Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode 168 - Making our first sentence sparkle.
Does our story's first sentence cause the reader to ask, "What's next?" Or does the reader say, "So what?" Here are thoughts on creating a tense, s…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 167 - Revealing our character by the setting.
Our setting descriptions should do more than describe a place. They can also show the reader much about our character. Here's how to do so. Also: …
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 166- Showing our character's thoughts.
Two mistakes can ruin our presentation of what our character is thinking: telling rather than showing, and interior monologue. Here are ways to pres…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 165 - The rule of exceptions.
Sometimes the strongest writing technique isn't the strongest in our story. Every writing rule has exceptions, and here's a discussion on when to ma…
1 year, 4 months ago
Episode 164 - Design our cover? And the masters on setting details.
We are learning fiction techniques, and we are or soon will be skilled fiction writers. Does this mean we should design our own book covers? Also, …
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 163 - The benefits of an underdog.
Having readers fall in love with our character is so important, and making our hero an underdog is a good way to do it. Here are thoughts on underdo…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 162 - The state fair plotting technique.
Our story should be like a state fair: one thing after another. Here are some ideas on state fair plotting. Plus: settings shouldn't be inert locat…
1 year, 5 months ago
Episode 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, 5 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, 5 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, 6 months ago