Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 237 - Read to learn rhythm.
Thomas Cullen writes, "the brains of skilled writers are wired over many years to mimic the rhythms, structures, patterns and prose of their favorite…
11 hours ago
Episode 236 - Six questions to ask if we want to be a novelist.
Do we have what it takes to write a novel? Here are six questions we can ask ourselves that'll shed light on the issue. Also, when should a writer …
1 week ago
Episode 235 - Ten small writing techniques.
Here are ten smaller techniques that'll improve our story, each maybe not big enough for a full segment but worthwhile to help make our story grippin…
2 weeks ago
Episode 234 - Creating a character readers will love.
What do Elizabeth Bennett, Anne Shirley, Frodo Baggins, Jo March, Harry Potter, and Huckleberry Finn have in common? Readers love them. We can crea…
3 weeks ago
Episode 233 - Peeling the onion.
We writers can train ourselves to peel the onion: to look more deeply at places and people, and so set forth our discoveries in lovely language in ou…
4 weeks ago
Episode 232 - More on making our dialogue engaging for readers.
Readers love dialogue. It's as if they are part of the scene, sitting there and listening to our characters argue or romance each other or plan some…
1 month ago
Episode 231 - Techniques to make our dialogue grab readers.
Dialogue is like a Snickers candy bar: it's good. Here are eight techniques for making conversations in our story engage the reader, things we shoul…
1 month, 1 week ago
Episode 230 - Creating a dastardly villain.
The shark. Dracula. Draco Malfoy. Cathy Ames. Annie Wilkes, Hannibal Lecter. Jadis the White Witch. Aren't these villains masterful creations,…
1 month, 2 weeks ago
Episode 229 - Juice up the setting.
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 othe…
1 month, 3 weeks ago
Episode 228 - Avoiding dullness in our story.
Every element in our story should contribute to entertaining the reader including our settings. We can replace our dull settings with fascinating lo…
2 months ago