Story Works Round Table with Alida Winternheimer | Conversations About Craft
286 episodes - English - Latest episode: 18 days ago - ★★★★ - 10 ratingsEach week, co-hosts, Alida Winternheimer, author and writing coach at Word Essential, Kathryn Arnold, emerging writer, & Robert Scanlon, author of the Blood Empire series, have conversations about the craft of writing fiction. They bring diverse experiences and talents to the table from both the traditional and indie worlds.
Our goal is for each episode to be a fun, lively discussion of some aspect of story craft that enlightens, as well as entertains.
Sometimes we have special guests. All episodes are available in video as well. Visit www.StoryWorksPodcast.com for videos, show notes, and more.
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Episodes
SWRT 164 | Writing Memoir with Mag Dimond part 1
July 02, 2020 08:00 - 44 minutes - 35.6 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida talks with author Mag Dimond about her memoir Bowing to Elephants. They dig into what it takes to write a memoir, exploring emotional vulnerability, sensual detail, and more. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 163 | Titles
June 25, 2020 08:00 - 30 minutes - 24.4 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn have a lot of fun discussing titles, and how important it is to choose the right one. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 162 | Dual POV in Romance
June 18, 2020 08:00 - 42 minutes - 33.8 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk with Claire Gem all about dual POV and it’s importance in the romance genre. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 161 | Grants for Writers
June 11, 2020 08:00 - 47 minutes - 38.3 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida welcomes special guest Susan Wolter to talk all about grants, and how they can impact you as a writer. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 160 | Paranormal Romance
June 04, 2020 08:00 - 43 minutes - 34.7 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert are joined by author Claire Gem to talk about the Paranormal Romance genre. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 159 | Flawed Heroes
May 28, 2020 08:00 - 23 minutes - 19.1 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss flawed heroes, and how you create a believable hero who still has room to grow. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 158 | Read Like a Writer
May 21, 2020 08:00 - 33 minutes - 26.8 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss reading like a writer. We talk about reading for pleasure, and when to put your writer hat on and really dive into what you are reading. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 157 | Subtext
May 14, 2020 08:00 - 28 minutes - 23.1 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss the craft of writing subtext. We dive into the short story Cathedral by Raymond Carver, looking at the intricacies of what is unsaid. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 156 | Keeping a Series Exciting
May 07, 2020 08:00 - 29 minutes - 23.4 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss the craft of creating a long series, and how to innovate on your plot to keep readers engaged. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 155 | POV-Narrative Lightning Round
April 30, 2020 08:00 - 27 minutes - 22 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert do a lightning round, answering questions from the story works writer’s Facebook group about POV and Narrative. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 154 | Maintaining our Passion
April 23, 2020 08:00 - 25 minutes - 20.2 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss maintaining the passion for our projects through the long, and sometimes tedious work, that it takes to put something like a novel together. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 153 | Q&A With Alida
April 16, 2020 08:00 - 51 minutes - 41.6 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table we bring you something a little bit different. Hop in and join Alida at a Q&A session, and then make sure to grab your seat at the next one! Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 152 | Inventing Characters
April 09, 2020 08:00 - 22 minutes - 17.7 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss character invention. We tackle where our characters come from, and how to fine-tune them to meet your stories needs. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 151 | Unicorns & Fairies
April 02, 2020 08:00 - 28 minutes - 22.8 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert talk about the adorable characters that your readers fall in love with in your stories. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 150 | Art in the Time of Corona
March 26, 2020 08:00 - 1 hour - 49.3 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert talk about art in the time of the Coronavirus. We take a look at how a writer can respond to these type of events in history, and how soon is too soon to write about our experiences. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 149 | Dark Endings part 2
March 19, 2020 08:00 - 19 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert continue our discussion on dark endings. We talk about satisfying readers, and when dark endings just don’t work! Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 148 | Dark Endings part 1
March 12, 2020 08:00 - 18 minutes - 14.9 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss dark endings, and how you can play with your reader’s expectations to keep those dark endings satisfying. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 147 | Narrative
March 05, 2020 09:00 - 36 minutes - 28.9 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss narrative, delving into voice, exposition, point of view, and choosing your narrator wisely. Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 146 | Dressing Your Character
February 27, 2020 09:00 - 36 minutes - 29.1 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, we discuss fashion in fiction. Dressing your characters is more than a matter of preventing nudity. What they wear communicates a great deal to other characters and your readers. The Plot Master Class is about to begin. Sign up now: https://storyworksfiction.com/p/plot-master-class/ Show notes at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 145 | Plot Problems...Solved!
February 20, 2020 09:00 - 23 minutes - 18.9 MBThis week, we continue our conversation about plot, addressing the specifics of Act I and Act III, the connections between them, and the way the climax tends to echo or parallel your story's opening. Master plot with Alida's live plot workshop. Class starts soon! https://storyworksfiction.com/p/plot-master-class Show notes and more at https://storyworkspodcast.com
SWRT 144 | Plot Problems...Solved!
February 13, 2020 09:00 - 24 minutes - 19.2 MBRobert, Kathryn, and I get into…you got it, plot! We take a look at the problems commonly faced in plot construction and execution, discussing the causes and solutions. Learn about my new Plot Master Class at https://storyworksfiction.com/courses/plot-master-class Show notes at https://StoryWorksPodcast.com
SWRT 143 | Starting Again
February 06, 2020 09:00 - 34 minutes - 27.4 MBThis week, Leeland Artra comes back to the Round Table to discuss his journey from having a sci-fi novel in the top 100 to setting his writing life aside for several years to coming back to his passion for storytelling. Show notes at https://StoryWorksPodcast.com Get Alida's Plot Master Class now at https://StoryWorksFiction.com/courses/plot-master-class/
SWRT 142 | Steampunk
January 30, 2020 09:00 - 35 minutes - 28.2 MBAlida & Kathryn welcome author Leeland Artra to the Round Table to explore the vast expanses of steampunk societies, replete with steam engines, gears, corsets, walking sticks, & of course dirigible airships. What is the steampunk genre? Elements & archetypes of steampunk; steampunk’s literary roots; adventure, fashion, & romance; & Leeland’s 85-novella steampunk series! Get Alida’s coaching services at www.WordEssential.com/editing. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
SWRT 141 | Workshopping Act I
January 23, 2020 09:00 - 33 minutes - 26.2 MBThis week, Kathryn brings Act I of her novel-in-progress to the Round Table for a workshopping session with Alida. Common problems with the first act include: how long should Act I be, how much to introduce and how to world build in a short space, making Act I exciting, showing character agency, and more! Get Alida’s coaching services at www.WordEssential.com/editing. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
SWRT 140 | Writing Book Ads Copy
January 16, 2020 09:00 - 33 minutes - 26.6 MBAlida, Robert, & Kathryn welcome Bryan Cohen of Best Page Forward back to the Round Table to talk about writing book ads. We also get into the question of genre. How do you decide which genre to write your copy to when your book is cross- or sub-genre? Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
SWRT 139 | The Craft of Writing Book Copy
January 09, 2020 09:00 - 38 minutes - 30.7 MBThis week, we welcome our friend, Bryan Cohen, to the Round Table to discuss writing book copy. Those tight little paragraphs that adorn the back of your book, your sales page, your query letters, your marketing. If you’ve been dreading distilling your masterpiece into a few pithy sentences in order to attract readers, then you must listen to this episode. Join Bryan’s free Amazon Ad Challenge right now at www.bestpageforward.net/challenge. Show notes & links at www.storyworkspodcast.com.
SWRT 138 | Writing - Life Balance
January 02, 2020 09:00 - 22 minutes - 17.9 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn take a new approach to the new year. Instead of assessing the year past & making plans for the year ahead, they discuss ways to balance writing with life. What does it mean to be a creative person in a busy world? How do you prioritize not only your writing, but yourself when there are so many other demands on your time and energy? Does valuing your own creativity help you show up in the world a better person? And so much more! Show notes & links at Stor...
SWRT Happy Holidays!
December 26, 2019 16:54 - 22 seconds - 306 KBWe wish you a joyous holiday season and will be back next week with a regular episode. Alida, Robert, & Kathryn
SWRT 137 | Writing - Life Balance
December 19, 2019 09:00 - 24 minutes - 19.7 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn take a new approach to the end of the year. Instead of assessing the year past & making plans for the year ahead, they discuss ways to balance writing with life. What does it mean to be a creative person in a busy world? How do you prioritize not only your writing, but yourself when there are so many other demands on your time and energy? Does valuing your own creativity help you show up in the world a better person? And so much more! Show notes & links ...
SWRT 136 | Refilling the Creative Well, part 2
December 12, 2019 09:00 - 24 minutes - 19.7 MBAuthor Alina Sayre joins us at the Story Works Round Table to continue our conversation about refilling the creative well. Sooner or later we all hit that crossroads, whether you're transitioning your life or transitioning between projects, it's time to recharge. Alina has been through this process - and delivered a TEDx talk about it. We learn from Alina's experience, unpack the process, and delve into authenticity, passion, and taking risks...not just in writing, but in life! Part 2 Sh...
SWRT 135 |Refilling the Creative Well
December 05, 2019 09:00 - 31 minutes - 24.9 MBAuthor Alina Sayre joins us at the Story Works Round Table to talk about refilling the creative well. Sooner or later we all hit that crossroads, whether you're transitioning your life or transitioning between projects, it's time to recharge. Alina has been through this process - and delivered a TEDx talk about it. We learn from Alina's experience, unpack the process, and delve into authenticity, passion, and taking risks...not just in writing, but in life! Show notes and links at www.stor...
SWRT 134 | The Art of Death, part 2
November 28, 2019 09:00 - 45 minutes - 36.6 MBAlida, Kathryn, & Robert continue the conversation about Edwidge Danticat’s book, The Art of Death. How does personal experience inform writing about death? Various elements have important roles in death scenes, including time, imagery, and memory. The process of grief and carrying on. The ordinary instant. Making death authentic. And more. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
SWRT 133 | The Art of Death
November 21, 2019 09:00 - 32 minutes - 25.8 MBAlida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss writing death and dying. We all read Edwidge Danticat's book The Art of Death, in Graywolf Press's Art of Series. The slim volume is our jumping off point for delving into the role of death in relation to character arcs, plot, the writer's journey, and the effect these scenes can have on readers. This episode is sponsored by author Leeland Artra, who wants to give you his novel Thread Slivers. http://lartra.com/get-slivers Show notes and more at http://S...
SWRT 132 | Strong Female Protagonists, part 2
November 14, 2019 09:00 - 33 minutes - 27 MBWe welcome Judy K Walker, author of the Sydney Brennan Mysteries, to the Story Works Round Table this week to discuss strong female protagonists. What is a strong female protagonist? What traits define her? Can she be feminine and strong? Does the genre shape the protagonist? How do readers react to Sydney Brennan, a woman in a man’s world? Part 2 of 2. Listen to episode 128 to hear Judy talk about the PI genre. www.JudyKWalker.com www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
SWRT 131 | Strong Female Protagonists
November 07, 2019 09:00 - 25 minutes - 20.6 MBWe welcome Judy K Walker, author of the Sydney Brennan Mysteries, to the Story Works Round Table this week to discuss strong female protagonists. What is a strong female protagonist? What traits define her? Can she be feminine and strong? Does the genre shape the protagonist? How do readers react to Sydney Brennan, a woman in a man’s world? Part 1 of 2. Listen to episode 128 to hear Judy talk about the PI genre. www.JudyKWalker.com www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
SWRT 130 | The Power of Writing to Change Lives, part 2
October 31, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 25.5 MBThis week, Alida and Kathryn welcome Jennifer Bowen-Hicks, Artistic Director of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, to the Round Table to discuss the impact writing has on the lives of incarcerated writers. In this in-depth conversation, Jennifer tells us about the kinds of students and writing found on the inside. Some of the most innovative, powerful writing voices are coming from this invisible population. Art changes lives. www.MNPrisonWriting.org www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
SWRT 129 | The Power of Writing to Change Lives
October 24, 2019 08:00 - 30 minutes - 24.2 MBThis week, Alida and Kathryn welcome Jennifer Bowen-Hicks, Artistic Director of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop, to the Round Table to discuss the impact writing has on the lives of incarcerated writers. In this in-depth conversation, Jennifer tells us about the kinds of students and writing found on the inside. Some of the most innovative, powerful writing voices are coming from this invisible population. Art changes lives. www.MNPrisonWriting.org www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
SWRT 128 | The PI Genre
October 17, 2019 08:00 - 32 minutes - 26.2 MBAlida, Robert, and Kathryn bring guest Judy Walker, author of the Sydney Brennan Mysteries, to the Round Table for a special genre episode. Judy shares with us the key elements of the PI novel and what distinguishes it from other mysteries. The role of setting is huge, but not as a big as the novel's point of view. Do you know which POV is best for the PI? Enjoying the show? Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an episode! Show notes and links at www.storyworkspodcast.com.
SWRT 127 | Inspiration & Activism, part 2
October 10, 2019 08:00 - 28 minutes - 22.7 MBThis week, author Talia Carner returns to the Story Works Round Table to discuss her sources of inspiration, how the tiniest fact can spark an entire world, how writing and social activism have come together in her life, how stories can be conversation starters for change, and so much more! Part 2 of 2. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
SWRT 126 | Inspiration & Activism
October 03, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 22.1 MBThis week, author Talia Carner returns to the Story Works Round Table to discuss her sources of inspiration, how the tiniest fact can spark an entire world, how writing and social activism have come together in her life, how stories can be conversation starters for change, and so much more! Part 1 of 2. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 125 | Fleshing Out Description in Revision
September 26, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 22.4 MBThis week at the Story Works Round Table, we cover one of Kathryn’s current pain points: when description doesn’t happen while drafting and how to get it done in revision. The role of description is much richer in your story than you may think. Robert resists adding description while he fast drafts, knowing he’ll have to face it in later drafts. Kathryn struggles to get down in words what she knows has to be there. This leads to lots of placeholders in her draft, notes to fill in the detai...
Story Works Round Table 124 | Talia Carner, part 2
September 19, 2019 08:00 - 28 minutes - 23.1 MBHear more from author and activist Talia Carner at the Round Table this week. We continue our conversation about her latest novel, The Third Daughter, just released by Harper Collins. I ask Talia about the historical novel's relevance in today's world, writing a strong email protagonist in a story that is often disempowering, and more! Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 123 | Talia Carner, part 1
September 12, 2019 08:00 - 32 minutes - 25.8 MBThis week, I welcome author and activist Talia Carner to the Round Table. We discuss her latest novel, The Third Daughter, just released by Harper Collins, in depth. Hear about Talia’s author journey, her inspiration, research, and character development. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 122 | Building Religion into Your World
September 05, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 22.3 MBThis week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss world religion and whether or not a story needs one. Religion is a large part of culture at the macro (world) level and micro (personal) level. Even if your character rejects religion, it's probably part of his world, something he's steeped in like it or not. Is religion-building genre specific? Can you ever ignore the big R in your storytelling? If you're developing a fictional religion, how detailed do you need to g...
Story Works Round Table 121 | The Power of the Endnote
August 29, 2019 08:00 - 26 minutes - 21.3 MBThis week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the almighty endnote. What is it and why is it so important? Getting a handle on the final moment of your novel early on will help you shape your character’s journey through the plot, theme, and character arc. Kathryn gets inspired! Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 120 | Translations
August 22, 2019 08:00 - 37 minutes - 29.2 MBEver wonder what goes into translating a novel? How translators work with a text? What role, if any, the author of the original plays in the translation? Are you considering having your work translated into another language? Alida and Kathryn welcome special guests Anja Bauermeister and Christina Low to the Round Table to discuss translating works from English to German. This week, we check out an episode from the library, formerly published as video-only episode 20. Show notes and more ...
Story Works Round Table 119 | Writing Tics...and what to do about them
August 15, 2019 08:00 - 29 minutes - 23.6 MBThis week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss those tics we can't seem to avoid when we sit down at the writing desk. They're not all bad. Some actually help us get ourselves into a scene or feeling along with our characters. Key to knowing whether your writing tics are helpful or painful is identifying them and understanding the revision tactics that will turn a tic into a quality. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 118 | Beyond Motivation, part 2
August 08, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 25.1 MBThis week at the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn continue to workshop each others strengths and weaknesses as productive writers. Last week, Alida took the hot seat. Now it's Kathryn's and Robert's turns. Kathryn builds a system to boost her productivity after mining her own life for inspiration--meal planning can make you a better writer. Robert seeks external, objective motivators and gets stuff done, but does that help him reach his writing goals? You might be surprise...
Story Works Round Table 117 | Beyond Motivation, part 1
August 01, 2019 08:00 - 25 minutes - 20.8 MBThis week at the Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert mastermind each other's progress during our mid-year check-in. We go way beyond basic talk of motivation, dropping the carrot and the stick in the middle of the road. We get meta! We all came away with exciting new insights, unique to each of us, that will help us reframe our process and our progress. These takeaways could help you go deeper into your writing life whys and wherefores! Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 116 | Writing Great Sentences, part 3
July 25, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 21.9 MBThis week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn continue to explore what makes a sentence great. We discuss lyrical prose, surprising readers with a sentence-level twist, the use of evocative verbs and adjectives, show don't tell, "wow" sentences that make you stop and re-read, and a dip into multiple POVs and how the voice of your sentences must vary according to the POV. We also touch on how genre shapes sentences, or the voice of a work, and so much more! Show notes...