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

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

en-us

24:57

Episode 131 - A review of the ten strongest writing...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/09/20

Here is a list of the top ten writing techniques in order of their importance, as best I can figure them out. Also, good comments from a book coach. And Zadie Smith's rules of writing.Support the show

en-us

26:39

Episode 130 - Kurt Vonnegut's rules of writing, and...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/09/13

Here are Kurt Vonnegut's eight rules of writing. Also, why reading an Andy Weir novel is such a good writing lesson. And; character descriptions should do double duty. Here is how, with examples from legendary writers.Support the show

en-us

26:20

Episode 129 - A scene with too many mistakes. Can we...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/09/06

Here is a scene with a strong plot point important to our story. It should be powerful but it isn't because of technical mistakes in the writing. Can we spot the mistakes? Also, George Orwell's six rules of writing. And a review of how and why to avoid filters.Support the show

en-us

25:23

Episode 128 - Should we be afraid our plot has been...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/08/30

What if we get the sense that our story is a trope, that the plot is a cliche, that it's been done before? Here are thoughts on cliched stories. Also, Christopher Vogler's twelve steps for plotting our story.Support the Show.

en-us

28:07

Episode 127 - Go big or go home plotting.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/08/23

Classic novelists knew the strong technique regarding plotting and it's a terrific lesson for us: go big or go home. And what if we want to ignore a proven technique? And: thoughts on a character's stream of consciousness thinking. Also, how to avoid overthinking our writing project.Support the Show.

en-us

27:40

Episode 126 - Should we hire a book coach?

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/08/16

When can a book coach help us and when can a coach not help us? Here are thoughts on book coaches. Also, the master George Orwell on describing a character. Plus, improving our sentence-by-sentence writing by 1) showing, 2) offering details, and 3) avoiding summary words: three big techniques in one.Support the Show.

en-us

25:51

Episode 125 - When to avoid the proven writing...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/08/09

Sometimes we don't need to use the standard and strong writing technique, and we can deviate from the proven technique. When? We'll talk about it here. And here are some fun writing quotes. Also, an example of how interior monologue deadens a scene, and how to change it to a scene that will engage and entertain the reader. Support the Show.

en-us

25:53

Episode 124 - Save the cat plotting.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/08/02

Blake Snyder's famous Save the Cat plotting--where he describes fifteen beats a movie screenplay should have--is useful for us novelists. And wonderful setting descriptions from Willa Cather. Also, what's wrong with this sentence: He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion? And Neil Gaiman's eight rules of writing.Support the Show.

en-us

24:55

Episode 123 - The beauty of a professional submission.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/07/26

How can we submit a manuscript that meets the industry's format expectations and so avoids an amateurish look? Here's how to do it. Also, how the best-selling novelist Elin Hilderbrand live and work? And a few comments on pumping up our creativity.Support the Show.

en-us

26:34

Episode 122 - Getting inside a villain's mind.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/07/19

We aren't villains, and we likely don't have the background and personality of a villain. How can we get inside the mind of a villain for our story, so the villain engages the reader? Here are techniques to do so. Also, big and small things in a novel should be foreshadowed. I'll mention why and how to use foreshadowing to give clues and red herrings to the reader, focusing on small things we might otherwise forget to tie up. Also, here are my favorite funny titl...

en-us

24:16

Episode 121 - The biggest mistakes new writers make.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/07/12

Sometimes new writers have a strong plot idea and they begin writing without learning much about fiction writing. Here are the ten most common mistakes new writers make, mistakes that are often prospect killers. Also, how does Kristen Hannah work? And: maybe the best way to learn how to write a novel.Support the Show.

en-us

28:22

Episode 120 - The most important element in fiction.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/07/05

We learn many techniques to improve our fiction writing. Is there one big thing we should think about first, the most important element? Yes, and we talk about it here. Also, avoiding mixing up the grammatical person and the point of view. How William Faulkner worked. And; making a direct connection between our hero and the reader by showing kindness.How to Start a Podcast Guide: The Complete GuideLearn how to plan, record, and launch your podcast with this illu...

en-us

25:55

Episode 119 - Making our sentences instantly stronger.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/06/28

Here is a technique--it's magical--to make our sentence-by-sentence writing instantly stronger; avoiding qualifiers. And how to use good dialogue tags so the reader hears the dialogue rather than the clunky tags. And important tips regarding back-story.How to Start a Podcast Guide: The Complete GuideLearn how to plan, record, and launch your podcast with this illustrated guide.Support the Show.

en-us

28:11

Episode 118 - Naming characters and the framing device.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/06/21

Naming our story's characters is fun but there is a big technique involved, which we talk about in this episode. Also; the iceberg theory of writing, and the story framing device. Plus, examples of showing rather than telling about characters' moods.How to Start a Podcast Guide: The Complete GuideLearn how to plan, record, and launch your podcast with this illustrated guide.Support the Show.

en-us

24:30

Episode 117 - Making multiple submissions, and a...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/06/14

It's critical for us writers to make multiple simultaneous submissions. Here are some thoughts on why it's so important. And I mention a wonderful but counterintuitive technique that makes our dialogue smoother. Also: the importance of a scene playing out minute-by-minute, without time skips.How to Start a Podcast Guide: The Complete GuideLearn how to plan, record, and launch your podcast with this illustrated guide.Support the Show.

en-us

30:21

Episode 116 - Advice from your lifestyle counselor,...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/06/07

Where can we turn when wondering about whether we should continue reading a novel? Right here, for some thoughts on reading. Also, here is a discussion on big mistakes we might make when creating our story's setting, and how to avoid them.How to Start a Podcast Guide: The Complete GuideLearn how to plan, record, and launch your podcast with this illustrated guide.Support the Show.

en-us

26:58

Episode 115 - Downer titles and words that echo poorly.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/05/31

Some novels--even novels that are great literature--have titles that are downers: titles that are sour and pessimistic. Here are thoughts on why we might not want to give our novels downer titles. Also, why we should avoid words that when too close together echo poorly, creating a distracting dissonance. And how we writers can practice.Support the Show.

en-us

24:26

Episode 114 - A critical technique to make our story...

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/05/24

Details are proofs, evidence offered to the reader about our story. Details will make our fiction engaging and will allow the story to grab readers. But there are right and wrong ways to use details, and we'll talk about the difference. Also, how should we handle back-story, politics, and society in our story? And a goofy pop quiz.Support the Show.

en-us

25:29

Episode 113 - The clear window technique.

Essential Guide to Writing a Novel ·

2024/05/17

For most of us our sentence-by-sentence writing should be a clear window to our story rather than a barrier to seeing the story. Here are thoughts on the clear window. Also, how George Orwell worked.Support the Show.

en-us

192 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