Story Works Round Table | Conversations About Craft

This week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss the role of humor in story writing, the various kinds, how to get it on the page, and why it’s hard to create humor in the written work. If you’re enjoying the show, please give us a 5-star rating wherever you get the podcast. Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the shape of stories told in parts. What kind of story should be told in parts? What do the breaks between parts signify to readers? What choices do authors need to make when using parts? How do storylines and parts work together? Are subplots treated differently in a story with parts? We use Octavia Butler’s Dawn as an illustration. Show notes &...

What exactly is a subplot? When do you need them? Who should they revolve around? And can they really alleviate the soggy middle syndrome? And please don’t forget your characters have lives too! Don’t make them live entirely in the main plot line. Show notes & links at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

Alida, Kathryn, and returning guest Carlee discuss the pros and cons of using multiple points of view in your works. What does it take to craft a solid multiple POV story? How do you know whether or not to include that POV? Recommended reading for those interested in multiple POV. Show notes & links at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

Alida & Kathryn welcome Carlee Tressel Alson back to the Round Table to discuss process. Carlee gives us her 5 steps to getting through a first draft without the pain of being stuck—a process she developed after getting stuck in the middle of a major book project.  Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, Alida and Kathryn continue our conversation with Carlee Tressel Alson about taking emotional risks in writing. It's about more than how you feel while writing. There is a relationship formed between the author and the reader when a text is shared. What does it mean to tell the truth in writing fiction, as well as creative nonfiction? What do we do when others can't separate the author f...

This week Alida and Kathryn welcome Carlee Tressel Alson to the Round Table. After our episode on emotional risk-taking with guest Dain Edward, we thought we could go deeper with that topic, so we invited Carlee to join us for a deep dive into what it means to take emotional risks in both fiction and creative nonfiction writing. It's about way more than what you feel while you write. Carlee i...

This week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert start with a listener question about writing a culture that is not our own, and take off on a journey of writing what you don’t know, or the “other.” Why is it a political hot potato? And how can you be careful in your writing? We talk about the problem of stereotypes, and our own view from the “white middle class.” In the end it all comes down to being carefu...

This week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert answer a listener question. Steve is wondering about the dos and don'ts of writing places based on real places and using real place names.  Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert welcome Dain Edward back to the round table. We're discussing the psychology of storytelling. How is storytelling used in the real world? Is storytelling fundamental to being human? How do we experiment with being human without getting hurt? By imagining possibilities, experimenting with life in fiction, and making the unreal into story. Also, discover the s...

This week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the year to come. If you haven't already, listen to last week's show, 2018 Year in Review. We get into not only where we'd like to be heading, but will keep us motivated with lots of tips, tricks, and recommendations. I've already got the book Robert mentioned! There's also a challenge posed. Join us at the Story Works Writers Facebook group to keep...

This week, Robert, Kathryn, and Alida discuss progress made and lessons learned from the year gone by. It's a writerly taking stock of struggles and successes with reflection on what it means to be a writer and where we plan to go from here. Next week's show is a companion episode about goals and motivation for writers. Complete with an invitation to keep each other accountable. Join us! Show note...

This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk about villains you can't vanquish: How do you handle a villain that can't wear a hat, black or otherwise? When your story calls for a force instead of a figure, what does that mean for your plot? For your character? What do you need to be aware of when writing a bad event or circumstance, instead of a bad guy? Are there genre-specific antagonistic forces?...

This week, Dain Edward joins us at the round table to discuss the importance of taking risks in your writing. How is fiction different from creative nonfiction? Why should we take risks and put all of our messy selves into our stories? And what can we learn from incarcerated writers?  Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn bring Dain Edward to the round table to discuss the intersection of script-writing and novel-writing. What can we learn from script writing? How are screenplays different from novels? How should we consider the audience when we write? Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This episode is pulled from the archives. We continue our conversation with graphic designer Daria Brennan. This week, we do side by side comparisons of book covers, getting into some obvious and not-so-obvious issues with design. How important is your font? What do the details of a cover say about a book? How can a cover convey genre? If you haven't listened to last week's episode, make sure you...

This week we pull a fantastic episode from the archives. Graphic Designer Daria Brennan comes to the Round Table to help us understand how to approach and work with a designer, what makes a book cover outstanding, market considerations, and so much more.  Previously published as episode 4. Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call tod...

This week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn define the story premise and how it works to get you writing. It’s simple. It often seems cliche. But it’s an essential first stage of the writing process. Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert answer a listener's question. Elise wants to know how to tackle revision other than by following the old advice to "rest" the manuscript, putting it in a drawer for months. We talk about lots of tools we use to get into those second, third, and later drafts without a minute of drawer time! Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssentia...

This week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss your character's fatal flaw. This is critical to your character development, character arc, plot, and theme. So what is it and how do you get one?!  Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert continue their discussion of story structure, this time focusing on Act II and Act III. What is act II?Why does it sound so easy but prove so difficult to write? How can you avoid common pitfalls, like the soggy middle?  Get show notes and more at www.storyworkspodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, we cover one of Robert’s favorite topics, agency! We discuss the role of agency in terms of both character and plot. How does motivation affect agency? What happens when a character lacks agency? How can you fix issues with agency? Show notes and more at www.storyworkspodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

Do you understand the elements of structure structure? This week, Robert and Kathryn ask Alida to define story structure, then we did into the various components of long form fiction. We discuss the three act structure, using examples from archetypal works. And we pay special attention to act I and how to launch your novel. Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com...

This week, Kathryn and Alida discuss what happens to stories when authors are too nice to their characters. Being too darn nice is a common problem of how we write and treat our characters that affects plot. Nicey nice reduces tension, alleviates friction, and leads to...yawns. What to do about it? Listen and find out! Show notes and more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and...

This week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn explore the relationship between stakes & agency. How do these vital aspects of plot and character function together to drive your story? Show notes & more at www. StoryWorksPodcast.com. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!