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
Story Works Round Table 115 | Writing Great Sentences
July 18, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 22.3 MBThis week at the Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert continue their conversation about writing great sentences in novels of any genres. How many types of sentences are there? Do sentences need to be grammatically correct to be great? Do they need to be lyrical to be great? No. The sentences we craft serve a variety of purposes in our prose. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 114 | Writing Great Sentences
July 11, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 25.3 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss what makes a great sentence. There’s probably more to it than you’d think. We start off with a surprise—at least we surprised ourselves: it was a harder to find great sentences than we expected it to be. What’s the difference between a great sentence and a great novel? Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 113 | How to Give a Really Good Critique
July 04, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 21.7 MBThis week at the Round Table, Alida and Kathryn discuss critiques from the red pen side of things. And what skills should a good critique partner have? No writer wants the "it's good" critique. Or the "trashed my work" critique. What actually goes into becoming a quality critiquer of others' work? We talk about both the etiquette and skills required to give fair and constructive feedback to your writing group friends. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 112 | The Devil Is in the Details: Revision
June 27, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 21.8 MBThis week at the Round Table, Kathryn and Alida discuss discoveries they're making about planning and revising a novel midstream. Kathryn is between drafts on a science fiction work, and Alida is in the middle of a first draft of a historical fiction novel, so why are they both dealing with world building and research now? What can you learn about prewriting, writing, and revision from their process of discovery? Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 111 | Using One Character to Influence Another's Arc
June 20, 2019 08:00 - 28 minutes - 22.8 MBThis week, Kathryn brings an interesting topic to the Round Table: how can we examine our supporting characters arcs, desires, or goals in relation to our other characters? How does one character influence another? Warning: this episode might change the way you do prewriting for the rest of your life. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 110 | When Good Characters Do Bad
June 13, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 22.2 MBIn this week’s Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert talk about good characters doing bad things. When your protagonist makes more than a mistake, when she actually does something...well, bad. Bad enough to turn a reader against her. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 109 | Plausibility
June 06, 2019 08:00 - 22 minutes - 18.3 MBThis week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss plausibility. How can we keep our stories plausible in the reader's eyes when we're crafting a world full of the improbable? From cozy mysteries where half the village dies and the dog holds the key to solving the case to hard science fiction where the story world's facts are beyond the scope of our known world, it's our job as writers as make it all believable. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 108 | Put 'Em Up!
May 30, 2019 08:00 - 26 minutes - 21 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn spar at the Round Table. What makes a fight scene memorable to readers? How do you manage both choreography & time in fight scenes? How much detail is just enough? What about wounding your characters? Making the epic specific? And more! Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 107 | Traveling Chapters
May 23, 2019 08:00 - 26 minutes - 21.4 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss what it takes to get a character from point A to point B in your story without boring your reader. Sometimes a traveling chapter is about covering actual distance through your setting, but more often it's about mental traveling, getting your character and your reader to understand some piece of information important to your plot. Done poorly, a traveling chapter could look like little more than an info dump, with the character sitting, reading, t...
Story Works Round Table 106 | Talking Fantasy, part 2
May 16, 2019 08:00 - 28 minutes - 22.5 MBThis week, Alida and Nico continue their in depth conversation about fantasy. We discuss intrusion and liminal fantasy, world building, inspiration, theme, and more. Show notes and links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 105 | Talking Fantasy
May 09, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 24.8 MBThis week we do something never done before at the Round Table. My very special friend, Nicodemus Wolfgang Taranovsky, joins me in my living room for an actual sit-down chat all about...writing fantasy! Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 104 | Using Narrative to Guide Your Reader
May 02, 2019 08:00 - 34 minutes - 27.6 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn have Mike Stop Continues back at the Round Table to discuss the ways we use narrative to guide a reader into and through your story. We cover common issues with sequencing, action, & delivering surprise. We explore how to guide the reader with narrative prowess, and give you tips for finding problems in your manuscript as you revise. Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 103 | Revising with Theme
April 25, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 21.8 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert welcome special guest Mike Stop Continues back to the Round Table to continue our discussion about theme. This week, we’re looking at how theme functions in our revision process. We talk about the role of theme in description, action, and dialogue; making each story element carry its weight; the role of specific detail; and making your story meaningful. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 102 | Prewriting Theme
April 18, 2019 15:38 - 31 minutes - 25.3 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn welcome Mike Stop Continues back to the show to discuss prewriting theme. We cover: why you should find your theme before you write, why themes that are too timely are no good, being human, the role of the character arc in theme, how does theme work in your plot, avoid writing propaganda, writers’ relationships to the themes they write, returning to the same theme over and over in our writing, how readers connect to a writer’s work because of them...
Story Works Round Table 101 | Advancing Story through Reveals
April 11, 2019 08:00 - 28 minutes - 23.1 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss reveals. What they are. How many you should have. How they work in the plot arc. When they fail (when they upset readers like Kathryn!). How to write them. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 100 | Bringing the Past to the Present in Flashbacks
April 04, 2019 08:00 - 24 minutes - 19.7 MBThis week Alida, Kathryn, & Robert celebrate our 100th episode and revisit the past. What is the role of flashbacks in the forward movement of a story? How can you use them effectively? What's the danger of using a flashback? What do you need to consider when choosing how to effectively reveal your character's past to the reader? If you're enjoying the show, please rate, review, and share with friends! Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 099 | Prioritizing Projects
March 28, 2019 08:00 - 35 minutes - 28.2 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn discuss the problem of multiple projects. Our listener Deanna wanted to know how should we prioritize what to work on when we have multiple projects and no specific deadline? The question raised the issues of carrying multiple projects, productivity and making progress, how to set up priorities, and the role of passion in your writing life. Then we addressed Kathryn's question: when do you walk away? Is walking away always a bad thing? Should you be a "c...
Story Works Round Table 098 | Capturing Your Character's Shadow Side
March 21, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 25.2 MBThis week, Alida and Robert discuss capturing your character's shadow side. We all have aspects of ourselves that a little bit dark. When your character's dark side surfaces, how do you keep it real without disengaging your reader? What is the role of the shadow in story? How do we discover our character's shadow side and play it out in story, when the character's not aware of it him or herself? Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 097 | Writing with Humor
March 14, 2019 08:00 - 22 minutes - 17.8 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss the role of humor in story writing, the various kinds, how to get it on the page, and why it’s hard to create humor in the written work. If you’re enjoying the show, please give us a 5-star rating wherever you get the podcast. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 096 | Should You Tell Your Story in Parts?
March 07, 2019 09:00 - 32 minutes - 26.1 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the shape of stories told in parts. What kind of story should be told in parts? What do the breaks between parts signify to readers? What choices do authors need to make when using parts? How do storylines and parts work together? Are subplots treated differently in a story with parts? We use Octavia Butler’s Dawn as an illustration. Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 095 | Subplots
February 28, 2019 09:00 - 20 minutes - 16.5 MBWhat exactly is a subplot? When do you need them? Who should they revolve around? And can they really alleviate the soggy middle syndrome? And please don’t forget your characters have lives too! Don’t make them live entirely in the main plot line. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 094 | Multiple Point of View
February 21, 2019 09:00 - 24 minutes - 19.2 MBAlida, Kathryn, and returning guest Carlee discuss the pros and cons of using multiple points of view in your works. What does it take to craft a solid multiple POV story? How do you know whether or not to include that POV? Recommended reading for those interested in multiple POV. Show notes & links at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 093 | 5 Steps to Drafting with Motivation & Momentum
February 14, 2019 09:00 - 34 minutes - 27.5 MBAlida & Kathryn welcome Carlee Tressel Alson back to the Round Table to discuss process. Carlee gives us her 5 steps to getting through a first draft without the pain of being stuck—a process she developed after getting stuck in the middle of a major book project. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 092 | Taking Emotional Risks part 2
February 07, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutes - 20.9 MBThis week, Alida and Kathryn continue our conversation with Carlee Tressel Alson about taking emotional risks in writing. It's about more than how you feel while writing. There is a relationship formed between the author and the reader when a text is shared. What does it mean to tell the truth in writing fiction, as well as creative nonfiction? What do we do when others can't separate the author from the work? How can we be responsible to both the truth and the people we're putting on the pa...
Story Works Round Table 091 | Going Deeper with Emotional Risks
January 31, 2019 09:00 - 24 minutes - 19.7 MBThis week Alida and Kathryn welcome Carlee Tressel Alson to the Round Table. After our episode on emotional risk-taking with guest Dain Edward, we thought we could go deeper with that topic, so we invited Carlee to join us for a deep dive into what it means to take emotional risks in both fiction and creative nonfiction writing. It's about way more than what you feel while you write. Carlee is a published author of both fiction and creative nonfiction. Part 1 of 2. Show notes and more at...
Story Works Round Table 090 | Writing Otherness
January 24, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutes - 18.2 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert start with a listener question about writing a culture that is not our own, and take off on a journey of writing what you don’t know, or the “other.” Why is it a political hot potato? And how can you be careful in your writing? We talk about the problem of stereotypes, and our own view from the “white middle class.” In the end it all comes down to being careful, researching well, and writing from a place of deep empathy for your whole character!
Story Works Round Table 089 | Setting
January 17, 2019 09:00 - 19 minutes - 15.3 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert answer a listener question. Steve is wondering about the dos and don'ts of writing places based on real places and using real place names. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 088 | The Psychology of Storytelling
January 10, 2019 09:00 - 22 minutes - 18.3 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert welcome Dain Edward back to the round table. We're discussing the psychology of storytelling. How is storytelling used in the real world? Is storytelling fundamental to being human? How do we experiment with being human without getting hurt? By imagining possibilities, experimenting with life in fiction, and making the unreal into story. Also, discover the spine of your story with Dain's great writing tool. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.c...
Story Works Round Table 087 | 2019 New Year New Goals!
January 03, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutes - 21.4 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss the year to come. If you haven't already, listen to last week's show, 2018 Year in Review. We get into not only where we'd like to be heading, but will keep us motivated with lots of tips, tricks, and recommendations. I've already got the book Robert mentioned! There's also a challenge posed. Join us at the Story Works Writers Facebook group to keep yourself on track with your writing goals in 2019. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast....
Story Works Round Table 086 | 2018 Year in Review
December 27, 2018 09:00 - 24 minutes - 19.9 MBThis week, Robert, Kathryn, and Alida discuss progress made and lessons learned from the year gone by. It's a writerly taking stock of struggles and successes with reflection on what it means to be a writer and where we plan to go from here. Next week's show is a companion episode about goals and motivation for writers. Complete with an invitation to keep each other accountable. Join us! Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 085 | Antagonistic Forces
December 20, 2018 09:00 - 22 minutes - 18.1 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn talk about villains you can't vanquish: How do you handle a villain that can't wear a hat, black or otherwise? When your story calls for a force instead of a figure, what does that mean for your plot? For your character? What do you need to be aware of when writing a bad event or circumstance, instead of a bad guy? Are there genre-specific antagonistic forces? Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 084 | Taking Emotional Risks in Your Fiction
December 13, 2018 09:00 - 28 minutes - 23.1 MBThis week, Dain Edward joins us at the round table to discuss the importance of taking risks in your writing. How is fiction different from creative nonfiction? Why should we take risks and put all of our messy selves into our stories? And what can we learn from incarcerated writers? Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 083 | The intersection of script-writing and novel-writing
December 06, 2018 09:00 - 30 minutes - 24.7 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn bring Dain Edward to the round table to discuss the intersection of script-writing and novel-writing. What can we learn from script writing? How are screenplays different from novels? How should we consider the audience when we write? Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 082 | Book Covers part 2
November 29, 2018 09:00 - 23 minutes - 18.6 MBThis episode is pulled from the archives. We continue our conversation with graphic designer Daria Brennan. This week, we do side by side comparisons of book covers, getting into some obvious and not-so-obvious issues with design. How important is your font? What do the details of a cover say about a book? How can a cover convey genre? If you haven't listened to last week's episode, make sure you check it out. All the covers we discuss are available to view in the show notes at www.Story...
Story Works Round Table 081 | Designing Covers with Daria Brennan
November 22, 2018 09:00 - 27 minutes - 22.3 MBThis week we pull a fantastic episode from the archives. Graphic Designer Daria Brennan comes to the Round Table to help us understand how to approach and work with a designer, what makes a book cover outstanding, market considerations, and so much more. Previously published as episode 4. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 080 | The Story Premise
November 15, 2018 09:00 - 17 minutes - 14.3 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, and Kathryn define the story premise and how it works to get you writing. It’s simple. It often seems cliche. But it’s an essential first stage of the writing process. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 079 | Approaches to Revision
November 08, 2018 09:00 - 22 minutes - 17.9 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert answer a listener's question. Elise wants to know how to tackle revision other than by following the old advice to "rest" the manuscript, putting it in a drawer for months. We talk about lots of tools we use to get into those second, third, and later drafts without a minute of drawer time! Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 078 | Fatal Flaw
November 01, 2018 08:00 - 29 minutes - 23.6 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert discuss your character's fatal flaw. This is critical to your character development, character arc, plot, and theme. So what is it and how do you get one?! Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 077 | Story Structure, part 2
October 25, 2018 08:00 - 25 minutes - 20.3 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert continue their discussion of story structure, this time focusing on Act II and Act III. What is act II?Why does it sound so easy but prove so difficult to write? How can you avoid common pitfalls, like the soggy middle? Get show notes and more at www.storyworkspodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 076 | Character Agency
October 18, 2018 08:00 - 31 minutes - 25.3 MBThis week, we cover one of Robert’s favorite topics, agency! We discuss the role of agency in terms of both character and plot. How does motivation affect agency? What happens when a character lacks agency? How can you fix issues with agency? Show notes and more at www.storyworkspodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 075 | Story Structure
October 11, 2018 08:00 - 31 minutes - 25.4 MBDo you understand the elements of structure structure? This week, Robert and Kathryn ask Alida to define story structure, then we did into the various components of long form fiction. We discuss the three act structure, using examples from archetypal works. And we pay special attention to act I and how to launch your novel. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 074 | Nicey Nice
October 04, 2018 08:00 - 23 minutes - 18.2 MBThis week, Kathryn and Alida discuss what happens to stories when authors are too nice to their characters. Being too darn nice is a common problem of how we write and treat our characters that affects plot. Nicey nice reduces tension, alleviates friction, and leads to...yawns. What to do about it? Listen and find out! Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 073 | Stakes & Agency
September 27, 2018 08:00 - 28 minutes - 22.6 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn explore the relationship between stakes & agency. How do these vital aspects of plot and character function together to drive your story? Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 072 | Killing Your Characters
September 20, 2018 08:00 - 33 minutes - 26.8 MBThis week, we discuss killing your characters, how, why, and to what end? When is it essential and when is it gratuitous? How can it shift the story and the protagonist? How might we want it to affect the reader? And how can we pull off that desired effect? When is the best time to kill a character? Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 071 | Pacing
September 13, 2018 08:00 - 22 minutes - 18.9 MBThis week, Alida is off in the Black Hills, so we pull an episode from the video-only archives, bringing Matt Herron back to the Round Table. We discuss pacing, what it really is and how it functions in your story. How do you decide the best pace for your story? And how do you achieve that pace? What kind of effect can pacing have for your readers? And why is pacing so different between books and movies? Check out the books we talked about – those we loved and those we didn’t. Show notes ...
Story Works Round Table 070 | Writing Emotions
September 06, 2018 08:00 - 28 minutes - 22.5 MBIn this episode, we follow up the Evoking Emotions episode with a discussion of how to get your character’s emotions on the page. How many ways can we convey emotions in writing? What are the options for showing feeling in words? How do we get beyond the obvious facial expressions? And why is this so important to fiction? Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.
Story Works Round Table 069 | How to End a Story
August 30, 2018 08:00 - 30 minutes - 24.4 MBThis week, Alida, Robert, & Kathryn discuss what makes a strong ending, challenges with hitting the right end note for your story, when an ending becomes spoon feeding the reader, & how to resolve your story threads. Show notes & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 068 | Evoking Emotion
August 23, 2018 08:00 - 33 minutes - 26.7 MBIn this week’s can’t miss episode, we delve deep into making your readers feel along with your characters. As writers, it’s our job to pull our readers strings…but how? Show notes at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 067 | Character Descriptions
August 16, 2018 08:00 - 29 minutes - 23.8 MBThis week, Alida, Kathryn, and Robert answer a listener's question about how to get good descriptions of your characters on the page. It's not as simple as writing there stood Joe. He was 6' tall with brown hair. In fact, please don't write that. Besides dos and don'ts, we each select a description to read and discuss what makes it work. And there's a writing exercise you can do at your favorite cafe! Show notes at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com
Story Works Round Table 066 | Theme
August 09, 2018 08:00 - 20 minutes - 16.3 MBThis week we get crafty again, talking about theme. What is it? How does it work with plot? Should you develop theme before, during, or after plot? And more...then we end with a writing prompt. Show notes and more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.