First Draft Friday: Conversations about author craft cover image

First Draft Friday: Conversations about author craft

Latest episodes

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Feb 3, 2022 • 31min

Episode 35: Robert Dugoni - Devising Page Turning Plots

Guest author Robert Dugoni is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about writing plots to keep readers turning the pages.New York Times bestselling author of the Tracy Crosswhite and Charles Jenkins series, Robert Dugoni, discusses the keys to grabbing a reader’s attention and keeping it through to the last page.Join us as we discuss how to write books readers will devour.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Feb 3, 2022 • 35min

Episode 34 - Greta Boris - Next Level Characters

Guest author Greta Boris is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about how to create character sheets with Enneagram.Does it sometimes feel your characters are more like video game avatars than actual people? Or have you fallen in love with a character only to find they absolutely won’t do what you want them to in Act 3? Learn how to use the 9 Enneagram personality types to develop deep, three-dimensional protagonists, love-interests, villains, and sidekicks.Join us as we discuss how to hook your readers from page one.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Feb 2, 2022 • 33min

Episode 33: Joan Dempsey - Write a Gripping First Page

Guest author, and writing coach, Joan Dempsey is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about writing a gripping first page. Ready to captivate readers from the opening page of your novel? Discover the keys to a great first page, including the power of a terrific opening sentence as well as which elements to include and what’s best to avoid.Join us as we discuss how to hook your readers from page one.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Feb 2, 2022 • 35min

Episode 32: Jeff Wheeler - Secrets of Writing in Different Voices

Guest author Jeff Wheeler is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about his secrets of writing in different voices. Bestselling author Jeff Wheeler has an uncanny ability to make believable characters that are unique and believable—especially his female characters.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Feb 2, 2022 • 34min

Episode 31: C. R. Rowenson - Writing a unique magic system

Guest author C. R. Rowenson is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about what it takes to make your magic system unique.Learn what to expect from the first draft of your magic system, key areas you can change, and how to know when your system is different enough.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Feb 2, 2022 • 34min

Episode 30: Tamie Dearen - Writing characters your readers will love.

Guest author Tamie Dearen is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about writing characters your readers will love and sympathize with, even when your plot forces them to do unlikable things.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Oct 6, 2021 • 31min

Episode #29: Jack Pierce - Writing Horror Effectively

Guest author Jack Pierce is in a discussion with Alessandra Torre about writing horror stories that hit the mark.Jack will communicate how to write horror effectively and why horror is the most timeless genre of them all.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Sep 28, 2021 • 30min

Episode 28: Stefan Emunds - The Origins of Story Outline

Guest author Stefan Emunds discusses the origins of story outline.A story is a dramatized virtual adventure.Likely, in the earliest days of storytelling, people took real-life adventures, like raiding a village, surviving a storm, escaping a death trap, or abducting a woman of another clan, gilded those with dramatic devices, and told the tale at the campfire.Joseph Campbell analyzed those stories, extracted the dramatic devices, categorized them, and put them in a sequence. That became the Hero’s Journey. But since the Hero’s Journey is an outline of dramatic devices, it doesn’t show what a story really is, neither does it reveal story dynamics.If we want to write true-to-life stories, we need to take a wide step back, analyze the dynamics of real-life adventures, and emulate that.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in! Then get your FREE handout here>https://authors.ai/first-draft-fridays/Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Jul 15, 2021 • 31min

Episode 26: Michael Hurd - Unlearning Writing Habits

Guest author Michael Hurd along with author Alessandra Torre will discuss strategies and tips for transitioning from objective writing to subjective writing. Each form has its own rules, style, and yes, habits. Switching isn’t always easy. Your pre-read (beta) team could be one of your best allies to help you overcome, and unlearn those habits.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/
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Jul 15, 2021 • 31min

Episode 25: Fiona Quinn - Writing Believable Fiction

Guest author Fiona Quinn along with author Alessandra Torre discuss strategies for writing believable fiction. Writing your scene with confidence comes from having a good intellectual and sensory understanding of what your protagonist is attempting. Join us for strategies to get the information you need under your belt so your writing is seamless and authentic.This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers.  Listen in!Or read about it here > https://authors.ai/writing-believable-scenes-in-your-novel/Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/This is an unedited chat loaded with questions and answers. Listen in!Did you know you can get an expert analysis of your novel in just minutes?Get your book analyzed here > https://authors.ai/

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