Carter Wilson's Making It Up
Making It Up is an unscripted conversation series about the messy reality of being a writer.
Each episode is a deep, unplanned conversation with writers at every stage of the journey. New York Times bestselling authors. Award winners. Debut novelists just getting started. No prepared questions. No talking points. Just two people following the conversation wherever it leads.
We talk about where stories really come from. Childhood influences. Fear. Luck. Loss. Discipline. Doubt. The highs, the lows, and the long stretches in between that rarely get talked about.
At the end of every episode, we put the philosophy into practice. We choose a random sentence from a random book and use it to create an impromptu short story. No prep. No outline. Just making something out of nothing.
Because that is the job.
And that is the point.
Visit Carter at www.carterwilson.com.
Carter Wilson's Making It Up
Making It Up with Alma Katsu, author of Fiend
“Is it a good idea that I write in both horror and spy thrillers? No. I think it’s a crap idea. But Hollywood really loves the spy stories.” —Alma Katsu
Alma Katsu is a NYT bestselling author whose books have been nominated for and won multiple awards including the Stoker, Goodreads Readers Choice, and International Thriller Writers, among others, and appeared on numerous Best Books lists. She has over 30 years’ experience as an intelligence professional at CIA and NSA, and has written two spy novels. The Hunger was named one of NPR’s 100 favorite horror stories and was on numerous Best Books of the Year lists. Her first book, The Taker, was named one of the top ten debut novels of 2011 by Booklist.
Among other things, Alma and Carter discuss the pre-publication review process within the CIA, writing in two different genres, and having your book optioned for film/TV. At the end of their conversation, they make up a fast-paced story using a line from Carlene O’Connor’s You Have Gone Too Far.