Podcast
Ledger: A Writing Podcast
Hosted by Austin R Wilson · EN
Ledger is a podcast about the craft of writing, from novels to non-fiction to computer code!
Stories are an essential part of life. We need them so we seek them out in every way possible. Ledger features interviews with writers across formats and genres to focus on the craft itself, the thoughts and actions that led to stories being written.
How do writers deliver the words from their heads and out into the world for others to find? Give the show a listen!
26episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
038: Andre Dubus III - Author, "House of Sand and Fog," "Townie," "Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin"
Jun 18, 202501:05:18Tap to summarizeAndre Dubus III is the author of HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, TOWNIE, DIRTY LOVE, SUCH KINDNESS, and more, along with his newest, GHOST DOGS: ON KILLERS AND KIN, a collection of essays. A previous episode, "The Most Important Question a Writer Can Ask," covers an appearance of Andre's at Politics & Prose when he gave some advice on writing that deeply affected me. This episode continues that trend. Andre discusses the impulse toward fiction versus non-fiction, and how his head does or doesn’t make that distinction; how he came to teaching and what it means to him; the important work of maintaining the carpentry of his brother, Jeb; poetry, beauty, love - and how feeling follows action. Find out more about Andre's work at https://www.andredubus.com/ - but never on Facebook ;) - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →037: Jamarcus Turner - Writer/Story Editor, "Bob Hearts Abishola"
Jun 6, 202501:07:19Tap to summarizeJamarcus Turner is a TV writer who wrote and story edited for the Chuck Lorre-produced Bob Hearts Abishola, and he also just so happens to live in Indiana. This is the VERY FIRST in-person interview for Ledger! Jamarcus stopped by to talk about when he started writing for TV - it is unlike anyone else's story, no doubt about it - how he got his 10,000 hours of *watching* TV in, what it's like to work in a writer's room, and what you should focus on when in a meeting for a potential writing job. If you're working toward becoming a TV writer, or *any kind* of professional writer, Jamarcus covers so much here that can help you now and far into your writing career. You can find him online on Instagram, @jtcomedyofficial, and on Twitter, @MrMarcus260. Thank you so much to Jamarcus for coming by and to you for listening! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →Short Fiction - "Hate to Meet You" by Austin Wilson
May 30, 202500:13:25Tap to summarizeSHORT FICTION! This is the official audio release of my story "Hate to Meet You," which was originally published in Edgar Allan Poe's Snifter of Death, issue #06, by Ahoy Comics. Two high school coaches meet each other for the first time and realize immediately that they hate each other. They also realize they'll not be able to escape one another... Watch out for more featured short fiction right here on Ledger! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →036: Brent Forrester -The Office, Writer/Exec. Producer; Writer, The Simpsons, Ben Stiller Show
May 6, 202501:03:25Tap to summarizeBrent Forrester is an Emmy Award-winning writer who has worked on an incredible list of shows including The Office (where he also executive produced and ran the writer's room at one point), The Simpsons, The Ben Stiller Show, King of the Hill, The Larry Sanders Show, and more! He stopped by Ledger to chat about how to overcome writing pressure, managing expectations, and failure; what it's like to pitch a TV show to studio executives (and the actor he has attached to his current pitch for his show Surf Lodge); the need for bravery from artists in the face of tyranny; and that one time he told a joke that bombed in front of Steve Carell. It's an incredible chat with an accomplished TV writer, an invaluable look behind the scenes at the life of a successful writer. Go to brentforrester.com to check into taking his next pilot writing class where he teaches his Six Step System - it's only $200 which is NUTS - it's basically guaranteed you're going to have a blast and meet some likeminded writers. Thank you so much to Brent for stopping by, and thank you to you for listening! - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →035: Laura Kroeger - 2024 Final Draft Big Break grand prize winner, Screenwriter
May 2, 202500:58:32Tap to summarizeToday’s guest is screenwriter Laura Kroeger, one of two winners of the 2024 Final Draft Big Break contest. Disclaimer: Final Draft is not sponsoring today’s episode. Laura Won the Big Break Contest with her script BIGGER IN TEXAS. She talks about the genesis of that script as well as how the Women In Film & Video (WIF) fellowship helped her writing; how her own reading and writing groups and their dedication to the craft/art have shaped her as a writer; how integral her manager Max Gonzalez at Fourth Wall Management has been; and the incredible amount of hard work she’s put in both at and away from the keyboard/page. It's a wonderful chat and a great peek into writing for film and TV for anyone who is curious what it's like right at the beginning of a career. - - - - - Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can now support the show through Patreon at https://patreon.com/LedgerPodcast and get exclusive written posts, behind-the-scenes info about episodes, Q + A sessions with me about podcasting and writing, as well as co-writing sessions/hangouts. I'm exploring the possibility of adding a script coverage and notes tier if there's enough interest, so keep your eyes out for that. I am already offering my services as a reader outside of Patreon, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →034: Christine Wenc - Author, Writer for The Onion; "Funny Because It's True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire"
Apr 3, 202500:52:05Tap to summarizeChristine Wenc is a former staff member for The Onion and the author of Funny Because It's True: How The Onion Created Modern American News Satire, out right now in hardcover! Christine stopped by to chat about how she started researching the book in 2018; searching for (and maybe never finding) objective truth; coming to terms with the ways in which others can live in perceptually-generated realities, and how academics can cut, like, a TON of words from all their writing (she’s an editor too, so can say that). Not only is her book an awesome history of The Onion, it’s a great look at print news media and the massive shifts for everyone involved - from publishers and writers on down to readers and viewers - that took place between the late 80s and early 2000s. Come for the funny stories about The Onion being created and managing to succeed and change comedy writing forever, stay for the details about how monetizing news is maybe a necessary evil we just keep making more and more evil? It’s a lovely chat, and it’s a book I highly, highly recommend if you enjoy any of those things. -- -- -- -- -- Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson I'm offering my services as a reader, focusing on developmental/story analysis, proofreading, and offering coverage for scripts of all kinds. Contact me via my website for rates and availability, or on my Instagram account, @MossHeartBooks. Thank you!
Transcribe →032: Carolyn J. Carpenter - Screenwriter, "You Can't Run Forever"; Script reader
Dec 16, 202401:03:55Tap to summarizeCarolyn J Carpenter is a cofounder of Hollywood Gatekeepers and a story analyst, writer, producer, and script reader, which is how I met her! This is another entry in my “Austin went to a film festival” series (along with Drew Larimore and Jim Burnstein) because I met Carolyn at Austin Film Festival in October 2024. Carolyn has a ton of industry experience as a reader and writer, and has worked as a story analyst on movies like "Black Swan," "Zodiac," "Footloose," and "Nixon & Kissinger." She stopped by to talk about what they do at Hollywood Gatekeepers, where they help kick down the gates by offering script reading services like avoiding the saggy middle in your screenplay, and more. Also, we discuss how to answer the question "What else do you have?" and what to do when you feel like you're on the edge of making a huge step forward in your writing life. Thank you to Carolyn for stopping by and to you for listening! -- -- -- -- -- Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. My website also has links to my newest story, Dynasty of Blood, a serialized story set in a fictional 1980s, but one that deals with the historically factual Satanic Panic and its connection to tabletop roleplaying games. Print copies of volumes 1-3 are now available both print-on-demand and print-at-home! Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out my independent bookshop and follow me on Instagram @mossheartbooks. Thank you for listening!
Transcribe →031: Jim Burnstein, Screenwriter, "Renaissance Man," "Mighty Ducks 3"
Dec 10, 202400:57:50Tap to summarizeJim Burnstein, the John H. Mitchell Professor of Entertainment and Director of Screenwriting Program at the University of Michigan stopped by Ledger to talk about his career as a screenwriter. He's written such films as Renaissance Man, starring Danny DeVito and directed by Penny Marhsall, Mighty Ducks 3, a particular childhood favorite of mine, and more. We discussed how he became a successful screenwriter without moving from Plymouth, MI to L.A. - and specifically he in the 80s and 90s - and what that process looked and felt like. He tells us the one thing you shouldn’t say as a writer and how one time he did in fact say that thing to beloved actor (and total comic book nerd; for real, look it up) Ed Asner; what turnaround is and feels like to an actor; and also, what it means to have people on your side, even if it’s ONE person. The books he recommends for screenwriters are, in no particular order: William Goldman’s ADVENTURE IN THE SCREEN TRADE Linda Seger’s MAKING A GOOD SCRIPT GREAT David Howard and Edward Mabley’s THE TOOLS OF SCREENWRITING: A WRITER’S GUIDE TO THE CRAFT AND ELEMENTS OF A SCREENPLAY. Miranda J. Banks's THE WRITERS: A HISTORY OF AMERICAN SCREENWRITERS AND THEIR GUILD Lynda Obst's SLEEPLESS IN HOLLYWOOD Thank you so much to Jim for stopping by! -- -- -- -- -- Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. My website also has links to my newest story, Dynasty of Blood, a serialized story set in a fictional 1980s, but one that deals with the historically factual Satanic Panic and its connection to tabletop roleplaying games. Print copies of volumes 1-3 are now available both print-on-demand and print-at-home! Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out my independent bookshop and follow me on Instagram @mossheartbooks. Thank you for listening!
Transcribe →030: Drew Larimore - Playwright, UPSTATE
Nov 11, 202400:54:58Tap to summarizePlaywright Drew Larimore joins Ledger today for a special reason: I read his play UPSTATE in the very first round of submissions as a script reader for the Austin Film Festival, which is THE film festival/contest/conference for writers. I happily put Drew's play through to the next round and also wrote that it had a serious chance of winning the category. It made it to the semifinals and Drew dropped by to talk about the difficulty of writing this play, his fear of its reception, but also how he was happy to hear laughter during workshops/previews as the two characters argue (but also commiserate and care for one another) after the difficult, life-altering decision to return the child they'd adopted. Yeah. The premise is very, very good. We also talk about how he views his writing as a rotating dessert tray of ideas, how he felt supported to tackle a difficult topic, and a whole lot more. To check out his work or to reach to Drew and his agent about producing UPSTATE head to https://drewlarimore.com/. -- -- -- -- -- Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. My website also has links to my newest story, Dynasty of Blood, a serialized story set in a fictional 1980s, but one that deals with the historically factual Satanic Panic and its connection to tabletop roleplaying games. Print copies of volumes 1-3 are now available both print-on-demand and print-at-home! Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson You can also go to mossheartbooks.com to check out my independent bookshop and follow me on Instagram @mossheartbooks. Thank you so much!
Transcribe →029: Ryan Claytor - Cartoonist and Teacher; One Bite At a Time
Oct 10, 202401:13:15Tap to summarizeToday’s guest is cartoonist, designer, teacher, and Pinball Wizard Ryan Claytor. I’m one of his stops on the digital (and AFK) book tour for his brand-new book, One Bite At a Time: The First 20 years of Elephant Eater Comics. You can purchase the book at OneBiteAtaTimeBook.com along with more of his work Ryan stopped by to talk about his path from Marvel Comics intern to auto-bio cartoonist to totally unhinged (in a fun way) pinball devotee. We talk about his shiny basketball shorts, but also, in good ol’ Ledger style, existential crises as well, along with whether it's truly possible to bring what's in your head out into the world as a physical object. Ryan says this book is the closest he's ever gotten, so make sure you go to ElephantEater.com and check out all of his work, and again, if you go to OneBiteAtaTimeBook.com you can find yourself right there to buy this very gorgeous volume. -- -- -- -- -- Please rate and review Ledger wherever you can - Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. - and tell people if you think they'd like it. Swing by austinRwilson.com to see my publishing credits, to contact me, or to read free fiction. My website also has links to my newest story, Dynasty of Blood, a serialized story set in a fictional 1980s, but one that deals with the historically factual Satanic Panic and its connection to tabletop roleplaying games. Print copies of volumes 1-3 are now available both print-on-demand and print-at-home! Links to all my work can be found here: https://linktr.ee/austinRwilson Thank you so much!
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