Pip Ballantine – New Zealand’s first podcasting author – takes time from the wonders of the Ministry, the Order, and the Shifted Worlds to join us for (a little more than) a twenty minute chat. In spite of her many achievements and gift for crafting exquisite worlds, Pip has her feet on the ground and speaks frankly and with ease about her work, the evolution of a story, the role of mythology in her work, and the characters she’s crafted. (and don’t miss Pip’s Workshop Episode)
PROMO: “Interlopers” by Paul Elard Cooley (on Amazon)
Showcase Episode: 20 Minutes with Phillipa Ballantine
Podcast: Download (Duration: 32:18 — 29.6MB)
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Listen to this episode on iTunes
Episode Breakdown
01:20 – Pip’s credentials and achievements
- 02:20 – NON-fiction for $100, please
03:40 – Using mythology in literature
- 05:30 – Exploring where inspiration comes from
- 06:03 – Fleshing out mythic motivations
- 07:54 – Books of the Order mythology
09:04 – Character’s internal conflict informing plot
- 11:05 – We all like to think we’re the hero of our story
- 11:25 – Pacing the transformation
12:50 – PROMO: “Interlopers” by Paul E. Cooley
13:55 – How many drafts of “Geist” were there?
- 14:15 – What differences were there between them
- 15:08 – Many minds in the project
- 15:55 – Falling in love with the other characters
- 16:37 – Balanced word count
17:20 – Genre writing
- 18:14 – Writers exposing themselves
- 18:30 – Weather Child and using people you know
- 19:19 – Write what you know applies to Fantasy/SciFi
20:00 – Fantasy people are real people
- 21:30 – Using real people as a template
- 22:20 – After the fact or conscious choice
- 22:50 – How much of you protagonists and villains are you?
24:20 – Narcissism and having fun
- 24:50 – Villains are fun to write
25:38 – Does talent exist and do you need it?
- 27:30 – Reverence for a great writer
- 27:45 – David Gemmell “Knights of Dark Renown”
28:35 – Final Words for writers
- 29:10 – Learning to love the whip
29:39 – Outro
