The Writer’s Digest Podcast, Episode 11: Writing Technology Old and New
In this episode of the Writer’s Digest Podcast, Gabriela Pereira talks with author Elizabeth Sims, and shares an inside look at how various writing technology has evolved over time, from classic to contemporary. In this interview, they discuss the benefits of using pencils and pens to write, how to fight for your writing time by saying no gracefully, and how to balance the quiet work of writing with the flashy technology of the digital age.
Welcome, welcome, writers! From fiction to nonfiction, whatever your genre persuasion —whether you scratch your words with quill pen on parchment or click away at your computer keyboard—the Writer’s Digest podcast is for you.
Today I have the pleasure of having Elizabeth Sims on the show!
Elizabeth is the author of the Rita Farmer Mysteries, the Lambda and GCLS Goldie Award-winning Lillian Byrd Crime Series, and other fiction, including the standalone novel Crimes in a Second Language, which won the 2017 Florida Book Awards silver medal.
Elizabeth is also an internationally recognized authority on writing, and has written dozens of feature articles on the craft of writing for Writer's Digest magazine, where she’s a contributing editor. Her instructional title, You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams (from Writer's Digest Books) has been specially recognized by NaNoWriMo and hundreds of other websites and bloggers, and her own weekly blog, Zestful Writing, has been included in several top-100 blog lists.
Now listen in as Elizabeth and I discuss the advantages of using old school writing implements, and how to balance these tools with those of the digital age to advance your writing career.
This episode of the Writer’s Digest Podcast is brought to you by Writer’s Digest magazine.
Do you want to write a book or get published in 2019? Writer's Digest can help. For almost 100 years, WD has featured practical technique articles, tips and exercises on fiction, nonfiction, poetry and the business side of writing and publishing. Subscribe to Writer's Digest magazine at writersdigest.com/subscribe.
In this episode Elizabeth shares:
- Pros and cons of the writer’s physical vs. digital toolkits.
- How writing tools have evolved over time.
- Balancing the quiet, deep work of writing with the flashy technology of today.
- Ways to say “no” gracefully, and guard your writing time.
- Boxed sets, then and now, and how to use them to advance your writing career.
Listen in to hear Elizabeth talk about all these things… and more!
Return to the WD Podcast homepage.
About Elizabeth Sims
Elizabeth Sims is the author of the Rita Farmer Mysteries, the Lambda and GCLS Goldie Award-winning Lillian Byrd Crime Series, and other fiction, including the standalone novel Crimes in a Second Language, which won the 2017 Florida Book Awards silver medal. Her work has been published by a major press (Macmillan) as well as several smaller houses, and she’s written short works for numerous collections and magazines. She publishes independently under her personal imprint, Spruce Park Press.
In addition, Elizabeth is an internationally recognized authority on writing. She’s written dozens of feature articles on the craft of writing for Writer's Digest magazine, where she’s a contributing editor. Her instructional title, You've Got a Book in You: A Stress-Free Guide to Writing the Book of Your Dreams (Writer's Digest Books) has been specially recognized by NaNoWriMo and hundreds of other websites and bloggers. Elizabeth’s weekly blog, Zestful Writing, has been included in top-100 blog lists, and she belongs to several literary societies as well as American Mensa.
Links and Resources
- To connect with Elizabeth check out her website at www.elizabethsims.com.
- And if you want to check out her blog, Zestful Writing, head over to esimsauthor.blogspot.com.
- Learn even more techniques to balance old and new school writing tech to aid your marketing and creative processes from author Dan Blank in his interview on DIY MFA Radio.
- Want more ways to help you find that quiet place inside yourself and write good books in the fast-paced digital age? There are some DIY MFA interviews that will help. Listen to this episode with author Maxine Rosaler for tricks to help you tap into your unconscious mind while writing. And for ways to help you shake off the self-consciousness of writing and make an impact with your words, check out this interview with author Sebastian Barry.
Jess Zafarris is the Executive Director of Marketing & Communications for Gotham Ghostwriters and the former Digital Content Director for Writer’s Digest. Her eight years of experience in digital and print content direction include such roles as editor-in-chief of HOW Design magazine and online content director of HOW and PRINT magazine, as well as writing for the Denver Business Journal, ABC News, and the Memphis Commercial Appeal. She spends much of her spare time researching curious word histories and writing about them at UselessEtymology.com. Follow her at @jesszafarris or @uselessety on Twitter.
