Story Works Round Table | Conversations About Craft

This week Alida, Robert, & Kathryn continue discussing what we’re reading now and why we chose it. Why would a successful, beautifully-written book lose readers? What niche mystery has Robert excited to read more? Show notes, links & more at www.storyworkspodcast.com Submit to the fall season of the Story Works Reading Series now! www.storyworkspodcast.com/submit Visit WordEssential.com an...

This week, we return the subject of what we’re reading now. We get into not only the titles we’re into, but what makes them work and maybe not work as well as they could. We have a variety of reasons for what we choose to read beyond “pleasure” and the books are not all in our genres. You might be surprised by which popular and award-winning novel we dissect. How did you feel about All…? We're hav...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, we talk about “those bits tacked on at the end of a story to explain everything…” Wait, who said that? We discuss the epilogue and dig into our favorite epilogue to love and hate at the end of the Harry Potter series. What did you think of it? Have you written epilogues to your novels? Let us know in the comments.  Want to be part of the conversation?...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert dissect the prologue. Can you be for or against prologues? When do writers do them wrong? And how do you do them right? As with so many of our Round Tables, we start out with something that seems so simple, yet find ways to sink our teeth into a juicy discussion! Want to be part of the conversation? Good. We're having an Ask Us...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida Winternheimer, Robert Scanlon, & Kathryn Arnold talk pacing. Isn’t it about word count and how quickly readers turn the pages? You know, that old chestnut, the Beach Read? It’s about the need to know what’s coming next, the reader’s desire to keep being drawn into and through the story. But it’s also about the ebb and flow of action, not an overa...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn talk about reconnecting with a work-in-progress that has been shelved for a looooong time. Robert has returned to a manuscript after 4 years. Anyone who has been more than “resting” a manuscript will benefit from today’s discussion.  Join your hosts, Alida Winternheimer, Kathryn Arnold, and Robert Scanlon, at the Round Tab...

This week at the Round Table, we talk about talking. What goes into writing natural sounding dialogue that is still artful in its delivery? What are the pitfalls of giving your characters speaking parts? How many ways can you make them sound wooden, artificial, or even annoying? Should you really use said? And does Robert have a dialogue pet peeve? Join your hosts, Alida Winternheimer, Kathryn Arn...

In this weeks Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn are joined by Becca Puglisi to talk about emotional wounds, and writing deeper and more compelling fiction. This episode previously aired as episode 028. Make sure you go back into the library and check out our other episodes with Becca Puglisi. Join your hosts, Alida Winternheimer, Kathryn Arnold, and Robert Scanlon, at the Round Table ever...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert talk about budding writers, young writers, and old hands like ourselves. It seems we all need encouragement and support to get on with the act & the art of writing! What helps you get through your story projects? Let us know in the comments. Show notes & more at www.storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert talk point of view & dramatic tension. How does your handling of POV affect your story's plot arc? Could your POV character make or break the pace of your action? The better you control the interplay of POV & tension, the tighter & more effective your storytelling.  Show notes & more at www.storyworkspodcas...

This week, Alida & Kathryn welcome poet & publishing guide Scott James back to the Round Table. When is the right time to present your manuscript to outside readers? We talk strategies for ensuring you get quality feedback from those select few who count. As well as ways to incorporate that feedback into your revision process. Show notes & more at http://storyworkspodcast.com Check out...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the relationship between your plot and character arcs. We have a modern classic story (thanks to Kathryn’s little ones) to dissect, making this conversation grounded in examples. If you haven’t seen it, you may want to grab some popcorn and watch Finding Nemo! Though it’s definitely not required, because we got you cove...

This week, Alida and Kathryn welcome Scott James back to the Round Table to discuss how we can use genre considerations while we're drafting to avoid future pitfalls. Scott is a publishing guide with an interesting take on our topic. He also knows how to make sure your novel makes it into the right readers' hands. He's got a great tip for making Amazon categories work for you! Show notes & mor...

This week, Alida and Kathryn welcome Scott James to the Round Table to discuss the lessons prose writers can learn from the art of poetry. Are novelists and poets such different creatures, after all? What can prose writers learn from the way poets approach imagery and metaphor? We delve into the ever-important endnote in both poetry and prose. Scott reads a favorite poem by Mary Oliver, which we d...

This episode of the Story Works Reading Series is an unusual one, showcasing 13-year-old, Sunday Times bestselling author Kristina Naydonova. Kristina has an impressive resume for one so young and is clearly a talent to watch. Besides enjoying this interview, I think you’ll gain some takeaways from what Kristina has to say about process, time management, inspiration, and craft. Show notes & bo...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss the short story. What are the particular considerations of short form fiction? What do you write when there's no room for an arc? Is a turning point as powerful as a climax? Explore the beauty of conceptual, quiet, singular fiction. Getting specific detail, imagery, symbolism, & metaphor to work for you...so much mo...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss developing your villains. Besides making a real person out of that black hat, the shape of the villain helps shape the protagonist and even your setting. So much more comes out of what you put into that character than you may think! Show notes & more at http://storyworkspodcast.com Check out our sister podcast, Stor...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss single character scenes & stories. There are challenges to having a single character on the stage of the page, some obvious some not-so-obvious. So why would you want a single-character scene? When your story calls for one, how can you ensure the movement continues to draw a reader forward? What are the roles of set...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert delve into ensemble cast fiction. Does a team of protagonists require a team of POV characters? Do you truly need a single hero at the top of your character pyramid? What are the pros and cons of writing an ensemble? And…has Robert written himself into a corner by having an ensemble cast with a single POV protagonist?  Sho...

On today's Story Works Reading Series, Laura James reads "Stuck." When an ex-pat drifts aggressively through Paris, in search of love and belonging, we wonder if she is running away or toward something? With wry humor, the city comes to life as Leah navigates public transit, a classic Parisian building, and her own inner world. After the reading, Laura and I sit down to chat about "Stuck" - Laura...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Robert talk all things action. What are action scenes and what you need to do to make your reader sit up and pay attention! We cover everything from choreographing your fight to multiple team action scenes, from slowing down the action to avoiding repetition, from enacting the action yourself to making the reader sweat with anticipation. For...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert dissect an author’s very interesting point of view & narrative choices. We take a close look at In an Instant by Suzanne Redfearn, in which the protagonist is killed early in the story. What happens to the POV? The status of protagonist? The plot? And how is agency affected when your POV character is incorporeal? Although w...

This week on the Story Works Reading Series, S.A. Wolter reads the short story “Black Bart.” This cowboy’s tale is a tribute to the last of a generation and true piece of Americana. You won’t want to miss this moving story or the conversation that follows.  Alida Winternheimer chats with Susan Wolter about the story’s inspiration, her childhood on a ranch, writing through the challenges of a...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the ways in which story is all around us. What is it that makes story so pervasive? How can we use this essential nature of story in our writing? What is the difference between telling someone facts and creating a story? Will giving our supporting characters a story of their own strengthen our protagonist’s story? Show...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the critical relationship of protagonist & antagonist. If you don't keep them sticking to each other throughout your plot, the story falls apart. This is as true in character-driven stories as it is black hat villain stories as it is in save the world stories.  Sign up for Write Great Openings! live workshop no...