Having readers fall in love with our character is so important, and making our hero an underdog is a good way to do it. Here are thoughts on underdog characters. Also, I'll read a few character descriptions from master story-tellers that may make us stronger writers.Support the show
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25:36
Episode 162 - The state fair plotting technique.
Our story should be like a state fair: one thing after another. Here are some ideas on state fair plotting. Plus: settings shouldn't be inert locations in our novel or short story but rather should work for our story. Here's how to get the most from our settings. Also: my experiment with AI proofreading.Support the show
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27:19
Episode 161 - Ways to give readers what they want.
Readers want five things in a story, three of which are right in the beginning. Here's a discussion of how to deliver those five things. Plus, a character's thoughts are the least interesting aspect of a story. How can we show what a character is thinking without entering her mind?Support the show
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26:46
Episode 160 - Should our story have a theme?
Best-selling writers disagree on the importance of a theme in stories. Here are thoughts on whether we should present a theme in our novel or short story. And famous authors on their writing discipline. Plus, mixing genres when telling an agent or publisher about our novel.Support the show
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24:01
Episode 159 - A surefire way to generate plot, the sidekick.
Putting a sidekick into our story adds many benefits, a main one being that readers love sidekicks. Here are some techniques for creating a sidekick for our novel or short story. Also, a list of catchy, memorable novel titles. And a big question: how do bad novels get published?Support the show
Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel. It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story development and scene construction (Kirkus Reviews said Thayer's novels are "superbly crafted') and it also examines techniques that will make your sentence-by-sentence writing shine. The New York Times Book Review has said Thayer's "writing is smooth and clear. it wastes no words, and it has a rhythm only confident stylists achieve.
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