For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask:

Are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant, not a writer? FREE Decision Tree: https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie

Happy Asian American Month!

We’re 12 days in because THIS Asian was taken out by an immunosuppressed spoonie’s worst nightmare: the common cold.

Stop coughing with your mouth open, people.

But I’m here! Wearing lucky red, and I have three pieces of Asian media that hit me so hard I had to drag myself to the mic. One preaches hatred as the answer (trust me, you’ll laugh). One is 49 episodes of your Japan bucket list. And one made me want to write plays again after months of creative burnout.

Also: boba of the week. Obviously. And! A surprise BIG RED guest.

Best Quotes:

"Autoimmune diseases hate Asians and the Asian it hates the most is me. Happy Asian American month, everybody."

"Comedians are the hardest audience. Once you do some standup, nothing else will phase you."

"I wrote plays because there weren't any parts for Asians. You had to create your own. Things aren’t different now."

IN THIS EPISODE:

• Hasan Hates Ronny, Ronny Hates Hasan: who’s most Asian?! The rivalry show that proves Asians will save America

• Why female comedians can only say certain things privately (both sides would come for me)

• 49 episodes of Terrace House and why I need to visit a hockey player's dad's soba shop in Japan

• Love is Blind France is high-key a Vietnamese show and beating America in diversity

• Kim's Convenience the PLAY (before Simu Liu, there was a stage)

• The 24-hour play-a-thon that became a peak life moment and made me mic-drop out of LA

• Boba of the week: the older I get, the more Asian my stomach gets

Timestamps:

00:00 12 Days Late for AAPI Month Because Autoimmune Disease Hates Asians

00:50 Comedy Show #1 Hasan Hates Ronny, Ronny Hates Hasan: Hatred is the Answer

03:33 TV Show #2 49 Episodes of Terrace House

07:10 Stage #3 Before Simu, Kim's Convenience Was a Play

09:19 Surprise Guest Appearance (Red Pandas Anyone?)

09:43 Boba of the Week: My Perfume Drink Obsession

10:28 Subscribe So We Can Be AZN Friends!

For AAPI Month, do yourself a favor and ask: are you actually ready for traditional publishing or are your Asian parents right and you should have been an accountant? Find out with my FREE flowchart — plus get access to Ask Sophia Q&A where you can submit a question for me to answer on the podcast. https://www.sophiachang.com/freebie

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast where her honest traditional publishing stories will make you scream in your sleep. Subscribe to find out why deadlifts will save your writing life. http://sophiachang.com/

TOPICS: AAPI Heritage Month, Asian American media, Asian American author, Hasan Minhaj, Ronny Chieng, Terrace House, Kim's Convenience, Turning Red, Asian representation, comedy, Asian American culture, traditional publishing, writing community, boba tea, podcast for writers

FREE 3 Hollywood Secrets to Author Voice workbook: https://www.sophiachang.com/hollywood

Part 2 where I answer your questions from my 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice presentation including:

• "Is my voice boring?" — the two questions to ask yourself before you panic
• What if you sound like AI? (Plot twist: your "proper" voice might be your superpower)
• How to turn your worst writing tics into your most memorable character voice
• Which to use for query letters: author voice, narrator voice, or character voice?
• Writing under a pseudonym: does your voice change or just put on a different outfit?
• Can you say no to your editor? (Even when the editor is you!)
• The time I over-edited my seventh novel and had to resurrect a previous draft
• Why people unsubscribing feels like guests leaving your party mid-canape
• My surprising take on short story collections as a marketing power move
• Does anyone want to hear about my ridiculous life? (The survey results are in and I'm wounded)

TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Question 1: Is My Writing Voice Boring?

00:47 What If I Sound Like AI?

02:08 Question 2: What If I Naturally Use Minimizing Words?

03:35 Question 3: Which Voice to Use in a Query Letter?

06:45 Question 4: Same Voice, Different Pseudonym?

07:53 Question 5: Can I Say No to My Editor?

09:57 Unsubscribes and Rejection: You Can't Control People Leaving Your Party

12:28 Question 6: Short Story Collections—Art or Marketing?

14:24 Question 7-ish: Do You Really Want Behind the Scenes?

Sign up for my newsletter Books. Biceps. No BS. to get the FREE Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing Flowchart and access to Ask Sophia Q&A, plus more writing craft tips and publishing advice! https://thesophiachang.substack.com/

No social media! Newsletter is the ONLY way to stay connected.

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: www.sophiachang.com

TOPICS: author voice, writing voice, query letter tips, writing Q&A, author branding, pseudonym writing, self-editing tips, writing craft, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community, podcast for writers, finding your voice, digital minimalism

Author voice, character voice, narrator voice…what even is the difference?! And do I really need to know all three?

This was the question blowing up the chat during my presentation 3 Hollywood Secrets to Unforgettable Author Voice at last month’s Perfect Your Process Summit. There were so many good questions and not enough time, that I am now answering them in a Substack LIVE.

This is your no-stress guide to the three different types of voice in novel writing, why you're accidentally leaking into your characters, and my deranged pantser method of using voice to draft my fiction books before I even have a character (or any story structure at all!)

Quotes:

“You want to be very careful about imparting your voice into your characters because that's how all your characters tend to sound the same."

"I could have the hookiest of hooks. But if I don't have a voice in my head, I can't get started. I don't even know how to get started."

In this episode:

• Differentiating author, narrator, and character voice and where they work in your writing process
• Why your first draft isn’t the time to perfect voice—catch it in revision!
• Can your characters be you when you're writing in first person a character who shares your demographics? (fanfiction self-inserts exempt...)
• "Do I even have an author voice?" Yes. You do.
• And this is just Part 1!

I answer the summit's biggest voice fears—boring voice, AI voice, query letter voice, and saying no to your editor—in Part 2. Subscribe to this show to catch the rest!

FREE Are You Ready for Traditional Publishing decision tree: https://bit.ly/freeflowchart

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Author Voice

00:49 Question #1: How do you impart your voice into your characters while still making them distinct?

01:34 When should I worry about these 3 voices?

02:32 Question #2: Should you make yourself the character?

04:22 Question #3: Do I have an author voice if my writing is character-driven?

05:22 Definitions: What is character, narrator and author voice?

06:55 Get it in revision!

07:28 Beginning a story on voice alone?!

08:57 In Part 2: Voice examples, application + short story question

Sophia Chang is a Reese's Book Club LitUp fellow, disabled dancer, and extroverted writer. She hosts The Sophia Chang Show podcast, teaches Character First writing with Daniel David Wallace, and believes deadlifts can change your life. She will make out with your dog. Learn more at: ⁠www.sophiachang.com⁠

TOPICS: author voice, character voice, narrator voice, writing voice tips, how to find your writing voice, pantser writing process, writing craft, first person writing, Asian American author, traditional publishing, writing community, podcast for writers, books and fitness podcast