Story Works Round Table Archives - Page 34 of 66 - Story Works Round Table Podcast

SWRT 290 | Real Life to Fiction with D. Liebhart

Feb 22, 2024

Dive into an extraordinary conversation on the Story Works Round Table as D. Liebhart, an ICU nurse turned award-winning author, reveals the intricate process of transforming real-life experiences into captivating fiction. In this episode, we explore the ethical and moral complexities of her debut novel, House on Fire, and delve into the delicate balance between truth and storytelling. Join us as we uncover the layers of memory, emotion, and craft that shape a writer’s journey from personal history to the pages of a novel.

SWRT 290 | Heroes with Screenwriter Tim Auld

Feb 1, 2024

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn welcome screenwriter Tim Auld back to the round table to discuss heroes.

What makes a hero resonate with an audience? Tim Auld introduces us to the concept of ordinary heroism, a principle that suggests heroes should be inherently inadequate to the challenges they face.

SWRT 060 | Everything You Need to Know About Show, Don’t Tell, part 2

Jun 28, 2018

What is psychic distance and filtering? How can we use our writers gaze properly? How do you get rid of your frame and allow the reader to fill in the gaps? Don’t forget to use all your senses and put your characters in action in your space in order to show effectively.

SWRT 059 | Everything You Want to Know About Show, Don’t Tell

Jun 21, 2018

What does “show, don’t tell” actually mean? And how is it misleading? How should you use narrative summary to your benefit as a writer? Do you need scene breaks? And how do you make your telling showy? How present is your narrator? And what are the dangers of losing your narrator in a first-person point of view?

SWRT 058 | Narrative Drive with Emma Darwin

Jun 14, 2018

What is narrative drive? And why is it so important to your story? How can you craft drive with characters choices, cause, and effect? What happens when your character comes alive? How does it affect your plot, their agency, and the surprising inevitability of your story? And finally what are some ways you can develop these narrative drive skills?

SWRT 057 | Historical Fiction with Emma Darwin

Jun 7, 2018

What drew Emma to historical fiction, and what is it’s allure? How important is your motivation for writing, and what you are trying to communicate to your reader? How does theme drive your story? Emma explains some ways she uses structural tools to make her writing better. And finally, we talk about the trap of authenticity in our writing.

SWRT 056 | First Encounter Fiction

May 31, 2018

Why do first encounter stories fascinate us? What sort of problems are typical in first encounter fiction? How does it make us deal with our own humanity? And how can you use first encounters outside of its typical alien invasion genre?

SWRT 055 | Hard & Soft World Systems

May 24, 2018

What is the difference between hard and soft magic systems? How does it apply to science fiction as well as fantasy? What are some pros and cons of the spectrum? How do you avoid deus ex machina with all powerful magic systems? How do you incorporate consequence into your systems? And where do we fall on the sliding scale?

SWRT 054 | Keeping a Community of Writers

May 17, 2018

What is the difference between working in a community and in isolation as a writer? How does it change your work and your mindset? Do we prefer traditional or digital communities? And what are the pros and cons of digital versus face to face? How does a writing community help you grow? And how can it hurt your efforts? As with everything, be careful to balance your life with your community and your writing so that you don’t suffer from overwhelm! And don’t forget, the Story Works community is available to you!

SWRT 053 | What Writers Really Do part 2

May 10, 2018

This week, Alida and Robert continue their conversation about the writing process, creativity, first drafts, where ideas come from, and how revision really works. The inspiration for our conversation is George Saunders' essay "What Writers Really Do When They Write."...

SWRT 051 | What Writers Really Do…

May 3, 2018

This week, Alida and Robert discuss a craft essay by George Saunders, titled "What Writers Really Do When They Write." It's all about the writing process, and we get a lot of value out of this essay. We highly recommend it to anyone writing a story. Get the essay at...

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Story Works Round Table

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