Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Latest Episodes:

Episode 9: Showing versus telling Apr 09, 2022

Show notes

We'll talk about the most critical skill for vivid writing, showing versus telling. Showing reveals. Telling explains. Showing is almost always more involving for the reader, and we'll discuss how to show rather than tell..

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Episode 8 - Scene and summary Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

We'll discuss the difference between summary and scene., and why writing scenes rather than summaries is so important. Point of view will also be briefly touch on, along with techniques on how to end a scene Rhythmic placement of scenes is also a topic in this episode.

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Episode 7 - How to craft a scene. Mar 27, 2022

Show notes

Crafting a scene involves mechanics hidden from readers. Here are techniques that lead to the success of a scene: ways to grab the reader, immerse him or her in the scene, and then launch the reader into the next scene.

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Episode 6: Villains and sidekicks. Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

How can we create compelling villains and lovable and maybe eccentric sidekicks? How many characters should we put in a scene? How about basing a character on a friend or relative? And are there tips for naming our characters? Learn these techniques and more ini this episode.

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Episode 5: Creating compelling characters. Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

Characters in fiction come in a huge variety, and creating characters involves techniques that discussed in this episode. There are reasons we find Scout Finch and Hermione Granger and Jack Aubrey and Katniss Everdeen so compelling, and let's find out why.

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Episode 4: Pace, the first sentence, back-story, over-description Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

We'll talk about how to keep the reader involved in the story, how to move a plot forward. And we'll discuss one of my favorite topics: the novel's first sentence.

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Episode 3 - Go big or go home. Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

Is there an idea dump where we can find a fresh plot for our novel or a strong plot point for the next chapter of our novel? No, but good methods exist to develop plots, and that's the topic of this episode.

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Episode 2: Getting ready to start writing a novel. Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

Getting ready to start a novel. Drafting a a plan (timetable). An outline (pros and cons). Other useful pre-writing and during-the-writing documents. Recommendations for a novel's length.

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Episode 1: Learning and getting better at the craft of writing. Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

Follow the rules. Go with what works to increase our chances of getting published. Writing can be learned. And if we know how to write, we can get better. A critical ingredient: persistence. One negative thing about learning to write. Leaning to concentrate. And a technique about weeping.

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