Category: Podcasts

Subtext can be the difference between polished prose and an amateur-sounding story. Today, we look at one surefire way to add subtext to your dialogue–we’re talking about “the third thing”   We’re going to be exploring a technique today that we’re calling “The Third Thing.” It’s a way to imbue your writing with that all …

Today we’re going to be talking about the importance of the first and last scenes of your novel or screenplay and how to make sure they are doing the absolutely vital work that they need to do in order to show the change in your characters. But first, we take a little time at the …

Today’s topic is about a challenge that affects every single writer that I know. “How do you prioritize your life so that you can be a writer?” We’re going to go deeper than the “you don’t find the time you MAKE the time” advice that we usually hear when we’re struggling with this issue. While …

Today we’re building off of an idea we explored in episode 14 called the Somebody-Wanted-But-So. We’ll modify that strategy today and learn to discover what your story is really about. SHOW NOTES Before we jump into today’s topic, it’s worth going back for a quick review of a technique we talked about in Episode 14 …

Today we explore the elements of good writing with Barlow Adams, a prolific and versatile writer well-known for both his microfiction as well as his longer projects like the novella Appalachian Alchemy. Barlow Adams is a writer living in the Cincinnati area. He’s managed bars, guarded cemeteries, written airplane manuals, and delivered diamonds cross-country. He’s …

Today we’re talking about the root of so much of the resistance we face as writers: perfectionism. Where does it come from, how does it affect our writing, and how can we overcome it? We start off by redefining perfectionism using some of the writing of Stephen Pressfield, author of The War of Art, and …

Gareth L. Powell was born and raised in Bristol, England. He is a popular panelist and speaker at literary events and conventions around the UK and has run creative writing workshops and given guest lectures at a number of universities, libraries and conferences. He’s a frequent guest on local radio, and has appeared on the …

Today we’re talking about mindfulness meditation—what it is, how to do, and the 5 reasons that every writer should make it part of their writing life. We’ll start by talking about how I discovered it, explore how to try it if you’re unfamiliar with it, and then learn the powerful ways that it can help …

It may be the most common question writers get: where do you get your ideas from? Today we answer that question, and learn how to turn those rough ideas into effective stories. All stories—at least all GOOD stories—come from a simple “what if” question. On this episode of the podcast, we reverse engineer the WHAT …

In this week’s episode, we explore the claim that “everything is an argument.” If this is true, then our creative writing qualifies as an argument and can benefit from using rhetorical devices. But what are rhetorical devices? Simply put, they are tools we can use to persuade others to see the world in a particular …