The Book Stash

We're back from a nice break and this time we're looking at Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. We look at some writing tips from Steinbeck to keep you on track in January. Links from this episode: - Buy Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - https://amzn.to/2BXp8k6 Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com

We've got something a bit fun this time, it's comedian James Acaster's book James Acaster's Classic Scrapes. We also talk about finding your voice, experimenting while you're starting out, and more. Links from this episode: - James Acaster's Classic Scrapes by James Acaster - https://amzn.to/2Sw3pq1 PODCASTS - The Comedian's Comedian podcast - http://www.comedianscomedian.com/ - Good One podcast By Jessie David Fox - comedian breaks down a joke - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/headgum/good-one-a-podcast-about-jokes - The First Time podcast by Katherine Collette, author of The Helpline - https://thefirsttimepodcast.com/ - Plotboilers podcast - Book reviews and the writing life - https://plotboilers.com/ WEBSITES AND BLOGS - Tomi Adeyemi's website - offers a writing course and advice - tomiadeyemi.com - Better Novel Project - deconstructing bestselling novels - betternovelproject.com - Writer's Digest - Great tools and workbooks - writersdigest.com - The Write Life - thewritelife.com - writers-online.co.uk - advice, articles, tips and other resources - Live Write Thrive, C.S. Lakin - livewritethrive.com - Meet-up - a site finding writers groups - https://www.meetup.com/en-AU/ Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com

Holy moly - our 21st episode is now live! We fawn over the enchanting story The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. We also have heaps of great tips for writers including how to refine your writing and themes you can borrow from Shakespeare. Links from this episode: - Pick up a copy of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery - https://amzn.to/2TccrJJ Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com

This time around we're talking about Ash's all-time favorite book, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. We also talk about representation in writing and striking the balance with "show, don't tell". Links from this episode: - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - https://amzn.to/2yGYPha Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com

Ash has been listening to the audio book for The Trip of a Lifetime by Monica McInerney. We talk about creating realistic characters, the lyricism of dialogue in audio books and finding the right pace for your story. Links from this episode: - The Trip of a Lifetime by Monica McInerney - https://amzn.to/2ErUsfe - "Show, Don't Tell" activity sheet - https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/resource-support/net/worksheet%202.8-%20show,%20dont%20tell.pdf Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com Find Ash's Rachaya series at most online retailers in paperback and e-book. Visit AshOldfield.com to learn more.

Ash has been reading the classic fantasy book Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey, which leads us down a path of tips for crafting believable magic systems. We explore tips from Brandon Sanderson's First Law in how to approach magic when creating your worlds. Links from this episode: - Dragonflight, The first Chronicle of Pern, By Anne McCaffrey - https://amzn.to/2IxHyKU - A let's play of 'Dragonriders of Pern' on the Commodore 64 from Epyx games - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-Q8d5fVdFY - Sanderson's First Law - https://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/ - How to create a magic system in six easy steps - http://www.well-storied.com/blog/how-to-create-a-magic-system-in-six-simple-steps Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com Find Ash's Rachaya series at most online retailers in paperback and e-book. Visit AshOldfield.com to learn more.

We're spending some time in George Orwell's dystopian vision of the future, Nineteen Eighty-Four. We also talk about reading broadly and Ash takes you through her must-have essentials currently on her writing desk. Links from this episode: - Come see Ash Oldfield talk at Dymocks Camberwell's First Tuesday Book Club October 2018: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/first-tuesday-book-club-october-2018-with-4-special-guest-authors-tickets-49974684627 - Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell: https://amzn.to/2xwcshI Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com Find Ash's Rachaya series at most online retailers in paperback and e-book. Visit AshOldfield.com to learn more.

We return to Murakami with a look at his book Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. Steve also shares some writing tips from Australian-born, Dublin-based author, Monica McInerney. Links from this episode: - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, Haruki Murakami: https://amzn.to/2MIvtXL - Read Ash's full review of Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage: https://www.asholdfield.com/2018/08/book-review-colourless-tsukuru-tazaki.html - Listen to Li's Années de pèlerinage by Franz Liszt (as featured in Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpcTuVV-Xmw - Dymocks Camberwell's upcoming Meet The Author events: https://camberwellshopping.com.au/dymocks-meet-the-author-events/ Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com Find Ash's Rachaya series at most online retailers in paperback and e-book. Visit AshOldfield.com to learn more.

We look at the debut novel (and New York Times bestseller) from Tomi Adeyemi, Children of Blood and Bone. Discover ten tips for writing compelling dialog and Ash shows off her new map for the Rachaya Series. Links from this episode: - Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi Adeyemi: https://amzn.to/2MES3kj - Ash's editor, Element Editing Services (Kat Betts): https://elementeds.wixsite.com/elementediting - See Ash's new map on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmw1OhRFRPj/ - Cartographer, Soraya Corcoran - https://sorayacorcoran.com/ Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com Find Ash's Rachaya series at most online retailers in paperback and e-book. Visit AshOldfield.com to learn more.

In this special half hour episode, we take a look at Hilary Mantel's Booker prize-winning novel, Wolf Hall (and its TV series). We also talk about the card game Once Upon A Time and Vladimir Propp's fairy tale functions. Links from this episode: - Our writing prompt in card form (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl7z80blni3/ - Once Upon A Time - The card game: https://amzn.to/2OziBBx - Once Upon A Time - The writer's handbook: https://amzn.to/2NYn9jW - Vladimir Propp's fairytale functions on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Propp - Wolf Hall, the TV mini-series: https://amzn.to/2OAVdn1 - Wolf Hall, By Hilary Mantel: https://amzn.to/2KmduBy Join the Book Stash on Twitter (@BookStashCast), Facebook (TheBookStash) and Instagram (@BookStashCast). We'd love it if you could rate our podcast and subscribe! Share your writing from our prompts with Ash and find out more at http://bookstashpodcast.com Find Ash's Rachaya series at most online retailers in paperback and e-book. Visit AshOldfield.com to learn more.