Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 130 - Kurt Vonnegut's rules of writing, and powerful character descriptioins.
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 sh…
1 year, 11 months ago
Episode 129 - A scene with too many mistakes. Can we spot them?
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. C…
1 year, 11 months ago
Episode 128 - Should we be afraid our plot has been done before?
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. Al…
1 year, 11 months ago
Episode 127 - Go big or go home plotting.
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…
1 year, 11 months ago
Episode 126 - Should we hire a book coach?
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 c…
2 years ago
Episode 125 - When to avoid the proven writing technique.
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 h…
2 years ago
Episode 124 - Save the cat plotting.
Blake Snyder's famous Save the Cat plotting--where he describes fifteen beats a movie screenplay should have--is useful for us novelists. And wonder…
2 years ago
Episode 123 - The beauty of a professional submission.
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 b…
2 years ago
Episode 122 - Getting inside a villain's mind.
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,…
2 years, 1 month ago
Episode 121 - The biggest mistakes new writers make.
Sometimes new writers have a strong plot idea and they begin writing without learning much about fiction writing. Here are the ten most common mista…
2 years, 1 month ago