#44: Performance Genre Conventions
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the performance genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Mighty Ducks. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:15] Performance stories center around a character who wants to achieve something specific in order to prove their worth to the world. For example, they might want to win a certain award, climb Mount Everest, be the best in their field, or be famous. [01:55] Readers choose pe...
18 Touko 202117min
#43: 10 Tips for Writing Better Scenes
In today's episode, I'm sharing my top ten tips for writing better scenes. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:45] Tip #1: Stick to one point-of-view character per scene. This will help you avoid head-hopping and getting off track. [02:45] Tip #2: Establish where and when each scene is taking place as soon as possible. Especially, if things have changed since the last scene. [03:50] Tip #3: Give your point-of-view character a specific (and meaningful) goal in each scene. What do they wa...
20 Huhti 202116min
#42: 10 Reasons Why Novels Get Rejected
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through 10 common reasons why manuscripts are rejected by publishers. Here's a preview of what's included: [02:05] After a rejection, you don't have to wait before making your next move. You can get to work right away and figure out what’s wrong with your draft so that you can fix it and resubmit your story. [02:25] Reason #1: The category or genre isn’t the right fit for the agent or the publisher. Usually, this means the author didn't do their rese...
30 Maalis 202119min
#41: The 6 Scenes Every Action Novel Needs
In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every action story needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] Action stories are about life and death, and good versus evil. They’re about a character who has to rise up, overcome great obstacles, defeat forces of evil, and maybe even save the world. But that being said, these stories aren’t always about superheroes. [02:35] Readers choose action stories to exp...
9 Maalis 202115min
#40: How to Write a Well-Structured Scene
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to write a well-structured scene. I'll also show you how this structure shows up in a scene from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Here's a preview of what's included: [02:50] A scene is a unit of story that takes place in more or less continuous space and time, features a specific cast of characters, is told from one point-of-view, and contains a value shift (or change) from beginning to end. [04:15] The first thing you need to kno...
23 Helmi 202118min
#39: The #1 Reason Why So Many Novels Go Unfinished
In today's episode, we’re going to talk about why so many novels go unfinished, and what to do so that you can start finishing every project that you start. Here's a preview of what's included: [03:20] The #1 reason why so many novels are never finished is because most writers expect to produce a first draft that’s perfect, or at least, really good -- and then, when it’s not perfect or really good, they give up on writing their story altogether. [04:35] Trying to be a perfect writer (or even...
16 Helmi 202113min
#38: Romance Genre Conventions
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the romance genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie Twilight. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:30] What makes the romance genre unique? In romance novels, everything centers around two characters falling in love despite the odds, and despite the risks. [01:55] Readers choose romance novels because they want to feel all the excitement of falling in love without taking any of the e...
9 Helmi 202121min
#37: 5 Questions to Ask Before Writing a First Draft
In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through five questions to ask before you start writing a first draft. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] The purpose of a first draft is to tell yourself the story. The purpose of a first draft is NOT to be perfect or to have everything 100% figured out. [01:50] By doing some of the important work or heavy lifting upfront, you CAN write a stronger, more efficient first draft that feels more like a second or third draft. But to do that...
26 Tammi 202112min
