This week, Alida and Kathryn sit down with N.L. Holmes, an archaeologist turned novelist, who crafts mysteries set in ancient Egypt. Join us as we explore her unique journey, the challenges of writing about a distant culture, and the art of blending historical accuracy with engaging storytelling. Whether you’re a fan of her novels or an aspiring writer, this episode is packed with insights into the world of historical fiction and the mystery genre.
In this episode of the Story Works Round Table, Alida Winternheimer and Kathryn Arnold have a lively discussion with award-winning author CC Robinson about the art of staging action scenes in writing. Drawing from her theater background, CC shares insights on blocking fight scenes and how to orient readers within the physical space of a story effectively. With real-time sketches and engaging dialogue, we explore the interplay of character goals, motivations, and the dynamics of action sequences. Whether you’re a seasoned writer or just starting out, this episode is packed with valuable tips to elevate your storytelling craft.
This week, Alida and Kathryn talk about short stories. Why, as novelists, do we love writing the short story? What can we learn by writing short stories that we maybe can’t by writing novels? What makes a short story great? It’s memorability. It’s a shift in the reader. Sound tough to achieve? Don’t let that stop you! Your writing skills will grow in leaps and bounds when you take on the short story.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida & Kathryn discuss the benefits of writing retreats, especially when your story requires location-specific research. Whether you’re writing urban fantasy, historical, or just a story set in a real place, this episode is a happy exploration of how taking time for yourself as a writer and immersing in your research can do wonders for both your story and you!
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss Love & Writing. How many ways can you write love and all its complications into your stories? We aren’t talking about romance here, just love in its many complex forms.
Story Works Round Table will now be coming out biweekly. Don’t worry, we aren’t going away, just changing the schedule. Use our off weeks to explore the catalog of over 250 conversations about craft at www.storyworkspodcast.com!
What is trouble? How does it contribute to both character and plot arcs? How do you have to pay off trouble? And do you have to get it into every scene? We enjoy making a character struggle with a speeding ticket, and talk about how it can contribute to hooks both between chapters and books.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss Act I in this all new episode about opening your novel. What is the author’s responsibility to the reader? How does your opening need to connect to your ending and what happens when it doesn’t? We link it in the show notes to all the related episodes in our catalog, so make sure to check out our Library Links below.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the usefulness and drawbacks of using repetition in your story. What kind of repeition is typically employed in story? When does it become predictable or dull? How can we use repetition effectively to add to the reader’s experience without compromising novelty?
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss motifs, those recurring elements in a story that seem to live in the background yet enhance the power and meaning of narrative.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss openings, when and how to begin your novel. This episode will be linked in the show notes to all related episodes in the library.
What does your opening page communicate to a reader? When should you open with a prologue and when in media res? How do you introduce your world without bogging the reader down in info dumps or backstory? Is everything in your opening essential?
Story Works Reading Series is open for submissions. Do you have a short story or essay you’d like to read on a literary journal for your ears? Submit today at www.storyworkspodcast.com/submit.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert talk about describing your characters’ faces so they make an impression on your readers. Faces are so much more than a list of physical traits, brown hair, deep eyes, cleft chin. Lists are forgettable. When you describe your characters, strive to convey an impression of the *person* through the face.