Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel. It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story deve...
Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel. It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story deve...
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Available Episodes
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Episode 78 - Developing a distinctive voice, and flashbacks.
A distinctive voice can add a charming or compelling aspect to a story. What is voice? And do we need a distinctive voice? Maybe not, maybe so. Here are thoughts about a voice for our stories. Also mentioned are ideas and techniques regarding flashbacks.Support the show
15/09/2023
26:26
Episode 77 - Eleven techniques for writing strong sentences.
The words on our page should be a clear window to our story. How can we do that? Here are eleven techniques to make our sentences forceful and clear. Also, some comments on the story arc. What is a story arc? Is the concept useful?Support the show
08/09/2023
24:23
Episode 76 - Writing our synopsis, and avoiding filters.
A literary agent or a publisher may ask for a synopsis of our novel, a three to five-page summary. Here are techniques on how to write one. Also, can artificial intelligence write fiction? We'll find out. Plus, ridding our sentences of filters to get the reader closer to the scene.Support the show
01/09/2023
25:33
Episode 75 - The magical difference between scene and summary.
New writers tend to put too much summary into their stories. I'll talk about how to avoid that mistake, making sure that most of our novels are scenes. Why is this so important? Scenes are much more engaging for the reader than are summaries. Also, here's how to show--rather than tell--about our characters' aches and pains. And here's a list of the twelve best novels of all time.Support the show
25/08/2023
24:16
Episode 74 - How to describe our villainous villain, and how to get unstuck.
A great pleasure in our fiction reading is coming across a dastardly villain, someone so bad and so well-described we will never forget him or her. Hannibal Lecter. Nurse Ratched. Huckleberry Finn's father Pap. How can writers create such a villain? Here are techniques, in particular regarding the physical description of the villain. Also discussed is how we can get unstuck in our plotting or writing.Support the show
Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel. It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story development and scene construction (Kirkus Reviews said Thayer's novels are "superbly crafted') and it also examines techniques that will make your sentence-by-sentence writing shine. The New York Times Book Review has said Thayer's "writing is smooth and clear. it wastes no words, and it has a rhythm only confident stylists achieve.