Ease Lessons for Writers
In your writing life, no matter how hard you work or how well you plan, things won't always unfold the way you'd hoped. In Ease Lessons for Writers, we explore what gets in the way of our writing, why that happens, and why it matters. Together we learn how to make our writing easier and more joyful. I'm your host, Monna McDiarmid, a writer and coach based in Japan and Nova Scotia. Website: monnamcdiarmid.com/ | Newsletter: monnamcdiarmid.com/subscribe/ | Instagram: @monnamcdiarmidwrites/ | Patreon: @MonnaMcDiarmid
Ease Lessons for Writers
Jun Sekiya (Episode 2/3)
ABOUT TODAY'S GUEST: JUN SEKIYA
This is my second conversation with Jun Sekiya, a writer of scripts, novels, and raps from Yokohama, Japan. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he works as the creative assistant of Soman Chainani, author of the YA fantasy series “The School for Good & Evil”, soon to be a film from Netflix. Jun is working on a novel about an expat kid split between two cultures and friend-groups at his Tokyo international school. His logline is a work-in-progress. When not on his grind, Jun can be found in the local park doing soccer tricks and chasing after dogs who steal his soccer ball. He’s 5’6, decently quick, and is currently training for a marathon.
Thanks for this conversation, Jun.
Jun's homework invitations from Episode 1:
1. Love Letter | Write a short story for your friends (the ones you wrote about in Tokyo Fable) and share it with them. This is just for fun and there is no pressure to ever share this with anyone else.
2. Nutshell | Logline formula from Rachael Herron
a) Job title (of protagonist)
b) Name
c) Has what already?
d) But when ________, will she _________?
3. Theme Park List | When I finish and publish my novel, I get to...
During this conversation, we talk about:
1. John Green's YA novel Looking for Alaska.
2. John Green's podcast (and book) The Anthropocene Reviewed. We talk specifically about the episode: Capacity for Wonder and Sunsets.
3. The concepts of a Commonplace Text (also called a a Commonplace Book).
4. This quote: "If you can’t be cheesy, you can’t be free." Dan Harris used the quote in an episode of Ten Percent Happier but, according to Twitter, he doesn't know who said this originally.
5. Podcast: Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
6. The idea of slant rhyme or near rhyme
7. Ru Paul's Drag Race
*****
ABOUT EASE LESSONS:
Music: “Meekness” by Kai Engel, used under Creative Commons Attribution license
Editor: Damien Pitter
Host: Monna McDiarmid (pronounced Mona McDermid) | Coach, Writer and Counselor
Website: MonnaMcDiarmid.com
Newsletter: The Sunday Reader
Patreon: where I share monthly excerpts from my writing memoir in progress
Instagram: @monnamcdiarmid
