Beyond the Grammar

Lauren Smyth

5.0 (4)
EDUCATION
UPDATED WEEKLY

Take your writing a step beyond the technical rules of grammar and spelling with the Beyond the Grammar podcast, hosted by award-winning author and radio show host Lauren Smyth.

11/30/2024

Interview with YA Science Fiction Author Lyndsey Lewellen

Where's the best spot to write a book? How do you ask for book blurbs, beta readers, and more? Join me for a conversation with Lyndsey Lewellen, author of the just-released novel The Chaos Grid. Lyndsey Lewellen is a YA science fiction and fantasy author. Her stories are filled with adventure, wonder, and journeys toward redemption. When she’s not writing, reading, or whittling down her endless TBR, she designs covers for novels and paints on shoes. Learn more about her work at lyndseylewellen.com.

22 min
11/30/2024

Interview with Sophia Hansen, Author of Water's Break

Sophia Hansen is an organic writer, using no hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides on her words unless absolutely convenient. She’s lived on a tiny island in Alaska, the bustling cities of New York and Boston, and has settled in the southeast where she writes and edits in other worlds. Sophia loves plenty of coffee, crispy bacon, and—after 30+ years of marriage, seven children, and numerous pets—that she can still fit into her high school earrings.

33 min
10/31/2023

Let's Talk Anthologies with Christian Novelist Allen Steadham

Allen Steadham is a Christian novelist and short story author. This week, we're celebrating the release of Christmas Miracles, a short story collection from Ambassador International that includes Allen's work - and mine! Tune in to today's episode to learn more about the writing processes, creative discipline, and multi-year planning that made this project possible. Get your copy of Christmas Miracles as an e-book or paperback from Amazon, or take a look at our previous anthology work.

30 min
09/14/2023

Writing Dystopian Fiction with College Student/Author Jayden Jelso

Jayden Jelso is an author and aspiring screenwriter/ filmmaker. His love of storytelling first stemmed from an obsession with the Star Wars franchise, The Lord of the Rings series, and all eight Harry Potter films. He started writing his debut novel, Talon, when he was only sixteen and published it at eighteen. On today's episode, we'll cover the ins and outs of writing dystopia, from conceiving the idea to finalizing the cover art.

23 min
08/27/2023

Let's Talk Fiction (+ Songwriting) With P.S. Patton, Author of The Withering

P.S. Patton is a speculative fiction author and songwriter based on the Central Coast of California. He is a thirty-something husband and father who spent his early years reading superhero comics, writing and illustrating comics of his own, learning the secrets of the ooze, the balance of the force, the deeper magic from before the dawn of time, awakening the wind fish, shooting marbles and slamming pogs, collecting and trading Pokémon cards, rescuing Hyrule, becoming the Hero of Time, searching the scriptures, studying eschatology, and feeling just as—if not more—fascinated with the worlds of Shakespeare, Dickens, Melville, and Steinbeck; as with those of Rowling, King, Lewis, and Tolkien. Enjoy today's episode of Beyond the Grammar!

33 min
04/18/2023

Writing Historical Fiction: Interview with Amanda McCrina, YA Author of Traitor

Join me for a conversation with YA historical fiction writer Amanda McCrina. We'll cover the how-tos of researching for a book, what to expect during the publication process, and things to know before you start writing.

32 min
03/28/2023

Lessons from John Milton and the "Spicy Forests" of Eden

"Spicy" and "forest" aren't typically words you'd expect to see together. But John Milton thought it was a good pairing - and his books are still read hundreds of years after initial publication. What lessons can modern authors extract from his creative expressions?

8 min
03/21/2023

Let's Talk Writing with Becca Puglisi (Co-Author of The Emotion Thesaurus)

Join me for a conversation with one of the writers behind the bestselling "gold standard for writers," The Emotion Thesaurus. We'll cover self vs. traditional publishing, avoiding the mistake of "telling" rather than "showing," and building a successful career as a writer in a saturated industry.

41 min
03/07/2023

Character Archetypes: How to Write Our Larger-Than-Life BFFs

From Zaphod Beeblebrox in Hitchhiker's Guide to Sherlock Holmes in - you guessed it - Sherlock Holmes, archetypes have long been some of the world's favorite type of character. Learn how to avoid the common pitfalls of writing archetypal characters in today's episode of Beyond the Grammar, a sister podcast of Grammar Minute.

11 min
03/01/2023

Making a Career as a Writer: Interview with Victoria McCombs, YA Author

Have you ever dreamed about building a successful career as a writer? Join me for an interview with Victoria McCombs, author of Oathbound (& many more!), where we chat about how to break into the industry, mistakes to avoid as a new writer, and what makes a book truly great.

29 min
03/01/2023

What Should Writers Do about Artificial Intelligence?

If you've been reading the news, you surely haven't missed the rising controversy between creative industries and artificial intelligence like ChatGPT. Join me for a conversation with the world's favorite bot, where we discus novel-writing, plans for taking over the world (okay, not really), and what writers can do to make themselves stand out over their robotic counterparts.

16 min

11 Episodes

out of 5

4 Ratings

Sharing with my college students!

03/03/2023

A. Lori

What a fascinating dive into writers and writing!

Take your writing a step beyond the technical rules of grammar and spelling with the Beyond the Grammar podcast, hosted by award-winning author and radio show host Lauren Smyth.

Creator

Lauren Smyth
Years Active

2023 - 2024
Episodes

11
Rating

Clean
Show Website

Beyond the Grammar

Beyond the Grammar

Episodes

Interview with YA Science Fiction Author Lyndsey Lewellen

Interview with Sophia Hansen, Author of Water's Break

Let's Talk Anthologies with Christian Novelist Allen Steadham

Writing Dystopian Fiction with College Student/Author Jayden Jelso

Let's Talk Fiction (+ Songwriting) With P.S. Patton, Author of The Withering

Writing Historical Fiction: Interview with Amanda McCrina, YA Author of Traitor

Lessons from John Milton and the "Spicy Forests" of Eden

Let's Talk Writing with Becca Puglisi (Co-Author of The Emotion Thesaurus)

Character Archetypes: How to Write Our Larger-Than-Life BFFs

Making a Career as a Writer: Interview with Victoria McCombs, YA Author

What Should Writers Do about Artificial Intelligence?

Ratings & Reviews

Sharing with my college students!

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