Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Learn how to create compelling villains and lovable sidekicks in your novel. Discover the importance of minimizing characters in a scene and the significance of names in writing. Explore the role of names in storytelling and the benefits of basing characters on friends or relatives.

This podcast explores the techniques for creating compelling characters in fiction. It discusses the balance between believability and interest in character development, and the qualities that make fictional characters memorable. The significance of hardship and odds in making characters likable is highlighted, along with the use of quirks and weaknesses. The chapter also explores the importance of deep characterization and provides tools and techniques for creating and describing characters.

In this podcast, they discuss the concept of pace in novel writing and how it should always move forward. They also emphasize the importance of the first sentence as a hook for readers and the need for an economical story. They caution against excessive backstory and over-description, and provide tips on finding the right balance in descriptions.

Exploring the process of finding a captivating plot for a novel, challenging the idea of 'write what you know' in fiction writing, emphasizing the importance of big and bold plots, highlighting the significance of conflict and raising the stakes, and following the heart-wrenching journey of David Copperfield.

Getting ready to start a novel.  Drafting a  a plan (timetable).  An outline (pros and cons).  Other useful pre-writing and during-the-writing documents.  Recommendations for a novel's length.Support the show

Follow the rules.  Go with what works to increase our chances of getting published.  Writing can be learned.  And if we know how to write, we can get better.  A critical ingredient: persistence.  One negative thing about learning to write.  Leaning to concentrate.  And a technique about weeping.Support the show