S53E5 - Breaking Rules: Never Open Your Story With _____

The answer to the question about number formatting will largely depend on what style guide you've chosen to use. Most narrative fiction will use the Chicago Manual of Style, but not all answers are in...

12 Dec 202411min

Standard paragraph formatting doesn't always cut it. Whether you're writing contemporary fiction with text messages or a steampunk novel with newspaper clippings, you'll likely run into times where yo...

9 Dec 202411min

While Ley might tell you that physical descriptions are entirely unnecessary outside of maybe basic identifiers, there is some importance to providing a description for your readers. It helps anchor t...

5 Dec 202412min

Questions are the never-ending well of inspiration for writers across the world. It can feel awkward or intimidating to ask sometimes, especially when it comes to craft questions. But we want you to k...

2 Dec 202411min

We've talked all month about numbers. How to use them in your story, common tropes associated with them, and more. But what about creating numbers within your world that mean something? This episode, ...

30 Nov 202421min

The Chosen One is a well-used trope throughout all kinds of fiction, but particularly science fiction and fantasy. There are many ways to proceed with this kind of story, and not all of them work out ...

28 Nov 202411min

It's often said there are two sides to a story in our lives. The same goes for the stories we write. This can include creating a villainous reflection of your hero, or simply having two point of view ...

25 Nov 202411min

The infamous countdown can be found in all kinds of stories across genres. This is the moment characters are trying to sync actions, issue a threat, or creating mini ticking clocks in a scene. Listen ...

21 Nov 202411min