Crafting character arcs takes planning, but it’s not difficult, especially if you reverse engineer your protagonist’s big shift.
SWRT 286 | Writers Book Club: A Christmas Carol
More than a holiday classic, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a classic of story craft. This novella offers lessons to carry throughout the year.
SWRT 091 | Going Deeper into Emotional Risks
Why are we compelled by the truth in our lives? And how can we make art out of emotional risks? When should we protect the people we’ve written about rather than publish our work? And how do you deal with your reality in writing, whether in fiction or nonfiction?
SWRT 090 | Writing Otherness
We start with a listener question about writing a culture that is not our own, and take off on a journey of writing what you don’t know, or the “other”. Why is it a political hot potato? And how can you be careful in your writing? We talk about the problem of stereotypes, and our own view from the “white middle class”. In the end it all comes down to being careful, researching well, and writing from a place of deep empathy for your whole character!
SWRT 089 | Setting: Story Places Based on Real Places
What are the advantages and pitfalls of using real places and names in your writing? What should you fictionalize, and what can you leave the same? It all comes down to genre expectations, how close to reality you want to be, and not pulling your readers out of your story!
SWRT 088 | The Psychology of Storytelling
What is the psychology of storytelling? And how do we factor it into our writing process? Why do we tell stories? And how can we tap into the power of verbal storytelling?
SWRT 087 | 2019 New Year New Goals
This week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss the year to come. If you haven't already, listen to last week's show, 2018 Year in Review. We get into not only where we'd like to be heading, but will keep us motivated with lots of tips, tricks, and recommendations. I've...
SWRT 086 | 2018 Year in Review
What did we learn from 2018? Did we meet our goals? And do we struggle to see ourselves as writers? Alida gives us a challenge for 2019, and we hope you will join in too!
SWRT 085 | Antagonistic Forces
If your story doesn’t have a bad guy, what do you have? How can you use stories about nature or society to craft a non-personified antagonist? Do you have to have characters involved? And are these external, or internal forces? What effect does this have on your story? And how can you keep a reader interested?
SWRT 084 | Taking Emotional Risks in Your Fiction
Why is it important to take emotional risks in your writing? And why is it easier for some writers and not for others? When should you take the risks? And how does it change from fiction to creative non-fiction? Letting your mess onto the page can turn a good story into a great story, and it all starts with what you are passionate about.
SWRT 083 | The Intersection of Script-writing & Novel-writing
What is the difference between script writing for the screen, and novel writing? How do the writing processes overlap? And how beneficial is the established collaboration within screenwriting? What are the benefits (and pitfalls) of the technicalities and structure of screenwriting as a novel writer? And are we tapping into our knowledge of film? Go out and study structure, story, and screenwriting! An informed writer is a better writer!