We had the absolute joy of sitting down with Charlie Jane Anders, the author of the book we’ve focused on for our last four episodes (All the Birds in the Sky). We talked with Anders about POV, tone, and how she played around with humor —partly by occasionally using an omniscient POV! Anders also explained how to incorporate humor and whimsy, and what it feels like to take risks as an author in today’s literary landscape.

Thing of the Week:

Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie Jane Anders

Homework from Charlie Jane Anders:

Take a scene you’ve already written and add five or six narrative asides that are providing information that the characters in the scene couldn’t possibly know.

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Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal and DongWon Song. Our guest was Charlie Jane Anders. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

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20.38: An Interview with Charlie Jane Anders

Writing Excuses

Balancing Whimsy, Drafting Choices, and Homework

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