Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Episode 225 - Leave it all on the field.

Cliches can offer solid advice.  Pedal to the metal.  Go big or go home.  Leave it all on the field.  We should swing for the fences with a bold plot.  Also: a setting can be more than facts about the landscape.  The masters add compelling moods to their stories with their settings.Support the showBuy the master class.

Episode 224 - Using all the senses to describe our character.

Some of us may describe our characters using only the sense of sight: what the reader sees when imagining the character.  But we can also use sound, smell, taste, and texture to make our characters more memorable.  Here are thoughts on how to do so.  Also, Janet Burroway on the critical difference between a scene and a summary.  And how Francine Prose reads fiction to learn the writing craft.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

Episode 223 - Readers can fall in love with our settings.

I talk about ways we can make our settings--the time and place of our story--irresistible to readers.  They'll want to live there.  Plus: we can use our global search function to almost instantly make our sentences more forceful.  And: novelist Elizabeth George's plotting technique she calls the plot kernel.Support the showBuy the master class.

Episode 222 - Small techniques can add up to forceful sentences.

Here are pocket-sized techniques that can result in strong sentences; small--even tiny--things we can add to our prose writing arsenal.   Also, Elizabeth George on her use of two outlines: the step outline and the running plot outline.  And we can make our dialogue stronger by avoiding "Yes" and "No."Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.Support the showBuy the master class.

Episode 221 - Writing that is more intense than real life.

For readers, fiction offers escape from their real lives.  How can we make our writing intense, and so lift our scenes above real life?  Details are a key, and here are ideas on the use of odd and memorable details to make our prose vivid.  Also, here's a good way to practice: write one perfect sentence.   And, what made you want to write? Support the showBuy the master class.