Write On SC

Got my manuscript back from the developmental editor and while a lot of what he had to say was great, one word stuck out: ReWrite. He may have even pluralized it. So what’s next? What do you do? How do you do it? This week we talk reasons and strategies for rewrites and build in some practical work for Kāsie during our conversation. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and do the real work of writing...

Two weeks ago, we did an episode on lazy writing and came upon this blog talking about plot holes, character under-development and other story-level sins. It picks mostly on Wonder Woman 1984 and Star Wars Episode 7, two films I (Kasie) admittedly liked. But it’s not wrong and it actually makes me cringe to think about how right the author is and whether these scripts needed more work before they...

We’re visiting with Dr. Thaddeus Jones, filmmaker and entrepreneur. But above all, storyteller. Here’s some relevant links to learn more about Thad: His IMDB profile – you gotta know this impressed the hell out of my family News from the Augusts Chronicle – a homecoming of sorts for film camp Doko Film Festival includes Thad Link to The Harvest on FilmFreeway so you can see some of Thad’s work So...

There are a few kinds of literary short cuts and usually your English teacher just called it lazy writing. But it’s not always lazy, sometimes it’s just a faster way to communicate a bigger idea to people who know what you mean. Today we break down the kinds of short cuts and justify or reject them. As usual, there are no hard rules in this. It all depends on the phrase and the context. Get the fu...

Authors are typically doing one of 5 things: Reading Writing Revising Querying Marketing / selling Each activity has its own positive impact on the writer’s work. And each one has its own tools and takes its own allocated time. Some can be done simultaneously. Get the full show notes here.

Here are a few things I think we can safely take on in a general “How does this affect authors” kind of way: Digital platform building and the insights we’re giving away Digital marketing tools like email lists Digital plagiarism Search engine optimization (SEO) Scrivener, Google Docs, Word and other tools writers use to create manuscripts Temi and other voice-to-text options Wattpad, Vella and ot...

Full show notes are out on the blog here . So let’s start with the basic outline of the Hero’s Journey and then we’ll do some examples and pick apart our favorite parts: The Call — being chosen to undertake the journey The Companions — who will accompany the hero? The journey itself — distance, obstacles, treachery Monsters Temptations Deadly opposites or opposing dangers — think colliding armies...

Get the full original show notes here . At the beginning of November, to help out our NaNoWriMo’ers, we did an episode on Character Arcs. In the third segment we briefly touched on the negative arc, or the moral descent. Here’s some notes from that episode : The disillusionment (or negative change) arc, the character also believes a lie, is confronted with the truth and is able to overcome the lie...

Complete show notes and links to Carolyn's books here . You’ve met Carolyn Hartley before, she’s one of our Patrons and the owner of J. Merrill Press in Chapin, South Carolina. The vision for J. Merrill Press has always been to publish stories of courageous women and never is this more true than in Adele’s duet. The first book, Redemption: One Woman’s Dream to Overcome Oppression, Find Family, Lov...

Full show notes out on the blog here . After reading an article about the reason we need to keep reading novels, I (Kasie) suggested to Rex that we take on this idea of critical reading and how we build that skill set. We take it for granted that people read. For two reasons: 1) we read a TON and think that’s normal and 2) we write and we are hoping (hoping!) that people will buy our shit and read...

Full show notes out on the blog here . In entrepreneurship, we encourage founders to tell their stories so we can see all the millions of ways people come into ownership and no two stories are the same. And writing is the same. Everyone does their thing differently and so hearing a bunch of stories is a great way to stay encouraged. That said, I found this awesome Joanna Penn blog with some “what...

Full show notes out on the blog here . Professional writers who depend on volume for income (like those one-book-a-year professionals John Grisham and Nicholas Sparks) have the creative process down to a science. And all those teachers who teach “How to Write” have also disseminated their craft down to a process. We’re going to work on that today. Since Rex teaches writing and I used to, many moon...

Full show notes out on the blog here . Today’s session is a good “beginning of the year” session, I think, because it can be part of your 2022 writing plan. We briefly touched on some writing goals we have and we’ve done entire episodes on setting, measuring, and keeping writing goals. So today’s exploration of the various writer types and what your type means for your writing habit should come in...

Get the complete show notes on the blog here . Okay, today’s writing-related (non-goal) topic is Great Beginnings. New Beginnings. First lines and first pages. Starting off on the right foot. All those euphemisms for the most important page in the book. The first one. When we did this topic in May of 2020 ( episode 94 ) I told you about a terrible beginning to a romance novel that had triggered my...

Complete show notes out on the blog here . Let’s get into this Character Arc thing. So I found this tweet and YouTube clip that talks about Rick’s character in Casablanca and how at each point of the character arc, one character comments on how Rick is changing. Sometimes it’s even Rick himself. And I thought, “Have we ever done character arcs?” and the answer is, “no.” So here we go. What is a ch...

Get the full show notes out on the blog here . Mark Allan Gunnells loves to tell stories. He has since he was a kid, penning one-page tales that were Twilight Zone knockoffs. He likes to think he has gotten a little better since then. He loves reader feedback, and above all he loves telling stories. He lives in Greer, SC, with his husband Craig A. Metcalf.

Full show notes out on the blog here . Google does it again. I found this link to the 30 scariest scenes in Western literature which was a goldmine for what we want to do today which is really break it down. What’s happening in the scene? How is it constructed and how does it work? The rage of Achilles — when he arrives on the battlefield, the Trojans quake with fear and when he unleashes his batt...

Photo credit: ArtHouse Studio on Pexels.com Get the full show notes out on the blog here . Theme for the day Scary Series: Serial Killers Agenda SCWA Upcoming events and goings-on It’s October! Let’s Halloween! What’s up with Serial Killers? How to write a convincing serial killer I’m reading You right now which is a thriller about a stalker / serial killer that was made into a Netflix series. It’...

Get the full show notes on the blog here . Scary Series: Vampires Agenda SCWA Upcoming events and goings-on It’s October! Let’s Halloween! Vampires aren’t scary How to write a convincing vampire (no sparkling!) I found a How Stuff Works (yeah, the science site) entry for How Vampires Work which is just awesome. Here’s the link . Here are the highlights: They were once human They died and “rose aga...

Get the full show notes here . Theme for the day Paying Your Writerly Dues Agenda SCWA Upcoming events and goings-on How have those book promotional events gone? What to know about “paying your dues” Even some super famous authors sat alone in a bookstore My mom joined me at M Judson Books in Greenville back on September 12th. Four people bought books, two bought shot glasses and one got a wine gl...

Learn more about Len Lawson here . Visit the Featured Author section of the show notes on WriteOnSC.blog to learn more about guests and friends of the show. Become a patron and get your spot at Featured Author on the website and the show. Visit the YouTube channel for more interviews with authors.

Full show notes on the blog here . Welcome back to the studio, Catherine Peace, romance author . And our new addition, Ella Shawn , author of Southern Gothic Erotica. Let’s get to know her for just a minute. Last week we broke down some tropes and sub genres of Romance. It was mostly fun to shock Rex with all the various layers and requirements of Romance writing. It’s more complicated than non-re...

Full show notes out on the blog here . Meet Catherine Peace Romance genre expectations How to write the steamy scenes Welcome to the studio, Catherine Peace, romance author. Catherine Peace has been telling stories for as long as she could remember. She often blames two things for her forays into speculative fiction—Syfy (when it was SciFi) channel Sundays with her dad and The Island of Dr. Moreau...

Complete show notes on the blog here . After Raegan said she wasn't a book launch expert, Kasie admitted this was just a chance for the two of them to talk about their new books that had recently launched. So some advice, but a LOT about Raegan's new book and Kasie's as well. SCWA Upcoming events and goings-on Launch Day report for Before Pittsburgh Launch Day report for Time to Prey Best practice...

Full show notes on the blog here . Launch Day report for Before Pittsburgh SCWA Upcoming events and goings-on The 7 Deadly Sins recap Sloth as a character trait, motivation, and antagonizing force The seven deadly sins, also known as the capital vices, or cardinal sins, is a grouping and classification of vices within Christian teachings, [1] although they are not mentioned in the Bible . Behaviou...