Transcript
Introduction
Welcome to Finding Elara, safe space where authors, artists and creatives share their worldbuilding style and mindfulness strategies brought to you by Bushland castle production, Aussie tales told.
Speaker 2 (00:30)
Hello, and welcome back to Finding Elara. My name is Dianna and it's been a hot minute since the last episode, but I'm glad to be back and have an amazing lineup for you this season.
I started the show back in 2018 as something to distract me while I eagerly anticipated news from an agent. I had 38 episodes in season one and many more planned before life got in the way. During that time, I tried my hand in the mines experiencing a truly different perspective and a few mindset shifts.
I'm grateful for the opportunities that I had, but I'm thankful to be working from home again and rebuilding connections. I'm still searching for my ideal Elaran world, I’ve amalgamated several drafts together, I wrote it originally as a Y A and currently I hope to revise again with an eye for adult fantasy. I have changed quite a bit in the last several years, how I see the world has shifted. Darker, maybe and some of the tropes won't fit into Y A. I want to embrace these new concepts and see where they lead.
My goal is to reach out for beta readers later in the year and if you follow my blog and keep listening to the show, I'm sure that I will talk about it more as time passes. Elara as a title is my world though, something that I will continue to search for. As we go through the episodes, I will talk to other authors about their Elara, and how they bought their World or Worlds to life.
There are a few changes this season that I hope you all like, Each guest will stick around for 2 shows. I plan to make each episode around half an hour, so it is more appetising to the modern listener, there have been studies to show attention spans have diminished in the last several years. Which is an interesting thought to plunder and a huge debate in the creative world at the moment.
Interviews are now separated into 2 sections of focus. The first one is mindfulness and the other is worldbuilding. I think that, as creators, we need to split our focus between these 2 main areas, the business side where we try to develop our profile or the Admin marketing and PR stuff, then the creative side where we get a chance to play.
The first interview will give you an idea about the creator's approach to mindfulness strategies who they are as a person where they come from, how the outside world is reflected in their work and any tips and tricks they may have learned along the way. We are incorporating the buffy night segment into the mindfulness focused episodes because it helps show, what may have sparked some of the creator's inspirations, everything that goes into your mind feeds something, just like worldbuilding, everyone has a different approach to mindfulness.
In the world, building focus episodes, we have a chance to really play in the worlds that guests have created and answer some of the burning questions about their style of worldbuilding. I've spent a lot of time working on the questions, but there are only guidelines and sometimes we may need a detour on a side quest. The linking to Elara segment will complement the worldbuilding episodes. I'll ask my wise and generous guests, any questions that may have me stuck moving forward on my worldbuilding and writing. I plan on opening up these questions to you, dear listeners in the future, so if you have anything blocking your creative side, be sure to send them through. All the contact information will be available in the show notes on my website www.dlnix.com in the Facebook group. called Finding Elara Podcast and the discord chat by the same name.
Instead of doing a raffle for each guest. We will be doing a Treasure Chest giveaway after every five. The link to enter will also be in the show notes or in the social media pages, but you have to listen out for the secret word that will be mentioned during the interview.
So this episode, if everything goes to plan will come out on the fifth of May and going forward, it will be twice a week Tuesdays and Thursday's I have as sometimes co-host Julz whom you'll meet today as she is my guest for this week, which means the first draw will be on the 3rd of June 25. So 5 guests with 2 episodes each and then an episode where Julz and I will reflect on the guests that have been on the show. Pick the winners and maybe answer in the additional questions,
You also noticed that the show is brought to you today by Bushland castle productions, Aussie tales told. This is a newly established company that is supporting the show, establishing an Australian publishing arm and a membership system that supports authors, not just the book itself. When it comes to podcasting, it means I have support throughout the planning stages, recording editing show notes and distribution. I was so happy to have someone help with editing as it is time consuming. I'll also talk a little bit more about this later on, but bcp is in the process of recruiting fantasy authors for a novella series. Themed Otherworldly Emergence.
Separately, they are recruiting nonfiction authors for a novella series themed Australians living in the 70s. It is a very exciting time and I'm highly passionate about these projects, they are such an amazing group of people to work with and the love that this initiative is home grown and supporting Australian authors. I think that's all the updates I have for you today. I hope that you enjoy the show.
Guest Bio
This week is a mindful this week and our guest is Julz Duxbury, who writes under the pseudonym JA Duxbury. I met Jules through WA' writers on Facebook when I was looking into different writing groups within the Perth region and we clicked, she has been integral in helping, get this podcast back up and running again. I'm glad that she's the first guest of the new season because it took us several attempts to pick the right software for the show and then we had to do the whole interview twice before it stuck. She is part of the grow write writer's group in Midland, that meets every second Thursday I haven't been able to attend as yet. But hubby and I have recently purchased some landing clackline so after the house is built, we will see.
JA Duxbury has been writing since an early age, but only returned to 1998 after a hiatus of about 20 years. During the grey period, she worked full-time in places like records management and customer service. She spent a lot of that time writing procedural manuals, training documents and plans as well as creating Wikipedia type pages for her employer. Wver the last 10 years, she's been writing full-time getting all of her ideas on to paper and realising her dream of publishing books that people can lose themselves in. She has an extensive range of interest but her primary interest is creating words that bring to life the characters and stories she creates.
She has 3 books available for you to get your hands-on now. But there are several books under different stages of development. My conversation with Julz wasn't in a straight line but I hope that you enjoy where the journey took us.
Interview
(Dianna=D Julz=J)
D: Well Jules I'm really glad to have you on the show today, thank you for coming down.
J: Thank you for inviting me.
D: I've already sent Julz a list of the questions we're planning on using, but I'm gonna ask them in a random order so that she can be really creative with all of her answers. So to start with, can you please tell us a little bit about your journey onto the creative path?
J: It started when I was 10 I think. Believe it or not, before the fan fictional, I wrote fan fiction about the $6 million Man. That would have been my first journey.
D: I don't think I remember anything about the $6 million man. He must have really
J: Oh, you don't want to!
D: Okay, I'll have to Google that later.
J: Yeah, It was pretty corny.
D: As you know, this episode is focusing on mindfulness. So how do you find time for mindfulness in your day?
J: Make sure it’s there, just make sure that you block out a point where you're going to say I'm going to write or something like that and just make sure that you do it.
D: So you're a fan of time blocking?
J: In a way. I like to say that’s what you should do; But I sometimes don't do it, but then the work that I currently do to earn money is a little umm, It's a little flexible so I can do it while waiting for something to start like this morning, I was writing most in the morning, because what I had to do didn't start talk about lunch time.
D: Just so you listeners know Julz transcribes, court manifests. So you hear the audio and you just write it all down, yeah?
J: Yeah, we just type it into it into a specific document.
D: Well, let's circle back to your writing habits. Do you have any tips for setting up good writing habits?
J: Know what you are gonna be writing that day and it doesn't have to be word for word. I mean, I'm not one for writing word for word I don't even do a plan, but know the basics of the scene that you're writing or the characters that you're writing about and make sure you get everything you want down even if you had to jump a few places. You know so like, jump ahead and then go back again. It doesn't matter as long as it's all there
D: Do you leave like a little hook from yesterday, so you know what you're working on today?
J: Generally while I’m writing on 1 day, I will go into in the next day. So I know that it's not finished, but if it is finished, I'll spend a bit of time when I'm in bed and just think about what I've written and where I want that scene to go and that'll tell me what I have to write next. I could tell you a tale about that but it might take up a bit of time.
D: Go for it.
J: So I was writing this at this one book and I went to bed. Because I'd finished the last scene that I wanted to write that day. I got into bed and I thought now, what am I gonna do to him next, any goes; Shut up. You just shot me! What! I hadn’t even planned that.
D: Sometimes the characters know more than you do.
J: Oh yeah.
D: Do you have any cultural considerations that you think impact of way that you write?
J: I try and keep in mind that everyone is different. Got to take in as many as many things as you can. I don't do a lot of description of my characters because I want people to say, okay, that's a person that looks like that that person looks like that and they sort of make up their own mind what they look like.
D: So you don't go heavily into character description?
J: Nah, not at all.
D: Is that something you planned? Or it's just something that's happened organically.
J: It’s just happened organically I’ve always done it that way. The only thing is you know, I might get electric blue eyes. If anybody's read dark dimensions, they'll know what Troy's eyes are?
D: But other than that Troy could look like anything?
J: Yeah, absolutely.
D: How about religious considerations
J: There’s no religion on my worlds. Not yet.
D: Not yet.
J: Who knows what will happen in the future?
D: What is your strategy? When dealing with something that challenges your balance, so reviews that have come in or rejections.
J: Well, I don't send out any. I'm now down the self published path so I don't send out any requests. Reviews, I look on them as an improvement, if it’s a, if it's not as good as what it could be, then I say, okay, so what they; what are they saying, and can I use that to improve what I do even if it's a matter of rewriting whatever the review is for.
D: That makes sense. Do you have any particular ones you thinking of when you say that?
J: Well, the one books that’s with a proof reader at the moment. I wrote that quite a few years ago, and published it with the second publisher and I had a couple of reviews there that sort of like well, I was looking at rewriting it anyway, but um, they opened up my eyes to other things that I could fix in it. So that was really helpful, and then when I rewrote it and send it to this proof raider I said, what do you think about the changes? And the proof raider said he's not as wooden as what he was the character because I've put those changes in, so it made it a more well rounded character even though most of the reviews say that the characters are well-rounded and relatable. This won't just improved from taking those details into account.
D: Sometimes you just need the right person to give you the review to help you develop and grow.
J: You do you do? And I mean, even negative feedback can help, if you think you've got negative feedback, my suggestion would be leave it for a few days or a few months and then have another look at it. I mean, I've done that recently with one that I'm working on at the moment, I sent a very crude version to a friend and they sent me back this um feedback and I sort of looked at it at and thought yuck, he’s got all of these problems in it and then so I put away for about 6 months. And I'm only just come back to and thought hang on, he's got some good ideas here. So I'm just implementing a lot of those.
D: Slowly but surely. One thing at a time, that's all you can do
J: Exactly.
D: So you write in Sci-Fi,
J: Yup
D: Have you tried writing in any other genre and tell me what's happened when you have tried that?
J: The one that I said that was published with the second publisher and now it’s with the proof reader, That's more like a thriller mystery. I wouldn't say mystery but thriller definitely, and is more contemporary than than science fiction. I say, science fiction is my chosen genre but I've also got Paranormal stories have got an erotic story, so that’s sort of like they're just go everywhere.
D: Do you think that you vibe closer with sci-fi?
J: Yeah, the one I'm rewriting at the moment or 1 that I'm working on at the moment started off as a crime, organised crime story and halfway through the character says no, it's not. All of a sudden we've got portal science we’ve quantum energy and all sorts of things, it’s like ‘what’!
D: Going with the flow of the story.
J: Oh yeah
D: How do you stay motivated throughout the day and a project, especially if it's a big project?
J: If it's a project I'm interested in. I don't need a motivation or I allow myself to be distracted from if it gets to too much and then I'll move on to something else and just read something for a while. Or I’ll go and watch a TV programme or I'll get out a book and read for a few for an hour or so and then I'll get back into it and say, all right, why is this stuck me? Oh, that's hwy. Okay, it comes out there
D: So you don't just write during the day you just write whenever the win appears.
J: Try and make it during the day. Because of my court work because I don't think I want to be up at 2 o'clock in the morning writing for 5 hours and then get up and start work.
D: Do you work with like the pomodoro method
J: No. I’ve been known to write for about 5 hours non stop if it’s flowing, it's flowing and I don’t stop it.
D: You don't get burn out if you do an extended period like that?
J: Nah nah nah. In fact, Jill surprised me with lunch. He'll just drop a sandwich off if he's home
D: You’ll just be you just being in the zone.
J: Yeah, yeah,
D: How do your relax at the end of your day?
J: I watch TV. We yes, we are streamers and I will sit there and just binge on streaming. But I also do cross stitch too. So, after tea, I'll get the cross stitch out and work on that as well, I'll make it the one rule I do have is that after tea, I don't touch the computer.
D: Fair Call. We’re gonna have a bit of a pause to have a word from our sponsors.
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D: What are your goals and aspirations going forward?
J: Get as much of my stuff out there as possible. There is too much going on in my head. I have been known to wake up at two o’clock in the morning as they shut brain, Brain it's time to sleep.
D: Okay, where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?
J: Oh, my gosh, my age.
D: She's a startling, 25-year-old, ladies and Gentlemen.
J: Why thank you for the compliment. Alright, you really want to know 10 years, somewhere with an RV on a beach, writing, there you go.
D: On a beach, okay, so when you step back and have a look at your work, how do you feel?
J: If I've finished something I saying thank God it's done, and then I'll sit back for a few days and not even think about it.
D: How do you celebrate finishing something like that.
J: How do I celebrate? I don't really, I'm not one of those ones that these celebrate all the time.
D: You don't have rewards for what you're doing or achievements along the way?
J: Nup:
D: I have a piece of chocolate every 1000 words. That's, that's my motivation. Do you have an inner sanctuary that you go into while you're work, explain your working space to us.
J: My working space used to be the dining room and it's now turned into an office office niche and behind me is the kitchen into the right is our now dining room and right near me is our wood fire for the new winter, so it's not a real quiet space, but mostly I’m on my own anyway, so it’s quite as I wanted to be.
D: That's perfect, right next, the fire in winter. Cosy!
J: Oh yeah.
D: All of your stuff around you. Do you have a lot of trinkets and everything on your desk
J: Yeah, mostly pens.
D: I have so many little things that I’ve collected, I’ve got juggling balls, fidget spinners,
J: I've got
D: Just anything that will keep me sitting at the desk.
J: I’ve got an egyptian cats somewhere on my desk. Oh, there is, it's fallen over. I have a yes button.
D: One of your real cats.
J: no
D: One of your real cat’s must have knocked it over.
J: Probably. I’ve got a yes button. Dunno if it’s bot a battery in it or not. Although I will say I have a bear on the speaker
D: What sort of bear.
J: He usually has, he usually has Christmas glass frames on But. I can't remember Stewarts moved then and I don’t know where he’s put them.
D: Doesn't sound like you get run down, but how do you refill your well when you're feeling creatively starved?
J: I read, I read or I watch tv.
D: You read, what sort of books do you like to read?
J: Sci-Fi. No, I read all types, I read everything other than romance itself.
D: Any general mindfulness tips and tricks you could impart to our listeners.
J: Ground yourself. Just make sure that you're in the real world as well as your own world. And I think that connection is what makes a really good story.
D: We have the first 5 questions. Are you ready?
J: Yeah
D: Okay, this ones don't think too hard on them just give me your first answer that comes to your head
J: Yep
D: Would you rather be a table or a chair?
J: Probably a table
D: Who is your favourite superhero?
J: Flash
D: If you were to have a magical power, what would it be?
J: Probably shielding protection
D: Are you a dog or cat person?
J: Cat
D: What is the first thing you would do with a lotto win. A huge lotto win?
J: A lotto win? Pay off our house. Buy a Winnebago or something and donate to cancer research. D: Sounds like you thought about it all before,.
J: Oh yeah, sure have.
D: Okay. Well, that's the questions done you survived. Yay!
J: *Laugh* Phew
D: Okay, we're gonna move onto the Buffy night segment now
D: Buffy Night if the one night of the week that I get to sit in the lounge room with a big TV and choose whatever I want to watch. The buffy night section is where we talk about something that is inspired our guest's work. It can be anything from books they've read, movies or TV shows or games that they've played. If you have anything in mind, what would you like to share for Buffy night?
J: Okay well, actually we haven’t We haven't touched of this before. I have one that was inspired by remember, salvage squad from buso? They and they do um marine salvage and they’re really rough their rough diamonds. Because they’re from busso of all places. But it's really fascinating watching them pull something apart to bring it up and that actually inspired a piece of work where I um, I created that kind of company but they specialised in our cargo containers and so I've given them a few really nice things like this concept car, a few horrible things like a murdered body and drugs as well that they've brought up from the ocean, and then in another verse to skip 200 years. And then suddenly, the company is evolved to the salvage junk, as in space junk, from our than all the things that we put up in the sky, the satellites of that, as they junk these guys the salvage, but they also salvage this interstellar craft that has gone off its course and ended up caught by our in orbit. So that was all taken from the salvage squad.
D: Fancy that.
J: Yeah
D: I thought you're gonna talk about a book series what you just finished reading.
J: I know, Then you mentioned something that inspired your writing.
D: And that's just what came to mind.
J: Especially as I've wrote an alien story out of that as well.
D: You never know what's going to come up on this show.
J: Oh Yeah.
D: Thank you for sharing appreciate that.
J: Thank you for asking.
D: Now, I understand you're participating in our treasure chest.
J: Yes,
D: Can you tell the listeners what you're putting into the treasure chests?
J: I am putting out copy of dark dimensions, parts 1 and 2 and a copy of dark reign. Dark reign is sequel t dark dimensions, so hopefully people will enjoy those.
D: Are you going to sign them?
J: Yeah, of course,
D: Of course, do you want that to go to one listener or 2 listener.
J: I think it should go to one because they are part of the trilogy, and so you can't give say dark Dimensions, 1 to one person, 2 to another person, a dark reign, to a third person, that wouldn't be fair.
D: So 3 books were one lucky listener and to qualify to be in the draw to win something from the Trisha chest, they need to say a secret word when they go through the link. What word would you like for your books?
J: Maybe black pearl
D: I like it, that works with a pearl magic in Elara too, so that's good.
J: Yeah, that does too, yeah.
D: All right, so the key word will be black pearl. Fantastic. Thank you again for coming on the show, and I'll talk to you in a minute for your worldbuilding chat
J:You’re welcome.
End Roll
That's it for another show. I'm really glad to be back the interview with yours went a little bit of track. But we did cover a few mindfulness tactics. I particularly liked when she was talking about grounding herself making sure that you were in the real world as well as in your creation. Because she is right. That is what good stories are made of.
Also, the golden rule of not touching the computer after tea, I have started adhering to that one too I still have my phone with me. But, I'll make sure I don't go back to the computer another good point was when she said that reviews are an opportunity for improvement. She's so right there. They are sometimes really hard to hear. But people generally mean well.
I have looked into the savage squad shows she was talking about, since our chat. And there was the one she was talking about and an international version, that I completely missed, I always find it really interesting to hear where the inspiration has struck because it could be a build-up of experiences or like Julz, a show that really took root.
If you would like to get in touch with Julz, then you can have a look at her contact information in the show notes she has an author page on Facebook and a group called JA Duxbury's weird words. She's also on the finding Elara podcast, Facebook group.
There is also a chance for you to support the show and buy us a cuppa at ko-fi.com/findingelara details are, of course, in the show notes. It's KO - fi.com/findingalarra. It is a chance to have access to exclusive content and advanced information about the show. I will talk more about it next week.
Don't forget to enter the treasure chest give away and use the keyword Black Pearl for a chance to get your hands-on a copy of these thrilling sci fight benchers written by Julz in the show next week, Julz and I carry on the conversation from a different angle. We will be talking about world building. We get a chance to play in her world and she shares some wisdom to help with writing challenges.
If you enjoy listening to finding Elara, have any questions or just want to share your world with us please get in touch until next? Keep up the search for your Elara.
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