Writing a novel doesn't have to take decades. Author and Tally Ink coach Colleen Mitchell provides authors with bite-sized mindset tips, encouragement, inspiration, and tips for the writing process. So grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing! The Novel Writing Podcast is a production of Tally Ink.
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Matt Bird (author of "The Secrets of Story: Innovative Tools for Perfecting Your Fiction and Captivating Readers") and James Kennedy (author of the novel "The Order of Odd-Fish") have raucous debates about the craft of novel writing, screenwriting, storytelling (and anything else they want to fight about!) Through their discussion you will learn how to be a better storyteller.
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The show where you join me, Oliver Brackenbury, on the journey of writing my next novel, from first ideas all the way to publication & promotion. In this unique, one-man-reality show I'll share you with you my ever evolving thoughts and feelings on how I write, being a writer, and everything that entails at each stage of the process. I'll also answer listener questions and, sometimes, interview people who write fiction. If you're the kind of person who likes to learn how things are made, and ...
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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.
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Write Your Damn Novel (formerly How to Win NaNo) is a no-nonsense guide to writing a novel in 30 days. Like it or not November comes every year, but don't you worry — your hosts are here for you! Kristina Horner and Liz Leo are 'writing-50k-words-in-a-month' experts (and lifelong writing friends) with a passion for helping people write their damn novel. Join them each week as they share their personal tips, tricks and other things they've learned over almost two decades of consecutive NaNoWr ...
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Speculative Fiction Writing Made Simple: How to Write, Edit, and Publish Your Debut Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Dystopian Novel
Heather Davis, Writing Coach, Book Coach, and Developmental Editor
Welcome to the Speculative Fiction Writing Made Simple Podcast! The show that’s all about how to brainstorm, write, edit, publish, and sell a powerful speculative fiction novel… and maybe just change the world too. I'm your host, Heather Davis. I’m a seasoned book coach, developmental editor, and fellow storyteller. In my work with writers, I always see the same problems and roadblocks standing in their way and preventing them from achieving their dream of becoming a published author. So it’ ...
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Fantasy author Jed Herne analyses his favourite stories to help you become a better writer. Jed is the author of The Thunder Heist, Fires of the Dead, Across the Broken Stars, and Siege of Treboulain. He also hosts Wizards, Warriors, & Words: A Fantasy Writing Advice podcast. Find out more about Jed on his website: www.jedherne.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Episode 147 - Make sure it's important and make it short.
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What should we do if we must--absolutely must--have an element in our story that might not be fully entertaining and engaging? 1) Make sure it's important and 2) make it short. Here are thoughts about this critical technique. Also, details in our descriptions are important, but which should we use and which should we leave out? Reeding Between The …
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3 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Writing in 2025 | Episode 27
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Are you looking to level up your writing in 2025? In this episode, I dive into three incredibly valuable ways you can improve your writing, get answers to your important writing questions, and get valuable feedback on your work for FREE. Tune in to learn how to navigate your writing challenges and set yourself up for success in 2025! This episode w…
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10 Productivity Tips for Writers, PART 2
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Struggling with being a productive writer? We all fall into distraction traps and periods of low productivity. All productivity tips are like tools in a toolbox, and having multiple is a great way to break out of writer's block. This episode covers the last 5 of 10 productivity tips for writers to keep in mind as we start 2025! Click here to find o…
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THE PENULTIMATE STORY OUTLINE THE LAST STORY OUTLINE EPISODE FOR...PROBABLY QUITE A WHILE Voe and Oliver dive into The Weird by way of a "Zone Story", as both seek a way for Voe to escape cosmic debt slavery to a still-mysterious entity! What does all that mean? Listen to find out!על ידי Oliver Brackenbury
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Episode 146 - How to make our character unforgettable.
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We writers can use lovely phrases and perceptive observations when describing our character in our story, and yet the reader may still quickly forget the character. Here's how to make a character stick in the reader's mind. Also, are you a born writer? Maybe so. Here's why you might be. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Line…
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10 Productivity Tips for Writers, PART 1
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Struggling with being a productive writer? We all fall into distraction traps and periods of low productivity. All productivity tips are like tools in a toolbox, and having multiple is a great way to break out of writer's block. This episode covers the first 5 of 10 productivity tips for writers to keep in mind as we start 2025! Send us a text What…
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Sword & Planet time! In which Voe fends off cosmic callousness as she rides strange beasts through a blend of colorful high adventure with grim thematic underpinnings.על ידי Oliver Brackenbury
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Episode 145 - Bringing our settings to life.
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We can show (as opposed to tell) as we create a setting for our story. Showing will make our settings vivid, and will allow the setting description to do double duty: describe the place and suggest a mood. Also, reasons to avoid meetings in our story. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all thing…
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How to Achieve Your Writing Goals in 2025
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Are you ready to hit 2025 running toward your writing goals? If not, do not fear! This episode covers 5 essential tactics for planning a successful writing year, no matter what your goals are. 2025 is right around the corner, and before you know it you'll be striving toward your next writing achievement. Send us a text What to do next… Take the Wri…
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Ep80 – Love Letter to a Sailor
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In which Oliver writes a love letter/homage to Sailing to the Future, the first third of Michael Moorcock's most excellent Sailor on the Seas of Fate starring Elric of Melniboné. In this way Voe finds herself to encountering multiverse fatigue, an Eternal Champion labour union, a nihilist scientist, and more!…
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Episode 144 - One sentence can bring our character to life.
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We'll build our character as we write along, adding descriptions and actions and dialogue. But there is a way with only one or two sentences to reveal something powerful and memorable about the character--in just a few words--and I'll talk about the technique here. Also, Joyce Carol Oates's rules of writing. And punctuating dialogue, with important…
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The blurb is one of the hardest and most hated parts of an author's life... at least that's what it seems like! In this episode, we break down why writing the blurb early is actually the smartest thing to do. Blurbs don't need to be perfect or finalized immediately, but they should exist for the reasons discussed here. Need help with your blurb? Ch…
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"How do you create a warning which will outlast your own language?" is the question at the heart of this first tale in Voe's final act, the story which introduces us to her new life of cosmic debt slavery by taking her deep, deep underground in an irradiated world to search for a cure to a virulent poison running through her veins...…
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Episode 143 - The three most important sentences when writing a scene.
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Jack Bickham's three sentences on scene construction are the best I've found regarding how to write a scene. Here are why these sentences are important for us writers. Also: Sarah Ann Waters' terrific ten rules of writing. And avoiding the word "not." Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all thing…
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Where do you start when it comes to books on writing craft? A simple search on Amazon for "writing craft books" brings up over 70,000 results. This episode covers the books that I recommend over and over for writers inside the Challenge or our Coaching & Critique group. From story structure and theme to tropes, genres, and beyond, use this episode …
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THE NOVEL RETURNS! Yes, in this episode we provide a refresher on the novel and its contents so far, then do an overview of what the final act is about, and what Oliver needed to figure out before drilling down into its individual stories that will tell a tale of cosmic horror and Voe's indebted servitude to a mysterious entity...…
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Episode 142 - A big technique for literary writing.
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Many listeners are writing literary novels and stories. Here is an important technique regarding construction of a literary story, and it also applies to commercial novels. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things books!... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the show…
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Have you committed this literary sin? Having too large of a cast, or introducing too many characters at the same time, can lose readers and make them forget important details. This, our second installment of the Literary Sins Series, addresses the problems of a large cast and offers solutions for how to fix them. Check out the 5-Day Character Devel…
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Ep77 - Interview with Graham Thomas Wilcox
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Oliver speaks with Old Moon Quarterly editor about his Gothic Fantasy novella, Contra Amatores Mundi, that grew out from a story he published in the magazine.על ידי Oliver Brackenbury
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Send us a text Love 'em or hate 'em, tropes are a major part of narrative storytelling. The important thing is understanding them, so you can either use (or avoid!) them to your heart's content. In today's episode, your hosts Liz and Kristina talk through popular tropes in many different genres of novels and discuss which ones they love, which ones…
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Episode 141 - How to begin and end scenes.
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The easiest thing for a reader to do is to quit reading our story. Here are ways to begin and end scenes that'll prevent that from happening. Our scenes' beginnings and endings will propel the reader farther into the story. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things books!... Listen on: Apple…
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Are you curious about Author Nation and whether you should go next year? This episode covers who Author Nation is for, what kinds of sessions were offered, my overall takeaways, and some favorite sessions. I also talk about what I would do differently next time. Send us a text What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Sign up for The 60-Day N…
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Oh no I'm behind on my word count
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Send us a text You know, sometimes it happens. You prepare in whatever way works for you, you carve out time, you buy new fuzzy socks... and you still manage to fall behind. In today's episode, your hosts Liz and Kristina give you some #realtalk about what to do when your graph is looking bleak. Spoilers: It's going to be okay. Support the show Enj…
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Episode 140 - Tips from Stephen King on writing dialogue.
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Stephen King is a powerful storyteller, of course, and he is also a highly-skilled sentence-by-sentence writer. Here are his tips on writing dialogue, plus thoughts from me about making our characters' dialogue riveting. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things books!... Listen on: Apple Po…
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The College Analogy for Avoiding Overwhelm
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Do you get stressed and overwhelmed whenever you look at everything it takes to publish a book, whether you're pursuing self publishing or traditional? You're not alone. I see this in a lot of authors, especially the ones working on the first or second draft. This episode presents a different way to filter your perspective so you can stop freaking …
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NESS Book Club #3 – The Dark Eidolon
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Valerie Valdes, Molly Tanzer, Prashanth Srivatsa and JM Clarke for a discussion of Clark Ashton Smith's classic story The Dark Eidolon. You can read the story here: http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/212/the-dark-eidolon Valerie Valdes: https://candleinsunshine.com Molly Tanzer: https://mollytanzer.com Prashanth Srivatsa: https://pr…
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Episode 139 - Writing in the first person.
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Readers love first person novels, where the hero talks directly to the reader. Here are some techniques for first person writing. Also, famous novelists reveal the books that made them want to be writers. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things books!... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify S…
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Send us a text Listen, we get it. You go to work, and then you come home exhausted. All you want to do is relax, or watch TV, or collapse in bed. How do you prioritize writing when your job leaves you lacking in energy or inspiration? In today's episode, your hosts Kristina and Liz tackle the topic of how to continue to make progress on your writin…
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How do you know when it's time to switch from the writing mode to the editing mode? What even is the difference between them? In this episode I share a different way to think about this that allows us the freedom to move from one to the other with ease. Send us a text What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writ…
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Episode 138 - How to live a writer's life.
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Usually I talk about writing techniques but here are some living techniques for us writers. And some famous writers' favorite writers and novels. Plus: what Ernest Hemingway did when he was stuck. Also: the magic of avoiding dialogue tag modifiers. And Snoopy. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for …
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Writer's Block Bonus Category - Creative Powerhouse! Halie calls this result a TRIPLE THREAT! AKA, nothing really slows you down. Or does it? Creative Powerhouses aren't immune to bumps in the road, and this episode covers why. To find out your primary blocker, take our Writer's Block Quiz! This quiz will diagnose your writer's block and how to bes…
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Episode 137 - Twenty-one rules of writing.
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How can an injury be good for us writers? It was for Roald Dahl. And here are Strunk and White's twenty-one rules of writing. Also, Stephen King on descriptions. And several famous setting descriptions, settings so good they are magical. Plus, Toni Morrison reveals how she works. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," you…
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November 2024 Pep Talk + Updates
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Send us a text Generic store-brand November Writing Challenge begins in 2 days! Listen for words of encouragement and an update on the ways your hosts Kristina and Liz will be tackling the challenge in this most unprecedented year. Most importantly: we've chosen our tracking tool for the year and have a LEADERBOARD you can join! Best of luck this N…
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Ep 76 – Shatter the Sun with Dave Ring
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Dave Ring of Neon Hemlock Press joins us to discuss his upcoming queer Sword & Sorcery anthology. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/davering/shatter-the-sun-queer-tales-of-untold-adventure https://www.neonhemlock.comעל ידי Oliver Brackenbury
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When You Have More Than One Story Idea
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What do you do when you have more than one story idea floating around in your head? Do you work on just one? Write multiple at once? Something in between? Like most writing questions, the answer is "it depends". This episode breaks down how to approach your writing decisions when you have more than one idea, and whether you should complete a projec…
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NESS Book Club #2 – The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth
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We discussed 'The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth' by Lord Dunsany, a proto-Sword & Sorcery tale. You can read it for free here: https://sacred-texts.com/neu/dun/swos/swos10.htm Free Audiobook: https://ia802904.us.archive.org/17/items/sword_of_welleran_1409_librivox/swordofwelleran_10_dunsany_128kb.mp3 Panelists: Jay Wolf - https://linktr…
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Send us a text How do you make your side characters feel like real people? Do you need side characters? How many should you have? There's so much to consider when developing your cast of characters! In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz dive into the wonderful world of character development. We discuss how many characters is too many character…
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Episode 136 - Benefits of a character's otherness.
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A strong way to make a character likeable, and to have the reader root for her, is to have the character experience "otherness." She's out of place. She doesn't fit. Here are techniques on how to do so. Also, how F. Scott Fitzgerald worked. And, no whining. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all…
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If You Have Difficulty Prioritizing
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Writer's Block Category #3 - Difficulty Prioritizing When your to-do list is miles long and keeps growing every second, it can feel irresponsible and indulgent to write. But the truth is that your writing is important, and creativity is a form of self care. This episode covers the paradox of choice and different methods for prioritizing your life s…
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Episode 135 - Maybe the strongest writing tool - contrast.
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Contrast is among the strongest tools we writers can use. It's magic. Here is a discussion of how and where to use contrast. Also, Henry Miller's rules of writing and how John Grisham works. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things books!... Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify Support the sho…
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Can I write fanfiction in November?
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Send us a text This is something we hear a lot when people are considering what to write in November: does fanfiction count? is it allowed? can I write it? In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz discuss why their answer is an incredibly enthusiastic yes, including the many merits of fanfiction writing and a bit about why it sometimes has a bad …
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This or That: Outliner or Discovery Writer
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Are you a Discovery Writer or an Outliner? Which one is better than the other? Which one SHOULD you write in? If these terms give you strong feelings one way or the other, make sure you listen through the end of this episode! Send us a text What to do next… Take the Writing Persona Quiz! Sign up for The 60-Day Novel Writing Challenge Join The 60-Da…
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Episode 134 - A stong technique for describing a character's personality.
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We can show (as opposed to tell) about a character's personality by describing the character's face and body, so that our physical description does double duty. Jonathan Franzen's ten rules of writing. And techniques to add atmosphere to our scenes. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for all things …
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How to write a novel in November without NaNoWriMo
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Send us a text This year, it's the wild west for novelists who still want to participate in some kind of November writing challenge. Where do we track our words? Will it feel the same? How do we find our commmunity? Will winning still "count"? In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz discuss options for how to still write in November without supp…
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Writer's Block Category #2 - Distractions The shinies, the doomscrolling, the accidental 5-hour YouTube rabbit trails... all distractions. When you pay attention to something that's NOT the thing you're supposed to be paying attention to, that's called a distraction. This episode covers how to handle distractions. To find out your primary blocker, …
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Ep 75 – Double-Edged Short Story Panel Discussion
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Join us for a discussion of short stories by Bryn Hammond and Dariel R.A Quiogue! These stories are connected to the novella in our Double-Edged Sword & Sorcery book, crowdfunding now! Follow the link for crowdfund exclusive perks and add-ons: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/brackenbooks/double-edge-sword-sorcery…
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Episode 133 - In our plot what should we save for a sequel?
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In our novel should we leave plot questions unanswered so we have compelling questions for a sequel? Here are thoughts on how we can approach it. Also, Hilary Mantel's ten rules of writing, how Anne Rice worked, and techniques for writing in the active voice. Reeding Between The Lines Welcome to "Reeding Between the Lines," your go-to podcast for a…
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Let's talk about tense, baby, let's talk about POV
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Send us a text Even if you're a true pantser, there are some decisions that must be made before you can start writing. Choosing a point of view to write from is necessary, as is deciding on a tense. But how do you know which one is right for you? What are your options, and what's the difference? In today's episode, hosts Liz and Kristina discuss th…
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Have you committed this literary sin? Head hopping, or jumping from one POV to another in the same paragraph, scene, or chapter, can throw readers off as to who's really telling the story. This can pull a reader out of the narrative, and a confused reader is more likely to close the book! This, our first installment of the Literary Sins Series, add…
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Ep 74 – Double-Edged Interview with Dariel R.A. Quiogue
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Please enjoy this audio from a recent livestream interview with author Bryn Hammond, done as part of the Double-Edged Sword & Sorcery crowdfund that is running until noon EST, Oct 19th! Our Double-Edged Sword & Sorcery book is inspired by the old ACE Doubles. Two novellas back-to-back: WASTE FLOWERS is by Bryn Hammond, cover art by Goran Gligović. …
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