Podcasts by Lex Out Loud: Writing Science Fiction

Balancing Self-Confidence&Humility and How to Approach Negative Reviews | LOL 055 from 2022-04-18T11:00

This week I discuss how being a successful writer requires a careful balance of self-confidence and humility. I also consider the downside of ignoring nega...

Commercial is NOT a Bad Word | LOL 054 from 2022-04-11T11:00

Sometimes I get the impression people think commercial is a bad word—commercial as in commercial fiction. It’s not, and today I’ll tell you why.

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Moving On! | LOL 053 from 2022-03-28T11:00

Today I bring you up to date on what I’ve been working on. I talk a bit about how if you don’t use it, you lose it and how I’m really loving crosswords to ...

Check Your Sources | LOL 052 from 2022-02-28T12:00

Whether you’re doing research for your novel or looking for information of the craft of writing, it’s always a good idea to look into where the information...

My Revision Process | LOL 051 from 2022-02-21T12:00

I have finished the second draft of my novel! Today I talk a bit on how I’m approaching my revisions and what I’m focusing on with each draft.

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The Joy of Fountain Pens | LOL 050 from 2022-02-07T12:00

Today I share my love of fountain pens with you. I used to hate writing longhand. Now I love it, and it’s all because of fountain pens (and the inks, of co...

Preparing to Write Book Two | LOL 049 from 2022-01-31T12:00

I share my thoughts and process, as I begin preparing for the second book in the series. I also talk about how I plan on handling an ensemble cast of chara...

Alpha Readers&Beta Readers | LOL 048 from 2022-01-24T12:00

Today I define what specifically the terms “alpha reader” and “beta reader” mean to me and how I use them in my editing process. I also reflect on why it’s...

Editing the First Draft | LOL 047 from 2022-01-17T12:00

Today I talk about beginning the process of editing the first draft of my novel. I also talk about the importance of taking some time off between finishing...

The Road So Far | LOL 046 from 2021-12-13T12:00

I have finished the first draft of my novel! In the season 2 finale episode, I reflect on the last year and the progress I’ve made in this novel. I also ta...

Learning through Reading: Increasing Momentum | LOL 045 from 2021-12-06T12:00

One of the best ways to become a better writer is to read a lot. Today I talk about pacing. I share some observations I’ve made of a lot of books I’ve read...

How to Receive a Critique | LOL 044 from 2021-11-29T12:00

Today I continue my series on writing groups and critiquing with a discussion of how to receive a critique.

Li...

Sci-Fi/Fantasy Word Counts&The Wheel of Time | LOL 043 from 2021-11-22T12:00

Today I’m going to share the ideal word counts for a debut sci-fi or fantasy novel. After that I’ll talk a bit about what I’ve learned as a writer from Listen

Backup Best Practices | LOL 042 from 2021-11-15T12:00

In episode 41 I talked about best practices for formatting your manuscript. This week I discuss best practices for b...

Manuscript Best Practices | LOL 041 from 2021-11-08T12:00

Today I’m going to recommend some best practices when it comes to writing your actual manuscript. These include the best software to use and guidelines on ...

Why the NaNoWriMo Challenge Might NOT Be the Best Thing for You | LOL 040 from 2021-11-01T11:00

November is national novel writing month, and for many writers that means the NaNoWriMo competition. This week I’m going to go against the grain, play devi...

Giving Good Critiques | LOL 039 from 2021-10-25T11:00

An essential part of preparing your novel for submission is participating in a writing group. This gives you a chance to get other writers’ eyes on your no...

Setting the Right Writing Goal for You | LOL 038 from 2021-10-18T11:00

The best way to make real progress as a writer is to set a daily writing goal and stick to it, writing every day. However, finding the right goal for you c...

Point of View&Tense | LOL 037 from 2021-10-04T11:00

Today I’ll go over some of the options for the point of view of a story. I’ll explain why you generally want to avoid the “weird” ones—they usually get in ...

Why Space Tourism is Important | LOL 036 from 2021-09-27T11:00

Today I discuss why space tourism really is extremely important, not just for science and space exploration, but also for the future of humanity itself.

On Writing Groups | LOL 035 from 2021-09-20T11:00

As writers there’s only so much we can do to perfect our manuscript on our own. Ultimately, we’ll need someone else’s eyes on it to find issues we’ve misse...

Riding the Rollercoaster of Writing&Discovering Theme | LOL 034 from 2021-09-06T11:20

Today I talk about how writing can be an emotional rollercoaster. Personally, I’ve found I have a lot of emotional highs and lows while writing a novel, an...

Ask Me Anything | LOL 033 from 2021-08-30T11:20

Today I answer listener-submitted questions.

Keeping It Fresh | LOL 032 from 2021-08-23T11:20

Today I’m going to talk about the importance of keeping your novel, or other writing project, fresh in your mind. The ideal is writing every day, and this ...

A Grain of Salt... | LOL 031 from 2021-08-16T11:20

Today I’d like to put some of my previous discussions into context and remind you that I may not know what I’m talking about.

Prewriting or Why I Started with a Prequel | LOL 030 from 2021-08-09T11:20

Today I’m going to talk about some of the prewriting I did for these stories. I’ll talk about why I started writing a prequel before I wrote the main story...

Making Writing a Habit: Consistency is Key | LOL 029 from 2021-08-02T11:20

Today I talk about how consistency is the key to finishing a novel, and how if you want writing to be a part of your life, your best path to success lies i...

Brute Force Writing: Conversations between Characters | LOL 028 from 2021-07-26T11:20

Today I talk about a brute force writing hack to get you started or get you past a point where you’re stuck—a conversation between two characters. I also t...

Is Less Realistic Sci-Fi More Approachable? | LOL 027 from 2021-07-19T11:20

Today I ponder the question, “Is less realistic sci-fi more approachable?”

Finding my Blend: Outlining vs. Discovery Writing | LOL 026 from 2021-07-12T11:20

Today I’m going to talk a bit about where I think I fall on the spectrum between discovery writing vs. planned writing. I’m starting to feel like I’m somew...

State of the Earth, Jobs in Space&Education in the Future | LOL 025 from 2021-06-28T11:20

I thought the perfect way to wrap up our first season on worldbuilding would be to answer the rest of your questions about the setting. Today I’ll talk a b...

Space&Tech News and Novel Word Counts | LOL 024 from 2021-06-21T11:20

This week I share what I’m reading, watching and playing. If you’re looking for a good mundane/hard sci-fi, I recommend Listen

Enjoying Free eBooks&Audiobooks from Your Library | LOL 023 from 2021-06-14T11:20

Today I tell you about an easy and free way to get access to ebooks & audiobooks from your library without ever having to leave your house!

Is Writing Better than Talking about Writing? | LOL 022 from 2021-06-07T11:20

Today I ponder the point at which reading about writing or listening to someone else talk about writing becomes less useful than actually writing. I also c...

Brute Force Writing | LOL 021 from 2021-05-31T11:20

This week I talk about brute force writing and how I used it to get started on this project when I felt a little stuck. If you’re stuck, whether at the beg...

On Writing | LOL 020 from 2021-05-17T11:20

I’m finally ready to start writing the first book! This is an exciting, and yes, slightly terrifying, time! Today I’ll talk about my approach and strategy ...

Writing is Hard | LOL 019 from 2021-05-10T11:20

Aspiring writers and new writers often have some romanticized views of writing. Among these views is the idea that writing is easy, or that it should be ea...

Writing in a Pandemic&Cylinder Society in the 23rd Century | LOL 018 from 2021-05-03T11:20

Today I’ll answer some listener question about how society will be different in my future setting. I also talk a bit about the difficulties of writing duri...

Building Space Stations | LOL 017 from 2021-04-26T11:20

Today I’m going to do my best to answer some of the questions you’ve submitted about the setting. I discuss how the large orbital space stations are built ...

Sci-Fi Subgenres, Plausibility, Aliens, Robots&AI | LOL 016 from 2021-04-19T11:20

Today I’m going to do my best to answer some of the questions you’ve submitted about the setting. I share some thoughts about differences between the subge...

Animals in Space? | LOL 015 from 2021-04-12T11:20

Today I’m going to talk about animals in space. Turns out, there’s a bit of a debate to be had here. Whether you’ve ever thought about this or not, chances...

What Do I Want to SAY? | LOL 014 from 2021-03-29T11:20

First, I gush about Douglas Adams and share some of his great writing advice. Then I’ll give you an update on where I’m at on this project. I’ll also share...

Fleshing Out Cylinder City One | LOL 013 from 2021-03-15T11:20

I’ve talked quite a bit about the overall setting for the books. Lately I’ve been working more on zeroing in on the specific setting I’ll use for the first...

Fleshing Out Cylinder Cities in Space | LOL 012 from 2021-03-08T12:20

One of the major features of my setting are rotating cylinder-shaped habitats for living in space. Ultimately these will be located in orbit of Earth, the ...

Bringing Your Setting to Life through Visualization | LOL 011 from 2021-03-01T12:20

Whether you’re a writer or a game master, your job becomes much easier once your setting comes to life in your mind. You’re able to much more easily improv...

Future Earth History 3: The Moon, Mars, Asteroids&Beyond | LOL 010 from 2021-02-22T12:20

Lex continues the series on Future Earth History with a discussion of the Moon, Mars & beyond!

Future Earth History 2: Developing Cislunar Space | LOL 009 from 2021-02-15T12:20

Lex continues his exploration of the future history of Earth. This week he looks into goals to better utilize cislunar space, using the Listen

Tales from the Whiteboard: High Concepts&Everyday Technology | LOL 008 from 2021-02-08T12:20

Lex discusses some of what he's been working on in the past week. He goes over some of the everyday technology people will be using in the setting. He then...

Future Earth History 1: Living in Low Earth Orbit | LOL 007 from 2021-02-01T12:20

Lex begins an exploration of the future history of Earth, starting at the present day and moving forward, with a focus on the expansion of humanity into th...

Beer-Can-Cities in Space! | LOL 006 from 2021-01-25T12:20

Lex explores some of his ideas for the cities of his story, which are great rotating cylinders in geostationary orbit around Earth, connected to the Earth ...

Worldbuilding the Future of our Solar System | LOL 005 from 2021-01-18T12:20

Lex gives a clarification on his enjoyment of space opera, and then goes on into worldbuilding. He talks about how he’s using a few different sources to ai...

Getting Motivated to Write&Space Elevators | LOL 004 from 2021-01-11T12:20

Lex gives some thoughts on how to get excited for your novel when you're just not feeling it, but mostly he nerds out about space elevators.

Researching the Future | LOL 003 from 2021-01-04T12:20

Writing most novels is going to require at least some research. How much depends a lot on the genre you’re writing in and the details of your novel. Resear...

Setting the Stage: Beginning with Setting&Science Fiction Subgenres | LOL 002 from 2020-12-29T12:20

This week Lex discusses how he approaches starting a novel and takes you through his progress on his current project so far. He also talks a bit about some...

Introductions | LOL 001 from 2020-12-28T12:20

Lex Out Loud is a podcast for writers, readers and all lovers of speculative fiction. Lex Starwalker is beginning work on his third novel, and he’s taking you along for the journey. Whe...