Ultimately, I want to help people become better writers. Sometimes it's as simple as learning how to effectively use a semi-colon but other times we have to learn how to break down our own ideas of how the world works to better re-create it.
Only a Notebook is my attempt to break down my own ideas to learn and understand why I and others write the way we do.
Most of these podcasts pertain to short stories and novels, but they're for anyone who wants to learn how to write.
By Nathaniel Mellor
Welcome to the fourth and final part of this series.
In this episode we take a look into understanding where our idea and concept of strong women/female characters comes from, and how it relates to men/male characters.
There are many topics I wanted to touch on in this episode, but I figured saving some for later episodes made more sense.
I hope you enjoy!
Twitter: @MellorNathaniel
28 Oct 2021
Men Writing Women - Part 3 - Eve
Picking up from the last two episodes, we discuss Eve and a few possible translations of the Book of Genesis as well as how this relates to writing as a whole.
This is a quicker episode but I hope you enjoy!
If you'd like to support me, you can find me on Ko-fi at: https://ko-fi.com/nathanielmellor
If you have anything you'd like to hear me talk about, find me on Twitter: @MellorNathaniel.
23 Oct 2021
Men Writing Women - Part 2 - Lilith
In this episode we pick up from where we left off, but instead of jumping into the topic of Eve, we first discuss Lilith.
I do make a mistake at the end and I say "creativity" instead of "curiosity" twice. Which is what this episode is really about. How did certain stories that punish curiosity become so powerful? Especially since writers are in the ideal position to incite and creative curiosity.
Like always, I hope you enjoy!
If you'd like to support me, you can find me on Ko-fi at: https://ko-fi.com/nathanielmellor
If you have anything you'd like to hear me talk about, find me on Twitter: @MellorNathaniel.
19 Oct 2021
Men Writing Women - Part 1 - Pandora's Box
On Reddit, there is a subreddit, or sub-forum, with the name Men Writing Women. It's devoted to examples of poorly created and written women characters by [oftentimes] male writers.
In this episode, part one of four, I explore a little bit of history that is attached to poorly written women characters.
I hope you enjoy!
18 Oct 2021
Fewer vs Less and other rules that might have just been made up
Hello and welcome back to another episode!
There are certain rules in the English that don't seem to make sense. Worse than that, they seem to be arbitrary.
Why?
In this episode, I talk about those rules, and why/how it is we follow them.
Feel free to take this episode with a grain of salt. Maybe it's more entertainment that fact, though it is factually based.
If you'd like to support me, you can find me on Ko-fi at: https://ko-fi.com/nathanielmellor
If you have anything you'd like to hear me talk about, find me on Twitter: @MellorNathaniel.
13 Oct 2021
Using a Notebook as a Creative Tool
With the name "Only a Notebook" I figured it was time to talk about notebooks.
I hope you enjoy!
If you have anything you'd like me to talk about, you can find me on Twitter @MellorNathaniel.
I also made a Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/nathanielmellor Don't feel the need to donate, I figured I'd make one just in case!
7 Oct 2021
Don't Rob Yourself of the Chance to be Creative
Welcome back!
Sorry about the unintended break...
In this episode I discuss robbing yourself of the chance to be creative. This can look like generic statements, broad statements, or lines written to appeal to everyone rather than a specific audience.
Like all my advice, none of it is a hard and fast rule, it's just my way of trying to figure out how to help other people to write without telling them what they're doing is wrong/bad.
I hope you enjoy!
Ps. If you'd like to donate (since I'm trying to not ever do ads) I finally have a Ko-Fi! https://ko-fi.com/nathanielmellor (https://ko-fi.com/nathanielmellor) They don't take a percentage and they let me have a one-off donation option rather than a recurring subscription model.
22 Aug 2021
How to become a Beta Reader
In my last episode I talked about finding a beta reader. In this episode I talk about becoming a beta reader since it's something that I've heard many writers want to try doing. Especially if they're paid!
I try to give an overview of Upwork, Fiverr, being self-employed, and red flags to avoid.
I hope you enjoy!
14 Aug 2021
How to find a Beta Reader
A few days ago I made a comment on Reddit about finding a beta reader and it recieved a little interest. Since I had a couple of questions asking me how to find a beta reader, I figured I'd make an episode!
I hope you enjoy!
3 Aug 2021
Using Movement and Conflict instead of a Plot
We all hear that a plot is the single most important part of a story. But I find that sometimes it can be hard to make one that helps the story rather than hinders it. Using movement and conflict in place of a plot, especially in a character-driven novel, can help your story stay engaging even without a plot.
I hope you enjoy!
3 Aug 2021
Exposure: Is it worth it?
One of the biggest arguments of being a "creative" is that being paid in exposure isn't worth it.
And it isn't.
But is exposure important?
18 Jul 2021
How to use Dialogue Tags
Dialogue tags is one of the great debates among writers. The phrase "said is dead" is often thrown around. If you're new to writing, or your curious about my take, here's how I tend to use (or not use) dialogue tags.
I hope you enjoy!
10 Jun 2021
Character Description and Development
Describing and developing a character is one of the more exciting aspects of writing. However, there are pitfalls along the way. As an editor and beta-reader there are two concepts that I have discovered that help us create characters, but ones that can also lead to prejudice if you aren't mindful: default and gestalt.
I hope you enjoy!
8 Jun 2021
Short Story Editing Tips
Over the years I've compiled a few general writing tips that I follow as I edit. These are applicable for any kind of writing and they aren't hyper-specific. I hope you enjoy!
3 Jun 2021
Returning to writing after a break
Over the past ten years, I've stopped and started writing again no fewer than six times. In this podcast, I offer advice on some tools to keep in mind as you're returning to writing.
Contact Only a Notebook - On the art of writing
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