Word Docs

From big structural issues to hooks and semicolons, and everything in-between ... the Word Docs are all over it. Together, Amy, Sean and Alex have edited a lot and been edited even more. In this episode the docs become surgeons, unpacking the editorial process in forensic detail. 

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This week, our intrepid Word Docs dig down into the relationship between writers and their words. Can you separate the fiction on the page from the reality of its wider context? Which matters more, the message of the author or the impact of the work? And what happens when your favourite creator turns out to be an appalling human? Join Amy T. Matthews, Sean Williams and a particularly hyper Alex Vickery-Howe as they unpack that thorny relationship between story and storyteller. 

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There’s no getting around the fact that we live in strange and difficult times, from a global pandemic to a ‘Leader of the Free World’ who refuses to concede defeat ––  but, never fear, the Word Docs are here to provide their remedies! Join Amy, Alex and Sean as they unpack the ups and downs of creating new work and telling new stories in the midst of isolation and upheaval. For Sean, it’s about chocolate. For Alex, it’s about Moscato. For Amy, it’s about finding a room without a random relative in it. Every decade has its challenges, and its lessons...now is the perfect time to reflect on where we've been and plan ahead for the tales of tomorrow. 

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In this episode, we compare submitting your work to setting up a profile on Tinder. How far can we take this metaphor? Too far. Much, much too far. As a Tinder virgin (metaphorically speaking), Alex is grilling the pros (not a metaphor, although they do get paid for it) on how to submit your work to agents and publishers.  How do you find them? How do you talk to them? When are you being too pushy? Do you split the bill? The questions are endless. Don't fret, the Word Docs are here with the ultimate dating guide for writers seeking long-term love in the industry.

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This week the Word Docs follow Alice down the rabbit hole and take the academy by the tassels to hash out research outcomes, research expectations and non-traditional research outputs. What is research? How do you do it? Are creative works really so different from scholarly articles? The plucky trio will offer some answers, with only occasional segues into – among other things – honeybees and daises, narcissism and duality, rolling cigarettes, the Elkhorn Mountains, homoerotic cowboys, Matter Transmitters, and Miss Shirley Bassey. But segues, rabbit holes and blind alleys are all part of the researcher’s daily mental adventures...it’s writing them up in a few thousand words that’s the hard part. Like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park, these ‘PhD People’ know that nature, and Sean Williams, always finds a way. 

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It’s that special time of year again, and to celebrate Word Docs lifts the veil on their inability to stick to the subject, keep it clean, or avoid the giggles. This adults-only episode collects unused excerpts from nine months of broadcasting in the hope of bringing good cheer or at least the occasional shake of the head to all our listeners. There may even be a word or two about writing. Happy All Hallow’s Eve, everyone. Don’t forget to scare the kids!

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In this episode we're talking about how we juggle multiple projects, completely unaided by clones (lazy bastards). This week the Word Docs cram the muse back in her box and adopt a pragmatic approach to this juggling thing. Anti-romantic to the core, we tackle how to be multiple people at once, how to be one person on multiple projects, how to have a life, and whether balance is possible. Just ignore the mental traffic jams and post-deadline crashes and the fact that none of us know who Betty is or why she hijacked the end of the pod. It turns out we have a few strategies for keeping all our balls in the air. If you have balls too then this is the episode for you!

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They almost succeed. Very, very nearly. This week, Amy, Sean and the other guy do their best to discuss heroes...and end up discussing fairy tales and gender binaries, romantic chemistry and cinema demographics, and anything else that skirts around the issue. Being heroic is hard. Writing heroic characters ain’t a picnic either. Who were the heroes of times gone by? What makes a hero in the modern age? Grab your sword – or your biscuit – and follow the Word Docs as they explore different flavours of heroism. 

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Another week, another rant. Place your bets as Amy and Alex face off on a range of issues they more or less politely agree on...while Sean towers with arms folded like a regal Tina Turner. From theme to ideology to politics to rebellion, the Word Docs aren’t afraid to go where Trump and Twitter trolls have gone before. It’s all impressively coherent until Alex forgets to host. Do you catch more flies with honey or with vinegar? Why would you want to catch flies when you have Yo-Yos? Join us for the rumble!  

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This week the Docs are exploring some of their guilty reading pleasures, although as usual they don't stick to the topic and other guilts are exposed, not least of them someone's fantasies about Kevin Bacon's shorts. Prepare for the over-caffeinated enthusiasm, as we learn who was the bane of their primary school librarians, who has a sadistic streak, and who is a secret sports buff. High art/ low art divide be damned, we're taking on the hegemonic elite and flying our freak flags. 

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