Helping Writers Become Authors
601 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 785 ratingsHelping Writers Become Authors provides writers help in summoning inspiration, crafting solid characters, outlining and structuring novels, and polishing prose. Learn how to write a book and edit it into a story agents will buy and readers will love. (Music intro by Kevin MacLeod.)
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Episodes
Ep. 594: 8 Ways to Avoid Cardboard Characters (and Plot Contrivances While You're At It)
June 27, 2022 08:00 - 17 minutes - 41.5 MBIf your story suffers from cardboard characters, it probably also suffers from plot contrivances. Good news: if you fix one, you fix both.
Ep. 593: Understanding the New Normal World of a Story's Resolution
June 20, 2022 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.7 MBIn many ways, the New Normal World of a story's Resolution is what successfully completes the context of the entire story.
Ep. 592: Understanding the Underworld of a Story's Third Act
June 13, 2022 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.1 MBThe Underworld of a Story's Third Act is symbolically important for creating powerful and realistic change with your characters and plot.
Ep. 591: Understanding the Adventure World of a Story's Second Act
June 06, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.9 MBWriters can use the metaphoric Adventure World of a story's Second Act to better understand this crucial part of story structure.
Ep. 590: Understanding the Normal World of a Story's First Act
May 30, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.8 MBAuthors need to understand the four "worlds" represented within a story's structure, the first of which is the Normal World of the First Act.
Ep. 589: Deepening Your Story's Theme With the Thematic Square
May 23, 2022 08:00 - 18 minutes - 41.8 MBIf you want to deepen the complexity of your story's theme, one tool you can employ is Robert McKee's thematic square.
Ep. 588: 6 Ways to Find Your Best Ideas Before You Start Writing
May 16, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34.4 MBUse these six ways to find your best ideas for writing your book, as you cultivate, channel, and honor your deeper inspiration.
Ep. 587: The Role of the Antagonist in Story Structure, Pt. 2 of 2
May 09, 2022 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.6 MBExamines the role of the antagonist in the second half of a story's structure--the Second Pinch Point through the Resolution.
Ep. 586: The Role of the Antagonist in Story Structure, Pt. 1 of 2
May 02, 2022 08:00 - 22 minutes - 51.2 MBThe major plot beats in a story are interwoven with the protagonist's journey. But what is the role of the antagonist in story structure?
Ep. 585: Do You Have to Write Every Day? 10 Pros and Cons
April 25, 2022 08:00 - 18 minutes - 42.6 MBShould writers make it a habit to write every day? Here are five pros of writing every day, as well as five potential cons.
Ep. 584: The 6 Challenges of Writing a Second Novel
April 18, 2022 08:00 - 19 minutes - 44.4 MBWriting a second novel can often be surprisingly harder than the first one. Check out six challenges sophomore writers often face.
Ep. 583: 14 Tips for Dealing With the Passage of Time in a Story
April 11, 2022 08:00 - 19 minutes - 45.5 MBAsk these important questions to make sure the passage of time in a story is strengthening rather than weakening its narrative power.
Ep. 582: 6 Ways to Craft Spectacular Set-Piece Scenes
March 28, 2022 08:00 - 14 minutes - 32.3 MBHere are six important considerations to keep in mind when amping up your story's most important scenes--its set-piece scenes.
Ep. 581: How to Know When You're a Successful Author?
March 14, 2022 08:00 - 16 minutes - 36.7 MBThe question of "how to know when you're a successful author?" offers some obvious answers--and yet the subject is far more complex.
Ep. 580: Should You Take a Break From Writing? 5 Red Flags
February 28, 2022 09:00 - 20 minutes - 48.3 MBWhen should you take a break from writing? And once you've taken that step, what in heaven's name are you going to do with yourself?
Ep. 579: 9 Ways to Approach Relationship Dynamics in Fiction
February 21, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes - 33.8 MBCreating an amazing supporting cast that can offer important relationship dynamics in fiction will also help develop your protagonist.
Episode #578: Archetypes and Story Structure: How They're Connected
February 14, 2022 09:00 - 25 minutes - 57.4 MBLearn how archetypes and story structure mirror each other in any individual book and can be used to further strengthen your story.
Ep. 577: Making Story Structure Your Own
February 07, 2022 09:00 - 14 minutes - 33.7 MBHere are a five important questions you, as a writer of fiction, can ask yourself to help you in making story structure your own.
Ep. 576: Conflict in Fiction: What It Really Is and Why It's Important to Plot
January 31, 2022 09:00 - 11 minutes - 27.1 MBThere’s nothing incorrect in using confrontation to create conflict in fiction. But to understand conflict as only confrontation is too narrow a definition.
Ep. #575: The Writer's Inner Critic: 10 Ways to Tell if Yours Is Healthy
January 24, 2022 09:00 - 18 minutes - 42.9 MBLearn how to increase the health and effectiveness of the writer's inner critic while diminishing toxic effects.
Ep. 574: A Writer's New Year Reflections: The 6 Gifts I Gave Myself in 2021
January 10, 2022 09:00 - 19 minutes - 44.4 MBHere are this writer's New Year reflections, focusing on six "gifts" I gave myself and why I believe they were profoundly life-changing.
Ep. 573: The Two Halves of the Climactic Moment
December 13, 2021 09:00 - 15 minutes - 36.2 MBThe two halves of the Climactic Moment require the story's final sequence to offer two very specific beats: Sacrifice and Victory/Failure.
Ep. 572: The Two Halves of the Third Plot Point
December 06, 2021 14:00 - 16 minutes - 37.4 MBThe two halves of the Third Plot Point work together to create a scene arc that moves from the False Victory to the Low Moment.
Ep. 571: The Two Halves of the Midpoint
November 29, 2021 09:00 - 16 minutes - 37.4 MBThe halves of the Midpoint are unique in story structure in that they mark the dividing line between the two halves of the entire story arc.
Ep. 570: The Two Halves of the First Plot Point
November 15, 2021 09:00 - 15 minutes - 35.5 MBThe First Plot Point is often referred to as a threshold, a visual metaphor representing the native two-sidedness of all structural beats.
Ep. 569: The Two Halves of the Inciting Event
November 08, 2021 09:00 - 17 minutes - 41.2 MBA series examining the two important "halves" in each of story structure's major beats, beginning with the Inciting Event in the First Act.
Ep. #568: 6 Questions to Help You Avoid Repetitive Scenes
October 25, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.6 MBFind out what defines repetitive scenes, as well as strategies for recognizing and avoiding them in your fiction.
Ep. 567: Archetypal Antagonists for the Mage Arc: Evil and the Weakness of Humankind
October 11, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.9 MBThe archetypal antagonists for the Mage Arc often manifest subtly--not in obvious "evil," but in an ordinary person's weakness.
Ep. 566: Archetypal Antagonists for the Crone Arc: Death Blight and Tempter
October 04, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.2 MBThe archetypal antagonists for the Crone Arc are represented as a Death Blight and as the subtle Tempter who would lure her from the Truth.
Ep. 565: Archetypal Antagonists for the King Arc: Cataclysm and Rebel
September 27, 2021 08:00 - 17 minutes - 40.9 MBThe archetypal antagonists for the King Arc are the Cataclysm and the Rebel, both of which challenge the King to culminate his rule.
Ep. 564: Archetypal Antagonists for the Queen Arc: Invader and Empty Throne
September 20, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 33.2 MBUsually the archetypal antagonists for a Queen Arc are represented by the Invader in the outer conflict and the Empty Throne in the inner conflict.
Ep. 563: Archetypal Antagonists for the Hero Arc: Dragon and Sick King
September 13, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.9 MBThe antagonists for the Hero Arc can be seen archetypally as both the Dragon and the Sick King.
Ep. 562: Archetypal Antagonists for the Maiden Arc: Authority and Predator
September 06, 2021 08:00 - 16 minutes - 38.9 MBThe antagonists for the Maiden Arc can be seen archetypally as both her Authority Figures and a frightening Predator.
Ep. 561: Archetypal Antagonists for Each of the Six Archetypal Character Arcs
August 30, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.7 MBA series looking at the archetypal antagonists inherent within each of the six main archetypal "life arcs."
Ep. 560: The Main Reason Your Story's Premise Is Important
August 23, 2021 08:00 - 17 minutes - 39.5 MBHow can you tell what your story's premise is telling readers? Here are four questions you can ask about your story's premise.
Ep. 559: 3 Things to Know About the Ending of a Story
August 09, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34.2 MBThe tremendous (but sometimes misunderstood) significance of the Climactic Moment in the ending of a story.
Ep. 558: How the Antagonist Functions in Different Types of Character Arcs
August 02, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 45.3 MBThe role of the antagonist varies depending on the nature of the protagonist's character arc.
Ep. 557: Should You Edit As You Go?
July 26, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 34.9 MBShould you edit as you go? The best choice has much to do with a writer's personality, strengths, weaknesses, and even lifestyle demands.
Ep. 556: Why Everyone Should Write (Even if You Think You Stink)
July 19, 2021 08:00 - 16 minutes - 38 MBThe world needs us all to be writers and creators. It needs the next Pulitzer winner, and it needs the scribbled poem forgotten on a napkin in a cafe.
Ep. 555: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 22: How to Use Archetypal Character Arcs in Your Stories
July 05, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 45.9 MBHow can you apply archetypal character arcs in a practical way to your own stories? Here are five considerations for choosing archetypes.
Ep. 554: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 21: The Flat Archetype of the Mentor
June 28, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.1 MBThe final Flat archetype of the Mentor is one of the most significant within human storytelling.
Ep. 553: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 20: The Flat Archetype of the Elder
June 21, 2021 08:00 - 18 minutes - 43.4 MBThe Flat archetype of the Elder provides crucial guidance for enacting important change in surrounding characters.
Ep. 552: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 19: The Flat Archetype of the Ruler
June 13, 2021 19:38 - 14 minutes - 33.8 MBThe Flat archetype of the Ruler represents the potential period in a person’s life in which he or she is in a position of leadership.
Ep. 551: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 18: The Flat Archetype of the Parent
June 07, 2021 08:00 - 14 minutes - 34.6 MBWe don’t often think of the Flat archetype of the Parent with the same enthusiasm as we do the Hero. And yet they are intrinsically linked.
Ep. 550: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 17: The Flat Archetype of the Lover
May 31, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.4 MBA deeply nuanced archetype that evolves with us for most of our lives, the Flat archetype of the Lover is inherent and integral.
Ep. 549: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 16: The Flat Archetype of the Child
May 24, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 35.3 MBThe archetype of the Child is necessarily an archetype of deep vulnerability and surprisingly powerful impact upon other characters.
Ep. 548: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 15: Introduction to the 6 Flat Archetypes
May 17, 2021 08:00 - 15 minutes - 36.3 MBFlat archetypes are often seen teaching other characters some of the same lessons they just learned in their own previously completed arcs.
Ep. 547: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 14: The Mage’s Shadow Archetypes
May 10, 2021 08:00 - 19 minutes - 44.8 MBWill the character triumph--or succumb in the end to the powerful temptations of either of the Mage's shadow archetypes, the Miser or the Sorcerer?
Ep. 546: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 13: The Crone’s Shadow Archetypes
May 03, 2021 08:00 - 18 minutes - 43.3 MBIf the character cannot powerfully transition into the final act of life, the risk is that of sliding into the Crone's shadow archetypes.
Ep. 545: Archetypal Character Arcs, Pt. 12: The King’s Shadow Archetypes
April 26, 2021 14:00 - 20 minutes - 48 MBWhether this powerful character brings life to the Kingdom depends on if he is in the grip of the King's shadow archetypes of Puppet and Tyrant.