Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Latest Episodes:

Episode 119 - Making our sentences instantly stronger. Jun 28, 2024

Show notes

Here is a technique--it's magical--to make our sentence-by-sentence writing instantly stronger; avoiding qualifiers. And how to use good dialogue tags so the reader hears the dialogue rather than the clunky tags. And important tips regarding back-story.

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Episode 118 - Naming characters and the framing device. Jun 21, 2024

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Naming our story's characters is fun but there is a big technique involved, which we talk about in this episode. Also; the iceberg theory of writing, and the story framing device. Plus, examples of showing rather than telling about characters' moods.

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.

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Episode 117 - Making multiple submissions, and a strong dialogue technique. Jun 14, 2024

Show notes

It's critical for us writers to make multiple simultaneous submissions. Here are some thoughts on why it's so important. And I mention a wonderful but counterintuitive technique that makes our dialogue smoother. Also: the importance of a scene playing out minute-by-minute, without time skips.

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Episode 116 - Advice from your lifestyle counselor, and mistakes when describing our setting. Jun 07, 2024

Show notes

Where can we turn when wondering about whether we should continue reading a novel? Right here, for some thoughts on reading. Also, here is a discussion on big mistakes we might make when creating our story's setting, and how to avoid them.

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Episode 115 - Downer titles and words that echo poorly. May 31, 2024

Show notes

Some novels--even novels that are great literature--have titles that are downers: titles that are sour and pessimistic. Here are thoughts on why we might not want to give our novels downer titles. Also, why we should avoid words that when too close together echo poorly, creating a distracting dissonance. And how we writers can practice.

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Episode 114 - A critical technique to make our story engaging. May 24, 2024

Show notes

Details are proofs, evidence offered to the reader about our story. Details will make our fiction engaging and will allow the story to grab readers. But there are right and wrong ways to use details, and we'll talk about the difference. Also, how should we handle back-story, politics, and society in our story? And a goofy pop quiz.

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Episode 113 - The clear window technique. May 17, 2024

Show notes

For most of us our sentence-by-sentence writing should be a clear window to our story rather than a barrier to seeing the story. Here are thoughts on the clear window. Also, how George Orwell worked.

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Episode 112 - Writing in the past or present tense, and making submissions. May 10, 2024

Show notes

What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in the present tense? And the past tense? Also, a reminder about the importance of setting. And I get on my high horse about writers needing persistence regarding submissions.

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Episode 111 - If we have to have a big meeting, show rather than tell. May 03, 2024

Show notes

It's hard to make a big meeting scene interesting. Much of the time meeting scenes should be avoided. But if we must have a meeting, showing rather than telling will make it more interesting. Plus, how Carson McCullers worked. And some comments from feuding writers. Also, an interview with Maeve Binchy.

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Episode 110 - Book cover design, and regaining enthusiasm. Apr 26, 2024

Show notes

Good advice about designing your own book cover; don't. If you self-publish your novel don't ruin it with a do-it-yourself book cover. Here are thoughts on why you should hire a pro designer. Also: why have we lost some enthusiasm for writing our novel, and how can we get it back? And some of the loveliest sentences in literature.

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