Story Works Round Table

conversations about craft

for writers and readers curious about writers

SWRT 341 | Ask Alida: Crafting Emotional Resonance

SWRT 341 | Ask Alida: Crafting Emotional Resonance

In this episode of the Story Works Round Table, we explore the profound significance of storytelling in human experience, discover why writing matters in a world increasingly influenced by technology, and how empathy plays a crucial role in storytelling. We delve into crafting emotions, avoiding melodrama, and the delicate balance between character interiority and external expression. We also touch on backstory, and knowing when to tell the story you want to write! Join us for an insightful discussion on the art of writing and the eternal value of stories in shaping our understanding of the world.

SWRT 340 | Writing Regional Fiction, bringing culture to life with Arlon Jay Staggs

SWRT 340 | Writing Regional Fiction, bringing culture to life with Arlon Jay Staggs

In this episode of Story Works Round Table, Alida Winternheimer and Kathryn Arnold engage in a lively discussion with debut novelist Arlon Jay Staggs, who brings an insightful conversation about Southern Fiction. With humor and affection, Arlon shares insights about the quirks of the Deep South, the significance of dialogue in Southern storytelling, and the cultural contradictions that shape the genre. Tune in as we explore Arlon’s journey as a writer, the inspirations behind his debut novel, and the delightful complexities of Southern characters.

SWRT 290 | Heroes with Screenwriter Tim Auld

SWRT 290 | Heroes with Screenwriter Tim Auld

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.

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SWRT 289 | Scripting Didactic with Screenwiter Tim Auld

SWRT 289 | Scripting Didactic with Screenwiter Tim Auld

This week we welcome Screenwriter Tim Auld to the Round Table to discuss the trend in film and literature toward didactic writing, when the (often moral) message of a piece overpowers the story trying to be told. Why is this still happening if audiences are weary of it? What about writing a message-focused story—is there a right way to do it? We’re excited to have a fresh perspective from the screenwriting side of the craft.

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SWRT 288 | Stakes & Agency

SWRT 288 | Stakes & Agency

This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss the relationship between stakes and agency. How do these aspects of plot and character work together to create forward drive in your story?

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SWRT 285 | Self Discovery Through Writing

SWRT 285 | Self Discovery Through Writing

This week at the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn solve the world’s problems with one simple, three-part edict.

We’re kidding, but we’re kind of not. Writing and reading are all about building empathetic connections with people who are nothing like ourselves. As such, writers are gifted with a truly great responsibility.

Share this episode and a book with the people you love.

If you’re in the States, Happy Thanksgiving! Wherever you are, I am grateful for every single person who takes the time to listen to one another.

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SWRT 284 | Writers Book Club: Naming My Father

SWRT 284 | Writers Book Club: Naming My Father

This week, Alida and Kathryn welcome Dr. Martha Highers to the Writers Book Club to discuss “Naming My Father,” a personal essay that won the Under the Sun summer writing contest. Martha is an editor at Under the Sun. not only do we talk as reader-writers, we get an insightful behind the scenes glimpse of the selection and editorial process for this wonderful essay about growing up the child of an autistic parent before anyone understood autism.

Subscribe to A Room Full of Books & Pencils and receive 21 Reasons to Pause, a series of writing prompts and tips.

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SWRT 283 | Characterization

SWRT 283 | Characterization

Characterization is more than introducing a character. The sharpest and subtlest of details can reveal a whole person to a reader.

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