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.
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!
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss single character scenes & stories. There are challenges to having a single character on the stage of the page, some obvious some not-so-obvious. So why would you want a single-character scene? When your story calls for one, how can you ensure the movement continues to draw a reader forward? What are the roles of setting, subtext, & metaphor? Need a writing prompt? We got one!
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert delve into ensemble cast fiction. Does a team of protagonists require a team of POV characters? Do you truly need a single hero at the top of your character pyramid? What are the pros and cons of writing an ensemble? And…has Robert written himself into a corner by having an ensemble cast with a single POV protagonist?
Check out our sister podcast, Story Works Reading Series, too!
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Robert talk all things action. What are action scenes and what you need to do to make your reader sit up and pay attention! We cover everything from choreographing your fight to multiple team action scenes, from slowing down the action to avoiding repetition, from enacting the action yourself to making the reader sweat with anticipation.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert dissect an author’s very interesting point of view & narrative choices. We take a close look at In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn, in which the protagonist is killed early in the story. What happens to the POV? The status of protagonist? The plot? And how is agency affected when your POV character is incorporeal? Although we’re discussing a specific work, there is much to take away about the challenges and rewards of crafting a distinct, even experimental, narrative.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn talk tech. Is technology just a concern for sci fi writers? Or does it pervade every genre in our tech-enhanced world? How does keeping an eye on the tech your characters use enhance your story? And when can it become a detriment? What about the choice to ignore or erase technology from your world? Can technology limit a story’s longevity?
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the ways in which story is all around us. What is it that makes story so pervasive? How can we use this essential nature of story in our writing? What is the difference between telling someone facts and creating a story? Will giving our supporting characters a story of their own strengthen our protagonist’s story?
To make your novel work, your protagonist and antagonist need to stick together. If they aren’t sticky, the conflict will fail. This week on the Story Works Round Table, we discuss what keeps the wheels under your plot turning.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, we talk tropes. What is a trop anyway? Why are they so misunderstood? How should you use them in your novels? Can you use them artistically? Even in genre fiction?
Is your protagonist up to all the challenges your plot is throwing at her? Or is everything a little too easy?
How do you create a character who’s tough enough to survive, but not so darn competent at everything that she becomes unbelievable and unsympathetic? This week on the Story Works Round Table writing podcast, we delve into creating sufficient challenges commensurate with your character’s abilities and more!