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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

27:23

Episode 151 - Mad Magazine, and techniques for...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/02/07

My first encounter with Mad Magazine, a life changer. And dialogue techniques that can help make our characters' conversations fascinating. Support the show

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27:36

Episode 150 - How to deliver a surprise in the story.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/01/31

Good stories are filled with surprises for the reader. There are right and wrong ways for us writers to deliver surprises, and I'll talk about them here. Also, the importance of a tie-up-later list. Support the show

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25:53

Episode 149 - How masterful writers use details.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/01/24

What do George Orwell, Sara Gruen, Jean Shepherd, and John Steinbeck have in common? Many things but foremost among them is their expert use of details that take readers away, that lift us readers out of our chairs and transport us to their places and times. Here are thoughts on their use of details. Also, we should avoid cliches like the plague. Support the show

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26:02

Episode 148: A magical way to end one scene and...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/01/17

Here is a magical way to end a scene and to begin another without worrying about travel and time between scenes. Also: avoiding dangling modifiers. And how Bernard Malamud worked, and Helen Dunmore's rules of writing.Support the show

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26:45

Episode 147 - Make sure it's important and make it...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/01/10

What should we do if we must--absolutely must--have an element in our story that might not be fully entertaining and engaging? 1) Make sure it's important and 2) make it short. Here are thoughts about this critical technique. Also, details in our descriptions are important, but which should we use and which should we leave out?Reeding Between The LinesWelcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things books!...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifyS...

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26:01

Episode 146 - How to make our character unforgettable.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2025/01/03

We writers can use lovely phrases and perceptive observations when describing our character in our story, and yet the reader may still quickly forget the character. Here's how to make a character stick in the reader's mind. Also, are you a born writer? Maybe so. Here's why you might be.Support the show

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27:03

Episode 145 - Bringing our settings to life.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/12/27

We can show (as opposed to tell) as we create a setting for our story. Showing will make our settings vivid, and will allow the setting description to do double duty: describe the place and suggest a mood. Also, reasons to avoid meetings in our story.Support the show

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26:20

Episode 144 - One sentence can bring our character to...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/12/20

We'll build our character as we write along, adding descriptions and actions and dialogue. But there is a way with only one or two sentences to reveal something powerful and memorable about the character--in just a few words--and I'll talk about the technique here. Also, Joyce Carol Oates's rules of writing. And punctuating dialogue, with important techniques about our character's spoken sentences so that our dialogue is a clear window to the story.Support the show

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26:53

Episode 143 - The three most important sentences when...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/12/13

Jack Bickham's three sentences on scene construction are the best I've found regarding how to write a scene. Here are why these sentences are important for us writers. Also: Sarah Ann Waters' terrific ten rules of writing. And avoiding the word "not."Support the show

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24:50

Episode 142 - A big technique for literary writing.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/12/06

Many listeners are writing literary novels and stories. Here is an important technique regarding construction of a literary story, and it also applies to commercial novels. Support the show

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27:31

Episode 141 - How to begin and end scenes.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/11/29

The easiest thing for a reader to do is to quit reading our story. Here are ways to begin and end scenes that'll prevent that from happening. Our scenes' beginnings and endings will propel the reader farther into the story.Support the show

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28:00

Episode 140 - Tips from Stephen King on writing...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/11/22

Stephen King is a powerful storyteller, of course, and he is also a highly-skilled sentence-by-sentence writer. Here are his tips on writing dialogue, plus thoughts from me about making our characters' dialogue riveting. Support the show

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27:50

Episode 139 - Writing in the first person.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/11/15

Readers love first person novels, where the hero talks directly to the reader. Here are some techniques for first person writing. Also, famous novelists reveal the books that made them want to be writers.Modem FuturaModem Futura is your guide to the bold frontiers of tomorrow, where technology,...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

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27:44

Episode 138 - How to live a writer's life.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/11/08

Usually I talk about writing techniques but here are some living techniques for us writers. And some famous writers' favorite writers and novels. Plus: what Ernest Hemingway did when he was stuck. Also: the magic of avoiding dialogue tag modifiers. And Snoopy. Face Your EarsExplore home recording and music creation with Rich and Justin on 'Face Your Ears'!Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

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28:35

Episode 137 - Twenty-one rules of writing.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/11/01

How can an injury be good for us writers? It was for Roald Dahl. And here are Strunk and White's twenty-one rules of writing. Also, Stephen King on descriptions. And several famous setting descriptions, settings so good they are magical. Plus, Toni Morrison reveals how she works.Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law EnforcementHost: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport ...

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27:41

Episode 136 - Benefits of a character's otherness.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/10/25

A strong way to make a character likeable, and to have the reader root for her, is to have the character experience "otherness." She's out of place. She doesn't fit. Here are techniques on how to do so. Also, how F. Scott Fitzgerald worked. And, no whining.Blue Grit Podcast: The Voice of Texas Law EnforcementHost: Clint McNear and Tyler Owen discussing topics, issues, and stories within the...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show

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25:38

Episode 135 - Maybe the strongest writing tool -...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/10/18

Contrast is among the strongest tools we writers can use. It's magic. Here is a discussion of how and where to use contrast. Also, Henry Miller's rules of writing and how John Grisham works.Support the show

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29:51

Episode 134 - A stong technique for describing a...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/10/11

We can show (as opposed to tell) about a character's personality by describing the character's face and body, so that our physical description does double duty. Jonathan Franzen's ten rules of writing. And techniques to add atmosphere to our scenes.Support the show

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26:30

Episode 133 - In our plot what should we save for a...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/10/04

In our novel should we leave plot questions unanswered so we have compelling questions for a sequel? Here are thoughts on how we can approach it. Also, Hilary Mantel's ten rules of writing, how Anne Rice worked, and techniques for writing in the active voice.Support the show

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28:14

Episode 132 - How to avoid the main reason readers...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/09/27

Why do readers put down a novel for good before they reach the last page? Here is a reason, maybe the main reason, and how we writers can avoid it. Also, examples of failed showing, as opposed to telling. And Margaret Atwood's rules of writing.Support the show

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191 results

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