All Episodes

Carrie Vaughn on the Delivery of Information in Fiction

Arley Sorg Questions on Literary Agents

Arley Sorg on Literary Agents

Paul Park Questions on Point of View

Paul Park on Point of View

Jeanne Cavelos on Going Cold: Pulling Back from Character Emotion

Rebecca Kuang on Character Description

Rebecca Kuang on Common Pitfalls in Character Description

Jessie Mihalik on Worldbuilding, Exposition, Romance, and Sticking with a Project

Jeanne Cavelos on a Complex Character Arc of Growth and Transformation

Meagan Spooner on Building a Writing Career and Working in the Young Adult Field

David Corbett on Rediscovering What You Love About Writing, Developing Useful Habits, and Generating Subtext

David Corbett on Characterization and The Three Facets of Character Struggle

E.C. Ambrose on Dialog, Description, Worldbuilding, and Pressure Points

Tim Waggoner on Balancing Multiple Conflicts, Creating Unusual Structures, Writing Short Stories vs Novels

Tim Waggoner on Managing Pace in Novels

E.C. Ambrose on the Intersection of Setting and Character

Steven Barnes on Speaking Your Truth and Dealing with Writer's Block

Steven Barnes on Creating the Hero's Journey for Your Characters and You as a Writer

Nancy Kress on Authorial Presence, Exposition, Character Motivation

Mary Robinette Kowal on Trusting Your Taste and Retaining What Makes Your Piece Special

Nancy Kress on How to Characterize with Details

Mary Robinette Kowal on The Character Story

Jeffrey Carver on Characterization

David Brin on Researching Topics, Trends in SF, and Receiving Feedback

Meagan Spooner on Retelling Familiar Legends

Scott Edelman on Choosing the Best Character for Your Story Idea

Barbara Ashford on Crafting Compelling Scenes: The Hook

Melissa Scott on World-building and How It Works in SF/F

Gregory Ashe on Scene and Sequel, Pt 2

Gregory Ashe on Scene and Sequel, Pt 1

P. Djeli Clark on Incorporating History into Fiction, Gaps in History, and Originality

David Farland on His Experiences as a Teacher and Mentor

Sheree Renee Thomas on Editing, What She Looks For in Stories, How To Work With an Editor, What She Asks For in Revisions

David Farland on His Plotting, Outlining, and Drafting Process

Barbara Ashford on Getting the Big Picture

Scott H. Andrews on Making Character Emotions Real, Powerful, and Immediate to Readers: Character Motivation

Gregory Ashe on Outlining, Writing, Revision, Prolificity, Plotting a Series

Sheila Williams on Editorial Process, Story Endings, and What Differentiates a Story She Buys

Carrie Vaughn on Revision, Plot, and Point of View

John Joseph Adams on Worldbuilding and What He'd Most Like to See in Submissions

Brandon Sanderson on Story Promise, Progress, and Payoff

J.G. Faherty on His Biggest Career Break and His Biggest Dislike About the Field

J.G. Faherty on Writing Advice and Beta Readers

Barbara Ashford on Crafting Compelling Scenes

Scott H. Andrews on Making Character Emotions Real, Powerful, and Immediate

E.C. Ambrose on How To Middle a.k.a. Plot Turns

Holly Black on Writing Young Adult and Middle Grade Fiction

Nisi Shawl on Dialect and Representation, Pt 2

Nisi Shawl on Dialect and Representation, Pt 1

Barbara Ashford on Using Her Theater Experience to Enrich Her Fiction Writing

Holly Black on the Writing Process

Fran Wilde on Worldbuilding

Scott H. Andrews on Creating Stories with Spark

Sara King on Tension

Paul Witcover on Description, Pt 2

Paul Witcover on Description, Pt 1

Theodora Goss on Creating Characters, Pt 2

Theodora Goss on Creating Characters, Pt 1

Scott H. Andrews on Worldbuilding, Reading Submissions, and Voice

Meagan Spooner on Collaboration and Writing for the Young Adult Audience

Elizabeth Hand on Secret Knowledge and Secret Wounds, Pt 2

Elizabeth Hand on Secret Knowledge and Secret Wounds, Pt 1

E.C. Ambrose on Setting and Research

Nisi Shawl on Writing Process, Avoiding Didacticism, and Writing the Other, Pt 2

Nisi Shawl on Studying Plot, Clarity, and Ambiguity, Pt 1

Dan Chaon on Incorporating Backstory, Creating Open Endings, and More

J.A. White on Writing Across a Large Canvas

Gemma Files on Using Personal Experience to Generate Horror Fiction, Pt 2

Gemma Files on Using Personal Experience to Generate Horror Fiction, Pt 1

David Brin on Writing as Magic

Mark Gottlieb on The Elevator Pitch

Scott H. Andrews on Making Your Stories Stand Out

E.C. Ambrose on Writing Process, Characters, and Connecting Theme

Mary Robinette Kowal on Using the MACE Quotient, Pt 2

Mary Robinette Kowal on Using the MACE Quotient, Pt 1

N. K. Jemisin on Micro Worldbuilding

Meagan Spooner on Characters

Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem on Characters

Patricia Bray on Researching Your Story Elements, Pt 2

Patricia Bray on Researching Your Story Elements, Pt 1

Scott H. Andrews on Magazine Submissions and Rejections, Pt 2

Scott H. Andrews on Magazine Submissions and Rejections, Pt 1

Kij Johnson on Scale and Complexity

Alma Alexander on Discovering and Developing Characters

Kij Johnson on Choosing and Prioritizing Descriptive Detail

Kij Johnson on Description

Brendan DuBois on the Fantastic World of the Short Story

E.C. Ambrose on Making It Real, Pt 2

E.C. Ambrose on Making It Real, Pt 1

Alex Hughes on Productivity for Writers, Pt 2

Alex Hughes on Productivity for Writers, Pt 1

Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner on Characterization, Pt 2

Delia Sherman and Ellen Kushner on Characterization, Pt 1

Gordon Van Gelder on the Fiction Publishing Market, Pt 2

Gordon Van Gelder on the Fiction Publishing Market, Pt 1

Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem on Beginnings, Middles, Ends, and Structure, Pt 2

Melanie Tem and Steve Rasnic Tem on Beginnings, Middles, Ends, and Structure, Pt 1

Catherynne M. Valente on Openings and Titles

Elizabeth Hand on Writing from Intense Experience