Writer Unleashed

Now that summer's officially here, and with Writer Unleashed reaching it's 3rd year of being on the airwaves, I've done a retrospective of past episodes. And I've curated 7 of the most popular episodes from the past year - everything from how to express character emotion,  to how to avoid common plot problems, to story structure, to how to approach your craft like a published author. Think of this as your summer writing playlist. Episode 100: 5 Common Plot Problems You Can AvoidEpisode 107: How To Write A Short Story In 3 Easy StepsEpisode 108: 3 Things Published Authors Do DifferentlyEpisode 110: 3 Powerful Ways To Show Character EmotionEpisode 118: Before You Outline: 3 Core Foundations To Build FirstEpisode124:  How To Hook Readers In Your Opening ParagraphEpisode 128: 3 Mindset Shifts To Make Your Writing Dream A Reality Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

Description can enrich your story with layers of atmosphere and authenticity that drops the reader inside the world of your story. But sometimes writers assume that in order to create a world for the reader to inhabit, they must pile on loads of details.  You may be writing fantasy, or historical fiction, where the setting is unfamiliar or foreign to the reader.  So, description is necessary. But how much description is the right amount?  When does it become overwhelming to the reader? Too much description, especially when it's wasteful, can bog readers down and make them confused about what what they should pay attention to, and what's mere ornamentation. If you don't select what goes into your description, it will strike the reader as arbitrary or gratuitous. So, the question is...What goes into your descriptions? And what stays out?What's the criteria? In this episode, I'm going to give you four criteria to help you write dazzling descriptions that create vivid, lasting impressions on readers.Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

Writers often think they're writing in scene when they're actually writing in summary. So, what is summary? What is scene? And when do you write in one vs. the other? In this episode, I'll break down the crucial difference between scene and summary.  You'll learn what moments to reserve for scene and how to blend in summary to enhance your story. Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

How do mothers balance writing with parenthood? Whether you're a mom of young children, or a single parent holding down a full time job and a full brood, carving out space to write can feel challenging, if not impossible.This episode is a love note to mothers.  I'll share my story, along with what I've learned along the way about how to honor the urge to create while being totally present for our kids. We'll cover how to make time, set the conditions to make your writing happen, and how to ask for support. Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

Whatever stage of the writing process you're in, whether you have a finished first draft, or a work in progress... you may be thinking of hiring an editor. But what does an editor actually do?And at what stage do you hire one?In today's episode, I'm breaking down 3 different types of editors to help you decide what's best for you at whatever stage of development you're at. Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

What's an inciting incident, and why does your story need one?In this episode, learn what an inciting incident is, and two types that set your story in motion.We’ll also talk about where in your story to place it, and how to craft your inciting incident to hook your reader.Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

Present tense or past tense? How do you decide? What are the advantages of present tense, and when is past tense a better option? In this episode, I’m going to explore the pros and cons of present tense. We'll explore techniques that are much easier to achieve  with past tense.And if the present is your tense of choice, I'll outline 4 limitations to be aware of, so you can overcome them. Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

One of the most important decisions you’re going to make about your story is its point of view. Point of view is also one of the more complex story structures to master.  How do you show what's in other characters' minds when writing in first person, or limited 3rd? And what about omniscience?  In this episode,  I'm going to give you a different understanding of point of view that you probably haven't heard before. You'll learn to control it more, and take advantage of the range available to you whether you're writing in first person, third person limited, or third person omniscient. You'll learn:the primary purpose of point of view;why focusing on which person you write in is limiting your story's point of view, and what to focus on instead;what we mean by omniscience (and why it's not the sole province of third person narrators) and;how to bring a third person narrator more deeply into the mind of your charactersEpisode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

A common challenge many writers face is gaining clarity on the story they’re writing and conveying it to readers in a way that compels them to keep reading.Often, there are too many competing story-lines that don't feel integrated. Too many characters whose relevance isn't clear. And then there are random events that don't have a clear story connection. The story meanders without a point. This makes the story hard for a reader to follow. So, the challenge is to nail down who your story's about, what problem your character is trying to solve, what incident catapults him or her into action, and  how he or she goes about solving their story problem. It's a pretty straightforward framework. And there are 5 parts to it, which we'll break down in today's episode. So, if you're having trouble finishing your story, if you're getting stalled in the middle, or overwhelmed and lost in your own material, this episode is for you. Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.

Does your story need a prologue? Will it hurt your story? Should you remove or rewrite the one you’ve already written? And how do you write a riveting prologue that gives just enough information so we can absorb the rest of your story?Some writers resist writing prologues. They think it's an industry no no. Other writers think it's a requirement.But a common mistake with prologues is writing one which has no substantial relationship to the global story. Which is why publishers dismiss the manuscript without turning the page. That's what makes a prologue a no no. Not the prologue, but the execution of it. Hate them or love them, prologues are sometimes necessary to help readers navigate and enjoy your novel. This episode will help you decide if your story could benefit from a prologue. You'll learn 4 types of prologues and what makes them work. And then you'll get tips for writing a winning prologue. Episode Website10 Questions First Time Novelists Ask, and Encouraging, Practical Answers to Help You Finish Your BookWant to join a community of like-minded writers? Need inspiration and support? Join us in our private Writer Unleashed Community Facebook Group. It's totally free to join.