All Episodes

286. 3 Reasons You Want to Quit Mid-Draft (and Why You Shouldn't)

285. What Overthinking Is Costing Your Novel

284. How to Double Your Writing Output Without Adding More Hours

Encore Episode: How To Write Exposition Without Boring Your Reader

283. What's Making your Dialogue Read False (and What To Do About It)

282: 5 Mindsets That Separate Writers Who Finish From Those Who Don't

#281. The Secret to Writing Unforgettable Secondary Characters

280. Chapters vs. Scenes: What Most Writers Get Wrong

279. 4 Secrets to Irresistible Story Openings

Encore: 3 Ways to Make Writing Fun Again

278. Why Your Story Is Stuck (And What's Really Missing)

277. 3 Must-Have Traits of A Believable Antagonist

Encore: Mothers Who Write: Finding the Time, Energy, and Support

276. Why You Can't Start Your Book (And How to Get Unstuck)

275. The Mid-Draft Slump: How to Believe in Your Book Again

274. 3 Mistakes I See In Almost Every First Draft

273. Why Writers Quit (And Why You Shouldn't)

#272: Why Your Story Dies in the Middle (And the One Thing That Brings It Back to Life)

#271: The Thing That's Quietly Keeping You From Finishing Your Book

#270: Why Writing Feels Harder Than It Has To

#269: How to Write Backstory Without Killing Momentum

#268: How to Write Riveting, Believable Dialogue: 3 Essential Techniques

#267: What to Cut From Your Novel and What to Keep: 3 Questions to Help You Decide

#266: 3 Ways To Amp Up Romantic Tension In Your Story

#265: First Encounters: 4 Ways To Signal Romantic Connection Without the Cliches

#264: 5 Writing Blocks That Feel Impossible To Cross But Aren't

#263: Why You Can't Finish Your First Draft (and the Simple Shift To Get It Done)

#262: Finding the Story in Your Rough Draft (Even When It’s a Mess)

#261: 3 Pacing Mistakes That Kill Your Opening

#260: When Life Gets Busy: Staying Connected to Your Writing

#259: When Your Story Feels Too Big to Finish: 4 Ways To Work Through Overwhelm

#258: The First Read of Your First Draft: What to Look For and What to Ignore

#257: How to Weave Multiple Storylines Into One Cohesive Story

#256: Character-Driven vs. Plot-Driven: Finding Your Story's Natural Balance

#255: From Idea to Page: 5 Steps to Start Writing

#254: 3 Ways To Create Page-Turning Suspense in Any Genre

#253: Whose Story Is It? Making Sense of Multiple POVs

#252: Memoir vs. Fiction: The Key Differences (and Surprising Similarities)

#251: Why Story Structure Has You Stuck (and How to Fix It)

#250: The Messy Middle: Why Drafts Lose Steam (and How to Revive Yours)

#249: 5 Reasons You're Still Not Finished With Your Novel

#248: First Impressions Matter: Introducing Your Protagonist the Right Way

#247: When You're Lost In The Mess Of Your Draft: How To Get Back On Track

#246: The 9-to-5 Novelist: Why Your Day Job Might Be Your Secret Weapon

#245: When Great Story Ideas Fizzle Out (and How to Prevent It)

#244: 4 Strategies to Finally Finish the Story You Start

#243: What If I’m Not Good Enough? A Pep Talk for New Writers

#242: Writing Backstory: 3 Game-Changing Tips

#241: 3 Ways To Write A Hook-Worthy First Sentence

#240: 4 Powerful Ways To Show Character Change

#239: 3 Quick Tips For Writing Stronger Dialogue

#238: What To Do When Feedback Shakes Your Confidence

#237: 3 Writing Myths That Might Be Holding You Back

#236: From Chaos To Clarity: How To Make Sense Of Your Messy Draft

#235: Why You’re Stuck At Chapter One (And How to Finally Move Forward)

#234: 5 Big First Chapter Mistakes (and How To Avoid Them)

# 233: 3 Essential Elements That Make A Scene

#232: Mental Fitness For Writers

#231: 5 Ways to Bring Your Character’s Interior World Onto the Page

# 230: Getting Out Of a Writing Slump (Without Forcing It)

#229: 5 Ways To End Your Story

#228: 3 Powerful Ways To Open Your Story

#227: Say Less, Mean More: The Secret to Writing Great Dialogue

#226: Writing Your Story Setting: 4 Essential Techniques

#225: From First To Final Draft: 3 Phases Of Revision

#224: Then vs. Now: The Key To Writing A Strong Retrospective Voice

#223: How To Write A Believable Child Narrator

#222: How To Master The Unreliable Narrator

#221: Writing In First Person: 4 Common Pitfalls and How To Avoid Them

#220: 3 Tips For Writing Hook-Worthy Opening Scenes

#219: Write More, Write Better: 3 Tips For Maximizing Your Time And Energy

#218: When And How To Write Multiple Points Of View

#217: 3 Reasons Your Scenes Aren't Working And What To Do Instead

#216: How To Write With More Ease And Expansion This Year

Replay: How To Recharge Your Motivation To Write

Replay: The 3 Most Important Things To Evaluate In Your Story

#215: 3 Character Foundations To Help Structure Your Story

#214: Why Your Story Matters

#213: How To Show The Passage of Time In Your Novel

#212: 5 Great Gifts For Writers

#211:Cause and Effect: A Character Driven Approach To Plot

#210: Beneath the Plot: 3 Character Secrets Driving Your Story

#209: Unpredictable: 4 Ways To Keep Readers Guessing

#208: Beyond Archetype: How To Write A Fascinating Villain

#207: 5 Questions To Nail Down Your Central Story Idea

#206: 3 Tips For Writing In First-Person

#205: 3 Ways To Build Belief In Your Story

#204: In Praise of Anti-Heroes: 4 Ways To Make Yours Unforgettable

#203: The 2 Most Important Qualities To Evaluate in Your Story

#202: 3 Secrets to Writing Effective Backstory

#201: How to Get More Writing Done In Less Time

Reprise Episode: 5 Reasons You Have Writer's Block and How To Break Through

#200: Show vs. Tell, and How To Write Both

#199: 5 Quick and Easy Edits For A Stronger, More Riveting Story

#198: 3 Ways To Make Writing Fun Again

#197: Character Depth: 4 Hidden Elements Most Writers Miss

#196: Your Complete Guide To Finding And Working With Beta Readers

#195: How To Write A Great Plot Twist

#194: Scene Goals: Why You Need Them, How To Write Them

Reprise: 3 Powerful Writing Exercises When You Don't Know What To Write

193: 5 Must-Have Scenes To Include In Your Story

#192: How To Write Your First And Final Scenes

#191: Getting Feedback On Your Writing: A Survival Guide

#190: How To Create Page-Turning Tension

Rewind: How Much Backstory Does Your Reader Really Need to Know?

#189: 5 Ways To Create A More Captivating Antagonist

#188: How to Prioritize Writing When You Have A Career And Family

#187: 3 Ways To Write With More Confidence

#186: Plotting The Character-Driven Story

#185: Your Opening Scenes: What To Reveal, What to Withhold

#184: 5 Questions To Help Focus Your Story Idea

#183: How To Link Your Character's Interior Story To The Plot

Reprise: 4 Writing Myths Holding You Back

Reprise: What Readers Really Want From Your Story

#182: 5 Ways To Nail Your First Chapter

181: Writing Emotions: 3 Ways To Move Readers

#180: Show, Don't Tell: Your Top Questions Answered

#179: Writing Dialogue: 5 Do's and Don'ts

#178: How To Uncomplicate Your Plot

#177: 3 Ways To Deeper, More Fascinating Characters

#176: Beyond First and Third Person: 3 Tips For Writing Point Of View

#175: Charting Your Story's Major Plot Points

#174: 3 Essential Elements For Structuring Act One

#173: How To Write A Captivating Opening Hook

#172: How To Stick To Your Writing This Year

Rewind: Writing Inspiration From The Masters

Rewind: 3 Mindset Shifts To Make Your Writing Dream A Reality

#171: Scene and Summary: A Guide To Writing Both

#170: 10 Great Gifts For Writers

#169: Plot Simplified Into 4 Core Elements

#168: 3 Simple Techniques To Turn Good Writing Into Great

#167: 3 Powerful Writing Exercises When You Don't Know What To Write

#166: How To Recharge Your Motivation To Write

#165: How To Get The Most Out Of NaNoWriMo (Or Any New Writing Project)

#164: How To Give Each Character A Story Purpose

#163: 5 Tips For Writing Stronger, More Structured Scenes

#162: 5 Checkpoints For Developing Character And Plot

#161: Looking Back On The Past: A Guide To Writing Retrospective Narrators

#160: How To Build Captivating Character Relationships

#159: 5 Writing Exercises To Help You Master Dialogue

#158: A Different Approach To Writing First Drafts

#157: 5 Ways To Earn Money Writing

#156: 4 Ways To Show Character Emotion

#155: 5 Common Plot Problems And How To Fix Them

#154: How A Central Image Can Amplify Your Story’s Meaning

#153: How Failure Can Lead To Your Best Writing

#152: Should You Self Publish Or Go The Traditional Route?

#151: How Objects Create Stronger Storytelling

#150: How To Build Multi-Dimensional Story Settings

#149: 5 Essential Elements To Make A Scene

#148: 3 Guidelines For Writing Riveting Dialogue

#147: How Uncertainty During The Writing Process Helps You Write Better Stories

#146: 5 Ways To Fine Tune Character Voice

#145: Four Levels To Deeper Character Development

#144: Four Ways To Give Your Voice Presence And Purpose

143: How To Get Better Feedback From Beta Readers

#142: Your Summer Writing Playlist

#141: Four Guidelines For Writing Dazzling Description

#140: Scene Vs. Summary: When To Write Which

#139: Mothers Who Write: How To Find The Time, Energy, and Support

#138: What Kind Of Editor Do You Need?

#137: The Inciting Incident: How To Launch Your Story's Action

#136: Present Tense Vs. Past Tense: The Pros and Cons

#135: The Secret To Mastering Your Story's Point Of View

#134: A 5-Step Framework For Writing A Clear Compelling Story

#133: Should You Write A Prologue?

#132: Do's and Don'ts Of Writing Flashback

#131: 3 Easy Ways To Write Better Dialogue

#130: Drilling Down To Your Story's Central Dramatic Question

#129: 5 First Chapter Mistakes You Can Avoid

#128: 3 Mindset Shifts To Make Your Writing Dream A Reality

#127: Remix: Big Writing Takeaways From 6 Writer Unleashed Episodes

#126: Writing Memoir: 5 Tips To Avoid Getting Sued

#125: How To Write Conflict Into Every Scene

#124: How To Hook Readers In Your Opening Paragraph

#123: A 2-Step Process To Start, Write, And Develop Your Story

#122: How To Stick To Your Writing Goals

#121: 3 Varieties of First-Person Narration

#120: Writing In First Person: 5 Challenges And How To Conquer Them

#119: Your 6-Step Story Outline

#118: Before You Outline: 3 Core Foundations To Build First

#117: 3 Ways To Create Convincing Characters

#116: Story Triggers: How To Generate Powerful Fiction and Memoir

#115: How To Develop A Multi-Dimensional Story Setting

#114: Third Person POV Simplified

#113: How To Write Exposition Without Boring Your Reader

112: 3 Tips For Writing Dynamic Dialogue

#111: How to Structure A Scene in 3 Acts

#110: 3 Powerful Ways To Show Character Emotion

#109: Your Top 5 Character Questions Answered

#108: 3 Things Published Authors Do Differently

#107: How to Write A Short Story In 3 Easy Steps

#106: How to Develop A Consistent Writing Practice

#105: Four Questions To Ask Before You Quit Writing

#104: Five Episodes to Sharpen Your Writer's Toolkit

#103: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Writing Creative Non-Fiction

#102: Five Secrets About Your Antagonist You Should Know

#101: A Four-Step Strategy For Self-Editing Your Story

#100: Five Common Plot Problems You Can Avoid

#99: How to Nail Down Your Story In 3 Simple Sentences

#98: Should You Hire An Editor?

#97: How to Stop Hating Everything You Write

#96: What Readers Really Want From Your Story

#95: How to Start Your Story With the End in Mind

#94: Three Simple Steps to Deeper Character Development

#93: Whose Story Is It?

#92: Five Episodes to Elevate Your Writing

#91: Four Simple Steps to Major Writing Breakthroughs

#90: Four Ways to Master Show, Don't Tell

#89: What Plotters and Pantsers Both Get Wrong About Story

#88: "Outline First" and Other Rules You Should Break

#87: Four Writing Myths Holding You Back

#86: Five Reasons You Have Writer's Block and How to Break Through It

#85: How to Get Back into the Writing Zone After a Really Long Break

#84: How to Keep Writing After Rejection

#83: Four Ways to Open Your Story

#82: How to Write Fiction That Feels True

#81: Story Details: What to Leave In, What to Leave Out

#80: Four Tips to Writing a Page Turner

#79: How to Write Spellbinding Scenes

#78: Five Elements of a Riveting First Scene

#77: Common Writing Advice That's Holding You Back

#76: Writing Inspiration From the Masters

#75: What Professional Dancing Taught Me About Writing

#74: How to Keep A Consistent Writing Routine When You're Crazy Busy

#73: Beyond the First Draft: 5 Storytelling Techniques for Better Story Structure

#72: Beyond the First Draft: 3 Ways to Craft a Compelling Point of View

#71: Beyond the First Draft: Captivating Characters

#70: Five Common Writing Traps and How to Avoid Them

#69: How to Create Plot Continuity With Character Thought

#68: How to Use Subplots to Amplify Your Novel

#67: The Most Overlooked Way to Show (Don't Tell) How a Character Feels

#66: Two Simple Ways to Amp Up Suspense

#65: Cut The Cliches and Write Something Original

#64: Crush Self Doubt and Write Like You Mean It

#63: Is Your Writing Style Upstaging Your Story?

#62: Two Common Mistakes That Land Your Manuscript in the Reject Pile and How to Fix Them

#61: Alternatives to Chronological Story Time You Probably Haven't Heard Of

#60: Three Flashback Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

#59: The Writer's Voice- A Conversation With Writer/Performer Bonnie Lykes Bigler

#58: Three Ways You're Telling When You Should Be Showing

#57: Three Essential Pillars of Point of View (That Have Nothing To Do With Which Person Your Write In)

#56: Three Quick Editing Tips to Craft Riveting Sentences

#55: Is Your Story Plot Driven or Character Driven?

#54: Structure Your WIP With This 3-Act Framework

#53: How to Write Dialogue That Sounds Natural

#52: The Number One Mistake Writers Make With Dialogue

#51: Three Ways to Beat Writer's Block

#50: How Much Backstory Does Your Reader Really Need To Know?

#49: The Quickest Way to Engage Your Reader

#48: Does Your Story Need An Antagonist?

#47: Even Minor Characters Play a Major Role

#46: What's the Theme of Your Story? And Why Does It Matter?

#45: How to Hook Readers in Your First Sentence

#44: How to Fix a Broken Plot

#43: Five Ways to Transform Real People into Fascinating Fictional Characters

#42: What Kind of Writer Are You?

#41: The Struggle Most Writers Never Talk About

#40: Show Don't Tell: Revealing Character Through Body Language

#39: How to Write Captivating Character Description

#38: How to Create Characters Readers Care About

#37: Three Questions to Ask Before You Plot Your Story

#36: Three Storytelling Techniques to Steal From Superbowl Ads

#35: What Does It Take To Become a Successful Writer?

#34: How to Write Backstory Without Boring Your Reader

#33: Three Ways to Avoid Melodrama

#32: Five Ways to Avoid the Stock Villain

#31: What Most Writers Get Wrong About Point of View

#30: How to Stop Dreaming and Write for Real in 2021

#29: How to Re-Ignite Your Motivation to Write

#28: You Already Know How to Write Atmosphere

#27: Writer Rejected: How to Bounce Back Fast

#26: Writing About Someone You Know - Is Your Story Worth It?

#25: Why Your Voice Matters

#24: You Already Know How To Write Dialogue

#23: The Number 1 Mindset All Great Writers Share

#22: Three Ways to Avoid Character Stereotype

#21: How to Craft Your Ideal Story Ending

#20: Four Ways Your Writing Group is Holding You Back (and What To Look For In Your Next Writing Tribe)

#19: Should I Outline Before I Write?

#18: How to Write With Unstoppable Inspiration

#17: How to Generate Unlimited Story Ideas

#16: Five Things About Revision I Wish I'd Known Sooner

#15: How to Find Your Creative Flow

#14: How to Intensify Your Story's Drama

#13: How to Write for Emotional Impact

#12: Four Ways to Write Effective Flashbacks

#11: How To Make Time To Write When You Have No Time

#10: What is Writer's Voice?

#9: How To Keep A Consistent Writing Routine

#8: Five Ways to Improve Your Writing (that have nothing to do with writing)

#7: Losing the Plot

#6: Show and Tell

#5: Five Ways Out of a Writing Funk

#4: What's Your Story About?

#3: Three Story Opening Techniques to Hook Readers

#2: How to Keep Writing After Your Work's Been Criticized

#1: Why "Write What You Know" is Bad Advice

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