In this week’s episode of the Story Works Round Table, Alida answers questions all about subplots. This is a recording of our monthly Ask Alida live Q&A over on Substack! Make sure you join us next time to get your questions answered and enjoy a fun chat about writing craft! In this episode, we talk about subplots, what they are, why they are important, and how to best utilize them in your writing!
In this episode of Story Works Round Table, Alida Winternheimer and Kathryn Arnold welcome Lexi Haddock to dive into the enchanting world of romance writing. Lexi shares her journey from reading thrillers to crafting heartwarming romantic comedies. Discover the inspiration behind her stories, the challenges of genre expectations, and the joy of creating characters that resonate with readers. Join us for a delightful conversation filled with insights on writing, friendship, and the magic of Paris!
“Rom coms are the antidote to when life gets heavy.” – Lexi Haddock
Crafting character arcs takes planning, but it’s not difficult, especially if you reverse engineer your protagonist’s big shift.
More than a holiday classic, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a classic of story craft. This novella offers lessons to carry throughout the year.
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.
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.
Characterization is more than introducing a character. The sharpest and subtlest of details can reveal a whole person to a reader.
We discuss story craft in Junot Diaz’s short story “Fiesta, 1980” at this week’s writers book club on the Story Works Round Table podcast.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn discuss bookending a story, drawing on our recent discussion of Ethan Frome. Edith Wharton masterfully uses prologues and epilogues to frame the story and provide meaning. We analyze how the framing devices are essential to understanding the themes and events. Then explore examples of other books that also use framing devices well to provide narrative distance and allow readers to understand the story’s significance.
This week on the Story Works Round Table, we talk about Ethan Frome, Edith Wharton’s great American tragic love story.
At this week’s Story Works Round Table, writers discuss the benefits of group coaching. Next month begins the writers book club and more!