The written word holds a power both bewitching and dread. The right words can topple kingdoms, grant immortality—even change the course of the world. Join me in The Laboratory as I delve into the foundations and principles of writing, from developing ideas and crafting an authorial voice to caring for yourself and building your community as a writer. New episodes are released every other Wednesday. Pull up a chair and settle in amongst the bubbling brews and frothing phials of the writer’s craft.
Is that My Voice? How to Tell if Your Writing Is Flat
Is a piece of writing interesting? Does it have depth? These are issues that can be especially tricky for writers to spot in their own work, but there are tools to rely on.
In this episode, I’ll go over how to put your writing to the test, exercises to start understanding your own unique style, common features of unengaging writing and the importance of clarity in a narrative. Tune in to learn more!
Can I Ask for That? How to Negotiate with an Editor
Approaching an editor with your writing can seem pretty daunting to begin with. Then there’s the discussion about the cost of the service. While it’s important for authors to understand how and why editors charge certain rates to avoid sticker shock, this knowledge may also give authors the opportunity to customize the process for their specific project needs, and, in doing so, save on the overall cost.
In today’s podcast episode, I’ll give you an overview of how editors establish their rates and how you as a client can approach negotiating the cost of a project with an editor you’re looking to hire.
I Can’t Look: Plotting Killer Scenes
What keeps a reader turning the page and hungering to find out what happens next? Killer scenes. No, they don’t always need to feature an actual murderer (though some might), but all great scenes feature at least one major element of effective storytelling: tension.
Tension comes from knowing your characters well. Writers must understand a character’s motivations, their moral compass and how they tend to interact with the world around them to craft layers of tension in scenes that then build up until they reach a crescendo.
Tension and a great sense of underlying conflict are some of the greatest tools in the writer’s arsenal. Join us in today’s episode to learn more about wielding these weapons with accuracy and finesse.
Writing Fundamentals: Know Thyself; Know Thine Audience
This week’s topic is style, the elusive face of writing.