I am so excited to share this week's episode as each of these conversations was so much fun to record. Edan has been on the show before, but I wanted to have her back to talk about her love of writing difficult characters within the framework of her latest novel, Woman No. 17. Edan delights in creating tension by revealing her character's flaws for the reader's view and puts these characters in situations sure to highlight these flaws and bring them to a head. So many books create tension through plot and action, but the suspense in Edan's books is just as much about pushing flawed characters to their edge, all the while leaving us asking "Oh my god, what will they do now??"
Jim Butcher has written so many novels that I wouldn't be shocked to learn that he doesn't sleep at all. He admitted that he has trouble keeping track of the exact details of former books after having revised them numerous times, so he relies on his fanbase Wiki to keep track, a detail I found both charming and extremely practical. In addition, we dove into the beauty of throwing your characters into sticky situations and the necessity to write scenes so things go from bad to worse. This chat helped me feel much braver about putting my character into tough spots to see how she will navigate rocky territory.
I hope both these conversations inspire you to investigate the less savory corners of your story and take your books into riskier places. May we all send our characters down a dark alley, metaphorically, after taking both of these writers' advice!
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#116 :: The Courage to Call Yourself a Writer | Amy Alkon
#115 :: Power to the Poetry | Anne Waldman
#114 :: Reading and Writing History | Diana Gabaldon
#113 Donal Ryan
#112 :: Finding the Story of Your Novel | Lucy Tan
BONUS :: July Reads with Mary Laura Philpott
#111 :: Trusting Your Process | Keith Gessen
#109 :: Getting the Details Right | Rebecca Makkai
#108 :: Writing about Real People | Michelle Kuo
#107 :: Writing a Large Cast of Characters | Chibundu Onuzo
#106 :: Travel and Setting | Stephanie Rosenbloom + Lauren Weisberger
#105 :: The Biz of Writing | Scott Carney (+ Harmon Leon + Ted Rall)
#104 :: Facing Your Fears | Amber Rae + Madeline Miller
#103 :: Fatherhood in Fiction | Catherine Isaac + Tom Rachman
#102 :: Building a Business around Books | Chris Guillebeau + Tom Hodgkinson
#101 The Adventure of Publishing | Ezzie Spencer and Meaghan O'Connell
#100 :: When the Book Finally Comes Out | Sarah Selecky (+ Mary Laura Philpott Book Recs)
#99 :: Creating a Writing Life in France | ML Longworth
#98 :: The Editing Adventure | Elaine Castillo
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