x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

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.

education how to

All Episodes

29:09

Episode 171 - Top ten list of bad advice for writers.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/06/27

In these episodes I try to set out good writing advice but a lot of bad advice is out there, so here is a list of bad advice, and the list may help us avoid writing blunders. Here are also ten dialogue mistakes, and avoiding them likely means we end up with engaging and even riveting dialogue for our characters. Support the show

en-us

28:09

Episode 170 - Writing the crowd scene. And guilt and...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/06/20

Here are techniques for keeping focus in a scene where there is a crowd, with an example from Harper Lee. And how Margaret Mitchell worked. Plus: how can we show rather than tell about a character's guilt or pride. Support the show

en-us

25:03

Episode 169 - How to find a surefire plot.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/06/13

Stephen King says there is no idea dump we can visit to find a good plot. We have to create our own plots. How can we do so? Here's a discussion on creating plots. Also, if Meriwether Lewis of the Lewis and Clark expedition can learn to write, so can we. And the critical technique of using the active sentence form. Support the show

en-us

27:17

Episode 168 - Making our first sentence sparkle.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/06/06

Does our story's first sentence cause the reader to ask, "What's next?" Or does the reader say, "So what?" Here are thoughts on creating a tense, sparkling first sentence. Also, how the masters use specific, definite, and concrete details to convince the reader. Support the show

en-us

26:48

Episode 167 - Revealing our character by the setting.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/05/30

Our setting descriptions should do more than describe a place. They can also show the reader much about our character. Here's how to do so. Also: what's the main thing our plot needs: trouble. Here's why. And how Edna Ferber worked. Support the show

en-us

24:30

Episode 166- Showing our character's thoughts.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/05/23

Two mistakes can ruin our presentation of what our character is thinking: telling rather than showing, and interior monologue. Here are ways to present thoughts in a way that grabs the reader. Also, how Octavia Butler worked. And examples of wonderful character descriptions from masterful writers. Support the show

en-us

28:41

Episode 165 - The rule of exceptions.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/05/16

Sometimes the strongest writing technique isn't the strongest in our story. Every writing rule has exceptions, and here's a discussion on when to make exceptions. Also, how to create a strong title for our novel and short story. Support the show

en-us

28:36

Episode 164 - Design our cover? And the masters on...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/05/09

We are learning fiction techniques, and we are or soon will be skilled fiction writers. Does this mean we should design our own book covers? Also, Michael Chabon's terrific sense of smell. And the use of details in the haunted house. Support the show

en-us

25:36

Episode 163 - The benefits of an underdog.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/05/02

Having readers fall in love with our character is so important, and making our hero an underdog is a good way to do it. Here are thoughts on underdog characters. Also, I'll read a few character descriptions from master story-tellers that may make us stronger writers. Support the show

en-us

27:19

Episode 162 - The state fair plotting technique.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/04/25

Our story should be like a state fair: one thing after another. Here are some ideas on state fair plotting. Plus: settings shouldn't be inert locations in our novel or short story but rather should work for our story. Here's how to get the most from our settings. Also: my experiment with AI proofreading. Support the show

en-us

26:46

Episode 161 - Ways to give readers what they want.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/04/18

Readers want five things in a story, three of which are right in the beginning. Here's a discussion of how to deliver those five things. Plus, a character's thoughts are the least interesting aspect of a story. How can we show what a character is thinking without entering her mind? Support the show

en-us

24:01

Episode 160 - Should our story have a theme?

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/04/11

Best-selling writers disagree on the importance of a theme in stories. Here are thoughts on whether we should present a theme in our novel or short story. And famous authors on their writing discipline. Plus, mixing genres when telling an agent or publisher about our novel. Support the show

en-us

27:09

Episode 159 - A surefire way to generate plot, the...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/04/04

Putting a sidekick into our story adds many benefits, a main one being that readers love sidekicks. Here are some techniques for creating a sidekick for our novel or short story. Also, a list of catchy, memorable novel titles. And a big question: how do bad novels get published? Support the show

en-us

22:53

Episode 158 - A lifetime's writing advice reduced to...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/03/28

Were a young writer to ask me for advice, and only had one minute to listen, here is what I'd say. Plus: how Louisa May Alcott worked. And, avoiding the blahs and self-doubts when writing. Support the show

en-us

27:31

Episode 157 - How we writers can create a world.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/03/21

Remember the fabulous worlds that fantasy, sci fi, and historical writers create for us readers? How do they do that? What works so well? I'll talk about world-building, not just for those novels but for all genres. And also: more on the critical craft of character description. Support the show

en-us

26:04

Episode 156 - How to write the fast start.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/03/14

Many readers only give a story ten or twenty pages before putting it aside to look for something more interesting. A fast start is the best way to maintain the reader's interest. Here's how to write the fast start. Also, how Alice Munro worked, and Richard Ford's rules of writing. Support the show

en-us

24:54

Episode 155 - The single most important ingredient in...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/03/07

Manon in Paris asked, "Why do some novels move us more than others?" Here is the single best way to make our story unforgettable, a story that moves the reader. Also, have we heard the advice, "Write what you know?" It's bad advice, and here are thoughts on it. Support the show

en-us

24:50

Episode 154 - Learning from the masterful writer Edna...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/02/28

Edna Ferber was a master of character description. Here are a few of her characters, and maybe we can pick up some of her skill. Also, how many words a day do famous writers write, and how many words a day should we write? And showing pain, as opposed to telling about pain. Support the show

en-us

24:58

Episode 153 - A legendary novelist's lesson for us...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/02/21

Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is a classic of western literature, a novel that endures and still hugely entertains because . . . it's so great. (How that for being profound?) Charlotte Bronte offers an important lesson for today's writers, and I'll talk about her lesson in this episode. Plus, the trouble with prologues. Support the show

en-us

28:32

Episode 152 - How the masters create their settings.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/02/14

Why are some novels so good? One of the reasons is that the author is a master at setting descriptions. How did Charlotte Bronte and Edna Ferber make their settings magical? We'll talk about their techniques here. Also, strong verbs versus weak verbs: how and why to choose the stronger action word. Support the show

en-us

191 results

Similar Podcasts

Science Talk

Albert Einstein College of Medicine

五分钟心理学

柠檬心理

Daily Facts

Amalia Dupray and Montgomery Jones.

Les dents et dodo

BFMTV

Veterinary Clinical Podcasts

The Royal Veterinary College