How and why should  we avoid our character traveling?  And how does Orson Scott Card not make blunders in his novels?  Here is his tool for having a mistake-free novel.  Also: here is why our scenes--almost all scenes--should have some action, and how to write that action.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron">Support the show</a><a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'>Buy the master class.</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;How and why should  we avoid our character traveling?  And how does Orson Scott Card not make blunders in his novels?  Here is his tool for having a mistake-free novel.  Also: here is why our scenes--almost all scenes--should have some action, and how to write that action.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'&gt;Buy the master class.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

How and why should  we avoid our character traveling?  And how does Orson Scott Card not make blunders in his novels?  Here is his tool for having a mistake-free novel.  Also: here is why our scenes--almost all scenes--should have some action, and how to write that action. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and abou...

Episode 209 - Avoiding blunders in our story.

Writing is magic.  We type on a keyboard, and then the words we type create powerful images in readers&apos; minds.  Here is a discussion of our main tool for creating vivid images: detail.  Which details, how to use them, and examples from a detail master, Jean Shepherd.   And another angle: detail is as important in dialogue as it is in character and setting descriptions.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron">Support the show</a><a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'>Buy the master class.</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Writing is magic.  We type on a keyboard, and then the words we type create powerful images in readers&amp;apos; minds.  Here is a discussion of our main tool for creating vivid images: detail.  Which details, how to use them, and examples from a detail master, Jean Shepherd.   And another angle: detail is as important in dialogue as it is in character and setting descriptions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'&gt;Buy the master class.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Writing is magic.  We type on a keyboard, and then the words we type create powerful images in readers' minds.  Here is a discussion of our main tool for creating vivid images: detail.  Which details, how to use them, and examples from a detail master, Jean Shepherd.   And another angle: detail is as important in dialogue as it is in character and setting descriptions. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, charact...

Episode 208 - How to paint pictures with words.

Sometimes an unreliable narrator can be great fun to create, and great fun to read about.  Here are techniques for developing a protagonist the reader learns not to trust.  Also, how can we avoid dull interior monologue and  instead show readers what a character is thinking?Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron">Support the show</a><a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'>Buy the master class.</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Sometimes an unreliable narrator can be great fun to create, and great fun to read about.  Here are techniques for developing a protagonist the reader learns not to trust.  Also, how can we avoid dull interior monologue and  instead show readers what a character is thinking?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'&gt;Buy the master class.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Sometimes an unreliable narrator can be great fun to create, and great fun to read about.  Here are techniques for developing a protagonist the reader learns not to trust.  Also, how can we avoid dull interior monologue and  instead show readers what a character is thinking? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 3...

Episode 207 - When the hero lies to the reader.

Novelist John D. McDonald said he had more plot ideas than time to write them.  That&apos;s not the case for most of us writers.  We usually are in chronic need of more plot, more story.  Here are techniques for inventing plot from James Scott Bell and Lester Dent.  Also: vivid character descriptions from Jean Shepherd, showing us how to create unforgettable characters.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron">Support the show</a><a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'>Buy the master class.</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Novelist John D. McDonald said he had more plot ideas than time to write them.  That&amp;apos;s not the case for most of us writers.  We usually are in chronic need of more plot, more story.  Here are techniques for inventing plot from James Scott Bell and Lester Dent.  Also: vivid character descriptions from Jean Shepherd, showing us how to create unforgettable characters.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'&gt;Buy the master class.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Novelist John D. McDonald said he had more plot ideas than time to write them.  That's not the case for most of us writers.  We usually are in chronic need of more plot, more story.  Here are techniques for inventing plot from James Scott Bell and Lester Dent.  Also: vivid character descriptions from Jean Shepherd, showing us how to create unforgettable characters. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dial...

Episode 206 - How to get lots of plot ideas.

Sometimes we are full  of ambition to write.  Yet we don&apos;t.  We put off our writing, then put it off again.  Why do we do that?  And what can be done to get us in front of the keyboard?  Here are thoughts on what we can do to get us producing.  Also, powerful first sentences drop the reader into the story after the action is already underway.  Here&apos;s how to do it, with examples from excellent writers.Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.<a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron">Support the show</a><a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'>Buy the master class.</a>

<description>&lt;p&gt;Sometimes we are full  of ambition to write.  Yet we don&amp;apos;t.  We put off our writing, then put it off again.  Why do we do that?  And what can be done to get us in front of the keyboard?  Here are thoughts on what we can do to get us producing.  Also, powerful first sentences drop the reader into the story after the action is already underway.  Here&amp;apos;s how to do it, with examples from excellent writers.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more.  Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes.  The full class—all 20 episodes—is available now for a one-time price of forty-nine dollars.  If you want structured, concise guidance, click the Buy the Master Class link in the show notes to get started.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a rel="payment" href="https://www.patreon.com/TheEssentialGuidetoWritingaNovel?view_as=patron"&gt;Support the show&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href='https://www.patreon.com/posts/146939958/edit?purchase_only=true'&gt;Buy the master class.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Sometimes we are full  of ambition to write.  Yet we don't.  We put off our writing, then put it off again.  Why do we do that?  And what can be done to get us in front of the keyboard?  Here are thoughts on what we can do to get us producing.  Also, powerful first sentences drop the reader into the story after the action is already underway.  Here's how to do it, with examples from excellent writers. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing...

Episiode 205 - How to stop stalling and get going.

Hosted by James Thayer, the podcast is a practical, step-by-step manual on how to craft a novel.  It presents a set of tools for large issues such as story development and scene construction (Kirkus Reviews said Thayer's novels are "superbly crafted') and it also examines techniques that will make your sentence-by-sentence writing shine. The New York Times Book Review has said Thayer's "writing is smooth and clear.  it wastes no words, and it has a rhythm only confident stylists achieve.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

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