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 deve...
Episode 155 - The single most important ingredient in an unforgetable story.
Manon in Paris asked, "Why do some novels move us more than others?" Here is the single best way to make our story unforgettable, a story that moves the reader. Also, have we heard the advice, "Write what you know?" It's bad advice, and here are thoughts on it.Support the show
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24:54
Episode 154 - Learning from the masterful writer Edna Ferber.
Edna Ferber was a master of character description. Here are a few of her characters, and maybe we can pick up some of her skill. Also, how many words a day do famous writers write, and how many words a day should we write? And showing pain, as opposed to telling about pain.Support the show
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24:50
Episode 153 - A legendary novelist's lesson for us writers.
Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is a classic of western literature, a novel that endures and still hugely entertains because . . . it's so great.  (How that for being profound?) Charlotte Bronte offers an important lesson for today's writers, and I'll talk about her lesson in this episode. Plus, the trouble with prologues.Support the show
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24:58
Episode 152 - How the masters create their settings.
Why are some novels so good? One of the reasons is that the author is a master at setting descriptions. How did Charlotte Bronte and Edna Ferber make their settings magical? We'll talk about their techniques here. Also, strong verbs versus weak verbs: how and why to choose the stronger action word.Support the show
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28:32
Episode 151 - Mad Magazine, and techniques for riveting dialogue.
My first encounter with Mad Magazine, a life changer. And dialogue techniques that can help make our characters' conversations fascinating.Support the show
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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