Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 227 - Becoming a close observer.
Almost all successful fiction writers are close observers. We can teach ourselves to be close observers, and use those observations in our character…
2 months, 1 week ago
Episode 226 - Ways to make our sentences shine.
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 …
2 months, 2 weeks ago
Episode 225 - Leave it all on the field.
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…
2 months, 3 weeks ago
Episode 224 - Using all the senses to describe our character.
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, …
3 months ago
Episode 223 - Readers can fall in love with our settings.
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 …
3 months, 1 week ago
Episode 222 - Small techniques can add up to forceful sentences.
Here are pocket-sized techniques that can result in strong sentences; small--even tiny--things we can add to our prose writing arsenal. Also, Eliza…
3 months, 2 weeks ago
Episode 221 - Writing that is more intense than real life.
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 …
3 months, 3 weeks ago
Episode 220 - Cut to the chase.
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. …
4 months ago
Episode 219 - How to get our story going.
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 a…
4 months ago
Episode 218 - Our writer's voice.
What is a singular attribute that separates Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Alan Poe? Their literary voices. Here are thoughts on our own …
4 months, 1 week ago