How To Write Forceful Prose with Author Timothy Sheard - Book Talks with Evan Papp of Empathy Media Lab

Empathy Media Lab

“A distillation of my 30 years mentoring and editing authors of all kinds, this little book will show you how to tell your story in tight, addictive prose.”

Veteran nurse Timothy Sheard is a writer, publisher, mentor to writers and union organizer with the National Writers Union, UAW Local 1-9-8-1.

Timothy has written 9 mystery novels featuring hospital custodian-shop steward Lenny Moss, 2 stand alone crime novels, and he is the founder of Hard Ball Press to help working class people write and publish their stories, publishing over 200 authors.

We discuss his new book, How to Write Forceful Prose.

Excerpts

When you are thinking about how you are going to craft a scene, hold your hands up and make a square with your thumb and fingers, as if you are framing a shot for a film you are directing.

What do you see in the scene?

More importantly, what do you hear? Taste? Smell? Feel? Sense? The writer is directing a film that we, the reader run in our minds: give the reader lots of things to see and hear and sense, they anchor the scene…

I wrote a short crime story set in a New York City subway. As the main character stands on the cement platform, he feels a vibration in his feet as the approaching train shakes the surface, then he sees the lights and hears the wheels on the tracks.

Check out the catalogue at HARD BALL & LITTLE HEROES PRESS - Stories To Change the World (https://hardballpress.com/index.html) and support writers creating working class stories.

Resources for Writers

National Writers Union (www.NWU.org) represents all freelance writers in all genres and all platforms (including those who write computer code, advertising copy ─ all writing. They advocate for and defend the rights of writers to negotiate and enforce a fair contract, provide free contract advice to members and demand payments from recalcitrant publishers, at times taking them to court.

The Authors Guild (www.AUTHORSGUILD.org) provides a rich trove of workshops, forums and panels related to all aspects of writing, from the creative elements to marketing and promotion. The Authors Guild supports free speech, fair contracts, and copyright. They create community and fight for a living wage.

The Independent Book Publishers Association (www.IBPA.org) provides a treasure of resources for small, independent publishers and self-published authors. Book design, marketing advice, discounts for various publishing and distributing resources ─ joining the IBPA is one of the best investments a writer can make, whether you self-publish or sign with a traditional publisher.

About Empathy Media Lab

The Harmony of Interest Book Talk series interviews authors about their work while exploring ideas that positively shape our world.

Empathy Media Lab is produced by Evan Matthew Papp and we are a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network. Support media, authors, artists, historians, and journalists, who are fighting to improve the prosperity of the working class.

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