Story Works Round Table | Conversations About Craft

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn talk tech. Is technology just a concern for sci fi writers? Or does it pervade every genre in our tech-enhanced world? How does keeping an eye on the tech your characters use enhance your story? And when can it become a detriment? What about the choice to ignore or erase technology from your world? Can technology limit a story'...

This week, Alida, Robert & Kathryn discuss the oft used and oft misunderstood trope. What is a trope really? How do we use them? Why and how are so many people confused about tropes?  Show notes at www.storyworkspodcast.com *This episode is from the archive, previously aired as 039. Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week, we air our first episode of the Story Works Reading Series, sister podcast to the Round Table. Hear an author read an original short story or essay, then sit down with Alida to chat about the piece's inspiration, challenges, and craft. A podcast for readers, writers, and readers curious about writers! Alida Winternheimer gets the table turned this time, putting her behind the mic. She r...

Is your protagonist up to all the challenges your plot is throwing at her? Or is everything a little too easy?  How do you create a character who’s tough enough to survive, but not so darn competent at everything that she becomes unbelievable and unsympathetic? This week on the Story Works Round Table writing podcast, we delve into creating sufficient challenges commensurate with your charact...

This week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn answer a fan's question on the Story Works Round Table Podcast. How do we organize topics & themes in long long-form writing projects? What's different about working with fiction or nonfiction manuscripts well over 100k words versus shorter word counts? Is it the tools that change or just the frame of mind? Join Memory Emotion Body, a new, live, generati...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Robert welcome Kathryn back to discuss routines. Why are we so interested in what other people do, when and how? Is there some new wisdom we can take away from yet another conversation about routines? Some nugget to help us get 2021 off right? We think so! Show notes, links, more at http://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a...

This week, Alida and Robert welcome author and writing coach Beth Barany back to the Story Works Round Table for this author statement workshop. Grab your paper and pen, and write along with us as she takes us step-by-step through the creation of your author's statement of purpose. No kidding, this might be the most important sentence you write in 2021! Show notes & Links at http://storyworksp...

Part 2: Alida and Robert welcome author and writing coach Beth Barany to the Story Works Round Table to talk about her method of drafting a series, revising multiple books, using loyal readers while she's still drafting, and more. This is one of those episodes where we set out to talk about one thing and talked about a dozen. I think you'll find we go in surprising directions with loads of takeawa...

This week, Alida and Robert welcome author and writing coach Beth Barany to the Round Table to talk about her method of drafting a series, revising multiple books, using loyal readers while she's still drafting, and more. This is one of those episodes where we set out to talk about one thing and talked about a dozen. I think you'll find we go in surprising directions with loads of takeaways! Enrol...

This week at the Story Works Round Table, Robert, Carlee, and Alida get touchy feely as we explore the challenges and benefits of making your reader really feel your character. how do you move from sympathy to empathy to true personal connection? Submit to Story Works Reading Series by 12/31 to be considered for publication in the first quarter of 2021.  http://storyworkspodcast.com/submit Vi...

Is Catcher in the Rye worthy of its status as a timeless classic? Dust off your copy - I know you had to read it in high school -and join the conversation at the Story Works Round Table. We look at what made the book special when it came out, whether it should be considered YA or adult. And we dig deep to address the question of timeless literature. Can the times get too far ahead of a story for i...

With the Covid-19 version of Thanksgiving weekend upon us, what better way to spend our alone time than with a writing prompt to boost our creativity & moods! This week at the Story Works Round Table, we discuss the value of writing prompts and bring you a bunch to choose from. Write with us or pick your own. Happy Writing! If you follow Alida on Instagram or Facebook, you’ll find a bonus writ...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Carlee, and Robert go deep with the question of what is genre, anyway? It's far more useful to us writers than a marketing category. Writing to market is often confused with marketing. And what about those of us who strive to be "pure artists," putting categories at the end of the process? Whether you aim to meet or subvert reader expectations, ther...

At this week's Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Carlee discuss using all of your senses in writing. We focus so much on the movie in the mind, that we can lean too heavily on the visual in our scene building. But a well-chosen sensory detail can make a scene memorable, even surprising. Focusing on a sensory detail, especially the least obvious of details will shape your reader's experie...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Carlee explore opening scenes and what you should include right away to establish who and what the story is about. Missing the mark with your opening scene could mislead the reader and set your story up for disappointment. Submit your story or essay to the new Story Works Reading Series podcast now! www. StoryWorksPodcast.com Visit WordE...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Robert are joined by Carlee Tressel to discuss the death…or possible resuscitation…of book projects. When is it time to let go? Is resting it enough? Do you need outside feedback to make the decision? Why is it so hard to let go sometimes? And so hard to finish at other times? And in the end, you just have to…. Announcing the Story Works Reading...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss traits that can make or break a character, those defining traits that become identified with a character. How do you create a defining trait? (And make sure it’s “cool”?) Does it have to be a negative trait? Is physical or psychological better? And much more. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com  Visit WordEss...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn welcome Jennifer Bowen, Artistic Director of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, to discuss the impact writing has on the lives of incarcerated writers. In this in-depth conversation, Jennifer tells us about the kinds of students and remarkable writing found on the inside. Some of the most innovative, powerful writing voices are coming...

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss the benefits of knowing how your story ends before you begin. Page 1 sets us up for the climax to come. How knowing our ending inspires our creative process while drafting. And more! Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

This week at the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the ways in which character agency is relevant to the whole of your story. How well you handle agency could determine how much readers like your book. Show notes & more at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

In this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk about continuity. How important is it to maintain continuity throughout your stories?    Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

In this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk about ending your story with balance restored. Does it always have to be happily ever after?   Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

In this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk about too much of a good thing. When do you tip the balance from just enough, to too much or too little?    Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

In this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, and Robert continue their conversation with Molly McCloy, diving deep into character agency in non-fiction.    Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!

In this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, and Robert, are joined by Molly McCloy to talk about her recent memoir and the art of turning your family into your characters.    Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com Visit WordEssential.com and book a discovery call today!