Latest Pirate branding Podcast Episodes
Greatest Hits - I'm Tired of Writers Who Don't Read
Confessions of a Working Writer - June 22, 2023 09:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsFull disclosure - I am in the middle of an existential crisis and I need some time to figure things out. So we're putting a pause on the previous story and diving into the notebooks, file boxes, and Internet archives to bring you some of my greatest hits on writing, life, and figuring stuff out....
Prologue - Framing the Question
Confessions of a Working Writer - June 08, 2023 10:00 - 11 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsI’ve been a writer for the better part of my 43 years on this planet. Writing has been my dream for as long as I can remember and I have chased it down almost every avenue imaginable. But lately, I haven’t felt terrific about my writing life. Something seems…well…off, and that has me wondering ...
How I Became a Worse Writer - Season 7 of Confessions of a Working Writer
Confessions of a Working Writer - June 01, 2023 09:00 - 3 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsAnnouncing the newest Season of Confessions of a Working Writer... This time we're telling the story of how Matt became a worse writer and asking the question...is there any coming back? Or is it finally time to quit. Support the show Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer Intro ...
The Promises and Realities of Online Writing Platforms
Confessions of a Working Writer - May 04, 2023 09:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsHow do you get your voice out there as a writer? Not so long ago this question had a single simple answer. You needed to be published. Sounds easy, right? But it wasn’t. Submission guidelines, contest deadlines, and an endless mountain of rejection letters, if you were lucky enough to receive th...
A Few Announcements
Confessions of a Working Writer - April 20, 2023 09:00 - 10 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsHey, everyone! I hope you're doing well in these crazy days. There are a couple of announcements to go over so, rather than sneak them into a regular episode, we did a standalone to just go ahead and knock them out. Enjoy! Support the show Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer I...
What is the Cure for the Common Creative Hangover?
Confessions of a Working Writer - April 13, 2023 09:00 - 18 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWhat do you do after you finish a big project? Maybe you celebrate for a moment. Or maybe you check it off on one giant to-do list. The standing advice is to jump right into your next project. Get going on the next thing so you can keep producing your best work consistently. Sounds simple. Write...
Writers Lift, Toxic Reciprocity, and Do We Even Have Writing Communities Anymore?
Confessions of a Working Writer - March 30, 2023 08:00 - 20 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsEveryone loves their writing community! At least that’s what they say online…endlesssly. Hop onto social media for even a moment and you will be bombarded with praise for writing communities. Twitter is a seemingly endless barrage of writers lifts and questions to the community at large. Platfo...
Natural Talent, Alphabet Soup, and Can Anyone Really Be a Writer?
Confessions of a Working Writer - March 16, 2023 09:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsJust what does it take to be a writer? Is it something you’re born with? An incredible talent passed down through the genes or gifted from the divine? Or is it something you can learn? And if you can learn it, then are there better places to learn and better qualifications you can attain to beco...
Challenging Our Writing Beliefs - A New Confessions of a Working Writer Series
Confessions of a Working Writer - March 02, 2023 10:00 - 16 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWhen was the last time you sat down and thought about your writing beliefs? Do you believe writer's block is real or an excuse? Is there such a thing as natural talent? Can anyone be a writer? Is the content economy the path to fame and fortune? Does the audience really come first? I've been th...
AI, Creative Writing, and Imagination Atrophy
Confessions of a Working Writer - February 23, 2023 09:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsThis week Matt talks about AI's impact on writers. Can AI really be a transformational technology for writers? Is it really the boogeyman coming to take our jobs? Is it just another fad? And just what is the danger to your imagination of leaning on AI as a creative crutch? Support the show Joi...
One Step
Confessions of a Working Writer - February 16, 2023 13:00 - 15 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsStruggle is real...and it's a daily affair for so many of us. The endless stream of empty positivity pumped out to us daily doesn't help. So what do we do? How do we move on in times of struggle and find the ability to move forward? This week Matt talks about his recent struggles with mental hea...
We Spend Too Much Time Doing the Wrong Things
Confessions of a Working Writer - February 09, 2023 10:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsSocial media, obsessing about productivity, extraneous business planning, personal branding, and so many other wrong things are what seem to fill this writing life. We dream of writing a book, or maybe something else, but instead, we fill our day with Tweets. This week, Matt talks about why we o...
Let's Do a Birthday Confession!!!
Confessions of a Working Writer - February 02, 2023 10:00 - 24 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsMatt's about to turn 43 and he had a special episode planned...which then went on to implode. But, from the ashes of about a dozen takes, Matt discovers a confession that really helps alter his perspective for this new year. All with a little help from a friend... Join us for another Confession...
To Grit or Quit...That Is the Question
Confessions of a Working Writer - January 26, 2023 10:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWe love grit! We worship toughness and resilience! Resilient people are successful people we admire and want to emulate. We love grit...and we hate quitters. Quitters never win and winners look down on quitters with an appropriate amount of scorn. But is that logic right? Does it really make se...
Wrestling the Angel - Creativity and Where It Really Happens
Confessions of a Working Writer - January 19, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWhere does creativity happen? Does it happen sitting at our desks to push through the work? Does it happen as we walk down the street with perfectly open spirits to receive the magic of the universe? Is it something that controls us? Or something we control? Maybe we're overthinking it. This we...
On Fear, Abundance, and Why I'm Embracing Scarcity
Confessions of a Working Writer - January 12, 2023 10:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsThis week Matt talks about living a couple of years driven by fear. Explorations include the damage that an "abundance" mindset can cause, the duality of an infinite universe filled with finite things, and why he's chosen to embrace scarcity this year as a writer in order to defeat fear. Join u...
New Year - New Season, New Book, and Setting New Boundaries
Confessions of a Working Writer - January 05, 2023 10:00 - 26 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsMatt talks about starting this new year of finding his way as a writer, starting a new book, and learning how to set boundaries. Because let's be honest, we can all do a better job setting those. Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon ...
One More Confession (And An Announcement)
Confessions of a Working Writer - December 29, 2022 09:00 - 13 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsFrom the newly frosty lands of Charleston, SC, Matt gives his last confession of 2022 and an update on what's happening with the show in 2023. Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/) Logo courtesy of...
IT'S THE 2022 HOLIDAY SPECIAL!!!
Confessions of a Working Writer - December 22, 2022 09:00 - 43 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsIt's time for the Confessions of a Working Writer Holiday Special! And what do we have for you this year? Well, it's Matt reading his very own holiday story...A Retail Carol! Dale is an unremarkable guy. Just another face working another overnight job during Christmas for some overtime. But thi...
Finishing. Shipping, and Confronting the Fears of Being a Writer
Confessions of a Working Writer - December 15, 2022 09:00 - 23 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWell, here we are. Over the past couple of months, we've done a crash course on writing a piece and now we're looking at a finished product. So, what do we do with it? First, we need to confront some more fear. And Matt's here to talk about those fears, finishing our work, and just what the hell...
Bringing Down the Hatchet - On Editing Your Story
Confessions of a Working Writer - December 08, 2022 09:00 - 25 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsYou've done it! You've written the first draft and conquered the blank page! You've taken time away to get some distance and resisted just tinkering with the newborn story until you kill it. And now...it's time to actually edit it. Yes, every writer's least favorite part of the process. But M...
Get Some Distance
Confessions of a Working Writer - December 01, 2022 09:00 - 22 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsWe're Back!!! After a weeklong mountain getaway, Matt returns to talk about the most important thing to do before diving into editing that story...getting some distance. Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamo...
Thankful
Confessions of a Working Writer - November 24, 2022 09:00 - 9 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsA special Thanksgiving message from Matt! Join us for another Confession of a Working Writer Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://www.thegeorgiamoon.com/) Logo courtesy of Bear Paw Creative (https://bearpawcreative.com/) You can find more from Matt at https://medium.com/@m...
Throw Some Ninjas In It - Secrets of the First Draft
Confessions of a Working Writer - November 17, 2022 09:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsIt's time! We've formed an idea. We've crafted characters, picked a setting, and set up a road map for our story. Now it's time to sit down for the single most terrifying part of creating a story...the first draft. But don't worry, Matt's here with some insights and a handful of ninjas to help. ...
Not Your English Teacher's Outline
Confessions of a Working Writer - November 10, 2022 09:00 - 27 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsOne of the biggest problems writers deal with when taking an idea from their head and putting it on the page is writing themselves into a corner. You know the feeling. You're working on a story, the characters are interesting, the setting is on point, and every word seems to just be working. The...
Setting - The Too Often Forgotten Character
Confessions of a Working Writer - November 03, 2022 17:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsMatt's back! After a week of battling the flu, we continue our series on how to take an idea and work it into a piece of writing. This week Matt explores developing your setting as a character instead of just a couple of data points. What is the history of the place your story is happening in? I...
It's The Halloween Special!!!
Confessions of a Working Writer - October 31, 2022 08:00 - 8 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsMatt's been sick with the flu so we didn't know if this was going to happen. But somehow he managed to rise from the grave long enough to record a fun treat for Halloween - a reading of his most recent short story for the season! Enjoy! Intro and Outro music courtesy of Georgia Moon (https://...
Characters - Who They Are, What They Want, and How to Craft Them
Confessions of a Working Writer - October 20, 2022 08:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsHow do you develop a character? Do you create a "trading card" bio for them including all of those physical details, their favorite foods, and turn ons? Do you define them by important events in their lives? Is it about what they want and need? Or do we define them by the space around them? Thi...
Let's Talk About the Brain Dump
Confessions of a Working Writer - October 13, 2022 08:00 - 21 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsNow that you have an idea you want to write about what do you do with it? Do you sit down and bang out that first draft? Or spend some time setting up an outline? Nope. You should probably sit down and do a brain dump first. Don't know what that is...here let's talk about it. Join us for anothe...
So You Want to Write a Thing
Confessions of a Working Writer - October 06, 2022 08:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 21 ratings"Everyone has one story in them" But where do you start writing it? How do you take an idea and turn it into a fully formed piece of writing? It's not actually as hard as it seems. That's why Matt's taking the next few episodes to help you write that thing you've been thinking about. So, let's...
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