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SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 9) EDITING ALONE Feb 01, 2023

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SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 9) EDITING ALONE WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/dcrIFhpq6HY Episode 9 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to be a damn fine editor. We talk about when you should NOT be editing. The different levels of editing are CONTENT, CHAPTER, and COPY editing, and we review examples of each of these. J edited STARCHILD one last time (and added a chapter!) before sending the book to his audiobook narrator. We take a forensic examination of book edits (The DaVinci Code adapted for Young Adults and the Anatomy of Peace 4th edition) to see what the pros change. Editing is a careful balance between being too clear and too obscure—go too far either direction and you’ll lose readers. Finally, you should make your book perfect before sending it for other to see (as we’ll talk about in the next episode). * * * If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com * * * Buy our books! JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/

SW SPECIAL J’s Beginner’s Guide (part 8) SUBPLOTS (Joe’s favorite episode) Nov 01, 2022

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SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 8) SUBPLOTS (Joe’s favorite episode) WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/HOYNat1l03Y Episode 8 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to do subplots. First, we review PLOT CLOCKS. Then we look at a model called SUBPLOT RAINBOWS. We follow along with how J.K. Rowling outlined the Order of the Phoenix. We see how the innovative MUSICAL PLOT STAFF works for organizing multiple viewpoints. And finally, we look at three short tips, which are (1) get a good editor, (2) start with the smallest plottable story chunk, and (3) keep the plot personal (not epic). If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com * * * Buy our books! JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 7) PLOT CLOCK Oct 04, 2022

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SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 7) PLOT CLOCK WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/zR-IPvGfAbg Episode 7 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how J Washburn structures a story using a PLOT CLOCK! The main points of this clock are (1) HOOK, (2) PLEDGE, (3) TURN, (4) PRESTIGE, (5) FINALE. We take an in-depth look at Jurassic Park and Star Wars: A New Hope as examples of how this structure works. And we also takes quick glance as the kishotenketsu model for plotting. And finally, I reveal the behind-the-scenes story of the ECKSDOT finale! If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com * * * Buy our books! JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 6) PLOT FROM SCRATCH Sep 03, 2022

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SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 6) PLOT FROM SCRATCH WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/_dWnYmQ83M8 Episode 6 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is the easiest way to write a plot! We start with a letter from a listener, and we address questions like these: - Should I write my story from the finale and work backward? - Should I just figure out the plot as I go or should I write an outline? - How does George Martin plan his FANTASY NOVELS? - How do you fix a broken plot? - Is it faster to just skip outlining and just start writing? - What models can I structure my plot around? - What’s the absolute simplest way to think of plot? If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com * * * Buy our books! JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/

SW 129 INT Raymond O’Connor: Stop letting stories die inside you! Mar 04, 2022

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OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Ggg13QPw8qs Ray's RUNNING OFF THE RAILS podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/running-off-the-rails/id1546572690https://pca.st/podcast/6c329090-2adc-0139-32e0-0acc26574db2https://runningofftherails.com/WEAVE BREAKER D&D build: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/351499/The-Weave-Breaker--The-Ultimate-Spell-Sword-Class https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/meh5ff/the_weave_breaker_the_ultimate_spell_sword_class/GETTING STARTED IN D&Dhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVdb9Yr8fc05_VbAVfskCA

SW 128 INT Jeanne Cavelos: Scifi author and founder of OdysseyWorkshop.org Jan 29, 2022

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Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/YaUGPWGYM0w Jeanne Cavelos is an author, editor, scientist, and writing coach. In this episode, we talk about several of her works, including THE SCIENCE OF STAR WARS, several BABYLON 5 novels, and her upcoming near-future scifi novel called FATAL SPIRAL. She is the founder of a nonprofit that brings out the best in writers called the ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP. Apply to the Personal Odyssey Workshop here: http://www.odysseyworkshop.org Read some writing tips on the Odyssey Workshop Blog: https://odysseyworkshop.wordpress.com/ Listen to the Odyssey Workshop Podcast: https://www.odysseyworkshop.org/resources/podcasts/ [NOTE FROM J: Sorry for the audio quality in this episode. That's my mistake. But I'm absolutely delighted to have had this conversation with Jeanne. And my thanks to you for listening!]

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 5) VILLAINS Jan 07, 2022

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SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 5) VILLAINS WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/9aTS_YrWPhI HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/edit?usp=sharing Episode 5 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is about how to create DEEP CHARACTERS. This means making them dynamic. Villains can be the opposite of heroes, meaning they're dislikable and bad. Or villains can simply have opposing goals, ones that conflict with what they hero wants. These villains are not bad by nature, but they provide antagonism in a competitive, zero-sum game. http://www.jwashburn.com J Washburn is the author of STARCHILD, an epic space opera about a rogue pilot in a galactic revolution.

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 4) TIPS FOR HEROES Nov 18, 2021

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WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/6I_9yB4vojs Episode 4 of A BEGINNER’S GUIDE to Writing a Novel gives you tips on how to create real and empathetic characters: Keep your cast small. Make every character physically and emotionally unique. Make sure readers can find the right button on the microwave. Use simple tags to remind your readers of a personality. Don’t be afraid to use repetition. Use a character outline to find the deeper emotional needs. Focus on VISION, INITIATIVE, and SPIRIT. Don’t make your hero too abnormal. NEEDS WASHED: http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2007/11/11/lawn_needs_cut/ HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/

SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 3) HEROIC EQ Sep 23, 2021

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Episode 3 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches about building characters from the ground up. In this episode, J Washburn and Joe Bendoski tag team in a lecture that covers emotional intelligence, mimicry, and character names. We look at examples from Charles Dickens, George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin. To see the visuals from the slide deck, check out this episode of Start Writing on YouTube: https://youtu.be/z2tx_8Ovv1g

SW SPECIAL J’s Beginner’s Guide (part 2) WORLDBUILDING Aug 27, 2021

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This episode covers how J Washburn goes through the worldbuilding process. He touches on examples from J.K. Rowling, Brandon Sanderson, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He explains how to make a Story Bible. Oh, and maybe most importantly, he teaches you about finding and defining your genre. Watch the episode on YouTube if you want to see the slides: https://youtu.be/LhHT98U1Pgg

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