This week, Alida and Kathryn discuss writing with whimsey. Whimsical writing can add humor and charm to writing, but it’s not only for children’s stories. Lighthearted, quirky, and funny moments add levity to otherwise serious or dark tales. After this week’s episode, you might just find yourself writing whimsically.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn talk dialogue. We’ve noticed what may be some poor advice and some frightening trends in dialogue floating around out there. Time to bust some myths and pop some speech balloons!
How should dialogue be formatted and how does it differ from interiority and thoughts?
When and why does it make sense to honor trusted conventions?
How would “experimentation” work in the voice of AI?
We draw on the past two Writers Book Club short stories for examples of dialogue, interiority, and narrative point of view. There is a lot of craft to unpack in this week’s episode, a bit of silliness, and a writing prompt, too!
“Dialogue is an art form all in and of itself. So be aware of what you’re putting on the page.”
“Dialogue should reveal something to the reader.”
This week, Alida, Kathryn welcome Mike Stop Continues back to the show to discuss prewriting theme. We cover: why you should find your theme before you write, why themes that are too timely are no good, being human, the role of the character arc in theme, how does...
What is the reveal? And how do you craft one? How do you introduce intrigue artfully? And when should you follow that intrigue with the reveal? Remember your reveal must be worth the emotional investment of the reader!
When should you use a flashback? Does it add to or detract from a readers experience? What are the ways you can reveal backstory, and when should you choose flashback over other options?
This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss the problem of multiple projects. Our listener Deanna wanted to know how should we prioritize what to work on when we have multiple projects and no specific deadline? The question raised the issues of carrying multiple projects, productivity and making progress, how to set up priorities, and the role of passion in your writing life. Then we addressed Kathryn’s question: when do you walk away? Is walking away always a bad thing? Should you be a “completer?” We touch on taking lessons learned with you and the evolution of ideas.
What is the shadow side? And how should we use it in our stories? How do we develop a shadow side? And how does it humanize our characters? Remember that you must get into your characters head, show their motivations, and make a change throughout your story! So use that shadow side to help you craft a character readers want to live vicariously through.
How do we encounter humor in fiction? Does it inspire or frustrate us as writers? How do you craft humor? What kinds of humor are there? And isn’t humor more of an audible medium? How do you learn to write humor? We dive into the benefits of studying improv, and offer some resources to learn more!
How are parts used in novel structure? How do parts function? And when do you want to use them? We discuss how different genre’s use parts and how to ensure you don’t use them in the wrong ways!
What exactly is a subplot? When do you need them? Who should they revolve around? And can they really alleviate the soggy middle syndrome? And please don’t forget your characters have lives too! Don’t make them live entirely in the main plot line.
What do we think about multiple points of view? And when should you cut them? What does a point of view character need to have? And when should you add another? We talk about the difference between dual, multiple, and ensemble casts and how it should affect your point of view character choices.