Story Works Round Table

conversations about craft

for writers and readers curious about writers

SWRT 320 | Spicy Scenes with Paulette Stout

SWRT 320 | Spicy Scenes with Paulette Stout

Join us at the Story Works Round Table as we welcome back the talented author Paulette Stout to talk about the art of writing spicy scenes. Join us as we explore how to craft intimate moments that enhance character development, tension, and narrative arcs, regardless of genre. Paulette shares her insights on the importance of emotional depth in intimate scenes and offers practical tips for writers looking to incorporate spice into their storytelling.

SWRT 319 | Writing to Your Theme with Paulette Stout

SWRT 319 | Writing to Your Theme with Paulette Stout

Join us at the Story Works Round Table as we welcome back the talented author Paulette Stout to discuss her latest novel, What We Give Away. This captivating story tackles the often-taboo subject of body image and societal expectations surrounding weight. Paulette shares her insights on writing about sensitive topics while allowing readers to engage with the characters’ journeys authentically. Join us as we explore the intersection of food, love, and self-acceptance, and discover how Paulette’s personal experiences shaped her writing. Don’t miss this enlightening conversation!

SWRT 229 | Narrative Storytellers

SWRT 229 | Narrative Storytellers

Alida and Kathryn dig into narrative storytellers on this week’s Story Works Round Table. Have you ever written a story with a storyteller as narrator? That’s a narrator that is not invisible, like the typical authorial narrator, and is not a character, like a first person narrator. But this narrator is full of personality and can be as opinionated as you like. A storyteller’s voice evokes a sense of being present, of hearing the story is essential to creating a storyteller experience for the reader.

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SWRT 228 | NaNoWriMo

SWRT 228 | NaNoWriMo

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn talk NaNoWriMo and pushing for big word counts. November is underway, but it’s not too late to join NaNoWriMo, so if you’ve been on the fence, check out Kathryn’s experience with and advice on National Novel Writing Month. But if you’re like Alida, you might fall into the “not for me” camp. We’ve got both sides covered in this week’s conversation about craft.

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SWRT 227 | In Media Res

SWRT 227 | In Media Res

What does it mean to open in the middle of action? We talk in media res on this week’s Story Works Round Table.

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SWRT 226 | Introducing Characters

SWRT 226 | Introducing Characters

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Robert talk about introducing characters to your readers on the page. After you’ve invested in your characters’ development, make sure you don’t skimp on the process of making introductions. There is a craft to making a solid first impression on your reader. One that doesn’t overwhelm with a dump of traits but spirals the details of a person, physical and intangible, in a meaningful way into the character’s first scene.

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SWRT 225 | Fear

SWRT 225 | Fear

Alida and Robert sit down at the Story Works Round Table to talk fear this week. How do we get our readers to feel fear from just the written word? What craft tools can we employ? It’s one thing with a wide-angle narrative lens, but what about a close third POV? We...

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SWRT 224 | Antagonistic Forces

SWRT 224 | Antagonistic Forces

This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk about villains you can't vanquish: How do you handle a villain that can't wear a hat, black or otherwise? When your story calls for a force instead of a figure, what does that mean for your plot? For your character? What do...

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SWRT 223 | Dystopian Fiction in Dystopian Times

SWRT 223 | Dystopian Fiction in Dystopian Times

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn talk about writing dystopian fiction when the world we’re living in seems dystopian. What does a dystopian story have to offer readers who already feel left out or beat down? Maybe…a lot.

Register for Memory Emotion Body and save your seat in this new writing workshop. We’re going to delve into the writer’s first tools…oneself! Get all the details and sign up at www.storyworksfiction.com

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SWRT 222 | Storycraft through Time

SWRT 222 | Storycraft through Time

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert talk about the changes we’ve noticed in storycraft when reading books of past eras. How has storytelling changed with the times and what elements of craft should we hang onto?

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SWRT 221 | Writing BIG Scenes

SWRT 221 | Writing BIG Scenes

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert talk about those big, really BIG, scenes. When your story demands an epic battle or riot or disaster, how can you create the right blend of massive action & personal emotion? What are the pitfalls of multiple points of view in epic scenes? And lots more today at the Round Table. Pull up a chair & join us!
Register for this Sunday’s Writing Backstory into Your Now-story & other workshops at www.storyworksfiction.com.

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