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Episode 42: William Shaw, Author of Crime Fiction and Adventure Thrillers
Sep 4, 2024
William Shaw, an author celebrated for his crime fiction and adventure thrillers, dives into his unique character-naming process influenced by social media. He discusses aphantasia and its surprising impact on creativity and storytelling. Shaw also reflects on the decline of adventure novels while advocating for their revival as essential escapism. Unpacking the modern portrayal of heroism, he highlights multilingualism in adventure tales. Throughout, he shares insights on using Scrivener to enhance writing organization and reader engagement.
30:27
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Quick takeaways
- William Shaw emphasizes the importance of character naming in fiction, explaining how it affects reader connection and identification.
- Shaw discusses his experience with aphantasia, revealing how it offers him unique advantages in writing descriptive narratives.
Deep dives
The Journey of DS Alexandra Cupidie
William Shaw discusses his journey in creating the character DS Alexandra Cupidie, who was originally a secondary character in another novel. Shaw chose her name somewhat randomly from a Facebook friend request, which he later regretted due to the pronunciation challenges it posed for readers. This experience highlights the often-overlooked details that authors must consider when developing characters, including the ease of identification for readers. Shaw notes that while names are personal decisions, they can significantly affect a reader's connection to a character.
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