Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

A phrases notebook is a remarkably useful tool for writers.  Here's how to create one.  Also, sometimes while writing we might get the feeling that our plot is becoming aimless and that it is bogging down.  We'll list questions we can ask ourselves to determine if it's true, and how to fix the problem.The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

Explore getting into the 'flow' while writing 40 pages, the transformative power of fiction, and showing negative emotions in storytelling. Plus, a wild monkey encounter in Thailand!

Traps to avoid when writing character-driven stories. Kurt Vonnegut's technique of making a character want something right away. How Joyce Carol Oates works. The enduring appeal of Anne of Green Gables.

At some point all writers are new writers.  Here are some sure-fire fiction writing techniques that might not seem right, that are counterintuitive.  These are big techniques new writers often get wrong because at first glance they don't make sense.   Here's a list of these methods, and how to avoid getting them wrong.  The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

How we dress our character will show--that is, to reveal--much about our characters to the reader.  Clothing is evidence of our character's personality, and a strong tool for us writers.   Also, Jack Bickham has solid advice on how to end our chapters.The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

Huge rewards for fiction readers are a character's emotions; love, fear, gratitude, respect, loathing, and many others.  Here are techniques on how to create emotions in our characters that will  be intensely rewarding for readers.  Also: an example of the rule of exceptions regarding likeable characters..The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

In the last episode we talked about major dialogue techniques.  Here are smaller ones--but still important techniques--that'll make our dialogue shine.  And: how does the best-selling novelist Jonathan Franzen work?  We'll find out.The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

Dialogue in fiction is fun to write and fun to read.  Here are seven techniques that'll help make our dialogue shine.  Also, why should we create a character readers hate?  Because those characters can be riveting, and are a strong element in the story.   Here are some famous examples from novels, not main villains, but rather secondary characters who make readers groan when they appear on the page.The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

Let's talk about stupid writing,  And: how to get our story going without over-explanation and back-story.  How John Updike and Frank Baum wrote.  And an encounter with Aphrodite in English 101.The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show

Here is a list of the fourteen biggest mistakes we can make when creating our scene, and how to avoid them.  Also, we'll talk about how to avoid the dull tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock metronome beat when writing sentences.  And: showing rather than telling about a character's personality.The Write NoteExploring the craft of writing and its impact on pop culture.Listen on:   SpotifySupport the show