All Episodes
Essential Guide to Writing a Novel — 232 episodes
Episode 232 - More on making our dialogue engaging for readers.
Episode 231 - Techniques to make our dialogue grab readers.
Episode 230 - Creating a dastardly villain.
Episode 229 - Juice up the setting.
Episode 228 - Avoiding dullness in our story.
Episode 227 - Becoming a close observer.
Episode 226 - Ways to make our sentences shine.
Episode 225 - Leave it all on the field.
Episode 224 - Using all the senses to describe our character.
Episode 223 - Readers can fall in love with our settings.
Episode 222 - Small techniques can add up to forceful sentences.
Episode 221 - Writing that is more intense than real life.
Episode 220 - Cut to the chase.
Episode 219 - How to get our story going.
Episode 218 - Our writer's voice.
Episode 217 - Why and how to practice. And Edgar Alan Poe.
Episode 216 - Too many characters is a scene.
Episode 215 - The ratchet, a strong plotting tool.
Episode 214 - Famous writers show us how to write and live.
Episode 213 - Save the cat plotting.
Episode 212 - Getting skilled with point of view.
Episode 211 - How to have fun while writing.
Episode 210 - Timeless plot patterns.
Episode 209 - Avoiding blunders in our story.
Episode 208 - How to paint pictures with words.
Episode 207 - When the hero lies to the reader.
Episode 206 - How to get lots of plot ideas.
Episiode 205 - How to stop stalling and get going.
Episode 204 - Meaningless modifiers and what to cut.
Episode 203 - Argument makes our dialogue riveting.
Episode 202 - How to have fun while writing.
Episode 201 - A formula for strong sentences.
Episode 200 - How can we know if we can write?
Episode 199 - Writing a scene with many people and lots of motion.
Episode 198 - A big way to make our dialogue riveting.
Episode 197 - That odd little thing for our character.
Episode 196 - Importance of the character arc.
Episode 195 - The adopt a dog technique.
Episode 194 - How to invent a strong plot.
Episode 193 - Plotting: go big or go home.
Episode 192 - Plotting: the importance of conflict, crisis, resolution.
Episode 191 - Do we know enough to write the first sentence?
Episode 190 - The right way to leave red herrings.
Episode 189 - Start as close to the end as possible.
Episode 188 - How to make our writing fun.
Episode 187 - Giving readers what they want.
Episode 186 - Showing--not telling--what a character is thinking.
Episode 185 - The keys to musical writing.
Episode 184 - Skipping the dull stuff in our plot.
Episode 183 - A key to making our sentences forceful.
Episode 182 - Things to think about as we write the end of our story.
Episode 181 - A critical difference between scene and summary.
Episode 180 - The critical distance between the reader and the action.
Episode 179 - The critical writing techniques all in one episode.
Episode 178 - How to make readers laugh.
Episode 177 - The description double duty technique.
Episode 176 - Inventing a fabulous title.
Episode 175 - Writing funny dialogue.
Episode 174 - How to ruin our story's first sentences.
Episode 173 - The magic of dialogue.
Episode 172 - Our first fifteen pages.
Episode 171 - Top ten list of bad advice for writers.
Episode 170 - Writing the crowd scene. And guilt and pride.
Episode 169 - How to find a surefire plot.
Episode 168 - Making our first sentence sparkle.
Episode 167 - Revealing our character by the setting.
Episode 166- Showing our character's thoughts.
Episode 165 - The rule of exceptions.
Episode 164 - Design our cover? And the masters on setting details.
Episode 163 - The benefits of an underdog.
Episode 162 - The state fair plotting technique.
Episode 161 - Ways to give readers what they want.
Episode 160 - Should our story have a theme?
Episode 159 - A surefire way to generate plot, the sidekick.
Episode 158 - A lifetime's writing advice reduced to one minute.
Episode 157 - How we writers can create a world.
Episode 156 - How to write the fast start.
Episode 155 - The single most important ingredient in an unforgetable story.
Episode 154 - Learning from the masterful writer Edna Ferber.
Episode 153 - A legendary novelist's lesson for us writers.
Episode 152 - How the masters create their settings.
Episode 151 - Mad Magazine, and techniques for riveting dialogue.
Episode 150 - How to deliver a surprise in the story.
Episode 149 - How masterful writers use details.
Episode 148: A magical way to end one scene and begin another.
Episode 147 - Make sure it's important and make it short.
Episode 146 - How to make our character unforgettable.
Episode 145 - Bringing our settings to life.
Episode 144 - One sentence can bring our character to life.
Episode 143 - The three most important sentences when writing a scene.
Episode 142 - A big technique for literary writing.
Episode 141 - How to begin and end scenes.
Episode 140 - Tips from Stephen King on writing dialogue.
Episode 139 - Writing in the first person.
Episode 138 - How to live a writer's life.
Episode 137 - Twenty-one rules of writing.
Episode 136 - Benefits of a character's otherness.
Episode 135 - Maybe the strongest writing tool - contrast.
Episode 134 - A stong technique for describing a character's personality.
Episode 133 - In our plot what should we save for a sequel?
Episode 132 - How to avoid the main reason readers stop reading a novel.
Episode 131 - A review of the ten strongest writing techniques.
Episode 130 - Kurt Vonnegut's rules of writing, and powerful character descriptioins.
Episode 129 - A scene with too many mistakes. Can we spot them?
Episode 128 - Should we be afraid our plot has been done before?
Episode 127 - Go big or go home plotting.
Episode 126 - Should we hire a book coach?
Episode 125 - When to avoid the proven writing technique.
Episode 124 - Save the cat plotting.
Episode 123 - The beauty of a professional submission.
Episode 122 - Getting inside a villain's mind.
Episode 121 - The biggest mistakes new writers make.
Episode 120 - The most important element in fiction.
Episode 119 - Making our sentences instantly stronger.
Episode 118 - Naming characters and the framing device.
Episode 117 - Making multiple submissions, and a strong dialogue technique.
Episode 116 - Advice from your lifestyle counselor, and mistakes when describing our setting.
Episode 115 - Downer titles and words that echo poorly.
Episode 114 - A critical technique to make our story engaging.
Episode 113 - The clear window technique.
Episode 112 - Writing in the past or present tense, and making submissions.
Episode 111 - If we have to have a big meeting, show rather than tell.
Episode 110 - Book cover design, and regaining enthusiasm.
Episode 109 - How we can stop stalling and get going.
Episode 108 - Every description should do double duty.
Episode 107 - The differences between literary and commercial fiction.
Episode 106 - How to write a scene's sequel, and plotting the novel's middle.
Episode 105 - A technique for plotting scene to scene, and my failed writing experiment.
Episode 104 - Let's get to work, and showing with dialogue.
Episode 103 - The joy of creating something out of nothing. And, is our new plot point a strong one?
Episode 102 - Lovely sentence-by-sentence writing, and pumping up our creativity.
Episode 101 - The phrases notebook, and avoiding our plot bogging down.
Episode 100 - Getting into the flow, and the power of fiction.
Episode 99 - Traps when writing character-driven stories.
Episode 98 - Counterintuitive techniques that new writers might resist.
Episode 97 - Clothing our characters. Also, how to end a scene.
Episode 96 - How to create emotions in our characters and readers.
Episode 95 - More strong dialogue techniques.
Episode 94 - Seven big dialogue writing techniques.
Episode 93 - Can we avoid stupid writing?
Episode 92 - Fourteen scene mistakes and how to avoid them.
Episode 91 - The benefits of a buddy, and Willa Cather and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Episode 90 - Techniques for creating riveting settings.
Episode 89 - Avoiding the biggest mistakes before we begin to write.
Episode 88 - Writing the fight scene.
Episode 87 - How to write a fabulous first sentence.
Episode 86 - The importance of a tie-up later list. Also: sequels.
Episode 85 - Dialogue's three most important techniques.
Episode 84 - Why we should create a funny character, and how to do so.
Episode 83 - How to show our character's thoughts to avoid interior monologue.
Episode 82 - Finding the courage to write, and describing our first-person hero.
Episode 81 - The top ten fiction writing techniques.
Episode 80 - Maybe we are writing magic, and strong versus weak words.
Episode 79 - Tips for writing YA fiction. Also: adding detail to our scenes.
Episode 78 - Developing a distinctive voice, and flashbacks.
Episode 77 - Eleven techniques for writing strong sentences.
Episode 76 - Writing our synopsis, and avoiding filters.
Episode 75 - The magical difference between scene and summary.
Episode 74 - How to describe our villainous villain, and how to get unstuck.
Episode 73 - How to make settings work for our story, and how writers get to work each day.
Episode 72 - Finding an agent, and writing a query.
Episode 71 - Using the critical tool of contrast. And writing vivid character descriptions.
Episode 70 - Writing a story in the first-person.
Episode 69 - Learning character and setting descriptions from the masters.
Episode 68 - Do we have an idea or a plot? Also: how to write joyful dialogue.
Episode 67 - Lighting the writing fuse, and showing rather than telling about the setting.
Episode 66 - Creating characters readers love. Also; techniques for writing sad dialogue.
Episode 65 - A writer's thoughts on ChatGPT. And the benefits of identifying our genre.
Episode 64 - How to get started writing, and tips on romantic and angry dialogue.
Episode 63 - How to bring our settings to life, and writing the romantic scene.
Episode 62 - A technique for bringing our characters to life, and writing the action scene.
Episode 61 - How to detect and fix a sloppy scene. Also: how to unleash story ideas.
Episode 60 - Fabulous sentences of fiction, font fiddling, and slow motion.
Episode 59 - Plotting with a spreadsheet. And the unreliable narrator. Also, fiddling with the flow of time.
Episode 58 - Making writing less daunting, and some techniques to avoid weak sentences.
Episode 57 - An important tool, the timeline. Also, authorial distance.
Episode 56 - How many characters are too many? And he wore his guilt like a harness.
Episode 55 - How many words should we write a day? And the use of contrast.
Episode 54 - Fear of failure, author photos, and the use of humor.
Episode 53 - Embarrassing stuff, and the middle of the novel.
Episode 52 - Making our sentences more lively, and avoiding reader disbelief.
Episode 51 - The wonder factor.
Episode 50 - The right kind of surprise ending, and wonderful character descriptions.
Episode 49 - Avoiding the biggest mistake, and keeping the POV tight.
Episode 48 - Writing strong dialogue, and Ray Bradbury on plotting.
Episode 47 - A strong plotting technique, and leeches.
Episode 46 - What if no one comes to our book signing? And crafting our narrative voice.
Episode 45 - Techniques to make our dialogue riveting.
Episode 44 - How to avoid another prospect-killing mistake.
Episode 43 - Dialogue should do double duty. Here's how.
Episode 42 - The single most important writing technique.
Episode 41 - How can we know if we have the talent to write?
Episode 40 - Creating villainous villains.
Episode 39 - How to create characters readers love.
Episode 38 - We shouldn't write these scenes, and strong techniqes for character description.
Episode 37 - When to stop preparing and start writing.
Episode 36 - The most interesting to the least interesting aspects of a novel.
Episode 35 - A close look at scene structure, and avoiding mushy sentences.
Episode 34 - Why and how to practice writing, and more thoughts on thoughts.
Episode 33 - Danger signs our plot is dull.
Episode 32 - A formula for showing, and clear and spare writing.
Episode 31 - Favorite novels and check-mark plotting.
Episode 30 - Plotting and the power struggle.
Episode 29 - The pattern of a novel.
Episode 28 - The enchanter quality, and weather and rudeness.
Episode 27 - The importance of genres and formulas. And thoughts about titles.
Episode 26 - Navel gazing and how to avoid it. And more on showing
Episode 25: The magic of writing. Cause and effect. And thinking.
Episode 24 - Showing others our work. And strong sentence-by-sentence writing techniques.
Episode 23: Editing our own manuscript
Episode 22: A summary of earlier episodes, and techniques for musical writing.
Episode 21: Creativity and how to get it.
Episode 20 - Reasons we fail to start.
Episode 19 - More on modifiers, including the useless and the dangling. And clunky reach words.
Episode 18 - Lots of things to avoid: the negative, cliches, and too many modifiers.
Episode 17 - Keep it simple but not too simple, and metaphors.
Episode 16: Theme, odd questions, more on conflict, and vivid writing.
Episode 15 - Techniques for writing about settings.
Episode14: The fourth wall, the ending, and some bad writing.
Episode 13: More on dialogue, and techniques about foreshadowing and coincidences
Episode 12 - Dialogue
Episode 11: Point of view and voice.
Episode 10: More show and tell, and the grammatical person.
Episode 9: Showing versus telling
Episode 8 - Scene and summary
Episode 7 - How to craft a scene.
Episode 6: Villains and sidekicks.
Episode 5: Creating compelling characters.
Episode 4: Pace, the first sentence, back-story, over-description
Episode 3 - Go big or go home.
Episode 2: Getting ready to start writing a novel.
Episode 1: Learning and getting better at the craft of writing.