Episodi
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Some novels--even novels that are great literature--have titles that are downers: titles that are sour and pessimistic. Here are thoughts on why we might not want to give our novels downer titles. Also, why we should avoid words that when too close together echo poorly, creating a distracting dissonance. And how we writers can practice.
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Details are proofs, evidence offered to the reader about our story. Details will make our fiction engaging and will allow the story to grab readers. But there are right and wrong ways to use details, and we'll talk about the difference. Also, how should we handle back-story, politics, and society in our story? And a goofy pop quiz.
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For most of us our sentence-by-sentence writing should be a clear window to our story rather than a barrier to seeing the story. Here are thoughts on the clear window. Also, how George Orwell worked.
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It's hard to make a big meeting scene interesting. Much of the time meeting scenes should be avoided. But if we must have a meeting, showing rather than telling will make it more interesting. Plus, how Carson McCullers worked. And some comments from feuding writers. Also, an interview with Maeve Binchy.
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Good advice about designing your own book cover; don't. If you self-publish your novel don't ruin it with a do-it-yourself book cover. Here are thoughts on why you should hire a pro designer. Also: why have we lost some enthusiasm for writing our novel, and how can we get it back? And some of the loveliest sentences in literature.
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Some of us have a hard time beginning the writing of our novels or short stories. Here are the reasons why and things we might do to overcome them. Also, the best first sentences in literature. And now novelist John Cheever worked.
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We can avoid inert paragraphs by having our descriptions do more than one thing at once. Descriptions of our characters, settings, and action and our dialogue can do double duty--two things at the same time--which will engage the reader and enliven our story. Here's how .
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What is the best way to plot our novel, plotting from scene to scene? Here is a discussion of the critical technique of avoiding a scene's set up and wind down. Also, I took part in a writing experiment and spectacularly failed, and here is an account of it. I still wince when I recall it. Also, a strong writing technique is avoiding "was" and "were." We'll discuss why and how to do so.
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What if we are stymied in our plotting, and can't think of enough story? Here are some thoughts on how we might get to work. Also; one of the best ways we can reveal our characters to readers is with the characters' own words, with their dialogue. Here are some thoughts on showing--as opposed to telling--with dialogue. Also, this episode contains the words "oaf," "poltroon," and "knucklehead," such words being like salt; they make anything better.
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We writers get to experience the joy of creating something--a character, a setting, an event--out of nothing. And, how can we tell if the new plot point we've come up with is any good? Are there questions we can ask ourselves to test our new plot point? Also: who are the most memorable villains in fiction? Here is Stephen King's list. And here is something technical; how to paragraph dialogue.
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Most of us subscribe to the our-words-should-be-a-clear-window-to-the-story technique but some writers intentionally make their sentences beautiful so that we think about the words on the page. Here are some thoughts on writing beautiful sentences. Also, how can we pump up our creativity so as to get us off the dime regarding our plotting? And Edna Ferber's striking character descriptions.
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A phrases notebook is a remarkably useful tool for writers. Here's how to create one. Also, sometimes while writing we might get the feeling that our plot is becoming aimless and that it is bogging down. We'll list questions we can ask ourselves to determine if it's true, and how to fix the problem.
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Can we writers get into a mental state called the flow or the zone, then write 40 pages? Maybe. Here's how. And: our fiction might someday change people's lives. Also, showing--as opposed to telling--negative emotions such as disgust. And a monkey in Thailand.
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Character-driven stories--which delve deeply into the hero's change and growth--can be moving and unforgettable for readers but there are traps that we can fall into when writing them. Here they are, and how to avoid them. Also, Kurt Vonnegut's technique of making a character want something right away. And how Joyce Carol Oates works. Also, the enduring appeal of Anne of Green Gables.
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At some point all writers are new writers. Here are some sure-fire fiction writing techniques that might not seem right, that are counterintuitive. These are big techniques new writers often get wrong because at first glance they don't make sense. Here's a list of these methods, and how to avoid getting them wrong.
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Huge rewards for fiction readers are a character's emotions; love, fear, gratitude, respect, loathing, and many others. Here are techniques on how to create emotions in our characters that will be intensely rewarding for readers. Also: an example of the rule of exceptions regarding likeable characters..
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