My Imaginary Friends with L. Penelope

What’s In Your Circle of Control?

Developing story ideas, novel playlists, and mapping
Watch on Youtube
Mentioned:
- Imaginarium Book Festival- The Story Seed Mini-course- Footnotes newsletter- Scribblemaps- "It's Our World, AI Just "Lives" In It" by Tara McMullin - Circle of Control graphic- Fast X- InkersCon
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Scene Values and Turning Points

Watch on Youtube
Mentioned:
Sistah Scifi bookstore 
Afrofuturism exhibit at NMAAHC 
Our group at the exhibit 
Ytasha Womack
Plottr software (affiliate link)
GMC: Goal, Motivation, and Conflict by Debra Dixon
C.S. Lakin courses
Scene Turning Points article
Story by Robert McKee
The Story Grid by Shawn Coyne
Genres of writing 
Susan Dennard "How to Level Up Your Settings, Part 1"
Queen Charlotte on Netflix
Leap Year movie
Guardians of the Galaxy 3
SciFiTalk podcast with me and narrator Shayna Small
"Heal Chaos and Overwhelm: DECLUTTER Every Part of Your Life"
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

My First Week Plotting a New Novel

Watch on Youtube
Mentioned:
Savage City on sale for $.99 (limited time)
Calendar I use for my writing calendar
My Resources Page 
https://todoist.com/
The Story Seed Workbook Mini-course
Imaginary Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Worlds for Writers
Save the Cat 
Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes
ChatGPT
Whimsical
OneStopForWriters.com
Michael Hauge character development - The Inner Struggle 
Enneagrams
Prioritize Like a Pro free webinar mentioned last week
Freewrite Traveler
Imaginarium Book Festival - May 20 & 21, 2023, Washington, DC
My Events Calendar 
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Prioritize Your Projects

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-plK0hBFKig
Mentioned:
Beastly Kingdom is here!
Apollycon
Draft 2 Digital
Scribecount for book sales tracking 
Imaginarium Book Festival - May 20-21, 2023, Washington, DC
Imaginary Worldbuilding Course
Autonomous Creative with Jessica Abel
"Why it’s so hard for writers to ask for money for their work" by Mason Currey
Backwater Books "Meet the Romance Writers of Maryland" - Ellicott City, MD - May 4, 2023
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Doubling Down on Being Human in an A.I. World

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/eg1ZHOp1yf4
Mentioned:
Ram's Promo Stacker
ChatGPT
Sudowrite
"What's Your North Star?" post
"Hi Ren" music video
A reaction video compilation
Sarra Cannon's HB90 Method
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

The Opportunity Costs of Saying ”Yes”

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/LQB3as3Z8RM
Mentioned:
ProWriting Aid software
Scrivener
Shayna Small audiobook narrator
Street Faërie by Cree Summer (Spotify link)
Author Author
bad copies of Monsters photo 1 | photo 2
My essay “When Fantasy & STEM Collide" on the Fantasy Cafe 
Jane Friedman
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Conferences, Awards & Endings

Watch on YouTube
Mentioned:
Center for Black Literature
Sheree Renee Thomas
Jewell Parker Rhodes
My interview on the “New Books in Science Fiction Podcast” 
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Creativity is Connecting the Dots

Chapter Titles | Character Descriptions | Surprising yet inevitable revelations
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BZkHDIsCzk0
Imaginary Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Worlds for Writers https://myimaginaryfriends.net/iw
Mentioned:
Fated Mates podcast
Beastly Kingdom preorder
Preorder campaign
ARC request
Fairy Plot Mother Becca Mysoor
Center for Black Literature - 2023 National Black Writers Conference Biennial Symposium - March 31 - April 1, 2023
Pro Writing Aid
One Stop For Writers Weather Thesaurus
ChatGPT
Sudowrite
My interview on The Indy Author podcast with Matty Dalrymple
My interview on Between the Reads with Audra Russell
My interview on Carly Stevens' YouTube channel
Ines Johnson is Having a Breakdown podcast
"The Perils of Niching Down" article
Brandon Sanderson interview in Wired
Sanderson's Reddit response
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Managing Your To-Do List and Your Emotions

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/islz3nUEQ3E
Imaginary Worldbuilding: Creating Fictional Worlds for Writers  Mahogany Books Black Women in Fantasy replay Beastly Kingdom preorder My author newsletter The Cupid Mixup - AI narration via Apple Books  Marie Poulin website
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Staying On Track: Battling Resistance & Other Shiny Objects

Watch on Youtube: https://youtu.be/6APXzkMzbZM
Imaginary Worldbuilding Course
Mentioned:
Mahogany Books, DC -  Black Women in Fantasy - March 18, 2023
Huberman Lab podcast - "How to Breathe Correctly for Optimal Health, Mood, Learning & Performance" 
Story Forge cards
The Story Engine cards
My Story Engine Spread: photo 1 | photo 2
Tara McMullin - Can I Squeeze This In? video
"Seth Godin: embrace the idea of a smallest viable audience" 
"Benefits of a daily diary and topic journals" by Derek Sivers 
HB90 Bootcamp open until March 19! (affiliate link)
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a weekly, behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter - https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
My Imaginary Friends is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. You can find more outstanding podcasts to subscribe to at http://frolic.media/podcasts!
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.