How do you make your story stand out as something fresh and exciting in a world of millions of stories? It’s all about defamiliarization! This is an archive episode of the podcast that will have mentions of website addresses, phone numbers, and other elements that are no longer valid. We are uploading these classic episodes of …
Category: Podcasts
As of October 2018, I’ve discontinued the podcast. You can find archived episodes below!
Episode 8: Glimmers… with Pam Houston
Listen in as award-winning author Pam Houston discusses her process of discovering the material of great writing: glimmers. This is an archive episode of the podcast that will have mentions of website addresses, phone numbers, and other elements that are no longer valid. We are uploading these classic episodes of the show while we write and produce …
Episode 7: Loose Ends and Unreliable Narrators
Why might you want to have an unreliable narrator in your story? That’s what we explore in this episode of the podcast. We also answer some listener questions and tie up some loose ends from previous episodes. This is an archive episode of the podcast that will have mentions of website addresses, phone numbers, and …
Episode 6: The Tenets of Fiction Writing… with Alan Heathcock
Are there rules to writing great fiction? Well, not really, but there are tenets that can guide you in your writing. In this episode, we explore some of those tenets with the award-winning author of Volt, Alan Heathcock. You can find the “27 Tenets of Fiction Writing” written by Alan Heathcock and mentioned in this episode …
Episode 5: Why You Should Know About Mise en Scene
How can a film-making technique for set design help bring your fiction to life? It’s called mise-en-scene and it’s as valuable in writing as it is in movies. This is an archive episode of the podcast that will have mentions of website addresses, phone numbers, and other elements that are no longer valid. We are uploading these …
Episode 4: Making Grammar Fun… with Jenny Baranick
Can grammar actually be fun? Well, when it’s explained by Jenny Baranick, author of Missed Periods and Other Grammar Scares, it will be. Jenny is the guest on this episode of the podcast and you’ll love her take on one of the fundamental tools in our writing toolbox: grammar. This is an archive episode of the podcast …
Episode 3: Sparking Your Creativity
We’ve all been there. The blank page beckons but we’re out of ideas. Or maybe our only ideas are worn out cliches and boring plot lines. In this episode, we’ll discover some great techniques and games to help spark your creativity and get those words flowing again. This is an archive episode of the podcast …
Episode 2: Keeping Your Characters Alive
Wouldn’t it be cool if literary characters were actually alive? In a very real way, they are… as long as we write them well. Today’s podcast explores how to keep your readers suspending their disbelief and investing in your story, your world, and your characters. This is an archive episode of the podcast that will …
Episode 1: Fictionalizing Your Audience
How we can transform our reader from passive consumers of our words into playing a role in our stories? In this episode of the podcast, we’ll learn techniques to invite our readers to play a role in our stories so that they engage more deeply. This is an archive episode of the podcast that will …