About this podcast
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.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 241 episodes
- Episode 241 - Riveting first sentences. · 24 minOur first sentence's main task is to launch the reader into the story. Here's how to begin our story with a riveting opening sentence. And at the other end of the story, after…
- Episode 240 - Make readers laugh out loud. · 27 minNot just comedy novels but rather almost all novels will benefit from humor. Here is how to exaggerate to make readers laugh. Also, avoiding dialogue tag modifiers so that our…
- Episode 239 - A method for ramping up our dialogue. · 26 minWe writers should give readers what they want, and readers like dialogue. Here is a technique for making our dialogue more engaging. Also: the ten most beautiful words in the…
- Episode 238 - My favorite writing technique. · 24 minAmong hundreds of fiction writing techniques, here is my favorite, and it involves weeping. Also, a review of a critical skill for us: controlling the point of view. Here is a…
- Episode 237 - Read to learn rhythm. · 27 minThomas Cullen writes, "the brains of skilled writers are wired over many years to mimic the rhythms, structures, patterns and prose of their favorite authors.” We can learn…
- Episode 236 - Six questions to ask if we want to be a novelist. · 26 minDo we have what it takes to write a novel? Here are six questions we can ask ourselves that'll shed light on the issue. Also, when should a writer make an exception to a…
- Episode 235 - Ten small writing techniques. · 26 minHere are ten smaller techniques that'll improve our story, each maybe not big enough for a full segment but worthwhile to help make our story gripping and our sentences shine…
- Episode 234 - Creating a character readers will love. · 26 minWhat do Elizabeth Bennett, Anne Shirley, Frodo Baggins, Jo March, Harry Potter, and Huckleberry Finn have in common? Readers love them. We can create such a character, one…
- Episode 233 - Peeling the onion. · 25 minWe writers can train ourselves to peel the onion: to look more deeply at places and people, and so set forth our discoveries in lovely language in our stories. Here's how the…
- Episode 232 - More on making our dialogue engaging for readers. · 28 minReaders love dialogue. It's as if they are part of the scene, sitting there and listening to our characters argue or romance each other or plan something important. Here are…
- Episode 231 - Techniques to make our dialogue grab readers. · 25 minDialogue is like a Snickers candy bar: it's good. Here are eight techniques for making conversations in our story engage the reader, things we should do and things we should…
- Episode 230 - Creating a dastardly villain. · 27 minThe shark. Dracula. Draco Malfoy. Cathy Ames. Annie Wilkes, Hannibal Lecter. Jadis the White Witch. Aren't these villains masterful creations, and don't they keep readers glued…
- Episode 229 - Juice up the setting. · 26 minEvery element of our story should add interest, including the settings. What if--because of the plot or characters--we must place a scene in an otherwise dull place? We can juice…
- Episode 228 - Avoiding dullness in our story. · 26 minEvery element in our story should contribute to entertaining the reader including our settings. We can replace our dull settings with fascinating locations, and here's how to do…
- Episode 227 - Becoming a close observer. · 28 minAlmost all successful fiction writers are close observers. We can teach ourselves to be close observers, and use those observations in our characters and settings. And here are…
- Episode 226 - Ways to make our sentences shine. · 27 minNovels that endure not only have bold plots but are also beautifully written. Here are techniques on how to make our sentences shine. Also: should we write our first chapter…
- Episode 225 - Leave it all on the field. · 26 minCliches can offer solid advice. Pedal to the metal. Go big or go home. Leave it all on the field. We should swing for the fences with a bold plot. Also: a setting can be more…
- Episode 224 - Using all the senses to describe our character. · 26 minSome of us may describe our characters using only the sense of sight: what the reader sees when imagining the character. But we can also use sound, smell, taste, and texture to…
- Episode 223 - Readers can fall in love with our settings. · 26 minI talk about ways we can make our settings--the time and place of our story--irresistible to readers. They'll want to live there. Plus: we can use our global search function to…
- Episode 222 - Small techniques can add up to forceful sentences. · 27 minHere are pocket-sized techniques that can result in strong sentences; small--even tiny--things we can add to our prose writing arsenal. Also, Elizabeth George on her use of two…
