Write Better, Author Smarter with Autumn Bardot
by Autumn Bardot
Discover tips and inspiration to write more, author smarter, and tell your story better. Learn how to amplify character, conflict, and emotion. Get no nonsense advice about the business of writing and authoring.Welcome beautiful writers, I'm Autumn Bardot, a traditionally and indie published author with 11 books. I've taught writing and literary analysis for almost 20 years so my approach to writing comes from both an academic and real-life perspective. Show notes are at autumnbardot.com and Club Autumn on FB.All the links: https://linktr.ee/autumnbardot
Episodes
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Darkness and how to SHOW not tell
The Dark and Darkness ( capitalization for emphasis) is a great way to SHOW ( not tell) a character's intent, setting, genre, conflicts, morality, ignorance and more. It's a great plot device too that can add tension and create a foreboding atmosphere in an otherwise benign event or scene....
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Knives | What a Knife Can Show ( Not Tell | Show don't Tell |Knives and characterization
Knives are a great way to show or reveal character, mood, culture, setting, and intent. Knives are powerful and iconic symbols of power, violence, and conflict. Yet they can be so much more than that. Are you using the knives in your novel to enhance your plot and characters? ✅ Discover the Power...
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Mirrors and Ways to SHOW not TELL
#writingtips #writinginspiration Mirrors are symbolic of vanity, truth clarity, illumination, distortion, and a reflection of one's soul. All of these can help you SHOW emotion, characterization, conflict, setting, worldview, and plot. Things to be considered if there's a mirror in your story…
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Using BOOKS to SHOW not TELL
#writintgtips #writinginspiration Books can mean so much more than just be symbolic for learning and knowledge. They can show emotion, conflict, setting, characterization. They can foreshadow too. It's all in what and how you use the book(s) in your story. Any detail that you include about the…
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Gray & 10 Ways to use Color to SHOW not tell
Gray is a color that can show emotion, setting, and personality, and the adjectives used to describe the color have feelings and images attached to them. Using a color, like gray, can add nuance and enrich your writing, no matter what you're describing. www.autumnbardot.com
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SHOW DON'T TELL with the color WHITE | Show don't Tell Series
White is a color that can show emotion, setting, and personality, and the adjectives used to describe the color have feelings and images attached to them. Using a color, like white can add nuance and enrich your writing, no matter what you're describing. www.autumnbardot.com
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Show Don't Tell & the Color Black
#writingtips #showingvstelling #autumnbardot Black is a powerful and far-reaching color for showing emotion and personality, and color descriptors have feelings and images attached to them. Using a color, like black, can add nuance and enrich your writing, no matter what you're describing. ⭐️…
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SHOW don't TELL with the color YELLOW
The color yellow and all its many shades can enrich scenes, reveal character, and emotions because color and specific color descriptors give readers all the feels. Or maybe just a clue. It's up to you, the writer. Colors come with a feeling; choose with care.
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SHOW don't TELL with BLUE
The color blue and all its many shades can enrich scenes and reveal character and emotions because color and specific color descriptors can give readers all the feels. Or maybe just a clue. It's up to you, the writer. Colors come with a feeling; choose with care. Check the Show don't Tell…
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Go Green & SHOW don't TELL
Use color and color descriptors to show or amplify emotion, characterization, conflict, and theme with today's color, green. Green is fertility and nature. Green is youth and inexperience. Green is envy and jealousy. Green is nature. Green is soothing and inviting. There's nothing scary about...
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Show Don't Tell & the Color RED | Seeing Red | Shades of Red
Red is powerful color for showing emotion and personality, and the shades of red are also powerful. Using color, like red, can add nuance and enrich your writing, no matter what it's describing. ⭐️ PART OF MY SHOW DON'T TELL SERIES ⭐️
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Writing Resolutions & Finding Balance
The new year is about making author and writing resolutions that are difficult to keep AND about trying to balance our writing life with real-life responsibilities. The writing struggle is real. One many of us face and feel bad about because we can't seem to manage all that we should. Life throws...
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SHOW don't TELL | gift giving
Giving gifts is another way that writers can SHOW the desires, strengths, and needs of a character in your story. Showing is a clue into your character's personality so if you have a scene where they give a gift, consider what you would like to show your readers. All those showing clues add up…
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SHOW don't TELL | Clothing Matters
Clothes can say a lot about a character, their mood, personality, culture, ambitions, personality, and much more if it's done for purpose. But beware, descriptions for no reason just add to word count. This episode peeks into the story closet to offer ways to give readers clues about your...
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"Twas the Night Before Fictionmas
Twas the night before Fictionmas when all through the house Only a writer was stirring and starting to grouse The plot was all outlined but in need of some flair In hopes that saint publishing soon would be there The protagonist was nestled all snug in her head with conflicts and character arcs...
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Show Don't Tell Strategies to Improve Characterization
'Tis the season and it's difficult for many writers to make progress on a manuscript. Be merry, all is not lost! I have tips for showing ( not telling) character while enjoying all the festivities. www.autumnbardot.com
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10 Things Writers can be Thankful for
We writers like to complain about all the different problems and struggles we face, but there are many things writers, especially indie authors, can be grateful for. Here's a short list. www.autumnbardot.com
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Keywords in Book Descriptions | Book Descriptions Sell Books
Writing an enticing, market-savvy description for your book can be a challenge, but there are tricks and tips to get it done right. Your book's description is vital to getting a new reader to click the Buy link. This requires thinking like a marketer and advertiser, which can be difficult for…
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Don't RUSH the Writing Process
Don't rush when writing, revising, editing, uploading, querying, marketing or any part of the writing process because it's a sure way to make costly and aggravating mistakes. Too often beginner writers and newer authors make the mistake of rushing through all or part of the process in their...
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Why NaNoWriMo is Not For Everyone | Writing Struggles | Word Count
Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one NOT participating in the NaNoWritMo word count challenge. It's a lot of fun and a great motivator for many many writers and authors, but it's not for everyone. And that's ok! Here are my reasons for not participating. www.autumnbardot.com
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20 Horrifying Writer Problems | Writing Problems | Writing Life
There's a a whole host of spine-tingling, soul-stealing, heart-wrenching, frightening, horrifying, and petrifying things that can happen when you're a writer and author. It comes with the territory. And it’s part of the learning curve. Writing, marketing, and all that author stuff means going way...
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Get Off the Writing Hamster Wheel
Are you trying to do it all, write more books, market more books, promote more books, post more on social media, and do more more more? Then this video is for you. Having a goals, aspirations, and vision for your writing future is wonderful and necessary, but sometimes pushing ourselves beyond…
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10 Rules to Live a Great Writing Life | Writing Tips | Author Advice
These 10 rules have helped me live a more satisfied and happier writing life. They were learned the hard way. Juggling writing with working or other full-time responsibilities is often a daily and ongoing struggle of time management and expectations. It can be disappointing and frustrating....
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5 Stages of a New Writer | Stages of Writing | Writing Problems
This episode breaks down the writing process into 5 stages that writers go through with their first novel. Writing, learning to write, understanding the craft, and implementing the strategies to write a great novel is a process. One that cannot be rushed. Writers are a special breed. Our...
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Tips to Help With Setting | Writing Inspiration | Immerse Yourself in Story Setting
Go deep into your story’s setting with these hints for making it an immersive experience. Setting is important to character arc, conflict, themes, and so much more. It’s important to be there, in the space, feel the air, taste, touch and hear the setting that your characters are in. It helps you...
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The Lie They Tell Writers
'Every no brings you closer to a yes' is an often told reply heard by writers lamenting their rejections. It's nice to hear and gives struggling writers hope. Nice but not true. Here's why and, more importantly, why rejection is not as bad as you think.
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Stylesheet | Why You Need a Stylesheet | Editing Tips
⭐️ 📚 WEEKLY VIDEOS for writing tips and inspiration.📚 ⭐️ This channel is all about writing tips, author tricks, and inspiration for living your best writing life. Many authors and writers must juggle writing time with family, full-time jobs, and time-consuming responsibilities. It’s frustrating...
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SHOW don't TELL
Learning to identify showing vs telling is a challenge for new writers, and writing it is even trickier, but it can and should be mastered so that you can take your story skills to the next level. After filming this, I thought of even better ways to write those showing sentence examples.…
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8 Things I Learned During My Writing Journey | Write a Novel | Writing Inspiration
There is a lot to learn about writing and authoring but these are the 8 that resonated the most with me.
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Find Time to Write | Writing While Working Fill-Time
What happens when you want to write a novel but life and work make it almost impossible? Is there any way to squeeze in some precious writing or do you need to postpone your writing ambitions? This episode is a real life look at a work schedule change that took away valuable writing time and the...
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Novel Feedback | When to Accept | When to Reject
Novel feedback often can really help you make your novel better, but sometimes the advice just doesn't seem right. How do you know when to take the advice--even if it means a massive rewrite or reject the advice? This episode looks at the feedback dilemma many writers face.
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The Importance of Character Stakes | Craft Great Characters | How to Make the Story Matter
A story must have stakes for the character, because without stakes it doesn't matter if the characters succeed or not. You can have a great plot but if there are no consequences for the characters, then your story will fall flat.
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Why It's Very Important to Know Your Genre
Knowing, understanding, and embracing a specific genre no only helps you the writer create a better story, it's also extremely important to readers. And here are all the reasons why. www.autumnbardot.com
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Why you MUST HAVE a GREAT one-liner to describe your book
Writers need a one-line explanation of their book-- be it for an agent, TikTok, pitch, or just as a simple response to the "What's your book about" question. Is is difficult to write? Yes, in the beginning, because writers often think in terms of scenes, whereas most people just want an...
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7 Problems with Having Too Many Characters
Having too many characters in your novel confuses the reader and causes problems for the writer and the reader. Here are 7 problems associated with having too many characters for your genre's conventions. FOR ALL MY BOOKS AND LINKS GO TO www.autumnbardot.com
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Writer? Aspiring Writer? Author? What You Call Yourself Matters| Author Advice & Tips
How you identify yourself when someone asks matters in ways that relate to your writing goals that you may not have thought about. Are you a writer, a new or beginning writers, a pro? This video looks at the names we give ourself and why it matters to your writing goals. WEBSITE...
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Read Like A Writer | Writing Tips |Amazing Writing Advice
Reading like a WRITER and not just for entertainment is an amazing way to learn about the writing craft and improve your writing skills. Writers need to read—we’ve all heard that advice—but that's just 1/2 the instruction! T his episode discusses in depth what it means to READ like a WRITER. Hi,...
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The SECRET Every New Writer Must Know | Writing Routines
The secret to writing your first novel or many novels is finding a routine that works to get the pages written and also by making a consistent effort to learn the writing craft. It’s the single most important thing you can do make your ambitions and dreams of writing into a reality. This is the...
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Live Book Events | Book Festival | Author Festival | Do's & Don'ts
What to bring, table set up, what not to do and other do's & don'ts to make your live book event a great experience to get you and your books seen. Live book events are wonderful, but also scary and overwhelming. Your table can get lost in a sea of author tables. It's so easy for prospective...
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Fix Amateur Writing Problems | Beginner Writing Issues | Writing Feedback | How to Write Better
The best way to improve your writing is to listen to feedback about your novel and then take the steps to improve your skills. Are you a beginner writer who wants to take your writing to the next level? There are many reasons why new writers find it difficult but it can be done and you can learn…
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How To Give Helpful Writing Feedback
When it’s time to provide writing feedback to your writing friend it can be difficult because you want to inspire and motivate them, not crush their soul. The hard truth is that many amateur writers do not want to be told that there are problems with the novel. Let’s face it, revisions are...
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7 Nice Ways to Decline Reading & Critiquing Your Friend's Book
What should you do when your writing friend wants you to read and provide feedback on their book and you really don’t want to. Their pleas can put writers in the hot seat and make an experienced writer squirm because they know what’s involved in feedback and what your friend wants to hear. Here…
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Why REVIEWERS Need AUTHORS to Have a Website
A book reviewer's perspective about why authors must have a website that has all the important book and author information and links. If you're a writer or author who doesn't yet have a website, has a website under construction, or needs to update their website, this episode may be eye-opening.…
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Should Authors Leave Bad Reviews? | Revenge Reviews
Writers and authors need to decide whether leaving a bad book review is the best course of action. There are lots of really great valid reasons why authors feel they ought to leave a negative review--and I discuss that-- but an author with a public platform is different than just any reader. I...
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Evil Character Traits | Fictional Villain | Writing Tips | CharacterizationTips
There are many traits that make a character evil, so make sure to include the evil traits that will help foreshadow and emphasize the villain in your story. Everyone loves a villain--the badder the better--and readers love to hate them, but writing them can be tricky, especially if they're not...
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Write a Tudor Novel | Historical Fiction Tips | Historical Fiction Author | Tudor Era
Do you want to write a novel in the Tudor era and need some great advice and tips? Tudor author, Janet Wertman, discusses all things Tudor historical fiction and also shares some funny historical snafus and conundrums. FIND JANET WERTMAN'S BOOKS & SOCIAL MEDIA AT https://janetwertman.com/ J…
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How to Start Writing A Novel
Want to write novel? Don't know how to get started? Have you always wanted to write a novel? Many people do. The trick is starting it. Not thinking about it. Not putting it off until 'some day.' You may be surprised how easy it can be to start writing a novel! This episode shares all the…
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Write What You Know | What Does That Really Mean? | Writing Advice
Write what you know. That's the advice of many authors. Is it good writing advice? Does it limit what writers can write about? It sure sounds like it! A story has conflict, characters, a character arc, and emotions all mixed into a great plot. Do we know anything about those things? This episode...
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Chat With A Developmental Editor | First Novel Tips | Writing Strategies
#developmentaleditor #writingstrategies Are you a new or beginner writer? Is this your first novel? Then one of the best things you can do is to hire the services of a developmental editor. They are instrumental in helping, guiding, and offering suggestions for improving your manuscript. A...
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Why to Update Your Book Cover | Book Cover Problems | Genre Book Covers
How do you know when it's time to update your book covers? Maybe the book is newly published. Or from your backlist. Designing book covers takes time and money, but authors need to ask themselves the hard questions. Does the book cover reflect or align with the current book covers for that…
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About this show
Discover tips and inspiration to write more, author smarter, and tell your story better. Learn how to amplify character, conflict, and emotion. Get no nonsense advice about the business of writing and authoring.Welcome beautiful writers, I'm Autumn Bardot, a traditionally and indie published author with 11 books. I've taught writing and literary analysis for almost 20 years so my approach to writing comes from both an academic and real-life perspective. Show notes are at autumnbardot.com and Club Autumn on FB.All the links: https://linktr.ee/autumnbardot
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Autumn Bardot