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    Education

    Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

    Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel. It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story development and scene construction (Kirkus Reviews said Thayer’s novels are “superbly crafted’) and it also examines techniques that will make your sentence-by-sentence writing shine. The New York Times Book Review has said Thayer’s “writing is smooth and clear. it wastes no words, and it has a rhythm only confident stylists achieve.

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    Copyright: © 2024 Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

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    Latest Episodes:
    Episode 243 - Writing the character study, and the crucible. Nov 13, 2026
    Show notes

    Many strong novels focus on character emotions, and can be called character studies. Readers see close up how characters grow and change. Here are thoughts on writing a character study, a story that explores in depth a few characters, with the plot perhaps having less goal-oriented action than in other novels. Also: the plotting technique called the crucible.

    Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 242 - Avoiding six big mistakes in our story. Nov 06, 2026
    Show notes

    We are writing or editing our story. It's good. We like it. But have we made prospect-killing mistakes early in our story, big errors in the story that work against its success? Here's a discussion of six mistakes we might make in the first few chapters and how to fix them. Also: lovely sentences have rhythm. How can we learn prose rhythm?

    Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 241 - Riveting first sentences. Oct 30, 2026
    Show notes

    Our first sentence's main task is to launch the reader into the story. Here's how to begin our story with a riveting opening sentence. And at the other end of the story, after all the pages how should we write the walkaway?

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 240 - Make readers laugh out loud. Oct 23, 2026
    Show notes

    Not just comedy novels but rather almost all novels will benefit from humor. Here is how to exaggerate to make readers laugh. Also, avoiding dialogue tag modifiers so that our dialogue doesn't become unintentionally funny.

    Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 239 - A method for ramping up our dialogue. Oct 16, 2026
    Show notes

    We writers should give readers what they want, and readers like dialogue. Here is a technique for making our dialogue more engaging. Also: the ten most beautiful words in the English language. And: how to change telling to showing so the scene grips the reader.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 238 - My favorite writing technique. Oct 09, 2026
    Show notes

    Among hundreds of fiction writing techniques, here is my favorite, and it involves weeping. Also, a review of a critical skill for us: controlling the point of view.

    Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 237 - Read to learn rhythm. Oct 02, 2026
    Show notes

    Thomas Cullen writes, "the brains of skilled writers are wired over many years to mimic the rhythms, structures, patterns and prose of their favorite authors.” We can learn lovely rhythms by reading famous fiction passages. And: how to overcome the possible grind of writing the middle of the novel.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 236 - Six questions to ask if we want to be a novelist. Sep 25, 2026
    Show notes

    Do we have what it takes to write a novel? Here are six questions we can ask ourselves that'll shed light on the issue. Also, when should a writer make an exception to a tried-and-true rule of writing?

    Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 235 - Ten small writing techniques. Sep 18, 2026
    Show notes

    Here are ten smaller techniques that'll improve our story, each maybe not big enough for a full segment but worthwhile to help make our story gripping and our sentences shine. Also, here are thoughts about our story's ending; isn't HEA (happily-ever-after) a formula and cliche? And: how to show rather than tell about the weather.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

    Episode 234 - Creating a character readers will love. Sep 11, 2026
    Show notes

    What do Elizabeth Bennett, Anne Shirley, Frodo Baggins, Jo March, Harry Potter, and Huckleberry Finn have in common? Readers love them. We can create such a character, one readers will long remember and maybe reread the storyl just to be with the character again. Also, adverbs and adjectives can weaken sentences. Here is why and how to avoid them.

    Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars. If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.

    Support the show

    Buy the master class.

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