Critique Partners, Beta Readers: the Good, the Bad, the Snooty
August 03, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 56.2 MBCritique Groups, Critique Partners, Beta Readers: the Good, the Bad, the Snooty In this episode we have special guest, history fiction author J.F. Ridgley. We also introduce a new member to The Write Pack: Meredith Tate Critique groups, partners and beta readers are a low stake experience that can be similar to that of an editor, agent, or publisher. So you have written a short story or a novel and are told you should find a critique group? Maybe a Critique Partner? And what is this odd thi...
Writing from the Headlines
July 27, 2014 20:00 - 59 minutes - 53.3 MBWriting from the Headlines Write Pack explores writing from fiction based on the headlines. Writing fiction from the headlines is a form of immediate writing. Is it possible to write fiction from the headlines or is this a luxury saved for the TV and Comic book media? Is it possible to do this with other forms of writings? Do you have to be a superhuman fast writer where you produce 50 books a year? Or is it a crap shoot of timing where you can’t predict it? Do you have to pick a long runni...
Violence in Fiction
July 20, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 57 MBThe Write Pack explores the questions about violence in fiction. What is an appropriate level of violence in a story? Of course this all depends on the genre and the story, but when is it over the top? It depends on the unwritten contract between the author and the reader. Does the violence have to be on stage or can it happen in the background? Is the story about violence or does the violence need to reflect the story? How much violence is needed for the story? Does the violence exist to ex...
Women in Fiction: Characters vs. Caricatures
July 13, 2014 20:00 - 55 minutes - 49.7 MBWomen in Fiction: Characters vs. Caricatures Are women portrayed reasonably in fiction or is it a reflection of our current society? Does fiction display the social pressures placed on women or does it create caricatures? Whose fantasies are women characters written for? Are women in fiction written to be the fantasy of men or of women? What things do writers do that transfer the woman into caricatures? Do women need to be rescued in fiction, even if she is an action heroin? How is it handl...
Observations of a Serial Reader
July 06, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 57.1 MBObservations of a Serial Reader What makes a series good? When should it end? When you write a series, you need to love your character but you can grow to hate them. Do writers continue to write a series once it grows stale because they are afraid they can’t write or publish anything else? Do fans force a writer to stay in a series even if the writer wants to write something else? Should characters change throughout the series or should a series reset after each book, episode, etc.? Is it d...
To Blog or Not to Blog
June 29, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBTo Blog or Not to Blog Wherever a writer turns, they are told to blog. But does an author or an author trying to break in should blog? Should we blog just to blog? What are the dangers of blogging? If time, strength, and readership attention spans are limited, what kind of blog is important? How do you blog? How can a blog draw readers to your books, stories, and poems? How does blogging help build your platform? What is a blog? How can you use a blog? Can blogs be a reference for yourself a...
How Do We Begin?
June 22, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 55.6 MBIs getting the idea for a story the hardest part of writing? Not in the opinion of the Write Pack. Despite many people coming up to writers with the aged old conversation of “I have an idea for a great [story] [book] [TV show] [movie]. If you write it we can split the profits,” the idea is not the hardest part in beginning a new project. So where do ideas come from? What is the most powerful question in writing? Should I write what I know? What exactly does that question really mean? What ...
Marks of a Writer Town
June 15, 2014 20:00 - 52 minutes - 46.8 MBMarks of a Writer Town Recently, St. Louis was listed as the best city for writers. But, what makes a town appealing to writers? What do writers look for in the places where they live? What is so great about St. Louis as a writer’s town? How does the town’s culture inspire writers? What services are available to a writer? Does the town have working writers? Is the community supportive of writers? Does the community support artists and creative events? Does the cost of living in the town hel...
The Schools of Mystery, the Tropes, and the Clichés
June 08, 2014 20:00 - 52 minutes - 46.8 MBThe Schools of Mystery, the Tropes, and the Clichés Recorded on Dashiell Hammett’s birthday, the Write Pack explore the schools, tropes, and clichés of the mystery genre, Why does there always have to be a murder? What are the sub-genres or schools or subgenres of the mystery genre? Do the crimes always have to be solved by a little old lady with no background in police work from a town where the murder victims outstrip the population of the town? What are some of the rules? What separates t...
The Craft of World Building
June 01, 2014 20:00 - 50 minutes - 45.6 MBThe Craft of World Building Every fictional story is built in a world that the author creates, though the reader will only see just a small portion. It is woven like a web. This can be a fun part of the creation process and yet contains one of the hardest lessons that the author has to learn. What makes a good story world? How do you, the world creator, create a believable plausible world? How is the world that you built change by the story you wrote? Is your world a character or just a set...
The Writer’s Journey
May 25, 2014 20:00 - 48 minutes - 43.1 MBNo one writer’s journey on the path to being a writer is never the same as another. They are rocky. They have twists and turns that seem to take you away from the peak of the writing goal. These paths come with the same questions: How does it begin? When does it begin? When do you know you are a writer? Does it start with emulating others or playing in the universe of another story? Does it start with classes or outside of class? Where does encouragement come from? What drives the writer and ...
Exploring the Tropes of Science Fiction and Fantasy
May 18, 2014 20:00 - 58 minutes - 52.3 MBWhat makes a science fiction story a science fiction story? What about fantasy? Are there tropes to these genres? Can they be mingled? Can they be mingled with other genres successfully? What things--call it stage settings--that are expected in these genres? Are they overdone? Explore with the Write Pack as we grab our Light Sabers and cast our Light Spell as we go in to the dungeon and seek out the treasure of these genres. You can find Write Pack Radio on Facebook, Twitter, Blog Talk Radio...
(Avoiding) The Boring Hero
May 11, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 58.7 MB(Avoiding) The Boring Hero In our previous episode, the Write Pack explored the Necessary Villain. Now, we explore how to avoid an easy trap many beginning—and even some veteran writers fall into—the boring hero. Heroes who seem able to conquer any villain, face the darkest elements of man and not bat an eye may have been the stable of fiction centuries ago, but now they are a sure cure for insomnia. What makes the hero of a story . . . a real yawn stimulator? Are there common traits? Can ...
The Necessary Villain
May 04, 2014 20:00 - 1 hour - 61.9 MBWhile the word antagonist is the modern accepted word in stories, there is a difference between an antagonist and a layered villain. An antagonist is the obstacle. A villain is a thinking counterpart to the protagonist, acting as the protagonist’s dark mirrored reflection that shatters the façade to show us the protagonist as their true self. As the Write Pack explores the villain we toss out Nazis, Vampires, Darth Vader, Dracula, Zombies, Moriarty, The Joker, Javert and more. We explore the...
The Persevering Writer
April 27, 2014 20:00 - 47 minutes - 42.5 MBThe Persevering Writer Why do we bother going through the rejection process to get our books read? If we self-publish, there are other obstacles to overcome just to capture a part of the audience out there. As writers we are looking for validation, which pushes us to send query letters and get back rejections and join writing groups to plug into the creativity. The publishing process is torturous. If a writer is going the traditional publishing route, we have to stand out as THE manuscript...
Pantsing vs Plotting
April 20, 2014 20:00 - 43 minutes - 39.1 MBPantsing vs Plotting In the world of writing there has been a debate that has raged since the first stories were ever told: Is it better to plot or to fly by the seat of your pants when you write? There are "How to" Articles, Blogs and books on writing that claim one or the other is the best process. Join the Write Pack as we tear into this age old debate. Are you a Pantser? Are you a Plotter? Or does it really even matter when you boil it all down? All episodes available at: - iTunes ...
Geek Culture (Genre Geeking) in the Mainstream
April 13, 2014 20:00 - 49 minutes - 44.1 MBIt has been the rise of the geeks! But who are they? Are they all just Science Fiction and Fantasy Geeks? Or do other genres like horror, mystery/thrillers, and romance have their geekdom as well and can we all just get along? Join The Write Pack as the explore geekdom, Comic Con, Bouchercon, gaming, role playing games, comic books, and the past and modern age of geekdom—including crowdsourcing films like Veronica Mars, Star Trek Axanar, and Star Trek Renegades. Also, here is an article fr...
Can Utopia exist in all the Dystopic Fiction?
April 06, 2014 20:00 - 44 minutes - 39.9 MBCan Utopia exist in all the Dystopic Fiction? With a world filled with Brave New World, The Hunger Games, Divergent, and so many dystopian stories, can Utopian stories be published today? Is the idea of a Utopian world a fleeting illusion? Can a person or a society grow in a Utopia? Could artist exist? Is mankind able to truly exist in Utopian world or would we get ourselves expelled or choose to leave as Bilbo left the Shire? OR Is one man’s Utopia another man’s dystopia? The Write Pack...
Cyborgs vs Androids Vs Robots
March 30, 2014 20:00 - 40 minutes - 35.8 MBCyborgs vs Androids Vs Robots Science Fiction and Science fact are blending in the modern world, bringing independent robots, cyborgs and androids closer to reality. How does that affect the writer? Is there a difference in how these tropes of Science Fiction are written? Is science fact shaping how these characters will fill the world of reality and the fantasy of Science Fiction? The Write Pack tackles these questions and much more as they explore the pop culture and the possibilities of ...
Traditional vs. Self vs. Hybrid Publishing Part 2
March 23, 2014 20:00 - 50 minutes - 45.4 MBThe question every writer faces in the modern world of publishing is if they should choose to try to be traditionally published, self-published or a hybrid. It is not an easy decision and can shape your career as a writer. This debate, which has raged and simmered for years has been fanned into an inferno of dueling blogs around the question: Has the publishing world now been divided into a “caste system.” Follow along as the Write Pack feels their way through this maze. The following blog p...
Brown Bagging Books: Are You Judged by What You Read?
March 16, 2014 20:00 - 51 minutes - 46 MBHave you ever had to hide what you read? Have you ever not read a book or a series because others have told you that it is wrong, evil, or other derogatory term ? Have you ever been turned down for a date, lost a friend, kicked out of a group, because you choose to read something they thought you shouldn't? Why do we have banned books? Inspired by a situation where a girl turned down a guy for reading the Hunger Games and Twilight, The Write Pack dives into the question—Are we judged by what ...
Traditional vs. Self vs. Hybrid Publishing Part 1
March 09, 2014 20:00 - 45 minutes - 40.3 MBThe question every writer faces in the modern world of publishing is if they should choose to try to be traditionally published, self-published or a hybrid. It is not an easy decision and can shape your career as a writer. This debate, which has raged and simmered for years has been fanned into an inferno of dueling blogs around the question: Has the publishing world now been divided into a “caste system.” Follow along as the Write Pack feels their way through this maze. The following blog p...
Amusing the Muse
March 02, 2014 21:00 - 46 minutes - 41.8 MBAmusing the Muse What is the muse? Why does it drive us so crazy? Is it something inside of us or, as the ancient Greeks thought, something external? The Write Pack explores what the muse inspires and how it drives us nuts. Write Pack Radio 's first episode airs on 3/2, with the Pack exploring that crazy thing we call a muse. What the heck is this drive, this arrogance, this urge to create art with the belief that others will want it? Why does it drive some to success and others to self-dest...