The Author Alchemist

Hey y’all, it’s KimBoo! Welcome back to The Author Alchemist! In this episode, I’m taking a quick break from getting ready for my presentation at Author Nation 2025 to talk about something every writer deals with sooner or later: decision fatigue. This topic comes straight out of my book Out From Fanfic: How to Build Original Fiction from Fanfiction, where I look at how setting “guardrails” for your writing can actually give you more freedom, not less. Whether you’re a discovery writer, a plotter, or somewhere in the messy middle, a few well-placed boundaries can help you save energy and focus on the part that really matters—the storytelling. I also talk a bit about how worldbuilding, character design, and even fan casting can make the writing process less overwhelming and a lot more fun. Writing shouldn’t feel like “bleeding on the page” all the time; sometimes, the best creativity happens when you’ve given yourself some parameters and permission to play. 💡 In this episode: • How writing fanfiction can sharpen your storytelling • Using structure to avoid decision fatigue • The balance between planning and discovery • Why limits can be the secret to creative joy About The Author Alchemist I created The Author Alchemist as a place for writers who want to build sustainable, joyful writing lives. It’s where I mix writing craft, creative productivity, and a dash of fandom energy to help you find your own creative alchemy. Produced under my House of York Studio banner, the show exists at the intersection of resilience, hope, and imagination — because we could all use more of those.  Learn More: • AuthorAlchemist.com • My blog, The Scriptorium

It's been a year! I feel it's been a whole year of "have a day!" every day. Which isn't to say good things haven't been happening. In this short update, I talk about what I'm working on, where I'm going (literally and figuratively!), and how much I love writing! --------------- For more tools for writers, including books on craft and previous podcast episodes, visit my website: https://www.authoralchemist.com

I'm back! KimBoo checks in from the wilds of 2025 to update you on what's going on, what to expect next, and (most importantly) how Keely is doing.

Hey ho! Hear me ramble about my super-goth look! Special limited edition! ;) This is a short episode where I talk about how important it is to find joy in your writing practice, and what you can do if you feel like everything is drudge work! -------------------------- For more about me and my work, visit my studio, https://houseofyork.info

In this episode, I discuss balancing world-building details with reader imagination in fiction writing, sharing insights from social media posts I've seen on different approaches to world-building and the importance of leaving holes in the narrative. Using my own experiences to illustrate how details can enhance or hinder creativity, I explore techniques for creating immersion, such as using cultural references and varying language. The key message is that writers should focus on engaging readers' imaginations rather than including every fact, and should feel empowered to start writing without letting the rabbits lead us too deep down the research hole!

What is the true source of writing mastery? As the old joke goes: "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!!" In this episode I talk about what having a large goal like "writing 1 million words" can do for you, and why it is important! --------------------- My website: https://houseofyork.info

Join me for updates on my own serials, the 1 Million Words Club, and advice on how to transition your idea/outline for a book series into a long-running serial!  Links: My website Serials beats spreadsheet Subscriptions for Authors fb group 

My book "By the Seat of Your Pants: Secrets of Discovery Writing" is out! I explain a bit of what it is about and why I wrote it, along with some updates of my fiction stories.  For more about me and my work, visit my studio, https://houseofyork.info -------------------------- RESOURCES MENTIONED: By the Seat of Your Pants: Secrets of Discovery Writing My new book all about discovery writing/pantsing! "Writing for the Long Haul" at the Scriptorium An essay about the mindset of writing long-running stories. 1 Million Words Club Membership community of writers supporting writers! Survival Kit for Writers Who Don’t Write Right Patricia McLinn The Pocket Guide to Pantsing [Full Audiobook] M.L. Ronn Write Into the Dark: How to Write a Novel without an Outline Dean Wesley Smith

A quick update on what I'm writing, what I'm working on, and what kind of money I am making. I talk about Kobo Plus, sales numbers, and the launch of Dragon's Grail! --------------- For more about me and my work, visit my studio, https://houseofyork.info

Here's my first podcast of 2024! I'm excited to announce the launch of the 1 Million Words Club, a community created by writers FOR writers to help us get the words out! It's focused on accountability and productivity as well as craft and mindset, and welcomes all writers of every genre, professional or amateur!  I also update you on Dragon's Grail (it's been a hot minute!) and progress on my next craft book, By the Seat of Your Pants: Secrets of Discovery Writing which is coming soon! ----------- Links:  1 Million Words Club info page My Ream community

Back from a lovely writer's retreat held on the Gulf Coast of Florida, I'm thinking a lot about "what makes a writer" and the importance of creativity in our lives. There are a lot of definitions of what makes a "real writer" and most of them are about gatekeeping, so instead I propose that a real writer is someone who invests time and energy into their practice. For those who feel overwhelmed by it all, I offer this simple goal: 1 million words. Maybe you'll hit that goal, maybe you won't, but you'll learn important lessons along the way! This episode was inspired by my colleague and friend, Matt Posner! He is both an author and a teacher who asked me to record an episode roughly on this topic. Hope it fits! -------------- For more about me and my work, visit my studio, https://houseofyork.info

First off, apologies in advance for the tapping noise that occasionally shows up, I think it was my headphones' cord knocking against the desk. I'll be more careful in the future! This is an update, overview, and discussion about all my current writing projects. I get sidelined talking about discovery writing, but then again, I'm writing a whole book on the topic so I'm just calling it "advanced marketing"! So there!!!! I also introduce you to my newest project, and one that will likely be ongoing for a while, the grief memoir The Empty Bowl. I don't have a completion date set for it, either. (Just a heads up, this topic about grief, mourning, and my parents' mental illnesses, so it's pretty heavy.) Thanks as always for listening in! 

A short episode about a question I was asked last week, and how answering it has changed the course of my writing career.   

She's BAAAACK! After a full year of letting this podcast languish, I decided I needed to jump back into the saddle. I have a lot going on, including new author platforms and new stories and new goals. If you've wondered where I went and what I'm up to, this is the episode for you!

Better late than never! I'm back with an episode I recorded last year, and is the final episode in my mini-series about our deepest fears. Stay tuned for my next episode, which will go over "What the heck has KimBoo been doing since 2022????" But for now, in THIS episode, I talk about why it is so important to love your characters deeply and passionately. Yes, even the characters who are unlikeable or problematic! You need to hold emotional space for them so that you can write them compellingly and avoid flat characterizations. Save the objectivity for the editing stage!

The third installment of my Deepest Fears series focuses on "writer's guilt" and, in a round'about way, our fear of guilt. Oftentimes we slap a label on what is holding us back from writing, calling it perfectionism or guilt, when it is in fact a deep-seated fear of those very emotions. It sets up a dangerous feedback loop of negative emotions that can be hard to break! Hopefully this episode will help you identify what your real stumbling block is and provide you with ways to deal with it! Links referenced: A very very old blog from 2012 on Writer's Guilt Building your support network (Ep 007): An early Author Alchemist Podcast discussing the positive and sometimes negative aspects of your support network

Welcome to the second episode in a mini-series I’m doing about confronting our deepest fears as authors! Fear of being vulnerable is at the core of many of the fears that keep authors from writing, and in this episode I am taking aim specifically on the fear of being seen and of being shamed.  I cover the ways guilt and shame are not the same thing, and techniques you can use to understand what you are feeling and how to deal with it. The goal is always to get you back to writing what you love!

Welcome to the first episode in a mini-series I’m doing about confronting our deepest fears as authors. This is not simply about the fear of being bad at writing, or the fear that no one will read our work, but rather about the fears that keep us from writing in the first place…which often circle back around to simply one word: vulnerability.  Fear of vulnerability can take many forms, though, so I’ll be diving deep into the types of fears we may have about being “seen” for who we are as writers and as people. First up: fears about being labeled as “self indulgent” a.k.a. writing self-insert/mary sue characters. Yes, I talk about James Bond. Yes, I talk about Rey Skywalker. No, I don’t believe writing mary-sues is intrinsically bad. Fight me!!!! References: Fanlore entry explaining “mary sue”  “2018 is the year we stop wasting our time on discourse and start writing the self-insert naruto fics we’ve been planning since we were eight. Thank you.” Source: http://kimboosan.tumblr.com/post/169561118551/harpygf-2018-is-the-year-we-stop-wasting-our 

A recurring theme in a lot of advice about creativity is "show your work/share your work." It is often hailed as a great way to "grow your audience" but I want to go a step beyond that and talk about how it is a great way to stay motivated and find inspiration, even if what you have to show is not polished and perfect yet.  I've grabbed three classic modern stories that were created and molded on the internet as examples of how wonderful and inspiring it can be to simply show your work! Links! God of Arepo  Original tumblr posts   The lovely comic Neighbor Steve (Antler Guy Saga) On AO3  Original tumblr post Stabby the Space Roomba Example 1 Example 2  Seth Godin’s Akimbo podcast My podcast on the War of Art Struthless on YouTube ("Weekly Videos about Creativity")

Giving yourself permission to sit down and write is a major hurdle most writers face...but then what? The next step is giving yourself the permission to succeed as a writer, however you want to define "success."  That can be just as hard, though. We all say we want to be successful, but do we feel like we have earned that right? In this episode I use Elissa Altman's fantastic post from 2016 "Writing and the Permission to Succeed: The Intersection of Art and Shame" as a jumping off point to talk about struggling with expectations, hopes, and dreams.  Resources: Elissa Altman's award winning blog Discovering the Inner Mother: A Guide to Healing the Mother Wound and Claiming Your Personal Power by Bethany Webster Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life by Dani Shapiro