Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 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. …
2 months, 1 week 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…
2 months, 2 weeks 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 …
2 months, 3 weeks ago
Episode 217 - Why and how to practice. And Edgar Alan Poe.
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 …
2 months, 4 weeks ago
Episode 216 - Too many characters is a scene.
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…
3 months ago
Episode 215 - The ratchet, a strong plotting tool.
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 ra…
3 months, 1 week ago
Episode 214 - Famous writers show us how to write and live.
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 thre…
3 months, 3 weeks ago
Episode 213 - Save the cat plotting.
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 screenwriter…
3 months, 4 weeks ago
Episode 212 - Getting skilled with point of view.
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 s…
4 months ago
Episode 211 - How to have fun while writing.
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 jo…
4 months, 1 week ago