Writer Unleashed

There's a lot of writing advice floating around. But most of it shackles writers more than it helps, and sometimes leads to paint-by-number stories.  In this episode, learn common traps when it comes to plot, action, backstory, show, don't tell, and point of view. You'll turn around misconceptions and learn what to do instead. Episode Website

What does character thought have to do with plot? It's the connective tissue that brings continuity to your story, scene by scene. It helps fill in all those plot holes. And it keep your reader grounded in what's happening as your story advances.  Character thought is part of the action. It's the connective tissue that accomplishes 3 things: reminds your reader what happened earlier...

How do you harness the depth and complexity of your story material? And orchestrate all those story threads so that they intensify your plot?  By creating subplots. Learn two ways subplots work,  plus three places your subplots may already be hiding out in your WIP waiting to be developed. NanciPanuccio.com/68 Links mentioned: FREE Character Questionnaire nancipanuccio.com/character/

What’s the most overlooked way to show how a character feels? The vowel scale - the poet's secret weapon.  Just like musical notes, vowel sounds have frequencies that create vibrations in the reader's body, making them feel with your character. In today's episode, you'll learn how to use the frequencies of these vowel sounds to reinforce the emotion, tone, images, and meaning o...

 How do you create the kind of suspense that keeps readers riveted to your pages, hanging on every sentence?  Suspense doesn't happen in the broad strokes - trouble, cliffhangers, sympathetic characters, etc. It's built sentence by sentence. And there are two simple techniques you can apply right now.  In today's episode, you'll learn how to orchestrate details that  bring tens...

Readers crave novelty and surprise. They don't want the same cliched description of a sunset. Or the expected character response to betrayal.  But coming up with original ideas, especially  for ordinary things like sunsets, requires us to tap into our own creative reservoir. In today's episode, we'll explore 4 ways to keep your creative channels open. So you can access your original...

How do you keep writing when you're paralyzed by self doubt? By reprogramming faulty thought patterns. In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll re-frame common misconceptions about writing, and even misconceptions about your own abilities that are sabotaging you.  We'll explore: What's really at the core of writer's block 3 Common thoughts that derail writers The...

Style can be the downfall of an otherwise stunning story. That's because the writing calls  too much attention to itself and upstages the characters. It fights against your story and keeps your reader from getting fully engrossed. Worse, it keeps you from getting deeply involved with your own story. In today's episode, we'll talk about the elements that make up your writing style, a...

What's one of the quickest way to get your manuscript in the reject pile? Too many adjectives and adverbs.  Writers often think adjectives and adverbs describe vividly. But nothing could be farther from the truth.  Instead, they bloat your story with empty filler.  And bore your reader. In today's episode, you'll learn how to eliminate or minimize adjectives and adverbs and replace...

Don't  think or write chronologically? No worries. Stories bend to their own laws of time. In today's episode, we'll look at 4 ways to manipulate time in your story. These will give you more range as the author,  and more tension and suspense for your reader. We'll explore: Using  flashbacks to frame your story Using the figure 8 structure around an image or event Creating susp...

Flashbacks need to be handled with craft and intention. Just like any other interruption from the present story, a flashback can kick your reader out of the story.  And that's precisely what we want to avoid. In today's episode, I'm sharing 3 common missteps writers make with flashback, and how to avoid them. We'll explore how to: Reign in overused flashbacks Place flashbacks w...

Bonnie Lykes Bigler is a writer and spoken word performer and host of The Writers' Voice on WIOX 91.3 FM.  In this radio re-broadcast,  we talk all things writing - why we write, what stops us in our tracks  and how to keep writing in the face of rejection, loss of motivation, and writer's  fatigue. We talk about the importance of learning how to read like a writer, and the ship and lear...

Show, don’t tell has got to be the most canned advice bandied about. Yes, you should show. But that doesn’t mean you never tell. Telling does have its place. So the question becomes, when is it better to show rather than tell? In today’s episode, I’ll share the three main ways writers tell when it’s better to show, and how to convert telling into showing.  There's also a quick writing exercis...

 POV is the thing that flummoxes writers the most.  A big part of the confusion is a misguided focus on which person you write from.  But this has virtually nothing to do with POV and  confuses writers more than it helps. So in this episode I’m going to simplify POV for you and distill it into the 3  main things you need to  focus on, so you can develop a strong point of view that gives your story...

You  can engineer a stellar plot line, dream up characters with compelling conflicts — all the broad strokes – but it’s the accumulation of small word choices that keep readers spellbound.  In today's episode, I'm giving you 3 quick editing tips you can apply right now to instantly transform your story. Just by tweaking your verbs.  So grab your WIP and let's  do this together. 

The question isn't whether your story is character driven or plot driven. Or even how to write one or the other. The question is.. How do you integrate character with plot? Because both are inseparable. If one or the other dominates, your story falls apart. On today's episode, I'll share 3 ways to integrate character with plot. We'll cover: The purpose of plot How to keep the p...

 Where are you getting most stuck in your work in progress? The beginning? The end?  Or are you getting stalled in the middle? In this episode, I'm giving you a 3-Act framework to help guide you through the writing process. So that you’re not drowning in your own material, and can finish your story faster and better. If you’re an exploratory writer who finds outlines a buzz kill, this framewo...

Story dialogue is not the same as real-life dialogue. It's shaped with intention, word by word.  Even so, we should pay attention to the nuances and the rhythm of real-life conversations. We want to be looking for the ways people don’t listen to one another. The ways we dance around hard truths. In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore how to bring tension into your dia...

What's the number one mistake writers make with dialogue?  Writing way too much of it. In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore 3 ways to shape compelling dialogue that rings true to your reader. We'll cover: How to avoid dialogue that tells too much  The primary audience you should be writing dialogue for  The single most important thing you need to know about you...

How do you keep writing when you're totally blocked? When you feel like you have utterly nothing to say? In today's episode of  Writer Unleashed, I'll give you a 3-step strategy for breaking through. In today's episode, we'll explore: What writer's block  is What causes it 3 Strategies to unblock yourself

How much backstory does your story need? And how much backstory does your reader need? Learn what backstory is important for you to know as the author, and what backstory belongs on the page. In today's episode, we'll cover: The two things you need to get clear on when it comes to backstory The importance of crafting backstory that adapts to your story  The actor's technique to deve...

The way to engage your readers and keep them absorbed sentence by sentence is to draw them into the tactile world of your story and evoke their sensations. Not the fact that it's raining, as E.L. Doctorow said. But the feeling of being rained upon. So, how do we evoke our readers' sensations? That's what we'll dive into in today's episode. On today's episode of Writer...

Does your story need an antagonist? The short answer is yes. But to avoid the formulaic good vs. bad story, there are deeper questions to unwrap. In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore: Why the standard definition of antagonist may be limiting your story The 2 most important questions to ask when developing antagonists What we mean by conflict A more nuanced and compelling...

Every character you include, no matter how minor, or however brief their appearance, must serve the story you're telling.  Nobody should be in a scene for mere decoration or as a prop.  There are no minor characters.  Every character in your story needs to be made use of or let go of.  In today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll talk about how to craft minor characters who have a major...

What is theme?  And why does it matter to your story?  In today’s episode of  Writer Unleashed, we’ll talk about what theme is, what it isn’t, and how to arrive at yours.  We'll explore: The common definition of theme that's keeping your story on the surface How to avoid off-the-rack themes that  have no impact on readers How to create a useful thematic statement that focuses and unifies...