Essential Guide to Writing a Novel: Recent Episodes
James Thayer
Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel. It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story development and scene construction (Kirkus Reviews said Thayer's novels are "superbly crafted') and it also examines techniques that will make your sentence-by-sentence writing shine. The New York Times Book Review has said Thayer's "writing is smooth and clear. it wastes no words, and it has a rhythm only confident stylists achieve.
Every element of our story should add interest, including the settings. What if--because of the plot or characters--we must place a scene in an otherwise dull place? We can juice it up. We can make it lively and fascinating. Here is how the masters do it.
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Every element in our story should contribute to entertaining the reader including our settings. We can replace our dull settings with fascinating locations, and here's how to do it. Also: what's wrong with this sentence? Running along the street, the purse bounced against her leg. It's a funny dangling modifier. Funny if it doesn't appear in our story. Here are thoughts on dangling modifiers, and how to avoid them. Plus, the rule of exceptions.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Almost all successful fiction writers are close observers. We can teach ourselves to be close observers, and use those observations in our characters and settings. And here are examples of close observations from the masters, those small details that bring their stories to vivid life.
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Novels that endure not only have bold plots but are also beautifully written. Here are techniques on how to make our sentences shine. Also: should we write our first chapter first and our last chapter last (as does John Grisham) or should we write the chapters and scenes out of order (as did Margaret Mitchell)?
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Cliches can offer solid advice. Pedal to the metal. Go big or go home. Leave it all on the field. We should swing for the fences with a bold plot. Also: a setting can be more than facts about the landscape. The masters add compelling moods to their stories with their settings.
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Some of us may describe our characters using only the sense of sight: what the reader sees when imagining the character. But we can also use sound, smell, taste, and texture to make our characters more memorable. Here are thoughts on how to do so. Also, Janet Burroway on the critical difference between a scene and a summary. And how Francine Prose reads fiction to learn the writing craft.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Buy the master class.
I talk about ways we can make our settings--the time and place of our story--irresistible to readers. They'll want to live there. Plus: we can use our global search function to almost instantly make our sentences more forceful. And: novelist Elizabeth George's plotting technique she calls the plot kernel.
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Here are pocket-sized techniques that can result in strong sentences; small--even tiny--things we can add to our prose writing arsenal. Also, Elizabeth George on her use of two outlines: the step outline and the running plot outline. And we can make our dialogue stronger by avoiding "Yes" and "No."
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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For readers, fiction offers escape from their real lives. How can we make our writing intense, and so lift our scenes above real life? Details are a key, and here are ideas on the use of odd and memorable details to make our prose vivid. Also, here's a good way to practice: write one perfect sentence. And, what made you want to write?
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The phrase "cut to the chase" originated in the film industry. When shooting and editing a movie, if things are getting dull cut to a chase scene. Cut to the chase applies to our novels and short stories, too. Here are ways we writers can make our stories stronger and our sentences more forceful by cutting to the chase. Also, a suggestion on naming characters.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Here is a checklist of things we likely should think about as we begin our first chapter: some elements to have in the beginning pages of our story and some things to avoid. Also: the strong technique of using contrast in consecutive scenes so that lights shine on both scenes.
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What is a singular attribute that separates Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Alan Poe? Their literary voices. Here are thoughts on our own voices: if and how we should try to develop them. Also: the strong tool of contrast, when the character contrasts with the setting.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Writing is like learning the violin. We can get better. Here are reasons we should practice, and suggestions how to do so. And what sparked Edgar Alan Poe's imagination? Also: how much of our story should be scenes rather than summary? The answer: should fill our story with scenes that play out in real time in front of the reader like a movie.
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What's the problem with having a lot of characters in a scene? Aren't lots of people needed to make street scenes and party scenes and sports scenes and battle scenes credible? I'll talk about the problem of too many characters, and how we can fix the crowded scene so it doesn't lose focus. Also, a quick almost magical way to make our sentences stronger using the global search function on our computer. And lovely setting descriptions from Rachel Joyce.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Buy the master class.
How can we know if our scene pushes the story forward. Does our scene contribute to the story? The ratchet can test our scene. I talk about the ratchet and show how Cormac McCarthy and F. Scott Fitzgerald used it. Plus, a technique for searching for instances of telling in our manuscript so we can change them to showing. And C.S. Lewis's rules of writing.
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If we emulate famous authors, won't we get better at writing? Here are how some highly-skilled, best-selling authors write and live. Plus: the three dumbest pieces of advice for writers. And: George Orwell's rules of writing.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
How can we get readers to admire and respect our hero, maybe even to fall in love with him? Our hero can save the cat. Here is how the screenwriters' save the cat technique can apply to our novels. Also, best seller Lawrence Block on how we can use our pleasure reading to improve our fiction writing skills.
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Keeping a tight point of view is critical for our story. Here's how we can stay inside the mind of our main character yet learn what others in the scene are thinking. Plus, how John Grisham works. And: how we can reveal what a character is thinking through facial expressions.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
Sometimes writing can be a grind. Here are things that are fun while writing that'll give us energy and keep us at our desks and allow us to pour joy into our words. Also: we should avoid vanilla, meaningless word packages. And here's how Kate Chopin worked.
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Folks new to fiction may think because there are a million stories and dozens of genres, plots can be presented in any way imaginable. But successful plots have time-tested patterns, and these are discussed here. Plus, M.M. Kaye's lovely setting descriptions, so elegant her writing might be called the voice of magic. And: how the best-selling romance novelist Emily Henry lives and works.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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How and why should we avoid our character traveling? And how does Orson Scott Card not make blunders in his novels? Here is his tool for having a mistake-free novel. Also: here is why our scenes--almost all scenes--should have some action, and how to write that action.
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Writing is magic. We type on a keyboard, and then the words we type create powerful images in readers' minds. Here is a discussion of our main tool for creating vivid images: detail. Which details, how to use them, and examples from a detail master, Jean Shepherd. And another angle: detail is as important in dialogue as it is in character and setting descriptions.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
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Sometimes an unreliable narrator can be great fun to create, and great fun to read about. Here are techniques for developing a protagonist the reader learns not to trust. Also, how can we avoid dull interior monologue and instead show readers what a character is thinking?
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Novelist John D. McDonald said he had more plot ideas than time to write them. That's not the case for most of us writers. We usually are in chronic need of more plot, more story. Here are techniques for inventing plot from James Scott Bell and Lester Dent. Also: vivid character descriptions from Jean Shepherd, showing us how to create unforgettable characters.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
Sometimes we are full of ambition to write. Yet we don't. We put off our writing, then put it off again. Why do we do that? And what can be done to get us in front of the keyboard? Here are thoughts on what we can do to get us producing. Also, powerful first sentences drop the reader into the story after the action is already underway. Here's how to do it, with examples from excellent writers.
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Some words don't add anything to a sentence other than confusion. Here are several modifiers that our story is better without. Also, is cutting ten percent of our manuscript a good goal when editing? What should we cut to reach that ten percent?
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
Dialogue lets the reader become part of the story, as if the reader is standing next to the characters listening to them talk. Not all conversation between characters is equal: argument is the most engaging dialogue. An argument between characters in our story--the back and forth, the accusations and denials, the evasions and justifications--can be riveting. Here are thoughts on writing the big argument scene.
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Writing fiction is work but it doesn't need to be a grind. Here's how we can have fun while we write, things that'll give us a joyful kick, maybe even make us laugh. Also: the important technique of the mini-backstory, which reveals so much about our character in so little space.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
Physics loves formulas: E=MC2. How about writing? Here is a formula for writing strong sentences, ones that are clear and have energy. Our setting and character descriptions can also benefit from a formula, one that shows how to engage the reader. That formula is talked about here, too.
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Do we have the skill to write a novel or short story? Here are early clues that may let us know. Also, top writers' ten best rules of writing. And J.R.R. Tolkien's techniques for writing fascinating settings.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
Sometimes in our story we'll have a scene filled with people where everyone is moving all at once, such as a battle scene or mob scene or festival scene or street scene. Here are techniques on crafting the scene so there's no confusion so readers can focus on the hero. Also, what is the rule of exceptions? And, can something bad happening to us make us better writers?
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Readers love dialogue, the chance to eavesdrop on the characters. Here is a good way to make that dialogue really worth listening to. Also, here are techniques that can tie our scenes together, which Jack Bickham calls transitions and sequels. In a story, what is a transition and what is a sequel?
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
How can we make our character memorable for the reader? How can we make the character leap off the page and stay in the reader's memory? Here's how Sherwood Anderson did it. And here are also character descriptions from another master, William Faulkner, showing us how to create big and bold characters.
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Readers want a character who can grow and change over the course of the story. Here is a discussion of the character arc: how we can use the arc to develop our character and the plot, giving the reader the big reward at the end of the story of a character who has met the moment with change. Plus, here is how we can show (rather than tell) about a character's thoughts such as confusion and dread.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
One of the best ways to have readers like our story is to have readers like--maybe even love--our main character. But we usually don't want our protagonist to be a Pollyanna, always sweet and understanding. Rather we want to create a fully-formed character--maybe with some weird or off-putting angles, maybe some flaws and shortcomings--to make the character interesting and believable. Here's a technique to make sure readers will root for our main character even if the character isn't usually endearing. Also, here is how a master writer describes her settings.
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We want to write but we don't have our story fully figured out. What can we do? Here are thoughts on inventing plot, things we can do to shake loose the plot from our brains. Also, the techniques of a master of character description: Margaret Mitchell.
Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.
Support the show
Buy the master class.
Fiction's job is to entertain. A main way to entertain is to be bold with our plot. Here are thoughts on how to avoid the dull in our plot and how to create a story that keeps readers turning the pages. Also, how to invent strong metaphors and similes. And avoiding overly-precious, self-conscious writing.
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In fiction in all genres only trouble is interesting. How do we writers use trouble in our story? Here are thoughts on how we can plot using conflict, crisis, and resolution, a technique important for all genres. Also, should we use beta readers? And the add-a-quirk technique.
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When do we know enough writing techniques to start our novel? And when is the story ready to be written? I'll try to answer both questions. Also, how do great writers describe a character's appearance in ways that reveal the character's past and personality? Here's how masterful writers do it.
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Red herrings--false clues--are used in most all stories in all genres. Here are the right and wrong ways to insert red herrings into our stories. Also, here's how we can show--reveal--much about a character by describing a setting.
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Kurt Vonnegut said we should "Start as close to the end as possible." What did he mean? How can we do so? Here are thoughts on this famous piece of advice from a legendary novelist. Also, avoiding the word "not" to give our sentences more energy. And Orson Scott Card on creativity.
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Is your writing time becoming a grind? If so, here are some things that may reduce the grind and maybe even make writing fun. Also, here are thoughts on how we might write a sentence that is a timeless truth told in lovely language, an immortal sentence that will live forever.
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We writers should consider giving readers what they want. Well, what do they want? Here is a discussion of the five things readers want in a novel. Also: the dual timeline plot structure. And F. Scott Fitzgerald's seven tips on writing.
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Thoughts are interior, in our minds. But there are ways to show--to give evidence--that reveal to the reader what our character is thinking. Also, here is an important ingredient that many writers forget when describing a character.
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The three most important words in our fiction are, "Story, story, story." But we can also shoot for lovely, musical language that makes each sentence and paragraph a pleasure to read. Here are thoughts on how to add music to our sentences.
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In his famous ten rules of writing, Elmore Leonard says that we shouldn't write things readers tend to skip. What are those things? How can we avoid writing them? Also, should our story have theme and, if so, how can we present it?
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What do Ernest Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, and Elmore Leonard have in common? Powerful stories, yes. But also lean and forceful sentences. Here's how they do it. Also: in our plotting,what's an acceptable coincidence and what's a weak, story-ruining coincidence?
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After months and month if writing, we'll near the end of our story. Our novel is almost finished. Here are things we should consider as we wrap up our story. Also, for many of us editing our own story isn't as fun as writing. Here are thoughts on how we can make sure we edit enough, and how we know when to quit editing.
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Why should almost all of our story be scenes rather than summaries? Here's how we can avoid summaries and instead write moment-by-moment real-time scenes in our fiction. Also: here are perhaps the most beautiful sentences ever written in fiction.
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The reader is like a camera as the scene unfolds. Where should that camera be? How far away from the characters and the action? Here are thoughts on authorial distance, about the benefits of placing the camera--the reader--near or far. Plus, how Charlotte Bronte worked.
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Here are the most important fiction writing techniques boiled down to twenty-five minutes. I've talked about all these elements in prior episodes but sometimes it's useful to hear things again. This episode is a refresher.
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We may be writing a comic novel or we may want to add humor to our thriller or romance or horror or literary novel. Humor adds a strong element to most any story. Joe Pesci as Tommy DeVito in Goodfellas: “Funny how? I mean, funny like I'm a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh?" Well, yeah. Let's see how we can make readers laugh.
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Good descriptions of characters should do double duty: they can let the reader know what the character looks like and the description can also suggest something about the character's personality. Here are examples and thoughts on double duty descriptions. Also, how Alice Walker works.
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The title is the book browser's first impression of our novel. The title should tempt the browser to pick up and open the book. Here are thoughts on how we can give our story a strong, enticing title. Also, how do famous authors edit their own manuscripts? Maybe we can learn from them the best way to self-edit our stories.
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We can write dialogue that makes readers laugh. Here are thoughts on creating funny conversations between our characters. Plus, we don't need to have our character look into a mirror to describe herself, which has been done time and again. Here are ways to avoid the mirror.
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A story's first sentence should make the reader ask, "What's next?" They should propel the reader into the story. Here's how to do it right and how to do it wrongly. Also, three master writers show us how to describe a setting.
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Dialogue is fun to write and fun to read. Our story should have lots of it. Here's a powerful thing dialogue can do: it can reveal (that is, to show rather than tell) what a character is thinking. The character's conversation can be lively and fun, and hearing the character speak is so much stronger than reading the character's mind. Here are thoughts on writing revealing dialogue.
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The first pages of our novel should contain certain elements and avoid certain elements. Here's a list of things to include and exclude in those first pages. Plus, ways to write forceful, clear, and lovely sentences.
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In these episodes I try to set out good writing advice but a lot of bad advice is out there, so here is a list of bad advice, and the list may help us avoid writing blunders. Here are also ten dialogue mistakes, and avoiding them likely means we end up with engaging and even riveting dialogue for our characters.
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Here are techniques for keeping focus in a scene where there is a crowd, with an example from Harper Lee. And how Margaret Mitchell worked. Plus: how can we show rather than tell about a character's guilt or pride.
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Stephen King says there is no idea dump we can visit to find a good plot. We have to create our own plots. How can we do so? Here's a discussion on creating plots. Also, if Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition can learn to write, so can we. And the critical technique of using the active sentence form.
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Does our story's first sentence cause the reader to ask, "What's next?" Or does the reader say, "So what?" Here are thoughts on creating a tense, sparkling first sentence. Also, how the masters use specific, definite, and concrete details to convince the reader.
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Our setting descriptions should do more than describe a place. They can also show the reader much about our character. Here's how to do so. Also: what's the main thing our plot needs: trouble. Here's why. And how Edna Ferber worked.
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Two mistakes can ruin our presentation of what our character is thinking: telling rather than showing, and interior monologue. Here are ways to present thoughts in a way that grabs the reader. Also, how Octavia Butler worked. And examples of wonderful character descriptions from masterful writers.
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Sometimes the strongest writing technique isn't the strongest in our story. Every writing rule has exceptions, and here's a discussion on when to make exceptions. Also, how to create a strong title for our novel and short story.
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We are learning fiction techniques, and we are or soon will be skilled fiction writers. Does this mean we should design our own book covers? Also, Michael Chabon's terrific sense of smell. And the use of details in the haunted house.
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Having readers fall in love with our character is so important, and making our hero an underdog is a good way to do it. Here are thoughts on underdog characters. Also, I'll read a few character descriptions from master story-tellers that may make us stronger writers.
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Our story should be like a state fair: one thing after another. Here are some ideas on state fair plotting. Plus: settings shouldn't be inert locations in our novel or short story but rather should work for our story. Here's how to get the most from our settings. Also: my experiment with AI proofreading.
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Readers want five things in a story, three of which are right in the beginning. Here's a discussion of how to deliver those five things. Plus, a character's thoughts are the least interesting aspect of a story. How can we show what a character is thinking without entering her mind?
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Best-selling writers disagree on the importance of a theme in stories. Here are thoughts on whether we should present a theme in our novel or short story. And famous authors on their writing discipline. Plus, mixing genres when telling an agent or publisher about our novel.
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Putting a sidekick into our story adds many benefits, a main one being that readers love sidekicks. Here are some techniques for creating a sidekick for our novel or short story. Also, a list of catchy, memorable novel titles. And a big question: how do bad novels get published?
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Were a young writer to ask me for advice, and only had one minute to listen, here is what I'd say. Plus: how Louisa May Alcott worked. And, avoiding the blahs and self-doubts when writing.
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Remember the fabulous worlds that fantasy, sci fi, and historical writers create for us readers? How do they do that? What works so well? I'll talk about world-building, not just for those novels but for all genres. And also: more on the critical craft of character description.
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Many readers only give a story ten or twenty pages before putting it aside to look for something more interesting. A fast start is the best way to maintain the reader's interest. Here's how to write the fast start. Also, how Alice Munro worked, and Richard Ford's rules of writing.
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Manon in Paris asked, "Why do some novels move us more than others?" Here is the single best way to make our story unforgettable, a story that moves the reader. Also, have we heard the advice, "Write what you know?" It's bad advice, and here are thoughts on it.
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Edna Ferber was a master of character description. Here are a few of her characters, and maybe we can pick up some of her skill. Also, how many words a day do famous writers write, and how many words a day should we write? And showing pain, as opposed to telling about pain.
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Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is a classic of western literature, a novel that endures and still hugely entertains because . . . it's so great. (How that for being profound?) Charlotte Bronte offers an important lesson for today's writers, and I'll talk about her lesson in this episode. Plus, the trouble with prologues.
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Why are some novels so good? One of the reasons is that the author is a master at setting descriptions. How did Charlotte Bronte and Edna Ferber make their settings magical? We'll talk about their techniques here. Also, strong verbs versus weak verbs: how and why to choose the stronger action word.
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My first encounter with Mad Magazine, a life changer. And dialogue techniques that can help make our characters' conversations fascinating.
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Good stories are filled with surprises for the reader. There are right and wrong ways for us writers to deliver surprises, and I'll talk about them here. Also, the importance of a tie-up-later list.
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What do George Orwell, Sara Gruen, Jean Shepherd, and John Steinbeck have in common? Many things but foremost among them is their expert use of details that take readers away, that lift us readers out of our chairs and transport us to their places and times. Here are thoughts on their use of details. Also, we should avoid cliches like the plague.
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Here is a magical way to end a scene and to begin another without worrying about travel and time between scenes. Also: avoiding dangling modifiers. And how Bernard Malamud worked, and Helen Dunmore's rules of writing.
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What should we do if we must--absolutely must--have an element in our story that might not be fully entertaining and engaging? 1) Make sure it's important and 2) make it short. Here are thoughts about this critical technique. Also, details in our descriptions are important, but which should we use and which should we leave out?
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We writers can use lovely phrases and perceptive observations when describing our character in our story, and yet the reader may still quickly forget the character. Here's how to make a character stick in the reader's mind. Also, are you a born writer? Maybe so. Here's why you might be.
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We can show (as opposed to tell) as we create a setting for our story. Showing will make our settings vivid, and will allow the setting description to do double duty: describe the place and suggest a mood. Also, reasons to avoid meetings in our story.
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We'll build our character as we write along, adding descriptions and actions and dialogue. But there is a way with only one or two sentences to reveal something powerful and memorable about the character--in just a few words--and I'll talk about the technique here. Also, Joyce Carol Oates's rules of writing. And punctuating dialogue, with important techniques about our character's spoken sentences so that our dialogue is a clear window to the story.
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Jack Bickham's three sentences on scene construction are the best I've found regarding how to write a scene. Here are why these sentences are important for us writers. Also: Sarah Ann Waters' terrific ten rules of writing. And avoiding the word "not."
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Many listeners are writing literary novels and stories. Here is an important technique regarding construction of a literary story, and it also applies to commercial novels.
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The easiest thing for a reader to do is to quit reading our story. Here are ways to begin and end scenes that'll prevent that from happening. Our scenes' beginnings and endings will propel the reader farther into the story.
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Stephen King is a powerful storyteller, of course, and he is also a highly-skilled sentence-by-sentence writer. Here are his tips on writing dialogue, plus thoughts from me about making our characters' dialogue riveting.
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Readers love first person novels, where the hero talks directly to the reader. Here are some techniques for first person writing. Also, famous novelists reveal the books that made them want to be writers.
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Usually I talk about writing techniques but here are some living techniques for us writers. And some famous writers' favorite writers and novels. Plus: what Ernest Hemingway did when he was stuck. Also: the magic of avoiding dialogue tag modifiers. And Snoopy.
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How can an injury be good for us writers? It was for Roald Dahl. And here are Strunk and White's twenty-one rules of writing. Also, Stephen King on descriptions. And several famous setting descriptions, settings so good they are magical. Plus, Toni Morrison reveals how she works.
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A strong way to make a character likeable, and to have the reader root for her, is to have the character experience "otherness." She's out of place. She doesn't fit. Here are techniques on how to do so. Also, how F. Scott Fitzgerald worked. And, no whining.
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Contrast is among the strongest tools we writers can use. It's magic. Here is a discussion of how and where to use contrast. Also, Henry Miller's rules of writing and how John Grisham works.
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We can show (as opposed to tell) about a character's personality by describing the character's face and body, so that our physical description does double duty. Jonathan Franzen's ten rules of writing. And techniques to add atmosphere to our scenes.
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In our novel should we leave plot questions unanswered so we have compelling questions for a sequel? Here are thoughts on how we can approach it. Also, Hilary Mantel's ten rules of writing, how Anne Rice worked, and techniques for writing in the active voice.
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Why do readers put down a novel for good before they reach the last page? Here is a reason, maybe the main reason, and how we writers can avoid it. Also, examples of failed showing, as opposed to telling. And Margaret Atwood's rules of writing.
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Here is a list of the top ten writing techniques in order of their importance, as best I can figure them out. Also, good comments from a book coach. And Zadie Smith's rules of writing.
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Here are Kurt Vonnegut's eight rules of writing. Also, why reading an Andy Weir novel is such a good writing lesson. And; character descriptions should do double duty. Here is how, with examples from legendary writers.
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Here is a scene with a strong plot point important to our story. It should be powerful but it isn't because of technical mistakes in the writing. Can we spot the mistakes? Also, George Orwell's six rules of writing. And a review of how and why to avoid filters.
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What if we get the sense that our story is a trope, that the plot is a cliche, that it's been done before? Here are thoughts on cliched stories. Also, Christopher Vogler's twelve steps for plotting our story.
Apostolic Mentoring
Equipping Millions 2 Reach Billions!
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Classic novelists knew the strong technique regarding plotting and it's a terrific lesson for us: go big or go home. And what if we want to ignore a proven technique? And: thoughts on a character's stream of consciousness thinking. Also, how to avoid overthinking our writing project.
Apostolic Mentoring
Equipping Millions 2 Reach Billions!
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When can a book coach help us and when can a coach not help us? Here are thoughts on book coaches. Also, the master George Orwell on describing a character. Plus, improving our sentence-by-sentence writing by 1) showing, 2) offering details, and 3) avoiding summary words: three big techniques in one.
The Odysseys of Alaythia
After finding a 100 year old diary, Virginia becomes aware of a fantasy world near her own
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Sometimes we don't need to use the standard and strong writing technique, and we can deviate from the proven technique. When? We'll talk about it here. And here are some fun writing quotes. Also, an example of how interior monologue deadens a scene, and how to change it to a scene that will engage and entertain the reader.
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Blake Snyder's famous Save the Cat plotting--where he describes fifteen beats a movie screenplay should have--is useful for us novelists. And wonderful setting descriptions from Willa Cather. Also, what's wrong with this sentence: He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion? And Neil Gaiman's eight rules of writing.
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How can we submit a manuscript that meets the industry's format expectations and so avoids an amateurish look? Here's how to do it. Also, how the best-selling novelist Elin Hilderbrand live and work? And a few comments on pumping up our creativity.
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We aren't villains, and we likely don't have the background and personality of a villain. How can we get inside the mind of a villain for our story, so the villain engages the reader? Here are techniques to do so. Also, big and small things in a novel should be foreshadowed. I'll mention why and how to use foreshadowing to give clues and red herrings to the reader, focusing on small things we might otherwise forget to tie up. Also, here are my favorite funny titles of novels.
The Podcast Inside Your House
Weird Horror.
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Sometimes new writers have a strong plot idea and they begin writing without learning much about fiction writing. Here are the ten most common mistakes new writers make, mistakes that are often prospect killers. Also, how does Kristen Hannah work? And: maybe the best way to learn how to write a novel.
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We learn many techniques to improve our fiction writing. Is there one big thing we should think about first, the most important element? Yes, and we talk about it here. Also, avoiding mixing up the grammatical person and the point of view. How William Faulkner worked. And; making a direct connection between our hero and the reader by showing kindness.
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Here is a technique--it's magical--to make our sentence-by-sentence writing instantly stronger; avoiding qualifiers. And how to use good dialogue tags so the reader hears the dialogue rather than the clunky tags. And important tips regarding back-story.
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Naming our story's characters is fun but there is a big technique involved, which we talk about in this episode. Also; the iceberg theory of writing, and the story framing device. Plus, examples of showing rather than telling about characters' moods.
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It's critical for us writers to make multiple simultaneous submissions. Here are some thoughts on why it's so important. And I mention a wonderful but counterintuitive technique that makes our dialogue smoother. Also: the importance of a scene playing out minute-by-minute, without time skips.
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Where can we turn when wondering about whether we should continue reading a novel? Right here, for some thoughts on reading. Also, here is a discussion on big mistakes we might make when creating our story's setting, and how to avoid them.
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Some novels--even novels that are great literature--have titles that are downers: titles that are sour and pessimistic. Here are thoughts on why we might not want to give our novels downer titles. Also, why we should avoid words that when too close together echo poorly, creating a distracting dissonance. And how we writers can practice.
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Details are proofs, evidence offered to the reader about our story. Details will make our fiction engaging and will allow the story to grab readers. But there are right and wrong ways to use details, and we'll talk about the difference. Also, how should we handle back-story, politics, and society in our story? And a goofy pop quiz.
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For most of us our sentence-by-sentence writing should be a clear window to our story rather than a barrier to seeing the story. Here are thoughts on the clear window. Also, how George Orwell worked.
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What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in the present tense? And the past tense? Also, a reminder about the importance of setting. And I get on my high horse about writers needing persistence regarding submissions.
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It's hard to make a big meeting scene interesting. Much of the time meeting scenes should be avoided. But if we must have a meeting, showing rather than telling will make it more interesting. Plus, how Carson McCullers worked. And some comments from feuding writers. Also, an interview with Maeve Binchy.
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Good advice about designing your own book cover; don't. If you self-publish your novel don't ruin it with a do-it-yourself book cover. Here are thoughts on why you should hire a pro designer. Also: why have we lost some enthusiasm for writing our novel, and how can we get it back? And some of the loveliest sentences in literature.
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Some of us have a hard time beginning the writing of our novels or short stories. Here are the reasons why and things we might do to overcome them. Also, the best first sentences in literature. And now novelist John Cheever worked.
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We can avoid inert paragraphs by having our descriptions do more than one thing at once. Descriptions of our characters, settings, and action and our dialogue can do double duty--two things at the same time--which will engage the reader and enliven our story. Here's how .
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Should we categorize our novel as literary or commercial? What are the benefits and drawbacks of doing so? Also, we can improve our dialogue writing by reading great crime fiction. And: the importance of avoiding filters.
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Jack Bickham says that scenes should be followed by sequels. Here are thoughts on how to write a sequel. Also, the middle of a novel--sometimes called the Great Swampy Middle--can be hard to plot. We'll discuss techniques on bulking up the middle of our story.
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What is the best way to plot our novel, plotting from scene to scene? Here is a discussion of the critical technique of avoiding a scene's set up and wind down. Also, I took part in a writing experiment and spectacularly failed, and here is an account of it. I still wince when I recall it. Also, a strong writing technique is avoiding "was" and "were." We'll discuss why and how to do so.
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What if we are stymied in our plotting, and can't think of enough story? Here are some thoughts on how we might get to work. Also; one of the best ways we can reveal our characters to readers is with the characters' own words, with their dialogue. Here are some thoughts on showing--as opposed to telling--with dialogue. Also, this episode contains the words "oaf," "poltroon," and "knucklehead," such words being like salt; they make anything better.
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We writers get to experience the joy of creating something--a character, a setting, an event--out of nothing. And, how can we tell if the new plot point we've come up with is any good? Are there questions we can ask ourselves to test our new plot point? Also: who are the most memorable villains in fiction? Here is Stephen King's list. And here is something technical; how to paragraph dialogue.
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Most of us subscribe to the our-words-should-be-a-clear-window-to-the-story technique but some writers intentionally make their sentences beautiful so that we think about the words on the page. Here are some thoughts on writing beautiful sentences. Also, how can we pump up our creativity so as to get us off the dime regarding our plotting? And Edna Ferber's striking character descriptions.
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A phrases notebook is a remarkably useful tool for writers. Here's how to create one. Also, sometimes while writing we might get the feeling that our plot is becoming aimless and that it is bogging down. We'll list questions we can ask ourselves to determine if it's true, and how to fix the problem.
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Can we writers get into a mental state called the flow or the zone, then write 40 pages? Maybe. Here's how. And: our fiction might someday change people's lives. Also, showing--as opposed to telling--negative emotions such as disgust. And a monkey in Thailand.
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Character-driven stories--which delve deeply into the hero's change and growth--can be moving and unforgettable for readers but there are traps that we can fall into when writing them. Here they are, and how to avoid them. Also, Kurt Vonnegut's technique of making a character want something right away. And how Joyce Carol Oates works. Also, the enduring appeal of Anne of Green Gables.
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At some point all writers are new writers. Here are some sure-fire fiction writing techniques that might not seem right, that are counterintuitive. These are big techniques new writers often get wrong because at first glance they don't make sense. Here's a list of these methods, and how to avoid getting them wrong.
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How we dress our character will show--that is, to reveal--much about our characters to the reader. Clothing is evidence of our character's personality, and a strong tool for us writers. Also, Jack Bickham has solid advice on how to end our chapters.
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Huge rewards for fiction readers are a character's emotions; love, fear, gratitude, respect, loathing, and many others. Here are techniques on how to create emotions in our characters that will be intensely rewarding for readers. Also: an example of the rule of exceptions regarding likeable characters..
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In the last episode we talked about major dialogue techniques. Here are smaller ones--but still important techniques--that'll make our dialogue shine. And: how does the best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen work? We'll find out.
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Dialogue in fiction is fun to write and fun to read. Here are seven techniques that'll help make our dialogue shine. Also, why should we create a character readers hate? Because those characters can be riveting, and are a strong element in the story. Here are some famous examples from novels, not main villains, but rather secondary characters who make readers groan when they appear on the page.
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Let's talk about stupid writing, And: how to get our story going without over-explanation and back-story. How John Updike and Frank Baum wrote. And an encounter with Aphrodite in English 101.
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Here is a list of the fourteen biggest mistakes we can make when creating our scene, and how to avoid them. Also, we'll talk about how to avoid the dull tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock metronome beat when writing sentences. And: showing rather than telling about a character's personality.
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Adding a close friend for our story's protagonist offers many benefits. Here are some thoughts on buddies. And: how did novelists Willa Cather and Nathaniel Hawthorne work? Plus, techniques for avoiding interior monologue when our character is alone in the scene. And: should we write the story that's loudest in our head or should we aim for the market?
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Bland settings works against the story, and riveting settings propel the story forward. Here are techniques for creating powerful settings that will engage the reader. Also, the Wall Street Journal's interview of best-selling Ken Follett is fascinating, and here is some of it.
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Here are thoughts on how to avoid early mistakes in our writing, those blunders we might make before we write the first sentence of our story. Also, a couple of wonderful quotation about writing. And: new technology tools to help us writers.
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Action is the most interesting element in most novels, and a fight is action. Here are some techniques for writing a fight scene. Also, here's an almost sure-fire way to prime the pump of our plotting, a way to invent more plot for our story. And: thoughts about naming our characters.
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The first sentence of our story should suggest to the reader, "Come on in and listen." A good first sentence propels the reader into the story, and here are some ways to write them. Also: Stephen King's twenty important techniques for writing.
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Why should we keep a tie-up later list? How to create one and their importance are mentioned. And Angelou, King, and Tolstoy. Also: should we plan a sequel?
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Listening to characters speak is a great pleasure for readers. It's as if the reader is a character in the scene, listening in, eavesdropping. Here are the three most important dialogue writing techniques I can think of. Also; how can we make our third-person narrator as intimate with the reader as a first-person narrator? Some thoughts are offered on how to get the reader close to the third-person character. And: Mark Twain's daily writing habits.
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Humorous characters are fun to read about and fun to write about. Here are some thoughts on why funny characters are important in our stories, and some techniques for creating funny characters. Also: Charles Dickens' daily work schedule.
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Here are ways to show with action and dialogue what our character is thinking so we can avoid visiting the character's mind for interior monologue, usually the least interesting element of a story. And we visit Somerset Maugham, Truman Capote, and Herman Melville.
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Do we need courage to write our first novel? If so, where do we find it? Also, writing the physical description of our hero in a first-person novel can be tricky. Here are thoughts on how we might do so.
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Here's a list of the most important techniques we should think about when plotting and writing our novel or short story. Also, more on making our settings work for our story. And, how we can show rather than tell about love.
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Did soon-to-be famous writers know as they drafted their novels that they were creating magic for readers? Maybe. Maybe not. And how can we choose the strong word instead the the weak, so that our sentence shines? Also, here are thoughts on how long our chapters should be, and how to make sure they are not too long and not too short.
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Young adult fiction is a vast market, and many wonderful writers create YA novels. Here are some thoughts on YA, some techniques we might keep in mind as we put together a story meant for teenagers. Also, what is the balance between not enough detail and too much detail in our scenes? I'll set out a formula.
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A distinctive voice can add a charming or compelling aspect to a story. What is voice? And do we need a distinctive voice? Maybe not, maybe so. Here are thoughts about a voice for our stories. Also mentioned are ideas and techniques regarding flashbacks.
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The words on our page should be a clear window to our story. How can we do that? Here are eleven techniques to make our sentences forceful and clear. Also, some comments on the story arc. What is a story arc? Is the concept useful?
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A literary agent or a publisher may ask for a synopsis of our novel, a three to five-page summary. Here are techniques on how to write one. Also, can artificial intelligence write fiction? We'll find out. Plus, ridding our sentences of filters to get the reader closer to the scene.
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New writers tend to put too much summary into their stories. I'll talk about how to avoid that mistake, making sure that most of our novels are scenes. Why is this so important? Scenes are much more engaging for the reader than are summaries. Also, here's how to show--rather than tell--about our characters' aches and pains. And here's a list of the twelve best novels of all time.
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A great pleasure in our fiction reading is coming across a dastardly villain, someone so bad and so well-described we will never forget him or her. Hannibal Lecter. Nurse Ratched. Huckleberry Finn's father Pap. How can writers create such a villain? Here are techniques, in particular regarding the physical description of the villain. Also discussed is how we can get unstuck in our plotting or writing.
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Here are two errors we might make when describing our setting. First, using a dull setting. And, second, making the setting inert, that is, not having the setting contribute to the story. Here are techniques to avoid both mistakes. Plus, we'll look at how other novelists get to work each day, how they manage to sit themselves down and start writing.
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Once we have completed our novel, it may be time to obtain the services of a literary agent. Here are thoughts on how to find good ones, and how to write a query asking them to look at your manuscript
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Blue is bluer when placed next to yellow. Here are techniques on the use of contrast to make our scenes and characters more vivid. Also, we can learn how to describe characters--and we can be inspired--by reading how the masters create their characters.
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Here are some thoughts about how we can write our story in the first-person, some techniques that will capture the reader. Also, usually the fewer the adverbs and adjectives, the stronger the writing. Here's how we can reduce the number of modifiers in our fiction. And here's a list of the six funniest novels of all time.
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One of the best ways to learn the craft of fiction is to read the works of great writers, those novelists who know how to offer the reader unforgettable images of new places and new people. Here are examples of character and setting descriptions from skilled writers. Listening to them, we'll be inspired to create vivid and enchanting descriptions
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What's the difference between an idea and plot? It's important to know as we begin writing. Also, readers love joyous dialogue. Here are thoughts on how to write it.
Practicing Connection: Working together to help families and communities thrive.
Jessica Beckendorf and Bob Bertsch host this exploration of personal and collective...
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What in our lives made us want to write? Here's a discussion about lighting that fuse. Also: here are techniques for showing rather than telling about our story's setting. And discussed also is a wonderful way to learn to write that takes little extra time or effort. Finally, how to write dialogue when the characters are afraid.
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A main reason readers put a novel on their all-time top-ten favorites list is because they fall in love with a character. Here's how we can create characters readers will love. Also discussed are techniques for writing sad dialogue. And also: how to get unstuck when writing or novel or short story.
The Sugar Daddy Podcast
The BEST his and hers finance pod for millennials. Tune in and be your own Sugar Daddy!
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I've been checking out the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, and here are some impressions of its use for writers. And: what are the benefits of identifying our novel as being in a genre? Also, more on those pesky dialogue tag modifiers.
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How can we get off the dime and start writing our novel or short story? Here are some thoughts. Also, readers love emotional dialogue; techniques to write romantic dialogue and angry dialogue are discussed.
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Characters in fiction come in a huge variety, and creating characters involves techniques that discussed in this episode. There are reasons we find Scout Finch and Hermione Granger and Jack Aubrey and Katniss Everdeen so compelling, and let's find out why.
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Here is a strong technique for immersing readers in our settings. Readers will think they are right there with our characters. Also, almost all stories should have a romance, and keys to writing romance scenes are reviewed.
Here is a strong technique to make our characters vivid and memorable for the reader. And also: most novels should have action scenes. The craft of writing a powerful action scene is reviewed.
Sometimes a scene we've written just doesn't feel right. Something is amiss but we can't put our fingers on it. Here's a method to figure out what might be wrong and how to fix it. Also: we can get stuck in our thinking about the plot. Where should the story go next? What should we add? Here are ideas on inventing plot points.
A terrific way for writers to find inspiration is to hear legendary sentences from famous novels. Here are a few. Should we fiddle with fonts in our manuscript? And slow motion is a powerful tool for our scenes.
Can we use a spreadsheet to plot our novels? Some authors do. Here are thoughts about using Excel for outlining a story. Also, most main characters in a novel tell the truth to the reader. But some don't. Sometimes an unreliable narrator is a strong tool for plotting. Plus, should authors fiddle with the speed of time in our novels? Hurrying time and skipping time? Here are some techniques regarding the flow of time in our stories.
How can we handle the dispiriting feeling that writing our novel is a huge, endless, and hard chore with completion far in the future, if ever? Here are some thoughts about facing our big writing project. Also mentioned are some sentence-by-sentence writing mistakes that are easy to avoid. And this episode presents some specific words we can delete from our manuscript, and our story will magically be better.
Creating a timeline can help us keep things straight as we plot and write. Also, here's a discussion of authorial distance, which is the closeness or distance the reader feels from the scene's subjects. And a list of ways to avoid sentence-by-sentence weak writing.
For each scene, the perfect number of characters exists. We'll talk about that number. Too few, and we don't have a scene. Too many, and the scene is like a subway at rush hour. Also, here are some techniques regarding metaphors and similes, a skill that can make our writing more lyrical and engaging. Please note: I will be out of the office next week, and so won't upload a new episode next Friday, but will return for a new episode the following Friday.
How many words a day? Too fast, and our story might be sloppy. Too slow, and we'll never finish. Here are some thoughts about our pace of writing. And also; contrast is a critical tool for us writers. How can we use it?
Here are thoughts on how we might handle doubts about our writing abilities, the fear of failure. Plus, more tips on facing the camera. And: humor is a wonderful tool for writers. Add some laughs to our stories.
We shouldn't write about embarrassing stuff, and here's a list. Also, here are techniques to rev up the middle of the novel, often the hardest part to write.
Here's a strong way to make our sentences pop, to make our writing lively and energetic. Also: how to keep the reader engaged by reducing disbelief and so making our story more real.
Let's apply the wonder factor to our stories, giving readers elements that will make them shake their heads and smile, and so remember our writing. And here also are techniques to avoid inertia in our writing.
The ending of our novel should be a surprise but not a complete surprise. Here are techniques for crafting that balance. And famous character descriptions can inspire us to create our own fascinating character portraits.
If we are going to spend a year or two writing a novel, shouldn't we avoid a mistake in our very first chapter that ruins the novel's chances with agents and publishers? Here's the mistake and how to avoid it. Also mentioned are techniques on keeping the point of view tight.
Dialogue is fun to write and fun to read. What's the best way to mix dialogue with action? How can we make sure dialogue and action work together to propel the story forward? And how science fiction legend Ray Bradbury came up with his plots.
Sometimes when plotting we run out of ideas. Here's a good way to prime the plotting pump. And more on qualifiers, the leeches that infest the pond of prose.
No one in line to buy an autographed copy of your novel? You are not alone. The Wall Street Journal tells of famous authors who have suffered empty bookstores. And techniques for fitting our narrative voice to our genre
Dialogue is fun to write and fun to read. Here is a strong technique to make our dialogue fascinating for readers. Also, novel writing's rule of exceptions.
We'll talk in this episode about another big mistake, one that will cause agents and editors to put aside our manuscripts after four or five pages. Also, some dialogue is better than other dialogue, and so here are tips on writing fascinating dialogue.
Dialogue that does only one thing might be inert. Talk between our characters should do double duty, and here are techniques about how to write double-duty dialogue. Also, how to avoid the as-you-know syndrome in dialogue.
What's the one most important writing technique for novelists? If we get it wrong it sinks our publishing chances. We'll talk about how to get it right. Also, how to add the charming or funny or odd trait to our character that will make him or her stick in the reader's mind.
Can we know in advance if we have the talent to write a novel, before we spend the time and effort to write it? Here are some thoughts. Also, we can get better at close observing and phrase- making, and some techniques are discussed.
Here are techniques for creating fictional villains readers will love to loathe and fear. We writers can make readers shudder when our scoundrels appear.
Readers want to fall in love with our characters. Here are some techniques about how to create characters readers will be passionate about, and so will dislike seeing the novel end. Also, some advice on handling minor characters.
Some scenes are too much, and they may ruin a novel for readers. What are they? Plus, here are some good techniques for describing our characters, having our descriptions do double duty. And don't forget the quirks.
How can we know when we've prepared enough? Is it time to start chapter 1? Here's a list of eight things we probably should have figured out before we start our first chapter. Also, how to show rather than tell about emotions and reactions.
Some elements of a novel are more interesting than others, and some are less interesting. Writers should give readers more of the involving and fascinating aspects, and here is a ranked list of those elements. Also, a look at how three great writers describe their characters, and what we can learn from them.
Scene structure is an art hidden from the reader but critical for the success of a scene. We'll talk about structure in this episode. Also, here is one of the best ways to avoid mushy, colorless sentences that don't grip the reader.
Should we as writers practice our craft? What are the benefits, and how should we do so? And here are more ideas about making clear to readers what our character is thinking. Also, here are some laughably bad sentences.
Here are eight signs that our plot isn't as interesting as we'd like, which is to say; it's dull. And how to fix it. Also, how do we carve out the time to write in our busy lives? A good author reveals how she did it.
We should show as opposed to tell most of the time. But sometimes telling is fine. Here is a formula for when to show and when to tell. Also, we'll talk about techniques for clear and spare writing. And the reason Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is my favorite novel. And a wonderfully funny sentence from Lee Child.
Making a list of our favorite novels is fun and it can teach us something about writing, plus the strong technique of check-mark plotting.
Plotting our story is so important that we return to it here. How can we know what works and doesn't work in a story? We'll talk about plotting techniques including good advice from a Pulitzer Prize winner.
Successful novels almost always follow a pattern, and we'll talk about the pattern in this episode. Also, what put you in mind of writing fiction? I'd like to hear from you about it. And several more odd book titles.
Vladimir Nabokov said a writer should have the enchanter quality. Here are examples from H.P. Lovecraft. And how does Nora Roberts work? Also, showing rather than telling about the weather and personality. And some John Lennon.
Formulas became formulas because they work. Our genre will offer guidelines (formulas) for our plots. And: titles are fun to think about but it's sometimes hard to invent a good one. Here are some thoughts about coming up with a good title.
Interior monologue and how to avoid it. And more techniques regarding the critical skill of showing rather than telling. And visits to John Steinbeck and Willa Cather.
We writers may never know to whom our words will have a profound meaning. Plus, the importance of cause and effect. And the perils of interior monologue.
Should we show friends and family our manuscripts as we compose them? Good reasons for and against exist. The key to vivid writing: be specific, definite, and concrete. Plus, famous romantic lines, avoiding useless analogies, and a technique for vivid writing: using verbs rather than verb objects.
What should we look for when editing our own manuscript? How do famous authors do it? What should we look for as we edit? This episode discusses the editing process, the good and bad of it.
Topics of earlier episodes are boiled down to sixteen points, and we'll talk about them briefly. Also, here are some things we can do to make our sentence-by-sentence writing more pleasing to readers' eyes and ears.
How can we shake loose from our brains plots for our novels? Here's my favorite way. Plus, benefits and perils of writing with a partner. More on accents. And avoiding adverbs, which are not a writer's friend.
Why don't we begin our novel? Here's a reason, and a way to avoid it. Plus, we'll talk about qualifiers and intensifiers, the leeches of language. And some thoughts on profanity and slang. And why age benefits novelists.
Many adjective and adverb s do nothing but pad a sentence, making the sentence rickety. Here are some techniques on avoiding these useless or unintentionally funny modifiers. Plus, some words are just too much. We'll avoid these, too.
In this episode we focus on sentence-by-sentence writing. How can we make our sentences vivid and powerful? Some strong techniques are discussed, such as avoiding cliches like the plague.
Our writing should be a clear window to the story, and a technique is to, in Einstein's phrase, keep it simple but not too simple. Here are some techniques for doing that, along with a discussion of metaphors and similes.
As writers, should we be concerned with a themes for our stories? And a critical question: are writers allowed to be weird? We'll also return to the need for early conflict in our stories, and then go on to discuss vivid writing.
Our setting -- the place and time of the scene -- anchor our characters the the ground. Here are techniques for writing our settings to get the most from them, so that they play a strong role in the story.
Our topics this episode are how to avoid breaking the fourth wall, onomatopoeia (clunk, thud, kersplat), and techniques on ending the novel. We'll also talk about some bad writing, really bad writing.
Dialogue is so important to our stories that we'll talk more about it here. Then we'll move on to foreshadowing--including the Chekhov's famous gun--and coincidences., where one is fine but two are not.
A fictional character's dialogue sounds like a person speaking in real life, but not too much like a person speaking in real life. In this episode we'll talk about dialogue techniques that draw the reader into the story.
Here are techniques to control our point of view so that our story doesn't have a dizzying quality as the reader jumps from one character's mind to another character's mind. We'll also discuss a writer's narrative voice.
The difference between showing and telling is so important that we continue with it in this episode, including the technique of saving it for later. Plus, we'll talk about the grammatical person.
We'll talk about the most critical skill for vivid writing, showing versus telling. Showing reveals. Telling explains. Showing is almost always more involving for the reader, and we'll discuss how to show rather than tell..
We'll discuss the difference between summary and scene., and why writing scenes rather than summaries is so important. Point of view will also be briefly touch on, along with techniques on how to end a scene Rhythmic placement of scenes is also a topic in this episode.
Good scenes have a certain form. This episode is about how to craft a compelling scene, including the need to begin a scene late in the chronology and end it early.
How can we create compelling villains and lovable and maybe eccentric sidekicks? How many characters should we put in a scene? How about basing a character on a friend or relative? And are there tips for naming our characters? Learn these techniques and more ini this episode.
Heroes in our novel reading appear to be wildly different. But almost all successful novel protagonists have several common aspects to their personalities, and in this podcast we'll talk about them. We'll focus on creating a character the reader loves, and so the reader will intensely dislike coming to the end of the story when the reader must leave the beloved character behind.
We'll talk about how to keep the reader involved in the story, how to move a plot forward. And we'll discuss one of my favorite topics: the novel's first sentence.
Is there an idea dump where we can go to find a fresh plot for our novel or a strong plot point for the next chapter of our novel? No, but good methods exist to develop plots, and that's the topic of this episode.
Getting ready to start a novel. Drafting a a plan (timetable). An outline (pros and cons). Other useful pre-writing and during-the-writing documents. Recommendations for a novel's length.
Follow the rules. Go with what works to increase our chances of getting published. Writing can be learned. And if we know how to write, we can get better. A critical ingredient: persistence. One negative thing about learning to write. Leaning to concentrate. And a technique about weeping.