#21: Progressive Complications: How to Write Better Conflict in Your Novel

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the conventions of the thriller genre. I'm also going to show you how these conventions show up in the movie The Silence of the Lambs. Here's a previe...

4 Aug 202017min

In today's episode, I'm going to talk about the five most common mistakes I see writers make in their opening pages. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:00] Details about my brand new workshop c...

21 Jul 202012min

In today's episode, we're going to talk about the key scenes that every horror novel needs to have in order to work and to satisfy fans of the genre. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:10] In h...

14 Jul 202016min

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through the difference between genre conventions and tropes. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:28] Genre conventions are story elements such as charac...

7 Jul 202018min

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through how to figure out the big-picture shape of your story. Here's a preview of what's included: . [02:45] Each genre asks a specific story question. For e...

23 Jun 202016min

In today's episode, I'm going to walk you through my top three tips for weaving your character's backstory into your novel in a way that engages the reader without bogging them down. Here's a preview ...

16 Jun 202015min

In today's episode, I'm continuing last week's discussion on narrative drive or that "thing" that hooks a reader's interest and pulls them through the story. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:...

9 Jun 202013min

In today's episode, I'm exploring narrative drive or that "thing" that hooks a reader's interest and pulls them through the story. Here's a preview of what's included: [01:25] What is narrative drive...

2 Jun 202012min