Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 161 - Ways to give readers what they want.
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 ch…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 160 - Should our story have a theme?
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 …
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 159 - A surefire way to generate plot, the sidekick.
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…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 158 - A lifetime's writing advice reduced to one minute.
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, avoidin…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 157 - How we writers can create a world.
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 tal…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 156 - How to write the fast start.
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 m…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 155 - The single most important ingredient in an unforgetable story.
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…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 154 - Learning from the masterful writer Edna Ferber.
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 wor…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 153 - A legendary novelist's lesson for us writers.
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. …
1 year, 6 months ago
Episode 152 - How the masters create their settings.
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 ma…
1 year, 6 months ago