This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida & Kathryn welcome Kavita Das to the Story Works Round Table. Kavita has a new book out, called Craft & Conscience, all about writing that is concerned with social issues. And really, what writing isn’t in one way or another getting at the aspects of being human and being human together that could use some work? This conversation is equally beneficial for fiction and nonfiction writers.
Writing good sex scenes into your novels is about more than showing a little skin. This is a clean conversation about the craft of sex scenes. Show notes and more!
Taking a look at “What it Means to Be a Man” by Ed Bok Lee, we talk about why Alida picked this story, and what it is really all about. How do you create empathy with your readers when they may have no cultural context for your story? Or even find your subject matter repulsive? How do you choose the right narrator for the story? And what does it really mean to be a man?
Taking a look at “The Birth Will Take Place on a Mutually Acceptable Research Vessel” by Matthew Bailey, we talk about why Kathryn picked this story, and what it is really all about. Why would a man write from the point of view of a pregnant woman? And does the second person work for us? What hooks readers, and how does the author get them to empathize with this uncomfortable narrator? Even with Matt’s hesitation over whether or not he likes the story, we still laugh at the humor and appreciate the twist at the end.
Taking a look at “Sonny Liston Takes the Fall” by Elizabeth Bear, we talk about why Matt picked this story, and what it is really all about. Why did the author choose one protagonist over another? And what is the theme of this story? We talk about the narrator character and if Sonny Liston even took the fall. In the end we wonder what genre this truly is – and want to know if there is any alternate history in this story that we don’t know about.
What is pacing? How do you decide the best pace for your story? And how do you achieve that pace? What kind of effect can pacing have for your readers? And why is pacing so different between books and movies? Check out the things we’ve mentioned section to check out those books we talked about – those we loved and even those we didn’t.
Do you always have to write what you know? And what defines what you know? How do you craft a character based on yourself? What about characters we have nothing in common with? We talk about building worlds based on our own, and where we research in order to create compelling worlds. In need of research assistance? We offer a wealth of resources we find useful, and recommend that you read bibliographies!
Where do story idea’s come from? Can you cultivate ideas or do you have to wait for inspiration? We talk about travel, dreams, visions and how the writing process truly is one of discovery. Do you need an idea in order to write? And is creativity a limited well or a muscle you can whip into shape? What if someone else steals your ideas? You will be surprised where some of our inspiration comes from!
What is agency? And how do you keep your protagonist active? Do coincidences and natural disasters take away character agency? What is they try/fail cycle and what does Alida have against it? What is the difference between a reaction and a response? When should you plan your characters agency? And how do you handle reaction scenes? In the end just ask yourself: “did my character lose a hand?”. If he did, then you have a pretty good chance – he’s active!
Are endings hard? What makes a good ending, and how do you make it surprising and inevitable? How do you resolve a book differently if it’s a short story, versus a novel, versus a novel in a series? And how can you create that satisfying ending for both you and the reader?
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.