Podcasts by Writing Roots

S49E3–How Do I Build a Military for a Spec Fic Story? from 2023-12-11T11:15

World-building can be as complicated or as simple as your story needs it to be. - Moriah Richard

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S49E2–Is Having Multiple POVs the Same as Head Hopping? from 2023-12-07T14:08

With third-person limited, we want to ensure that the character’s beliefs are reflected in the narrator’s description of things. Not by necessarily telling us what the character thinks, but by c...

S49E1–Why Do You Have a Podcast? from 2023-12-04T13:21

In teaching writing, I’m learning new things about writing. - David B Coe

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S48E9–How to Identify Sexism from 2023-11-30T12:40

I don’t try and write strong female characters or strong male characters. I just try and write, hopefully, strong characters and sometimes they happen to be female. - JJ Abrams

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S48E8–How to Identify When Nothing Happens from 2023-11-27T12:31

I write a lot of material that I know I’ll throw away…. I have to write hundreds of pages before I get to page one. - Barbara Kingsolver

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S48 Bonus–How to Identify Progress in Writing, AKA The Blackmail Episode from 2023-11-25T12:40

You do an awful lot of bad writing in order to do any good writing. Incredibly bad. I think it would be very interesting to make a collection of some of the worst writing by good writers. - Will...

S48E7–How to Identify Head Hopping from 2023-11-23T16:50:40

It is not the task of the writer to 'tell all', or even decide what to leave in, but to decide what to leave out. - Caitlin R. Kiernan

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S48E6–How to Identify Contradictions in Writing from 2023-11-20T14:23:44

I write to keep from going mad from the contradictions I find among mankind - and to work some of those contradictions out for myself. - Michel de Montaigne

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S48E5–How to Identify Poor and Excessive Descriptions from 2023-11-16T16:44:56

I write, “Jane came into the room and sat down on the blue couch,” read that, wince, cross out “came into the room” and “down” and “blue” (Why does she have to come into the room? Can someone si...

S48E4–How to Identify Sentences with Too Many Characters from 2023-11-13T15:30

Through an arbitrary problem, I had arrived at a tenet of good writing: brevity wins. - Michael Winter

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S48E3–How to Identify: Extra Adjectives and Adverbs from 2023-11-09T15:24

The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do. - Thomas Jefferson

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S48E2–How to Identify a Confusing Timeline from 2023-11-06T14:26

Making sure that the geography and timelines work is always the hardest part of writing. But you owe it to the readers to get it right. - Michael Scott

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S48E1–How to Identify Good Writing from 2023-11-02T13:42

Good writing can be defined as having something to say and saying it well. - Edward Abbey

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S47E9–Adding Foreshadowing During Editing from 2023-10-30T14:06

Jacques : This place... is cursed.
Red : What is it with you and curses?
Spivey : He ain't happy without a good curse. 'This is cursed. That is cursed. '
Red : Give it rest, wi...

S47 Bonus–How Not to Foreshadow from 2023-10-28T12:06

Foreshadowing is the mysterious whisper that hints at the secrets yet to be unveiled. - Jocelyn Murray

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S47E8–Foreshadowing a Descent into Villainy from 2023-10-26T14:20

He who fights monsters should see to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. - Friedrich Nietzsche

The ...

S47E7–How to Foreshadow Enemies to Lovers from 2023-10-23T15:23

Wonderful girl! Either I'm gonna kill her, or I'm beginning to like her! - Han Solo, Star Wars: A New Hope

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S47E6–Foreshadowing Through a Character’s Descent into Madness from 2023-10-19T14:56

It was for one minute that I saw him, but the hair stood upon my head like quills. Sir, if that was my master, why had he a mask upon his face? - Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. ...

S47E5–Symbolic Foreshadowing from 2023-10-16T13:57

A red sun rises. Blood has been spilled this night. - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

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S47E4–Prophecies and Omniscience as Foreshadowing from 2023-10-12T13:43

As you and I listen to Uncle Monty tell the three Baudelaire orphans that no harm will ever come to them in the Reptile Room, we should be experiencing the strange feeling that accompanies the a...

S47E3–Foreshadowing Through Dialogue from 2023-10-09T14:26

“The first man had three wishes.”
“Yes,” was the reply. “I don’t know what the first two were, but the third was for death. That’s how I got the paw.” - The Monkey’s Paw, WW Jacobs

...

S47E2–Foreshadowing: Breadcrumbs and Misdirection from 2023-10-05T14:28

My father’s voice comes back to me. “Not these, Katniss. Never these. They’re nightlock. You’ll be dead before they reach your stomach.” - The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

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S47E1–Using Passive Foreshadowing from 2023-10-02T13:32

Professor Snape: Can anyone tell me what a portkey is? Yes, Miss Granger?
Hermione: A portkey is an enchanted object that when touched will transfer the one or ones who touched it to anywh...

S46 Bonus–About Writing Contests with Rebecca van Laer of Reedsy from 2023-09-30T13:26

Don’t participate half-heartedly or use work that you have not yet edited or assume that there is a less talented writing pool participating in the contest. You should prepare for the competitio...

S46E8–Writing for Anthologies from 2023-09-28T17:23:14

The original Greek meaning of the word anthology is a collection or gathering of flowers in bloom. - Jane Garmey

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S46E7–A Look at Writing Contest Judging from 2023-09-25T13:52

It helps to be pretty thick-skinned if you’re going to enter contests. But anyone who writes for more than pure personal satisfaction knows that rejection is part of the deal. - Amy Cook

...

S46E6–The“Don’ts”of Writing Contests from 2023-09-21T14:08

Don’t read success stories, you will only get a message. Read failure stories, you will get some ideas to get success. - Abdul Kalam

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S46E5–Formatting for a Writing Contest from 2023-09-18T17:23:06

It’s important to note that guidelines may vary a little based on who you talk to or what you read, but by following the ones stated… you will make sure your manuscript looks clean, easy to read...

S46E4–Editing for a Short Story Contest from 2023-09-14T11:35

Many writers are paralyzed by the thought that they are competing with everybody else who is trying to write and presumably doing it better…. Forget the competition and go at your own pace. Your...

S46E3–Writing for Short Story Contests from 2023-09-11T14:21

Write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I’m not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter. - Neil Gaiman

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S46E2–Finding the Right Writing Contest from 2023-09-07T12:47

I always try to use my medium, and if I get into a normal sitcom-writing contest with normal sitcom writers, I'm going to lose. - Dan Harmon

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S46E1–Different Types of Writing Contests from 2023-09-04T14:01

Writers often wrestle with the written word alone, but competitions can be a way to connect with a larger community. After all, stories can benefit others, and judges of writing contests want to...

S45E9–The Editor’s Toolkit from 2023-08-31T13:03

Let’s face it: The ‘genius’ stuff happens in the editing process. - Jeff Goins

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S45E8–How to Charge for Editing from 2023-08-28T14:19

To write is human, to edit is divine. - Stephen King

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S45 Bonus–Being an Author Editors Want to Work With from 2023-08-26T16:27:31

The secret to editing your work is simple: you need to become its reader instead of its writer. - Zadie Smith

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S45E7–Questions for the Author/Editor Interview from 2023-08-24T15:49:51

Editing is a kind of creative activity where, in a perfect world, an author and an editor find that elusive oneness to understand each other intuitively. - Sahara Sanders

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S45E6–Personal Editing Cheat Sheets from 2023-08-21T13:09

Editors are extremely fallible people, all of them. Don’t put too much trust in them. - Maxwell Perkins

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S45E5–Style Guides for Editing from 2023-08-17T15:33:15

For the relationship to work, the writer and editor must respect each other’s expertise and passion. - Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler

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S45E4–The Job of a Proofreader from 2023-08-14T18:05:43

It’s hard to take someone seriously when they leave a note saying ‘your ugly.’ My ugly what? The idiot didn’t even know the difference between your and you’re. - Cara Lynn Shultz

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S45E3–The Job of a Line Editor from 2023-08-10T16:18:34

Words. Words. I play with words, hoping that some combination, even a chance combination, will say what I want. - Doris Lessing

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S45E2–The Job of a Developmental Editor from 2023-08-07T16:06:51

Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers, a counseling rather than a collaborating task. The tendency of the writer-editor to collaborate is natural, but he should say to himself...

S45E1–Becoming an Editor from 2023-08-03T15:44:50

Editors have to be vicious. They’re working for the reader, not the writer. - Brendan Wolfe

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Extended Archives: When a Story Meanders from 2023-07-21T19:01:18

If you want to captivate your readers, a good beginning is essential. Even more so, however, is the story needs to continue to hold them. When the plot meanders and wanders from place to place w...

Extended Archives: Choosing the Right Title from 2023-07-13T19:56:36

Picking the right name for a book is about more than what sounds good to you or what feels right for the story. It is important to look at the title as part of your marketing. Along with the cov...

Extended Archives: The Problems with Bad Blocking from 2023-07-05T14:41

Choreography is usually something you think of in relation to plays and movies. As authors, however, having appropriate choreography as your characters move through a scene is just as important....

S44E9–The Denouement and Epilogue from 2023-06-29T19:08:01

When you close the book, does the story end? No! That's such a bland way to read. Every story goes on forever in our imaginations, and its characters live on. - Mizuki Nomura

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S44E8–During Act III: The Interior Plot from 2023-06-27T01:03:03

I tend to relate to a character in terms of the arc: what’s interesting is where he starts versus where he ends up. - Edward Norton

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S44 Bonus–Using AI in the Arts from 2023-06-24T21:16:45

Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a hot topic in the world today. From funny TikTok filters to a partial cause for the WGA strike, AI is becoming a larger part of our daily lives and, in partic...

S44E7–During Act III: The Exterior Plot from 2023-06-22T13:27

Act 3 is the whole book in miniature. There’s a beginning, middle, and end. Rising action, climax, and falling action. - Jeff Gerke

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S44E6–During Act II: The Interior Plot from 2023-06-19T13:20

Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. - Helen Keller

The p...

S44E5–Plot: The Halfway Point from 2023-06-15T15:08:50

When you are in the middle of a story, it isn’t a story at all, but only a confusion; a dark roaring, a blindness, a wreckage of shattered glass and splintered wood; like a house in a whirlwind,...

S44E4–During Act II: The Exterior Plot from 2023-06-12T19:48:54

Never let up. In stories, things go from bad to worse, even if nobody wants them to. If she wants to apologize, interrupt her. Whenever anyone is about to release tension, interrupt her. Is the ...

S44E3–During Act I: The Interior Plot from 2023-06-08T15:02

Writing a story isn’t about making your peaceful fantasies come true. The whole point of the story is the character arc. You didn’t think joy could change a person, did you? Joy is what you feel...

S44E2–During Act I: The Exterior Plot from 2023-06-05T17:12:14

A mystery is solved with a story. The story starts with a clue, but the trouble is that you usually have no idea what the clue is, even if you think you know. - Lemony Snicket

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S44E1–Plot: Before Act 1 from 2023-06-01T13:54

Once I came to really understand the mechanics of three-act structure, my life got a great deal easier. It doesn’t tell you how to write your book, but it helps you understand why things aren’t ...

S43E9–Characters: Inanimate Objects from 2023-05-29T15:46

The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his ...

S43 Bonus–Successes and Failure of the Characters from 2023-05-27T15:00:02

Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they're really not. They're companions - the hero and the sidekick. - Laurence Shames

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S43E8–Characters: The Greek Chorus from 2023-05-25T14:49:11

Pintel: How'd this go all screwy?
Ragetti: Well, each wants the chest for hisself, don't 'e? Mr. Norrington, I think, is trying to regain a bit of honor. Old Jack's looking to trade it, sa...

S43E7–Characters: The Society from 2023-05-22T08:56

“We could have been called reapers,” Goddard said, “but our founders saw fit to call us scythes - because we are the weapons in mankind’s immortal hand. You are a fine weapon, Rowan. Sharp and p...

S43E6–Characters: The Villain’s Chorus from 2023-05-18T12:58

Banzai: Now that's power.
Shenzi: Tell me about it. I just hear that name, and I shudder.
Banzai: Mufasa!
Shenzi: Oooh. Do it again.
Banzai: Mufasa!
Shenzi: Oooh! Listen

S43E5–Characters: The Comedic Relief from 2023-05-15T14:32

As a communication tool, effective use of humor can humanize you, cementing your bond with readers. It can also help your work stand out in a crowded market. - Leigh Anne Jasheway

The pos...

S43E4–Characters: The Secret Ingredient from 2023-05-11T17:17

People underestimating me is my secret weapon. - James Patterson

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S43E3–Characters: Secondary Characters from 2023-05-08T14:37:42

Think of every character as a main character. They believe they’re the main characters in their stories. No one should be just an obstacle. - Ben Edlund

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S43E2–Characters: The Mentor from 2023-05-04T15:44:16

A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and believe it can be obtained. - Shawn Hitchcock

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S43E1–Characters: The Sidekick from 2023-05-01T14:42

There is something inherently hopeful in unlikely friendships, I think. It speaks to our ability to surprise and connect - and how, in all the ways that matter, we are not really that different....

S42 Bonus–When Not to Worldbuild from 2023-04-29T15:38

I’m not going to tell you how to start a bug-powered vehicle, I’m just going to put you inside one with somebody who knows how, and send you off on a ride. - Kameron Hurley

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S42E8–Worldbuilding: Creating a Multiverse from 2023-04-27T15:31

Being aware that everything that could possibly happen happened to her, somewhere, in some life, kind of absolved her a little from decisions. - Matt Haig

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S42E7–Worldbuilding: Make it Accessible from 2023-04-24T20:34:59

Books are like mirrors: You only see in them what you already have inside you. - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

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S42E6–Worldbuilding: Make it Explorable from 2023-04-20T14:25

One reason I created a fictional world at all is so that people can visit it in their minds or think about who they would be. There’s a part in the book that’s all about writing your own story b...

S42E5–Worldbuilding: Make it Immersive from 2023-04-17T15:03

Step into a scene and let it drip from your fingertips. - MJ Bush

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S42E4–Worldbuilding: Make it Real from 2023-04-13T15:41

So many people think that if you’re writing fantasy, it means you can just make everything up as you go. Want to add a dragon? Add a dragon! Want some magic? Throw it in. But the thing is, regar...

S42E3–Worldbuilding: Make it Small from 2023-04-10T16:24:14

Details make stories human, and the more human a story can be, the better. - Ernest Hemingway

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S42E2–Worldbuilding: Make it Personal from 2023-04-06T15:08:39

Your worldbuilding is unique, yes, but your characters are what will really sell your story. - Moriah Richards

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S42E1–Pillars of Storytelling: Before You Begin from 2023-04-03T14:48

Start before you’re ready. - Steven Pressfield

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S41E9–Writing Emotions: Confusion from 2023-03-30T17:08:40

Costello: And you don't know the fellows' names?
Abbott: Well I should.
Costello: Well then who's on first?
Abbott: Yes.
Costello: I mean the fellow's name.
Abbott:...

S41E8–Writing Emotions: Happiness from 2023-03-27T15:44

I don't believe there's a power in the 'verse that can stop Kaylee from being cheerful. Sometimes you just wanna duct tape her mouth and dump her in the hold for a month. - Firefly

The po...

S41 Bonus–Playing it Close to the Chest from 2023-03-25T17:21:52

"That was before I'd met him. Back when he was captain of the Black Pearl."
"What? He failed to mention that."
"He plays things closer to the vest now. And a hard-learned lesson it w...

S41E7–Writing Emotions: Guilty and Apologetic from 2023-03-23T16:51

“You still blush too easily when confronted,” Jasnah noted.
“I’m sorry.”
“And apologize too easily as well.”
“I’m… uh, indignant?”
- The Stormlight Archive

The pos...

S41E6–Writing Emotions: Smugness from 2023-03-20T15:22

I’m being extremely clever up here, and there’s no one to stand around looking impressed. What’s the point in having you all? - Doctor Who

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S41E5–Writing Emotion: Vengeance from 2023-03-16T18:52:53

I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don't have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acqui...

S41E4–Writing Emotions: Physical Pain from 2023-03-13T15:54

Westley: To the pain means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next your nose.
Prince Humperdinck: And then my tongue I suppose...

S41E3–Writing Emotions: Terror and Horror from 2023-03-09T16:18

Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears. This means that we have a huge advantage over the bogg...

S41E2–Writing Emotions: Courage from 2023-03-06T22:18:30

Peter did not feel very brave; indeed, he felt he was going to be sick. But that made no difference to what he had to do. - C.S. Lewis; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

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S41E1–Writing Emotions: Reverence from 2023-03-02T16:31:29

The wealth of this world isn’t in the ground, it’s all around us. The Na’vi know that and they are fighting to defend it. If you want to share this world with them, you need to understand them. ...

S40E8–The Post-Launch Mindset from 2023-02-27T17:13:41

Launching a new book is kind of scary; you spend such a long time alone with your characters, and then, in one sudden moment, they’re running wild into the hands of strangers. - Nanette L. Avery...

S40 Bonus–Crafting a Book Blurb with Jessie of Book Blurb Magic from 2023-02-25T19:45:34

Question any thinking person as to why he 'never reads novels', and you will usually find that, at bottom, it is because of the disgusting tripe that is written by the blurb-reviewers. - George ...

S40E7–The Pre-Launch Mindset from 2023-02-23T17:01:52

There’s a lot more to publishing a book than writing it and slapping a cover on it. - Vince Flynn

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S40E6–Why to Get a Sensitivity Reader from 2023-02-20T17:56:08

We all try to do the best we can. We will never please everyone. All we can do is try to write with empathy and honesty. And listen to the people around us, acknowledge mistakes we make, and kee...

S40E5–Writing an Author Bio from 2023-02-16T18:25:28

No one can discover you until you do. Exploit your talents, skills, and strengths and make the world sit up and take notice. - Rob Liano

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S40E4–Meeting Target Word Counts from 2023-02-13T17:18

I'm always pretending that I'm sitting across from someone telling them a story and I don't want them to get up until I'm finished. - James Patterson

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S40E3–What Makes a Good Chapter from 2023-02-09T17:51:06

Usually, when people get to the end of a chapter, they close the book and go to sleep. I deliberately write a book so when the reader gets to the end of the chapter, he or she must turn one more...

S40E2–Finding Motivation to Edit from 2023-02-06T16:14:55

I feel sorry for people who have to edit me. Which is why book writing is by far the most enjoyable. - Chuck Klosterman

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S40E1–Accepting Imperfection from 2023-02-02T21:43:58

I edit my own stories to death. They eventually run and hide from me. - Jeanne Voelker

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S39E9–Using Subtext in Dialogue from 2023-01-30T17:10:01

Words have the capacity for deception. They're all full of subtext, and some of them are cliche and overused and vernacular. They're tricky. All I can say is, words are tricky. - Andrew Bird

S39 Bonus–Giving Your Characters Choices from 2023-01-28T15:59

"[The sorting hat] only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin…"
"Exactly," said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "Which makes you ver...

S39E8–Starting Sentences Without Using the MC’s Pronoun from 2023-01-26T17:53:52

Your passion for words and sentence structure should equal a painter’s passion for color and brushstroke. - Andrew McAleen

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S39E7–Understanding Psychic Distance for Your Writing from 2023-01-23T16:20

The remedy is to abandon the larger for the smaller… to do the small thing closely and deeply rather than the big thing loosely and superficially. - Colson Whitehead

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S39E6–Knowing How to Use Italics in Your Novel from 2023-01-19T15:01

In writing a weird story, I always try very carefully to achieve the right mood and atmosphere and place the emphasis where it belongs. - HP Lovecraft

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S39E5–Going Outside Your Writing Comfort Zone from 2023-01-16T16:00

Read. Write. Read some more. Explore the universe through your writing. Practice and learn what moves you and what doesn’t. - Darynda Jones

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S39E4–Improving Your Writing Through Short Stories from 2023-01-12T15:03

Short stories are tiny windows into other worlds and other minds and other dreams. They are journeys you can make to the far side of the universe and still be back in time for dinner. - Neil Gai...

S39E3–Learning to Critically Read from 2023-01-09T15:59:14

I always read books twice. The first time you appreciate the story, the second time you appreciate the writing. - Unknown

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S39E2–Giving and Getting Feedback from 2023-01-06T00:33:22

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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S38E1–Understanding Writing Community Lingo from 2023-01-02T18:06:26

Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession. - Kingman Brewster

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S38 Bonus–Who Are You? from 2022-12-31T20:55:49

Caterpillar: Who are you?
Alice: I hardly know, sir. Just at present - at least I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.<...

S38E9–How Do I Make a Podcast? from 2022-12-29T18:22:09

Your podcast content should not be about you, but about solving your prospects’ problems. - Steve Lubetkin

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S38E8–How Do I Write Women/Men? from 2022-12-26T17:01

It’s difficult to write a book where a character is on virtually every page of the book but you cannot refer to his or her gender. It gets rid of every his, her, she and he. - William Least Heat...

S38E7–How Do I Write a Story with a Plot Twist? from 2022-12-22T17:38

Inigo Montoya : I admit it, you are better than I am.
Man in Black : Then why are you smiling?
Inigo Montoya : Because I know something you don't know.
Man in Black : And what ...

S38E6–What Do I Do At a Live Author Event? from 2022-12-19T15:15

I meet people on the street or at book signings and they tend to treat me as if they know me, as if we’re connected. It’s great. - Judy Blume

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S38E5–How Do I Add Sensory Details to My Writing? from 2022-12-15T18:02

Use original detail in your writing. Life is so rich, if you can write down the real details of the way things were and are, you hardly need anything else. - Natalie Goldberg

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S38E4–How Do I Kill a Main Character? from 2022-12-12T15:59

I try to make the readers feel they’ve lived the events of the book. Just as you grieve if a friend is killed, you should grieve if a fictional character is killed. You should care. If somebody ...

S38E3–How Do I Write a Scene With Several Active Characters? from 2022-12-08T15:48

Be clear on every character’s agenda in a scene, and the agendas in conflict. Before you write, take just a moment to jot down what each character in the scene wants, even if (as kurt Vonnegut o...

S38E2–How Do I Format My Book For Publishing? from 2022-12-05T14:21

If there is an essential truism in typesetting, it is that a page contains no voids, only spaces between printed elements. The essence of typesetting is regulating the size of those spaces to co...

S38E1–Does Taking a Break Mean I’m Not a Real Writer? from 2022-12-01T16:18

You may be able to take a break from writing, but you won’t be able to take a break from being a writer. - Steven Leigh

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S37E8–It’s Published, It Must Be Good from 2022-11-29T05:06:12

Getting published is really exciting, but it’s not the point of writing. The actual writing is what it’s all about - the daily joy in sitting down to a blank page and crafting something beautifu...

S37 Bonus–Write What You Know from 2022-11-26T19:07:50

Start telling the stories that only you can tell. - Neil Gaiman

The post S37 Bonus – Write What You ...

S37E7–Those Who Can’t Do, Teach from 2022-11-24T16:34

The expression ‘Those who can’t do, teach’ is a curious one, because if you look at the world, you’ll see that teachers aren’t particularly worse at doing things than anyone else, so perhaps the...

S37E6–Characters Must Be Practically Perfect in Every Way from 2022-11-21T15:24

Make him honest. I don't mean 'never fish for spare change in a pay phone honest.' I mean 'tell it like it is and own up to it' honest. Readers will forgive a character for any number of flaws i...

S37E5–You Should Publicly Respond to Criticism of Your Books from 2022-11-17T15:38

I learned long ago, never wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it. - George Bernard Shaw

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S37E4–Other Authors are Your Competition from 2022-11-14T18:09

Different authors write different ways, and have different relationships with their audiences, and those are all legitimate. - John Green

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S37E3–Don’t Write Dark Things, It Just Glorifies Them from 2022-11-10T17:07

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without agreeing with it. - Aristotle

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S37E2–If You’re Good Enough, You Don’t Need a Second Draft from 2022-11-07T19:08:52

The first draft is for you, the writer; the second and subsequent drafts are for the reader. Trying to do both things at once - figuring out what we want to say, while also fashioning it for ano...

S37E1–You Should Only Write When You’re Inspired from 2022-11-03T13:48

You fail only if you stop writing. - Ray Bradbury

The post S37E1 – You Should Only...

S36E9–Dark Psychology: Supernatural Curses from 2022-10-31T14:36

Barbossa : You don't know what this is, do ye?
Elizabeth : It's a pirate medallion...
Barbossa : This is Aztec gold. One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Co...

S36 Bonus–The Dark Triad: Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism from 2022-10-29T19:09:20

Hannibal Lecter: What if I did it for you?
Clarice Starling: Did what?
Hannibal Lecter: Harmed them, Clarice. The ones who've harmed you. What if I made them scream apologies? No, I ...

S36E8–Dark Psychology: Writing Realistic Dissociative Identity Disorder from 2022-10-27T14:44

Gollum: We wants it. We needs it. Must have the precious. They stole it from us. Sneaky little Hobbitses. Wicked. Tricksy. False!
Smeagol: No. Not master.
Gollum: Yes, precious. Fals...

S36E7–Dark Psychology: Writing Realistic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from 2022-10-24T17:13:18

ELLA: How’s your blog going?
JOHN: Yeah, good. (He clears his throat awkwardly.) Very good.
ELLA: You haven’t written a word, have you?
JOHN (pointing to Ella’s notepad on her ...

S36E6–Dark Psychology: The Effects of Imprisonment from 2022-10-20T19:01:03

BELLE: Who's there? Who are you?
BEAST: The master of this castle.
BELLE: I've come for my father. Please let him out! Can't you see he's sick?
BEAST: Then he shouldn't have ...

S36E5–Dark Psychology: Including Munchausen Syndrome in a Story from 2022-10-17T15:05

KYRA: I'm feeling much better now.
MRS. COLLINS: I'm glad, honey. (beat) Time for your food.
KYRA: Can I go outside, if I eat this?
MRS. COLLINS: We'll see. You know how you ge...

S36E4–Dark Psychology: Brainwashing in Fiction from 2022-10-13T14:59

Steve Rogers: You know me.
The Winter Soldier: No, I don’t!
Steve Rogers: Bucky. you’ve known me your entire life. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes…
The Winter Soldier: SHUT ...

S36E3–Dark Psychology: Adverse Childhood Experiences from 2022-10-10T23:54:03

People with happy families don't become spies. A bad childhood is the perfect background for covert ops. You don't trust anyone, you're used to getting smacked around, and you never get homesick...

S36E2–Dark Psychology: Writing Domestic Abuse from 2022-10-06T16:18

Earl : What is that, Jenna? What is that?
Jenna : Money.
Earl : It's all over the [darned] house! In cabinets, in drawers, under chairs, in closets! Money hidden all over my house! Listen

S36E1–Dark Psychology: The Use of Gaslighting in Fiction from 2022-10-03T22:46:23

Enough with the lights, Rapunzel! You are not leaving this tower! Ever! … Great. Now I’m the bad guy. - Mother Gothel, Tangled

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S35E9–The Confusion Caused by Bad Blocking from 2022-09-29T14:25

I can’t separate the process of writing from the visual process. I’m speaking only for myself here, but I’m a highly visual writer. In my imagination, when I’m thinking of a scene, I think of ev...

S35E8–When the Cliché is Too Cliché from 2022-09-26T14:29

My fear now is of cliche, of complacency, of not being able to feel authenticity in myself and those around me. - John Hawkes

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S35 Bonus–Bad Writing Distracts from the Book from 2022-09-24T14:56

Read good books. Read bad books - and figure out why you don’t like them. Then don’t do it when you write. - Patricia Briggs

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S35E7–Slow Beginnings Ruin Stories from 2022-09-22T15:03

I don’t get far enough into a boring book to hate it. - Gary Wills

The post S35E7 – Slow Beginn...

S35E6–The Problem with Annoying Main Characters from 2022-09-20T00:45:49

Think of your main characters as dinner guests. Would your friends want to spend ten hours with the characters you’ve created? Your characters can be loveable, or they can be evil, but they’d be...

S35E5–When Characters Make Bad Decisions from 2022-09-15T14:31

Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them ― in order that the reader may see what they are made of. ― Kurt Vonnegut

The post ...

S35E4–One Impossible Thing in Fiction from 2022-09-12T15:11

In older science fiction stories, they had to rely on storytelling as opposed to spectacle. The old run of the Twilight Zone, the star was the writing and the storytelling, and the characters an...

S35E3–When There’s Buildup Without a Payoff from 2022-09-08T15:22

When telling a story, you should have three primary phases in order: the setup, the buildup, and the payoff. - Tynan

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S35E2–Bad Beginnings Ruin a Story from 2022-09-05T14:58

The opening lines of a book are so important. You really need to somehow charm your reader. If you can’t get her attention in the first pages, you may have lost her. There has to be an ambiance....

S35E1–The Problem with Head-Hopping from 2022-09-02T00:34:35

Even if your readers don’t know what head-hopping is, by removing it from your novel you’ll give them a more immersive, suspenseful and authentic journey through the world you’ve built. Plus, yo...

S34E9–Two Publishing Paths: Pros and Cons from 2022-08-29T15:00

Books have a publishing standard, and every Indie Author is responsible to their readers in making sure those standards are met or exceeded. - Eeva Lancaster

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S34 Bonus–Elements of a Villain from 2022-08-27T14:42:24

If you look at all of the villains in the course of human history, they’ve all believed, delusionally, in the virtue of their actions. Every villain is a hero in his own mind. – Tom Hiddleston Listen

S34E8–How to Know When to Stop from 2022-08-25T12:36:36

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we're curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. - Walt Disney

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S34E7–Imposter Syndrome and Your Writing Skills from 2022-08-22T16:45

Describing your writing as trash while you’re still drafting is like looking at a bag of flour and an egg and saying “My cake tastes like crap.” – Paul Grealish

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S34E6–Writing Humor and Comedy from 2022-08-18T15:46

Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke. – Joss Whedon

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S34E5–The Rule of Three in Writing from 2022-08-15T23:34:28

If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three. – Laurence J. Peter

The post S34E5 – The Rule of T...

S34E4–What’s in a (Book’s) Name? from 2022-08-11T12:29:04

If reading makes you smart, then how come when you read a book they have to put the title of the book on top of every single page? Does anyone get halfway through a book, [and ask] what the hell...

S34E3–What’s in a (Pen)Name? from 2022-08-08T16:36

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague…. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell ...

S34E2–Plotting vs. Pantsing, Take Two from 2022-08-04T12:55:31

Write down everything that happens in the story, then in the second draft make it look like you knew what you were doing all along. – Neil Gaiman

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S34E1–The Lessons We’ve Learned from 2022-08-01T21:43:39

Writing is a demanding profession and a selfish one. And because it is selfish and demanding, because it is compulsive and exacting, I didn’t embrace it. I succumbed to it. - Rod Sterling

Creating and Tracking Your Magic Systems from 2022-07-18T01:41:58

You are to become the Shaper of the Cosmos. It is you who will give form and content to all the universe. You will breathe life into the stillness, giving meaning and purpose to all the actions ...

Notetaking: Crafting Fight Scenes and Fighters from 2022-07-18T01:19:32

Writing a first-draft battle scene is akin to real combat - chaos, confusion, and you must keep your cool as you fire word bullets downrange. - Don Roff

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Worldbuilding: How to Create Realistic Fictional Cultures from 2022-07-18T00:55:22

It's important to create a sense of culture even if it is just a fantasy, and the best way to do that is to look at a real human culture and see what makes it cohesive. - Laine Taylor

The...

S33E9–Avoiding the Info Dump: The Villain Monologue from 2022-06-30T15:00

I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless, little flea, and then I'll put that flea in a box, and then I'll put that box inside of another box, and then I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arr...

S33E8–Avoiding the Info Dump: Within Dialogue from 2022-06-27T16:46:36

Readers take in dialogue one thought at a time. A frequent mistake of beginners is to combine thoughts, which may be suitable for other forms of writing but not for dialogue. Another mistake is ...

S33 Bonus–It’s Okay to Info Dump, If You Do It Right from 2022-06-25T14:54:58

Exposition can serve as an explanation. It’s all in the arrangement…. Make them want the exposition so that, when you give it, it answers the questions they already possess. - Chuck Wendig

S33E7–Avoiding the Info Dump: Backstory from 2022-06-23T15:00

A little story is supported by a lot of untold backstory. What they get is more than what they see. - Karen Lord

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S33E6–Avoiding the Info Dump: Personalities and Descriptions from 2022-06-20T15:00

Creating characters is like throwing together ingredients for a recipe. I take characteristics I like and dislike in real people I know, or know of, and use them to embellish and define characte...

S33E5–Avoiding the Info Dump: Character Abilities from 2022-06-16T16:50:46

I think the hardest part of writing anything is getting exposition out easily, without hitting people over the head with it. - Jillian Bell

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S33E4–Avoiding the Info Dump: Magic Systems from 2022-06-13T18:20:14

Not all readers are satisfied by the “And then the wizard saved the day!” plot point. Some want to understand the magic. They want to know its boundaries, see its limitations, and be able to ant...

S33E3–Avoiding the Info Dump: Your World’s Culture from 2022-06-09T15:00

The world doesn’t fully make sense until the writer has secured his version of it on the page. And the act of writing is strangely more lifelike than life. - Betsy Lerner

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S33E2–Avoiding the Info Dump: Your World’s History from 2022-06-06T13:00

History is made not simply with events, but by remembering those events. A double drumbeat like a heartbeat. History can be written not only with books, but with ceremonies. - Christopher Bram Listen

S33E1–Avoiding the Info Dump: Your World’s Politics from 2022-06-02T12:00:27

Good books don’t give up all their secrets at once. - Stephen King

The post S33E1 R...

S32E9–Misunderstandings Between the Reader and the Story from 2022-05-30T15:15

Language is the source of misunderstandings. Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The post ...

S23 Bonus–Evoking the Right Emotions in the Reader from 2022-05-28T16:53

The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by som...

S32E8–The Debate About Trigger Warnings from 2022-05-26T12:40:45

I wondered, reading about the college discussions, whether, one day, people would put a trigger warning on my fiction. I wondered whether or not they would be justified in doing it. And then I d...

S32E7–The Reader and the Fourth Wall from 2022-05-23T16:38

Hey! Yeah, you! I'm down here, busting my ***, while you sit on yours watching me jump around? How is that fair? -
Deadpool

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S32E6–How Tropes and Clichés Play Into Reader Psychology from 2022-05-19T23:47:39

Plenty of masterpieces are just one cliché after another, Mozart for example, but that's quite natural, because if you think about it, two clichés that have met one another can beget the most or...

S32E5–The Psychology of Names and Sounds from 2022-05-16T19:38:04

Never trust a man with two first names, especially if one of them's a woman's. - Joel Hodgson, Mystery Science Theater 3000

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S32E4–Because I Said So: When Readers Accept Fudged Facts from 2022-05-12T14:04

You can make anything by writing. - C.S. Lewis

The post S32E4 – Because I...

S32E3–Impact of Opinions on the Reader from 2022-05-09T15:00

The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon. - Brandon Sanderson

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S32E2–Reading to Escape from 2022-05-05T14:43:49

Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are. - Mason Cooley

The post S32E2 – Readin...

S32E1–The Mechanics of Reading from 2022-05-03T01:29:40

Consolation from imaginary things is not imaginary consolation. - Roger Scruton

The post S32E1 – Th...

S31 Bonus–Using Writing Skills from Multiple Mediums from 2022-04-30T23:21:29

The act of choosing - the stories we tell versus the stories we leave out - will reverberate across the rest of your life. - Lin-Manuel Miranda

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S31E8–The Art of Writing Monologues for Actors from 2022-04-28T23:46:01

As a practical matter, I like the dramatic monologue for its compelling intimacy. To be inside one’s character, to register his or her every vagrant thought, emotion, and response - the first-pe...

S31E7–Finding Story Within Gaming from 2022-04-25T15:00

Video games foster the mindset that allows creativity to grow. - Nolan Bushnell

The post S31E7 – Findin...

S31E6–Artistic Storytelling Through Comics from 2022-04-21T19:54:37

Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent. - Dr. Seuss

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S31E5–Journalistic Storytelling from 2022-04-18T15:31:49

From journalism I learned to write under pressure, to work with deadlines, to have limited space and time, to conduct an interview, to find information, to research, and above all, to use langua...

S31E4–Stories in Advertising and Commercials from 2022-04-14T15:00

Creative without strategy is called art. Creative with strategy is called advertising. - Jef I. Richards

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S31E3–What Makes Playwriting Unique from 2022-04-11T16:16

Playwriting gets into your blood and you can’t stop it. At least not until the producers or the public tell you to. - T.S. Eliot

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S31E2–Writing for the Silver Screen from 2022-04-07T21:16

To make a great film, you need three things: the script, the script, and the script. - Alfred Hitchcock

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S31E1–Storytelling for the Internet: Blogging, YouTubing, and Podcasting from 2022-04-04T15:00

The Internet is allowing us to get back to what’s really more natural, which is that storytelling is a shared thing. It is our natural way to be communal. - Joseph Gordon Levitt

The post ...

S30E9–Coming of Age Stories from 2022-03-31T15:00

I don't give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am - I really do - but people never notice it. People never notice an...

S30E8–The Odd Couple from 2022-03-28T15:00

What's wrong with policemen on television these days? They're always complete opposites. One's of them fat and poor, the other one's thin and posh. One of them's a woman, the other one's a Marti...

S30BE–The Unreliable Narrator from 2022-03-26T15:00

Don’t worry: These ramblings will not be insufferably gloomy…. When at first I proved unable to keep the tone light, Ozzie suggested that I be an unreliable narrator. “It worked for Agatha Chri...

S30E7–The Fake Dating Experience from 2022-03-24T19:40:26

“I think that it would be best if we laid down some ground rules. Before starting.”
“Ground rules?”
“Yes. You know. What we are allowed and not allowed to do. What we can expect from...

S30E6–Heist Stories, aka The Caper from 2022-03-21T17:30:59

Charlie, there are two kinds of thieves in this world: The ones who steal to enrich their lives, and those who steal to define their lives. Don't be the latter. Makes you miss out on what's real...

S30E5–A Descent Into Villainy and Madness from 2022-03-17T15:00

To be, or not to be, that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles
Listen

S30E4–The Portal Fantasy from 2022-03-14T15:00

When I used to read fairy tales, I fancied that kind of thing never happened, and now here I am in the middle of one! - Lewis Caroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

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S30E3–The Locked Room Mystery from 2022-03-10T17:00

The door had been locked from the inside. The windows were barred, locked from the inside, didn't open and were made of brick. All the books were chained to the shelf save one, open on the table...

S30E2–Rags to Riches from 2022-03-07T16:00

The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. - My Fair Lady

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S30E1–Enemies to Lovers from 2022-03-03T16:00

Miss Elizabeth. I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you... I had to see you. I have fo...

S29E8–Making the Most of Keywords and Blurbs from 2022-02-28T16:00

Technology allows more people to tell more stories in more ways. Storytelling knows no boundaries. I believe print and web can work beautifully together. - Donna Talarico

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S29 Bonus–Marketing Professionals with Janine Pangantihon from 2022-02-26T16:00

At its very core, marketing is storytelling. The best advertising campaigns take us on an emotional journey - appealing to our wants, needs, and desires - while at the same time telling us about...

S29E7–What To Do While Your Editor Edits from 2022-02-24T16:00

You were the author when you wrote the book; now you’re the publisher making publishing and marketing plans - Joel Friedlander

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S29E6–Developing Your Author Identity from 2022-02-21T16:00

We tell stories because we have a hollow place in our heart. You don’t fill that with success. You fill it by finding yourself in the stories you tell. - Guillermo Del Toro

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S29E5–The Purpose and Value of News Releases from 2022-02-17T16:00

Without publicity, a terrible thing happens: nothing. - PT Barnum

The post S29E5 – Th...

S29E4–Marketing Books Through Newsletters from 2022-02-14T16:00

Email has an ability many channels don’t: creating valuable, personal touches - at scale. - David Newman

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S29E3–Building an Effective Author Website from 2022-02-10T16:00

A good website gets stronger over time, puts you directly in touch with your readers, and is a long-term investment in your author career. - Jane Friedman

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S29E2–About the AIDA Funnel from 2022-02-07T16:00

Book marketing is like opening doors for your readers to find you, not a stick you hit them with. - Heather Hart

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S29E1–How to Waste Money on Marketing from 2022-02-03T22:24:26

Half of the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half. - John Wanamaker

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S28E9–The Habit of Finishing Your Work from 2022-01-31T15:00

They belong to their readers now, which is a great thing–because the books are more powerful in the hands of my readers than they could ever be in my hands. - John Green

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S28BE–Staying Inspired During the Writing Process from 2022-01-29T23:10:35

You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. - Jack London

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S28E8–The Best Resources for Your Writing from 2022-01-28T00:55:47

If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style. The first greatest, of course, is t...

S28E7–Learning While Consuming Stories from 2022-01-25T04:18:17

I always read books twice. The first time, you appreciate the story. The second time, you appreciate the writing. - Anonymous

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S28E6–Building a Writing Community from 2022-01-21T00:27:02

So writing is not just writing. It is also having a relationship with other writers. And don’t be jealous, especially in secret. That’s the worst kind. If someone writes something great, it’s ju...

S28E5–Preparing Your Environment for Writing from 2022-01-17T19:28:32

Writing a great book requires its own form of privacy or solitude - a room or corner where you can be creative, productive, relaxed, and not be distracted by people or things while you write. - ...

S28E4–Hacking Your Brain to Make Writing an Addiction from 2022-01-13T16:00

The brain is like the muscle; books are the diet and writing is the workout. - Stewart Stafford

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S28E3–Improving Your Writing Through Time Management from 2022-01-11T00:04:50

It’s not enough to be busy… The question is: what are we busy about? - Henry David Thoreau

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S28E2–Setting Realistic Writing Goals from 2022-01-06T21:19:43

The goal is not to be perfect by the end. The goal is to be better tomorrow. - Simon Sinek

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S28E1–Discovering Yourself Through Writing from 2022-01-03T17:08:51

My writing is a very authentic journey of discovery. I’m going out there to learn who I am. My readers, consequently, take the same journey as my protagonist. - Ted Dekker

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S27E9–What Are the Current Trends in Fiction, and Should I Follow Them? from 2021-12-30T19:54:02

You are not the next Stephen King. You are not the next Emma Bull. You are not the next anyone. You are the very first you. - Seanan McGuire

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S27E8–How Do I Transition From One Scene to Another? from 2021-12-27T16:00

It’s like a piece of music; you never lose sight of the theme. Each scene pushes off to the next like music builds and you can almost hear the next chord progression, so it has a strict structur...

S27 Bonus–What Is a Query Letter, and How Do I Write One? from 2021-12-25T20:09:56

The hardest thing about writing a novel is getting it published. - Marianne Cushing

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S27E7–How Do I Know Where My Story Begins? from 2021-12-23T16:00

Writing the opening lines of a story is a bit like starting to ski at the steepest part of the hill. You must have all your skills under control from the first instant. - Marion Dane Bauer

S27E6–Can I Use Swear Words in My Novel? from 2021-12-20T16:00

Writing for adults often means just increasing the swearing - but find an alternative to swearing and you’ve probably got a better line. - Steven Moffat

I am the master of all the words, ...

S27E5–How Do I Write Morally Gray Characters? from 2021-12-16T16:35

Sometimes, the smaller roles in movies can be the most interesting. If you only take the stance that you'll only play central characters in movies, you’ll find yourself not being able to indulge...

S27E4–How Do I Write a Fight Scene? How Accurate Should It Be? from 2021-12-14T02:25:27

A fight scene cannot be in your work simply because it is awesome. Hot dogs are awesome too. But not if what you are making is a hot fudge sundae. - Carla Hoch

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S27E3–How Important is Being Unique? from 2021-12-09T16:00

Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original. Whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence about how often it has been told befo...

S7E2–How Do I Describe Characters Without Boring the Reader? from 2021-12-07T06:47:59

Good description is a learned skill, one of those primary reasons you cannot succeed unless you read a lot and write a lot. It’s not just a question of how-to, you see; it’s also a question of h...

S27E1–How Do I Write a Good Short Story? from 2021-12-02T16:00

A short story is a love affair, a novel is a marriage. A short story is a photograph, a novel is a film. - Lorrie Moore

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S26E9–How to Avoid Crippling Your Language from 2021-11-29T16:00

Writing long sentences is like adding water to tea; the more words, the weaker the message. - Diana Booher

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S26 Bonus–Playing with Language from 2021-11-27T16:00

The English language is a work in progress. Have fun with it. - Jonathan Culver

The post S26 Bonus ̵...

S26E8–When in Doubt, Leave it Out from 2021-11-25T16:00

I think sometimes we give people a lot of credit just because they’re writing nice sentences, even if it isn’t adding up to much. - James Patterson

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S26E7–The Basics of Sentence Structure from 2021-11-22T16:00

A lot of aspiring writers are all ready to write a novel, but they don’t know how to write sentences. - Tom Robbins

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S26E6–Uh, Phrasing! from 2021-11-19T01:27:59

Grammar is to a writer what anatomy is to a sculptor, or the scales to a musician. You may loathe it, it may bore you, but nothing will replace it, and once mastered it will support you like a r...

S26E5–The Rules of Commas from 2021-11-16T06:30:48

The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it. - Lynne Truss

The post S26E5 – The Rules ...

S26E4–The Parts of Speech (Part Two) from 2021-11-12T00:22:58

The world is emblematic. Parts of speech are metaphors, because the whole of nature is a metaphor of the human mind. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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S26E3–The Parts of Speech (Part One) from 2021-11-08T16:00

There are ten parts of speech and they are all troublesome. - Mark Twain

The post S26E3 – The Parts of S...

S26E2–The Basics of Formatting Styles from 2021-11-04T19:38:27

The beauty of type lies in its utility; prettiness without readability serves neither the author nor the reader. - James Felici

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S26E1–Becoming a Student of Language from 2021-11-01T20:41:14

Loving your language means a command of its vocabulary beyond the level of the everyday. - John H. McWhorter

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S25 Bonus–A Guide to Finishing Your Book from 2021-10-30T15:00

For more than three years I wrote more than 400 words every day. I mean, every calendar day. If, in those pre-portable days, I couldn’t get to a keyboard, I wrote hard the previous night and cau...

S25E8–A Guide to Building an Author Brand from 2021-10-28T21:55:18

Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works. - Virginia Woolf

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S25E7–A Guide to Publishing from 2021-10-26T00:13:22

In the case of good books, the point is not to see how many of them you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you. - Mortimer J. Adler

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S25E6–A Guide to Plotting the Series from 2021-10-21T15:00

There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story. - Frank Herbert

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S25E6 – A Guide to Plotting the Series from 2021-10-21T15:00

There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story. - Frank Herbert
The post S25E6 – A Guide to Plotting the Series appeared first on Writing Roots.

S25E5–A Guide to Designing Support Characters from 2021-10-18T23:36:54

Some battles are best fought with a sidekick. - Krista Ritchie

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S25E4–A Guide to Designing the Main Character from 2021-10-14T23:54:17

A hero is a person who says yes to adventure. - Kendra Levin

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S25E3–A Guide to Worldbuilding from 2021-10-11T15:00

In many ways, a book is, in itself, a tiny universe. Each page is like a newly formed galaxy, fashioned from a single, pulsing thought. A book travels for days, for years, sometimes for centurie...

S25E2–A Guide to Plotting a Hero’s Journey from 2021-10-07T15:00

There is what I would call the hero journey, the night sea journey, the hero quest, where the individual is going to bring forth in his life something that was never beheld before. - Joseph Camp...

S25E1–A Guide to Stirring the Imagination from 2021-10-04T15:00

Indulge your imagination in every possible flight. - Jane Austen

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S24E9–Futuristic and Dystopian Stories from 2021-09-30T15:00

If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. - Rudyard Kipling

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S24E8–The History of Superheroes from 2021-09-27T15:00

The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller. The storyteller sets the vision, values and agenda of an entire generation that is to come. - Steve Jobs

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S24 Bonus–How Film Impacted Storytelling from 2021-09-25T12:46:16

The older I get, the more I look at movies as a moving miracle. Audiences are harder to please if you’re just giving them special effects… but they’re easy to please if it’s a good story. - Stev...

S24E7–The Creation of Monster Fiction from 2021-09-24T02:03:18

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win. - Stephen King

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S24E6–Fairy Tales and Bedtime Stories from 2021-09-20T12:23:16

Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. - C.S. Lewis

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S23E5–Shakespeare and the Printing Press from 2021-09-16T12:27:32

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players - William Shakespeare

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S24E4–Educational Storytelling and the Use of Theater from 2021-09-13T17:52:40

That’s what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again. - Walt Disney

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S24E3–Introduction of Man vs. Man and Character Arcs from 2021-09-09T13:42:22

At the heart of every story is conflict. Whether external or internal, make it a good one, and remember that this problem is going to shape your character, leaving her forever changed. - Jennife...

S24E2–Stories of Gods and Fate from 2021-09-06T15:00

Upon my word, just see how mortal men always put the blame on us gods! We are the source of evil, so they say - when they have only their own madness to think if their miseries are worse than th...

S24E1–Storytelling in Prehistoric Times from 2021-09-02T21:24:31

Story, as it turns out, was crucial to our evolution - more so than opposable thumbs. Opposable thumbs let us hang on; story told us what to hang on to. - Lisa Cron

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S23E9–Choose Your Adventure from 2021-08-30T23:47:15

I wish it need not have happened in my time.

So do I and so do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that i...

S23 Bonus–Episodic and Serial Stories from 2021-08-28T15:00

Because it’s episodic, you can explore any area because you have time to do that. You can take risks on the kinds of storytelling that you’re doing. - Seth Gabel

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S23E8–Reverse, Reverse! Telling a Story Backwards from 2021-08-26T15:38

Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. - Dorothea Lange

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S23E7–A Story Within a Story from 2021-08-23T22:42:54

Will you take a look at that? Pretty pathetic, huh? Well, you'll never believe this, but that llama you're looking at was once a human being. And not just any human being. That guy was an empero...

S23E6–Structuring a Paradigm Shift from 2021-08-19T19:53:12

If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. - Wayne Dyer

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S23E5–Using Amnesia in a Story Plot from 2021-08-16T16:00

Time has a wonderful way of showing us what really matters. - Margaret Peters

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S23E4–Structure with Recursion from 2021-08-12T13:14:10

Only myths and fables do not know the limits of possibility. - Andrzej Sapkowski

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S23E3–Rashomon Stories from 2021-08-09T16:00

The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once. - Albert Einstein

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S23E2–Parallel Structure from 2021-08-05T20:15:04

You wizards are all the same. You speak nonsense while making wise and meaningful faces. - The Witcher

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S23E1–Stories About Time from 2021-08-02T15:00

People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff. - Th...

S22 Bonus–Favorite Moments from 2021-07-31T15:00

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life. - Mark Twain

The post S22 Bonus &...

S22E9–Fog and Flame: Worldbuilding from 2021-07-29T15:00

Worldbuilding is different than setting in my opinion. Setting is a room. A backdrop. It’s scenery. But without good worldbuilding, you can’t have realistic feeling scenery. You can’t have cool,...

S22E8–K/D Ratio: Beats in Dialogue from 2021-07-27T00:34

Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. - Benjamin Franklin

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S22E7–Fog and Flame: Character Development from 2021-07-22T12:58:09

I try to create sympathy for my characters, then turn the monsters loose. - Stephen King

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S22E6–K/D Ratio: Character Voice from 2021-07-19T15:00

Character is plot, plot is character. - F Scott Fitzgerald

The post S22E6 – K/D Ratio: Character V...

S22E5–Fog and Flame: Take it Back Now Y’all! from 2021-07-15T15:32

This parrot is no more. It has ceased to be. It’s expired and gone to meet its maker. This is a late parrot. It’s a stiff. Bereft of life, it rests in peace. If you hadn’t nailed it to the perch...

S22E4–K/D Ratio: Setup and Payoff from 2021-07-12T15:00

There’s an old rule of theater that goes, “If there’s a gun on the mantle in act one, it must go off in act two.” The reverse is also true. - Steven King

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S22E3–Fog and Flame: First-Person Omniscient from 2021-07-08T15:00

The voice of the narrator who knows the whole story cannot be dismissed as old-fashioned or uncool. It’s not only the oldest and the most widely used storytelling voice, it’s also the most versa...

S22E2–K/D Ratio: Structural Changes from 2021-07-05T14:29:13

Plots may be simple or complex, but suspense and climactic progress from one incident to another, are essential. - HP Lovecraft

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S22E1–Editing Demonstration: Overview from 2021-07-01T14:11

Sometimes a change of perspective is all it takes to see the light. - Dan Brown

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Extended Archives: Determining the Genre from 2021-06-23T12:20:09

There are so many subgenres listed in KDP and other self-publishing sites that it can be more than overwhelming to figure out the right ones. Experienced authors and publishers know the importan...

Extended Archives–Before You Write from 2021-06-09T15:30

No matter where you are in your writing journey or what kind of writer you are, there are some things you need to know before you ever put that pen to paper (or fingers to a keyboard). It doesn&...

Extended Archives–Getting Effective Reviews from 2021-06-03T07:03:08

Reviews can mean everything for book sales. Good ones can help a book thrive, while bad ones can drive away potential readers. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss ways to get the most effecti...

Extended Archives–Social Media and Marketing from 2021-05-27T11:51:40

Book marketing is like opening doors for your readers to find you, not a stick you hit them with. - Heather Hart

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Extended Archives–Writing Right Right Now from 2021-05-19T15:00

I'm writing a first draft and reminding myself that I'm simply shoveling sand into a box so that later I can build castles. - Shannon Hale

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Extended Archives–Rules of Writing from 2021-05-12T19:00:34

Write your story as it needs to be written. Write it honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter. - Neil Gaiman

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Extended Archives–Target Audience from 2021-05-05T19:00

If your target audience isn't listening, it's not their fault. It's yours. - Seth Godin

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S21E9–Villainy: Should Villains Be Evil? from 2021-04-29T16:15

There is indeed good and there is indeed evil, and both walk the earth…. Both good and evil vie for the passions of the heart. For love! - Ted Dekker

Every villain is a hero in his own mi...

S21E8–Point of View: Single or Multiple? from 2021-04-27T01:51:45

A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one. - George RR Martin

Find out what your hero or heroine wants, and when he or she wakes up in the mor...

S21 Bonus–Story Building: Plot First or Character First? from 2021-04-25T04:03:33

Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations. - Ray Bradbury

But how do you know if an ending is truly good f...

S21E7–Stories: How Many Different Stories Exist? from 2021-04-22T23:13:36

There is nothing new, from Greek mythology to Shakespeare to every romcom ever made, we’re just reimagining the same 12 plots over and over again -so what makes people keep watching and listenin...

S21E6–Point of View: Third- or First-Person? from 2021-04-19T17:28:25

I often will write a scene from three different points of view to find out which has the most tension and which way I’m able to conceal the information I’m trying to conceal. And that is, at the...

S21E5–Romantic Subplots: Are They Necessary? from 2021-04-15T15:52:03

When I was young, I craved romance in books, but I didn’t want to read just romance. Love plays such a big part in our lives, it shouldn’t be cut out and restricted to its own fiction. - Rainbow...

S21E4–Word Count: Push the Limits or Stay Reserved? from 2021-04-12T15:00

The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail. - Charles R Swindoll
The secret of being boring is to say everything. - Voltaire

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S21E3–Word Choice: To Use Big Words or Not to Use Big Words from 2021-04-08T15:00

A new word is like a fresh seed sown on the ground of the discussion. - Ludwig Wittgenstein

Poor Faulkner. Does he really think that big emotions come from big words? - Earnest Hemingway...

S21E2–Fanfiction: Is it Really Writing? from 2021-04-05T17:26

To be honest, I don’t really have much of an opinion on fanfiction. As long as people aren’t commercially exploiting characters I’ve created, and are doing it for each other, I don’t see that th...

S21E1–Writing Prompts: Helpful or Not? from 2021-04-01T16:40:53

Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on. - Louis L’Amour

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S20E9–Myth Nine: Everything is Better as a Trilogy from 2021-03-30T04:18:16

Snowballing a story into a series to establish yourself as an author can be a smart strategy. But if you try to snowball a weak story, you’ll have a snowball’s chance in hell of success. - Lisa ...

S20 Bonus–Myth Ten: Self-Publishing is Free from 2021-03-27T14:00:01

At heart, self-publishing is kind of like a bake sale. The end product does not need to resemble the one that comes from a commercial bakery, but it must taste good. No one wants the lumpy, unde...

S20E8–Myth Eight: Worthy Ideas are Unique from 2021-03-25T15:22:56

One can steal ideas, but no one can steal execution or passion. - Tim Ferriss

The post S20E8 &#...

S20E7–Myth Seven: Writing is Easy from 2021-03-22T15:00

Writing is hard work. A clear sentence is no accident. Very few sentences come out right the first time, or even the third time. Remember this in moments of despair. If you find writing is hard,...

S20E6–Myth Six: A Good Book Will Sell Itself from 2021-03-19T14:41:07

Some succeed because they are destined to, but most succeed because they are determined to. - Henry Van Dyke

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S20E5–Myth Five: A True Writer is _____ from 2021-03-15T14:28

No one is born a writer. You must become a writer. In fact, you never cease becoming, because you never stop learning how to write. Even now, I am becoming a writer. And so are you. - Joe Buntin...

S20E4–Myth Four: Characters Control the Author from 2021-03-11T16:52:40

I craft everything in the beginning. I know where the characters are going before I start writing the book. - Ann Patchett

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S20E3–Myth Three: Said is Dead from 2021-03-08T15:55:08

Books full of inept dialogue tags get published all the time. Of course they do. Not all published writers are good writers. - Dean Koontz

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S20E3–Myth Three: Said is Dead from 2021-03-08T15:55:08

Books full of inept dialogue tags get published all the time. Of course they do. Not all published writers are good writers. - Dean Koontz

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S20E2–Myth Two: Write What You Know from 2021-03-04T17:00

Don’t write what you know. Write what you love. That’s what will keep you writing. - Chris Humphreys

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S20E1–Myth One: Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover from 2021-03-01T19:09:30

If people don’t notice your cover or don’t connect with it, the author of the book next to yours will be very grateful. - David Leonhardt

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S19 Bonus–Always Add a Fight, featuring Fight Write from 2021-02-28T00:57

People will forget what you say but they won’t forget how you make them feel. - Maya Angelou

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S19E8–Preparing for Act III from 2021-02-25T17:00

I took a master class with Billy Wilder once and he said that in the first act of a story you put your character up in a tree and the second act you set the tree on fire and then in the third yo...

S19E7–A Leader’s Bad Decision from 2021-02-22T21:12:36

They are one of the most unpleasant races in the galaxy - not actually evil, but bad tempered, bureaucratic, officious and callous. They wouldn't even lift a finger to save their own grandmother...

S19E6–Using the Weather and Other Acts of God from 2021-02-18T16:30

Sometimes it takes a natural disaster to reveal a social disaster. - Jim Wallis

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S19E5–Romance and Drunkenness from 2021-02-15T18:27:53

A man’s true character comes out when he’s drunk. - Charlie Chaplin

The post S19E5 – Romance and Dru...

S19E4–Creating a Holiday for Worldbuilding from 2021-02-11T21:54:07

Look within your fictional cultures at their day to day lives. And ask what’s important to them. Some holidays come up whole cloth out of your world’s history and cultural diversity. If it was i...

S18E3–Time for a Casting Change from 2021-02-08T14:59:40

My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play in it, for good or evil, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many. - J.R.R. Tolkien

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S19E2–A Secret Revealed from 2021-02-04T19:02:22

Secrets have power. And that power diminishes when they are shared, so they are best kept and kept well. Sharing secrets, real secrets, important ones, with even one other person, will change th...

S19E1–Using Footholds to Find Direction from 2021-02-01T17:00

But a singular sense of impending calamity, that should indeed have served me as a warning, drove me onward. - H.G. Wells

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S18 Bonus–Pearls from the Masters: Brandon Sanderson from 2021-01-30T16:00

You could be writing the book that changes your life. - Brandon Sanderson

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S18E8–Pearls from the Masters: Ernest Hemingway from 2021-01-28T17:00

All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know. - Ernest Hemingway

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S18E7–Pearls from the Masters: J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis from 2021-01-26T00:59:51

It simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons. - J.R.R. Tolkein

It doesn’t matter what we write..., so long as we write continually as well as we can. - C.S. Lewi...

S18E6–Pearls from the Masters: Agatha Christie from 2021-01-21T17:31:24

Never tell all you know - not even to the person you know best. - Agatha Christie

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S18E5–Pearls from the Masters: Aristotle from 2021-01-18T17:00

To write well, express yourself like the common people, but think like a wise man. - Aristotle

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S18E4–Pearls from the Masters: Lee Child from 2021-01-14T16:32:03

I became a writer not principally because I’m in love with the idea of being a writer, but I’m in love with the idea of entertainment. I just want to entertain people. - Lee Child

The pos...

S18E3–Pearls from the Masters: Neil Gaiman from 2021-01-11T16:00

Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten. - Neil Gaiman

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S18E2–Pearls from the Masters: John Green from 2021-01-07T17:59:05

I often get mad at myself because I’m writing poorly, or worry that I’ll never write another book, or feel frustrated because I’m up against the limits of my talents, but I never dread writing....

S18E1–Pearls from the Masters: Stephen King from 2021-01-04T16:00

Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work. - Stephen King

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S17E9–How Do I Learn to Become a Better Writer? from 2020-12-31T16:28:24

All worthy work is open to interpretations the author did not intend. Art isn’t your pet - it’s your kid. It grows up and talks back to you. - Joss Whedon

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S17E8–What Do I Need to Know to Start Writing My Book? from 2020-12-28T16:00

Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. - Leonardo da Vinci

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S17 Bonus–How Do I Get Over Writer’s Block? from 2020-12-26T16:00

It’s not the fear of writing that blocks people, it’s fear of not writing well. Something quite different. - Scott Berkun

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S17E7–Can I Mention Copyrighted or Trademarked Material? from 2020-12-24T16:00

People constantly make pop culture references. That’s why it’s called popular culture, because people are aware of it and reference it constantly. - Seth Rogan

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S17E6–What Software is Good for Writing and Formatting? from 2020-12-21T17:00

The best investment is in the tools of one’s own trade. - Benjamin Franklin

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S17E5–What Price Should I Set for My Book? from 2020-12-17T17:00

The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run. - Henry David Thoreau

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S17E4–How Do I Determine the Genre of a Book? from 2020-12-14T21:07:44

By reading a lot of novels in a variety of genres, and asking questions, it's possible to learn how things are done - the mechanics of writing, so to speak - and which genres and authors excel i...

S17E3–To Cliffhang or Not to Cliffhang? from 2020-12-10T17:59:06

A cliffhanger is when… - Buffy Andrews

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S17E2–What Makes a Book Impactful and Unforgettable? from 2020-12-07T16:00

You could be writing the book that changes your life. - Brandon Sanderson

The post S...

S17E1–How Descriptive Should I Get With Appearances? from 2020-12-03T08:00

Readers tend to like a character who is at least superficially like themselves. But they quickly lose interest unless this particular character is somehow out of the ordinary. - Orson Scott Card...

S16E9–Sharing the Spotlight: Including Victories for Secondary Characters from 2020-11-30T15:11

The glory of the protagonist is always paid for by a lot of secondary characters. - Tony Hoagland

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S16 Bonus–Punctuation and Paragraphing from 2020-11-28T15:41:46

Let grammar, punctuation, and spelling into your life! Even the most energetic and wonderful mess has to be turned into sentences. - Terry Pratchett

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S15E8–Pet the Dog: Moments to Humanize Characters from 2020-11-26T08:01

I must be cruel, only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind. - William Shakespeare

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S16E7–Yes, But… from 2020-11-23T08:01

The suspense is terrible. I hope it will last. - Oscar Wilde

The post S16E7 – Yes, But… appeared first on ...

S16E6–Throw in an Obstacle from 2020-11-19T18:00:40

Whatever these forces are that make people do dumb things, they are powerful, they are often invisible, and they lurk even in the best of environments. - Ed Catmull

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S16E5–Make it Small from 2020-11-16T08:01

The way to tell a really big story, I think, is to tell a really small story. - Bruce Feiler

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S16E4–Using the Senses to Connect with Readers from 2020-11-12T08:01

The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes. - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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S16E3–Between the Lines: Importance of Subtext from 2020-11-09T19:07:39

Yet the deepest truths are best read between the lines, and, for the most part, refuse to be written. - Amos Bronson Alcott

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S16E2–Using Similes and Metaphors from 2020-11-05T08:01

Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space. - Orson Scott Card

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S16E1–Writing Right Right Now from 2020-11-02T20:36:54

Very often we write down a sentence too early, then another too late; what we have to do is write it down at the proper time, otherwise it's lost. - Thomas Bernhard

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S15 Bonus–The Worst Monsters: Features of True Crime from 2020-10-31T13:11:09

As much as I am fascinated with the stereotypical narcissistic serial killer, it’s the unsuspecting, truly friendly person next door who you smile and wave to as you pass by that are the scaries...

S15E9–Ancient and Prehistoric Monsters and Gods from 2020-10-29T17:49:57

He who fights with monsters should take care that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you. - Friedrich Nietzsche

The...

S15E8–Ghosts and Hauntings with Lori Juszak from 2020-10-26T07:01

Even a wooden coffin and six feet of earth can’t hold back a story if it needs to be told. - Anonymous

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S15E7–Hordes of the Undead from 2020-10-22T07:00

To us forever are the gates of heaven shut. For who shall open them to us again? We go on for all time abhorred by all; a blot on the face of God’s sunshine; an arrow in the side of Him who died...

S15E6–Creatures from the Deep from 2020-10-19T07:00

Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence…. Someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence, certainly never. - Franz Kaf...

Learning to Break the Rules of Word Count from 2020-10-17T18:58

Word count is a fickle thing. Brandon Sanderson’s Oathbringer weighs in at a hefty 460,000 words. John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is barely 30,000. There are stories across all genres that span...

S15E5–Chimera: The Mix-and-Match Monsters from 2020-10-15T15:39:36

She was of divine stock, not of men, in the fore part a lion, in the hinder a serpent, and in the midst a goat, breathing forth in terrible wise the might of blazing fire. - Homer’s Illiad

S15E4–Giants and Creatures of Large Stature from 2020-10-12T18:30:08

From those that go bump in the night to ones that offer hope, mythical creatures and monsters are abound in fiction. You can find them in anything from horror to science fiction and fantasy. But...

S15E3–Man-Made Monsters and Creatures from 2020-10-08T07:01

Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? - Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

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S15E2–The Fae and Fairies from 2020-10-05T15:12:19

Go not to the elves for counsel. For they will say both no and yes. - JRR Tolkein

The post S15E2 – The F...

S15E1–Mythical Creatures of Purity from 2020-10-01T15:59:11

When a unicorn is slain, men have destroyed again the image of beauty that they seek. - Nicholas Stuart Gray

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S14E8–Artists with Travis Micheal from 2020-09-28T07:01

Every composer knows the anguish and despair occasioned by forgetting ideas which one had no time to write down. - Hector Berlioz

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S14BE–We Liked You First: A Podcast for Writers and Performers from 2020-09-26T07:01

Writers are a superior breed. No one else can face so much rejection and still thrive. - Susie Smith

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S14E7–Performance Arts with Linda Bott from 2020-09-24T07:01

Magic happens between the notes. - Linda Bott

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S14E6–Nursing with Lorainne Woodworth from 2020-09-21T20:00:06

Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity. - Hippocrates

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S14E5–Martial Arts with Jeremiah from 2020-09-17T15:59:29

Violence is rarely the answer, but when it is, it's the only answer. - Tim Larkins

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S14E4–Biochemistry with Megan Browning from 2020-09-14T15:32:29

Make friends with physicists and mathematicians, writers. It pays off. - Brandon Sanderson

The post S14E4 – Biochemistry wit...

S14E3–Journalism with Julia Avery from 2020-09-10T07:01

Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it. - John Hersey

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S14E2–Law Enforcement with Patrick O’Donnell from 2020-09-07T07:01

I will put you, the writer, behind the wheel of the squad car, walking a beat, investigating crime scenes and sitting behind a desk writing reports. So, put on your Sam Brown belt, strap on your...

S14E1–Firearms with Nick Mangum from 2020-09-03T07:01

An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it. - Jeff Cooper

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Writing Roots: What’s New and Upcoming for the Podcast from 2020-09-02T05:10:19

New things are coming to the Writing Roots Podcast! Leigh and Ley decided to condense all of the announcements into one bonus episode to introduce you to what’s to come. Our first announce...

S13E9–All Characters Feel the Same from 2020-08-31T10:33:57

Writers aren’t people exactly. Or, if they’re any good, they’re a whole lot of people trying so hard to be one person. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

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S13BE–Why We Write Selfishly from 2020-08-29T07:00

I used to be afraid about what people might say or think after reading what I had written. I am not afraid anymore, because when I write, I am not trying to prove anything to anyone, I am just e...

S13E8–All Sentences Start the Same Way from 2020-08-27T07:00

Sentences must stir in a book like leaves in a forest, each distinct from each despite their resemblance. - Gustave Flaubert

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Plotters and Pantsers: Why Most Authors are Both from 2020-08-25T14:00

Plotters. Pantsers. Plantsers, even.  As Harry Potter fans sort themselves into Hogwarts houses, many writers sort themselves into a few different writing styles. Sometimes you’ll hear them...

S13E7–When a Story is Fake or Forced from 2020-08-24T07:01

A novel must show how the world truly is, how characters genuinely think, how events actually occur. A novel should somehow reveal the true source of our actions. - Kevin Hood

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S13E6–When Continuity Breaks from 2020-08-20T07:01

Continuity isn’t actually something that I ever worry about. You use it where you need to, and you don’t use it where you don’t need to. - Neil Gaiman

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S13E5–Red Flag Words from 2020-08-17T23:43:23

The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter - it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning. - Mark Twain

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S13E4–Why Didn’t They Think of That? from 2020-08-13T07:01

Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something - Plato

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S13E3–Worrying About Word Count from 2020-08-10T07:02:16

I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread. - JRR Tolkein

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S13E2–It’s Just Boring! from 2020-08-06T07:01:15

This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The soun...

S13E1–The Solution to Awkward Dialogue from 2020-08-03T08:41:52

Dialogue is not just quotation. It is grimaces, pauses, adjustments of blouse buttons, doodles on a napkin, and crossings of legs. - Jerome Stern

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S12E9–Awards and Competitions from 2020-07-30T21:20:02

Start with short stories. After all, if you were to take up rock climbing, you wouldn’t start with Mount Everest. So if you’re starting fantasy, don’t start with a nine-book series. - George RR ...

S12E8–Using Sequels During Marketing from 2020-07-27T07:01:48

A book series is never truly over. The story lives on, even when the final page has been turned. - Richard Denney

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S12 Bonus–Tips and Tricks for Interviews from 2020-07-25T07:01:33

There are only two types of speakers in the world: the nervous, and liars. - Mark Twain

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S12E7–Getting the Most Effective Reviews from 2020-07-23T07:01:45

Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.- Anthony Volodkin

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S12E6–Where to Sell Your Books from 2020-07-20T07:01:17

Books choose their readers, not the other way around. I believe that booksellers are the matchmakers. - Cecelia Ahern

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S12E5–Writing Effective Ads and Teases from 2020-07-16T19:50:32

If your target audience isn't listening, it's not their fault, it's yours. - Seth Godin

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S12E4–Using Social Media to Market from 2020-07-13T07:01:34

It’s a dialogue, not a monologue, and some people don’t understand that. Social media is more like a telephone than a television. - Amy Jo Martin

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S12E3–Choosing the Right Medium for Your Book from 2020-07-09T18:53:08

Lovers of print are simply confusing the plate for the food. - Douglas Adams

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S12E2–Building an Author Brand from 2020-07-06T12:12:51

In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. - Seth Godin

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S12E2–Building an Author Brand from 2020-07-06T12:12:51

In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. - Seth Godin

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S12E1–Finding Your Target Audience from 2020-07-02T12:38:25

In my opinion, understanding who your target audience is, and what they want, and writing to them (and only them!) is the most important component of being successful as an author. - John Locke<...

S11E9–Best: Improving Your Writing to Achieve Your Best from 2020-06-29T07:01

Hard work without talent is a shame, but talent without hard work is a tragedy. - Robert Half

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S11 Bonus Episode–Read: How to Read as a Writer from 2020-06-27T08:52:03

The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book. - Samuel Johnson

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S11E8–Plan: Basics of Planning a Story from Start to Finish from 2020-06-25T07:14:40

I don’t plot my books rigidly, follow a preconceived structure. A novel mustn’t be a closed system - it’s a quest. - Kurt Vonnegut

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S11E7–Time: Maintaining Momentum Through a Story from 2020-06-22T20:49:04

Making sure that geography and timelines work is always the hardest part of writing. But you owe it to the readers to get it right. - Michael Scott

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S11E6–Edit: Why Editing is Essential for the Business of Publishing from 2020-06-18T07:01

Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear. - Patricia Fuller

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S11E5–Stop: Making the Decision to Abandon or Pause a Story from 2020-06-15T07:01

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things because we’re curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. - Walt Disney

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S11E4 Extended–LGBT+: Further Discussion of Quality Representation of the LGBTQ+ Community in Writing from 2020-06-13T07:01:28

The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame. - Oscar Wilde

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S11E4–LGBT: Writing Quality Representation of the LGBTQ+ Community from 2020-06-11T07:02

The truth is rarely pure and never simple. - Oscar Wilde

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S11E3–Kiss: Why and How to Include Romantic Subplots from 2020-06-08T07:01

I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity, and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in, even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she sh...

S11E2–Tell: How to Identify and Correct Cases of Telling from 2020-06-04T08:40:32

Books. It's always easier to tell people that a character is funny rather than attempt to hit the punchline of a joke that character would've said. But if we all simply told, books would cease t...

S11E1–Sell: How to Decide to Market Your Writing from 2020-06-02T00:08:46

If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success? - Jerry Seinfeld

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S10 Bonus–Character Interviews from 2020-05-30T13:56:52

The only characters I ever don’t like are the ones that leave no impression on me. And I don’t write characters that leave no impression on me. - Lauren DeStefano

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S10E8–Character Archetypes from 2020-05-28T07:00

The librarian, the warrior, the free spirit… archetypes are a great jumping off point to help clarify where we want to go with a character. - Kristan Higgins

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S10E7–Developing Character Strengths from 2020-05-25T08:41:15

You take people, you put them on a journey, you give them peril, you find out who they really are. - Joss Whedon

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S10E6–Developing Character Flaws from 2020-05-21T13:00

In displaying the psychology of your characters, minute particulars are essential. God save us from vague generalizations! - Anton Chekhov

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S10E5–Character History: Nurture from 2020-05-18T13:00

People - and characters - are made up of their past experiences. When crafting a character, one of the most important aspects we consider is her past. - Sky Fairwin

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S10E4–Character History: Nature from 2020-05-14T09:17:19

One brain’s blueprint may promote joy more readily than most; in another, pessimism reigns. Whether happiness infuses or eludes a person depends, in part, on the DNA he has chanced to receive. -...

S10E3–Creating and Developing Character Relationships from 2020-05-11T13:52:11

A lone protagonist never receives as great a reaction as one with a well-developed supporting cast. - Susan Spann

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S10E2–Using D&D to Create a Story Character from 2020-05-07T07:25:17

You are not entering this world in the usual manner, for you are setting forth to be a Dungeon Master. Certainly there are stout fighters, mighty magic-users, wily thieves, and courageous cleric...

S10E1–Statistics of a Character from 2020-05-04T13:00

When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature. - Ernest Hemingway

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New and Exciting Adventures for Writing Roots from 2020-05-02T21:45

We are approaching one year since the beginning of Writing Roots. It has been a wonderful time, and we don’t plant to stop any time soon. There are several things in the works to help us e...

S9E9–Suspension of Disbelief from 2020-04-30T07:00

It all begins with drawing yourself and your reader into what I call the Fictive Bubble. Think of it like a large soap bubble. That bubble is your story world and everything that happens there, ...

S9E8–The Rules of Writing from 2020-04-27T07:00

Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing. - Melinda Haynes

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S9 Bonus–Audience Participation from 2020-04-25T13:57:13

Every book, every volume you see, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and lived it and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time ...

S9E7–Cultural Appropriation from 2020-04-23T07:00

Who I am as a person heavily influences what I write, and I draw from everything I can find–whether it be LDS, Buddhist, Islamic, or Atheist. It’s all jumbled up there in that head of mine, and ...

S9E6–Sex, Drugs, and Rock&Roll from 2020-04-20T12:56:34

There are some crimes people can commit that aren’t punishable by law. This series is dedicated to those involved with writing, whether they be committed by the author or the readers. To b...

S9E5–God Mode from 2020-04-16T07:32:46

I certainly love writing books. I’ve always loved writing short stories and novels because in prose, you get all the control. - Maria Headley

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S9E4–Plagiarism from 2020-04-13T07:59:38

Lesser artists borrow; great artists steal. - Igor Stravinsky

The post S9E4 – Plagiarism appeared first on Listen

S9E3–“I Have an Idea For a Book” from 2020-04-09T21:33:39

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven by some demon whom one can neither resi...

S9E2–Wasting the Reader’s Time from 2020-04-06T07:00

In many cases, when a reader puts a story aside because “it got boring”, the boredom arose because the writer grew enchanted with his powers of description, and lost sight of his priority, which...

S9E1–“The Movie Was Better” from 2020-04-02T07:12:02

I love books way more than movies. Movies tell you what to think. A good book lets you choose a few thoughts for yourself. - Karen Marie Moning

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S8E9–The Non-Fiction Genre from 2020-03-30T07:00

Writing nonfiction means I tell people's stories for them, not because they're special but because we all are. - Jo Deurbrouck

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S8 Bonus–The Hero’s Journey from 2020-03-28T07:00

It's like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy....

S8E8–The Horror Genre from 2020-03-26T07:00

Bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do― to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street. - Steph...

S8E7–The Comedy Genre from 2020-03-23T07:00

The good end happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means. - Oscar Wilde

The post S8E7 – The C...

S8E6–The Romance Genre from 2020-03-19T07:00

Nothing worthwhile is ever easy. - Nicholas Sparks

The post S8E6 – The Romance Genre appeared first on ...

S8E5–The Mystery Genre from 2020-03-16T07:00

Crime is terribly revealing. Try and vary your methods as you will, your tastes, your habits, your attitude of mind, and your soul is revealed by your actions. - Agatha Christie

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S8E4–The Thriller and Suspense Genres from 2020-03-12T07:23:39

The way to write a thriller is to ask a question at the beginning, and answer it at the end. - Lee Child

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S8E3–The Young Adult Genre from 2020-03-09T07:00

May the odds be ever in your favor. - Suzanne Collins

The post S8E3 – The Young Adult Genre appeare...

S8E2–The Science Fiction Genre from 2020-03-05T08:00

"God created dinosaurs. God destroyed dinosaurs. God created Man. Man destroyed God. Man created dinosaurs."
"Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.” - Michael Crichton

The po...

S8E1–The Fantasy Genre from 2020-03-02T08:00

This is going to take a while. I’m a fantasy author. We have trouble with the concept of brevity. - Brandon Sanderson

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S7 Bonus–Women in Fiction from 2020-02-29T11:47:56

Why do you always write these strong women characters? Because you’re still asking me that question. - Joss Whedon

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S7E8–Shoulder Angels from 2020-02-27T08:00

“The three natures of man. Good, evil, and the man struggling between!... The capacity for good and evil is within every person from birth, I think.” - Ted Dekker

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S7E7–Plot Armor from 2020-02-25T11:26:45

"For any villains we may meet, we haven't any fears;
Paramount will protect us, 'cause we're signed for five more years." - Road to Morocco

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S7E6–Deus Ex Machina from 2020-02-20T08:00

"Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating." - Emma Coats

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S7E5–MacGuffins from 2020-02-17T08:00

"The MacGuffin is the thing that the spies are after but the audience don't care.” - Alfred Hitchcock

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S7E4–Love Triangles from 2020-02-13T08:00

Two men fought for the sake of a single woman. Though indeed foolish, it was a tale as old as time. - Dies Irae, Interview with Kaziklu Bey

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S7E3–Chekhov’s Gun from 2020-02-10T08:00

If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there....

S7E2–Chekhov’s Red Herring and the Shaggy Dog from 2020-02-06T08:45:30

There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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S7E1–The Mary Sue from 2020-02-03T08:00

Perfect people are boring. Perfect people are obnoxious because they're better than us. Perfect people are, above all, too good to be true. - Howard Mittelmark and Sandra Newman

The post ...

S6E9–Writing Plot Twists from 2020-01-30T08:00

It was never about a plot twist, ever. It was always about, “tell the story, tell the characters, complicate their lives, make things get worse,” but we never worked backwards from the plot, and...

S6E8–The Use of Three from 2020-01-27T22:44:26

If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three. - Laurence J. Peter

The post S6E8 – The Use of Three appear...

S6 Bonus Episode–What Makes a Good Villain from 2020-01-25T08:00

If you look at all of the villains in the course of human history, they’ve all believed, delusionally, in the virtue of their actions. Every villain is a hero in his own mind. - Tom Hiddleston Listen

S6E7–Writing Humor from 2020-01-23T08:00

Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke. - Joss Whedon

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S6E6–Writing Stories Which Aren’t Good vs. Evil from 2020-01-20T08:00

I love the adventure of telling all types of stories and trying to conquer each one - Jon M. Chu

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S6E5–Character Voice and Point of View from 2020-01-16T08:00

I don't know where people got the idea that characters in books are supposed to be likable. Books are not in the business of creating merely likeable characters with whom you can have some simpl...

S6E4–When to Kill a Character from 2020-01-13T08:00

Always make the audience suffer as much as possible. - Alfred Hitchcock

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S6E3–The Use of Prologues, Dreams, and Flashbacks from 2020-01-09T08:00

The art of prophecy is very difficult especially with respect to the future. - Mark Twain

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S6E2–Maintaining Momentum from 2020-01-06T21:05

You should write the fast stuff slow and the slow stuff fast. - Lee Child

The post S6E2 – Maintaining Mo...

S6E1–Writing Dialogue from 2020-01-02T08:00

I knew it, I just knew it! The person who had the job of writing my life's dialogue used to work on a very low budget soap opera. - Marian Keyes

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S5E9–How Do I Help Authors I Support? from 2019-12-30T10:54:52

Every book, ever volume you see, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and the soul of those who read it and lived it and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time s...

S5 Bonus–Battle of the Hosts: Adverbs from 2019-12-28T15:00

The miracle is the adverbs, the way things are done. - Daniel Handler

I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. - Stephen King

The po...

S5E8–Is it All in My Head? from 2019-12-26T08:00

I think new authors are too worried that it has all been said before. Sure it has, but not by you. - Asha Dornfest

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S5E7–What’s the Difference? Traditional vs. Self-Publishing from 2019-12-23T08:00

Books have a publishing standard, and every indie author is responsible to their readers in making sure those standards are met or exceeded. - Eeva Lancaster

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S5E6–How Do I Become a Writer? Pt. 2 from 2019-12-19T19:40:14

In old days books were written by men of letters and read by the public. Nowadays books are written by the public and read by nobody. - Oscar Wilde

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S5E5–How Do I Become a Writer? from 2019-12-16T08:00

There are three rules for writing a novel. Unfortunately no one knows what they are. - W. Somerset Maugham

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S5E4–Is it Okay if I Write _____? from 2019-12-12T08:00

I had to come to terms with the fact that writing about something was not the moral equivalent of doing it. I would not commit adultery, but I wanted to write a whole book about an affair. I kno...

S5E3–Is Time a Construct or an Illusion? from 2019-12-09T08:00

Writing a book is like telling a joke and having to wait two years to know whether or not it was funny - Alain de Botton

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Industry Spotlight–Lindsey Teske from 2019-12-07T08:00

Lindsey Teske, head editor and publisher at Of Ink and Pearls, joins us in this Industry Spotlight episode of Writing Roots. She and hosts Ley Esses and Leigh Hull discuss the job of an editor, ...

S5E2–Am I a Terrible Writer? from 2019-12-05T08:00

Describing your writing as trash while you're still drafting is like looking at a bag of flour and an egg and saying "My cake tastes like crap." - Paul Grealish

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S5E1–What’s in a Name? from 2019-12-02T08:00

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague…. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose,
By any other name would smell ...

S4 Bonus–Resources: Public Libraries from 2019-11-30T08:00

You want weapons? We’re in a library! Books are the best weapon in the world. This room's the greatest arsenal we could have. Arm yourself! - The Doctor

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S4E8–Working with Other Writers from 2019-11-28T08:00

I’ve always loved brainstorming with other writers, and I consider having my work critiqued a part of that brainstorming. - Jay Asher

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S4E7–Writing Other Media from 2019-11-25T08:00

I could be just a writer very easily. I am not a writer. I am a screenwriter, which is half a filmmaker.... But it is not an art form, because screenplays are not works of art. They are invitati...

S4E6–Using a Thesaurus from 2019-11-21T09:11:11

Don't use a big word when a singularly unloquacious and diminutive linguistic expression will satisfactorily accomplish the contemporary necessity. - Steve Green

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S4E5–Back to Basics: Punctuation from 2019-11-18T08:00

Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop. - Lynne Truss

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S4E4–Answering the Muse from 2019-11-14T20:53:10

You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have. - Maya Angelou

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S4E3–Finding the Right Place to Write from 2019-11-11T18:23:02

“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” - Stephen King

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Industry Spotlight–Dennis Medbury from 2019-11-09T19:59:20

Writing Roots is beginning a new segment called Industry Spotlight. These episodes will feature interviews with people involved in the publishing process, including authors, editors, and publish...

S4E2–Battle of the Pen and Keyboard from 2019-11-07T08:00

There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed. - Ernest Hemingway

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S4E1–Getting the Most from NaNoWriMo from 2019-11-04T08:00

Keep your head in the clouds and your hands on the keyboard. - Marissa Me

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S3E9–Monsters and Horror from 2019-10-31T07:00

The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. - H.P. Lovecraft

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December: Writer’s Frequently Asked Questions from 2019-10-30T11:00

Writing is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist n...

November: The Writer’s Toolbox from 2019-10-28T23:48:22

If the writer wants to create suspense, or build tension, or make the reader wait and wonder, or join a journey of discovery, or hold on for dear life, he can save subject and verb of the main c...

S3E8–Building a Pantheon from 2019-10-28T07:00

Men create gods after their own image, not only with regard to their form but with regard to their mode of life. - Aristotle

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S3 Bonus–The Forge: Short Horror Stories from 2019-10-26T22:30

Every writer has heard the adage “write what you know” at least a dozen times. What does it even mean? As writers, especially of fiction, we constantly write what we don’t know...

S3E7–Weaknesses from 2019-10-24T07:00

The more limitations you put on a character often times the better a character you'll make them, the more interesting the story becomes because the character can't simply wave a hand and make so...

S3E6–Superpowers from 2019-10-21T07:00

We all wish we had superpowers. We all wish we could do more than we can do. - Stan Lee

The post S3E6 – Superpowe...

S3E5.5–Murder 102: Director’s Cut from 2019-10-19T08:53

They taught me that inhibitions would kill me. Hit early, hit hard. Kill with the first blow. Get your retaliation in first. Cheat. The gentlemen who behaved decently weren’t there to train anyb...

S3E5–Murder 101 from 2019-10-17T07:00

Hit early, hit hard. Kill with the first blow. Get your retaliation in first. - Lee Child

The post S3E5 – Murder 1...

S3E4–Weather and Architecture from 2019-10-14T07:00

The weird thing about houses is that they almost always look like nothing is happening inside of them, even though they contain most of our lives. I wondered if that was sort of the point of arc...

S3E3–Building Magic Systems from 2019-10-10T07:00

One of my challenges [as a writer] is to make sure that I'm giving the reader details that the character cares about rather than details that I care about. I’d say that's key to world-building. ...

S3E2–Magic and Technology from 2019-10-07T07:00

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C Clarke

The post S3E2 – ...

S3E1–Writing Outside Your Expertise from 2019-10-03T07:00

Though in this genre we write about the fantastic, the stories work best when there is solid grounding in our world. - Brandon Sanderson

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S2E9–Release and Launch from 2019-09-30T07:00

All readers come to fiction as willing accomplices to your lies. Such is the basic goodwill contract made the moment we pick up a work of fiction. - Steve Almond, WD

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S2 Bonus–Writing Emotion: Mad, Glad, Sad, and Scared from 2019-09-28T07:00

Don’t use adjectives which merely tell us how you want us to feel about the thing you are describing. I mean, instead of telling us a thing was “terrible,” describe it so that we’ll be terrified...

S2E8–Preparing the Metadata from 2019-09-26T07:00

I do not over-intellectualize the production process. I try to keep it simple: Tell the damned story. - Tom Clancy

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S2E7–Audiobooks from 2019-09-23T07:00

“We will speak for the books."
"Like the Lorax?"
"The Lorax speaks for the trees."
"Books are made out of paper.”
“Paper is made out of trees."
"What about e-books?...

S2E6–Marketing Yourself and Your Book from 2019-09-19T08:05

Advertising brings in customers, but word-of-mouth brings in the best customers. - Jonah Berger

The post S2E6 – Mar...

S2E5–Designing Your Own Cover from 2019-09-16T07:00

Good cover design is not only about beauty. It’s a visual sales pitch. It’s your first contact with a potential reader. Your cover only has around three seconds to catch a browsing reader’s atte...

S2E4–Beta Readers from 2019-09-12T07:00

I don't care if a reader hates one of my stories, just as long as he finishes the book. - Roald Dahl

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S2E3–Being Edited from 2019-09-09T07:00

I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide. - Harper Lee

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S2E2–Self Editing: Proofing and Continuity from 2019-09-05T07:00

Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. - Anton Chekhov

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S2E1–Self-Editing: The First Chapter from 2019-09-02T07:00

An opening line should invite the reader to begin the story. It should say: Listen. Come in here. You want to know about this. - Stephen King

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S1 Bonus–The Forge from 2019-08-31T23:09:12

“The isolated imagination is easily corrupted by theory, but the writer inside his community seldom has such a problem.” - Flannery O'Connor

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S1E9–Alpha Readers and Developmental Editors from 2019-08-29T07:00

“A problem that a character can walk away from is a book a reader can walk away from.” - Unknown

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S1E8–Getting it Written from 2019-08-26T07:00:17

“If you want to be a writer that's the hardest and most important lesson: Finish it. Then go back to fix it.” - Tad Williams

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S1E7–Worldbuilding: Fantasy and Magic from 2019-08-22T07:00

If you don’t think there is magic in writing, you probably won’t write anything magical. - Terry Brooks

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S1E6–Worldbuilding: The World Around You from 2019-08-19T07:00

There is no beauty without some strangeness. - Edgar Allan Poe

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S1E5–Character Design: Support from 2019-08-15T07:00

When reading, we don’t fall in love with the characters’ appearances. We fall in love with their words, their thoughts, and their hearts. We fall in love with their souls. - Unknown

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S1E4–Character Design: Primary from 2019-08-12T07:00

Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. - CS Lewis

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S1E3–Story Structure from 2019-08-08T07:00

Pixar's story model:
Once upon a time there was a ____
Every day, ____
Until one day, _____
Because of that, _____
Because of that, _____
Until finally,______...

S1E2–Genre from 2019-08-05T07:00

If you don’t see the book you want on the shelf, write it. - Beverly Cleary

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S1E1–Plotting vs. Pantsing from 2019-07-29T21:00

Hey, quick question: how do I plot a book?
Write down everything that happens in the story, then in the second draft make it look like you knew what you were doing all along. - Neil Gaiman...

Writer’s Retreat: Marketing a Book from 2019-06-26T18:25:41

What happens after you write your book? A whole lot, if you want to get your book into the hands of readers outside your personal circle. It’s more than a good story, it’s how you go...

Writer’s Retreat: Worldbuilding from 2019-06-24T23:03:07

Presentation from the AspenHouse Writer's Retreat. Leigh Hull discusses the basics on how to create a world that readers will find both realistic and fantastic.

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