Latest Plotting Podcast Episodes
Episode 12: Damon Young, Philosopher
Write Now with Scrivener - April 06, 2022 06:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsDamon Young is a philosopher, poet, and an author of fiction for children. As a philosopher, he has written about reading, the garden, and sex, and he has also written a half-dozen children's books. He also writes regularly for newspapers and magazines, and is a frequent guest on radio and TV. Sh...
Episode 11: Charles Shields, Biographer
Write Now with Scrivener - March 02, 2022 07:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsCharles Shields is a biographer of mid-century American novelists and writers. After a career teaching, and writing histories and biographies for young people, Shields has written several biographies of American authors, the most recent of which is about playwright Lorraine Hansberry, author of R...
Episode 11: Write Now with Scrivener, Episode no. 11: Charles Shields, Biographer
Write Now with Scrivener - March 02, 2022 07:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsCharles Shields is a biographer of mid-century American novelists and writers. After a career teaching, and writing histories and biographies for young people, Shields has written several biographies of American authors, the most recent of which is about playwright Lorraine Hansberry, author of R...
Episode 10: Annie Finch, Poet, Writer, and Witch
Write Now with Scrivener - February 02, 2022 06:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsAnnie Finch is a poet, writer, critic, editor, playwright, librettist, translator, and witch. She has written poetry, criticism, memoirs, and works on meter and form, and is the founder of Poetry Witch Community, where she teaches meter, scansion, and magic. Show notes: Annie Finch (https://annie...
Episode 9: Charlie Stross, Science-Fiction Author
Write Now with Scrivener - January 05, 2022 07:00 - 31 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsCharlie Stross is a prolific author of science fiction and fantasy. He has written more than two dozen novels, has won three Hugo awards, and has been nominated for many other awards, including the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, the Arthur C. Clarke Award, and the Japanese Seiun Award. Show not...
Point of View in film
Plot Blueprint - December 02, 2021 17:00 - 1 hourWe've talked about character viewpoint in written fiction. That's pretty fundamental, because fiction is created out of words-- words of description and thought and feeling, and it's usually a character doing the describing, etc. Now let's examine how POV works in a very visual medium. You...
Episode 8: Nicole Kronzer, YA Author and High School Teacher
Write Now with Scrivener - December 01, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsNicole Kronzer is an author of young adult novels, a high school teacher, and a former actor. Her first novel, Unscripted, was named a Best Book for Young Adults by the American Library Association. Show notes: Nicole Kronzer (https://www.nicolekronzer.com) Unscripted (https://www.nicolekronzer.c...
Character Arc and Ending Questions
Plot Blueprint - November 25, 2021 17:00 - 1 hourCharacters should change-- but gradually, in response to plot events. You can learn more and enroll here! Building Bolder Scenes with Alicia Rasley Email me about the course: [email protected] Learn more about the Building Bolder Scenes course:https://bit...
Interactive Conflict
Plot Blueprint - November 18, 2021 17:00 - 1 hourThere are 3 main conflicts in fiction: External (outside) conflict Internal (inside) conflict Interactional (relationship) conflict. We're talking about the interactional kind-- the conflict that changes relationships in your story. Check out our Building Bolder Scenes course. You ca...
Point of No Return example-- from Casablanca- La Marseillaise scene discussion
Plot Blueprint - November 11, 2021 17:00 - 54 minutesHere we discuss "the most important nod in film". Oh, and "the greatest singalong in film." Same scene! This is the La Marseillaise scene from Casablanca, where: Rick defies the Nazis Laszlo risks his life to sing a song Ilsa remembers why she loves her husbands The Nazis back down (just ...
Point of View Basics
Plot Blueprint - November 04, 2021 21:00 - 1 hourPOV basics podcast—Plot Blueprint Podcast Main types of POV: -- 1st person Omniscient Third person More here: POV Basics-- just examples we discuss on the podcast Questions to ask to help you choose what POV is best for your story Individualizing POV Get a free plotting art...
Episode 7: Maggie Shipstead, Author of Great Circle, Shortlisted for the Booker Prize
Write Now with Scrivener - November 03, 2021 07:00 - 30 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsMaggie Shipstead's latest novel has been shortlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize. Great Circle is a novel of love and loss and adventure, focusing on a woman pilot in the early days of flying, and an actress portraying her in the present. Show notes: Maggie Shipstead (https://www.maggieshipstead.c...
Gaming a Game
Plot Blueprint - October 21, 2021 12:00 - 1 hourGaming a game James, the "game master (GM)" for different role-playing games, discusses building a world and a story in collaboration and in real-time. Planning a collaborative TT-RPG World-building on demand/on the fly Game master—what is role , how much control/responsibility do yo...
Episode 6: Elizabeth Haynes, Thriller Author
Write Now with Scrivener - October 20, 2021 04:00 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsHaving worked as a police intelligence analyst in the UK, Elizabeth Haynes knows a lot about crime. She has written a half dozen novels, all of which she started during NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). Show notes: Elizabeth Haynes (http://www.elizabeth-haynes.com) You, Me & the Sea (htt...
Found Footage- Epistolary Stories Updated
Plot Blueprint - October 14, 2021 12:00 - 1 hour"Found footage" refers to material, evidence, diaries, cassette tapes-- well, you'll have to listen! For story-writers, found footage can be a clever device to add a "meta" or postmodern layer to the story. Think of "Bridges of Madison County," which is a novel that pretends to be the "found foo...
Setting as Character
Plot Blueprint - October 10, 2021 20:00 - 1 hourn some of the most popular stories, the setting-- the "where and when"-- is so PRESENT that it is almost another character-- one that causes changes in the plot and grows in response to plot events. Think about the Millenium Falcon, Walter Moseley's postwar LA, Jane Austen's villages. We're d...
Listener Questions 4 acts
Plot Blueprint - September 30, 2021 04:00 - 35 minutesA listener asks, what if I don't have a three-act structure? What if I have 4 acts? How do I plot a story like that, with a lot of world-building and then a disaster in the middle? Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and ...
Antiheroes
Plot Blueprint - September 23, 2021 16:00 - 56 minutesAre you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major character developments? Then enroll in the Blueprint Your Plot course! Wanna try it out first? Here's a free course in creating sympathetic...
Christian Cantrell, Sci-Fi Thriller Author
Write Now with Scrivener - September 22, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsWith a day job as a designer for one of the world's largest software companies, Christian Cantrell knows how computer technology works, and his novels are full of cutting-edge ideas. He explores science and technology that don’t yet exist in order to put characters in situations in which they can...
Prologues
Plot Blueprint - September 16, 2021 15:00 - 43 minutes"The past is prologue," said the Bard. What is a prologue? Why do so many readers love them? Why do so many editors hate them? We'll discuss what a prologue is, what it can do, and when it can be effective-- and how to make it a powerful intro to your story. New Course! Building Bolder Sce...
What's in a Name?
Plot Blueprint - September 09, 2021 15:00 - 1 hourSome of us can't easily come up with character names. Some of us can't start a book without names for the character. What is in a name? Let's talk about how and when and what to name characters. Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish,...
Choice of Games
Plot Blueprint - September 02, 2021 04:00 - 46 minutesThere are all sorts of new ways to publish these days. Here's one that is a combination sort of == games and "choose your own adventure" books. It's called Choice of Games, and you can read more about it at: https://www.choiceofgames.com/ Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you...
Epistolary Storytelling: Letters, Diaries, Found Footage
Plot Blueprint - August 26, 2021 15:00 - 1 hourFound footage, letters to a loved one, and many more are discussed in this episode about this classical but nontraditional method of storytelling. Here we discuss different ways storywriters can use “found footage” and the “epistolary” (letter, journal) formats. It’s hard to describe, but no...
Episode 4: Annik Lafarge, Author of Chasing Chopin
Write Now with Scrivener - August 25, 2021 06:00 - 32 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsAfter a career in publishing, from being a publicist to senior editor, Annik Lafarge is now a consultant and advisor to authors. Her latest book is Chasing Chopin: A Musical Journey Across Three Centuries, Four Countries, and a Half-Dozen Revolutions. Annik talks about how important it is for aut...
Character Arc Questions
Plot Blueprint - August 19, 2021 15:00 - 1 hourWriting a story? Here's a podcast where two story creators brainstorm about various aspects of plotting and characterization. We talk about openings, we talk about endings, we talk about unreliable narrators, we talk about character torture.... Join us for deep-dive conversations about the issues...
Listener Questions
Plot Blueprint - August 05, 2021 17:29 - 35 minutesA listener asks about four-act plots. This is the structure of most disaster films. Sign up for our email list and get a free plotting article! http://bit.ly/AliciaRasleyStory Check out our Plot Blueprint website for more articles about the craft of writing. https://www.plotblueprint.com/ ...
What We Wrote today- One of us just starting, one revising
Plot Blueprint - August 05, 2021 16:00 - 46 minutesAre you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major character developments? Then enroll in the Blueprint Your Plot course! http://bit.ly/plotblueprint Wanna try it out first? Here's a free c...
Foils
Plot Blueprint - July 22, 2021 16:27 - 18 minutes"Foils" refers to a pair of characters who have similar traits but different fates, like Hamlet and Laertes. You can use a foil to emphasize how a character's experiences, actions, and decisions change the resolution. New Course! Building Bolder Scenes. here's the link again: http://bit.ly/bui...
Episode 3: J.T. Ellison, Thriller Author, TV Show Host, and Publisher
Write Now with Scrivener - July 21, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes ★★★★★ - 78 ratingsJ.T. Ellison has written more than 25 novels: standalone thrillers, three series, and has recently published the first in a series of co-authored young adult novels. She co-hosts a literary TV show, and is also a publisher. She also "loves Scrivener with the passion of a thousand fiery suns." Sh...
What We Wrote Today- Timed Exercise
Plot Blueprint - July 08, 2021 16:00 - 53 minutesWhat We Wrote Today is just that-- we do a writing exercise and then discuss what we wrote. Sign up for our email list and get a free plotting article! http://bit.ly/AliciaRasleyStory Check out our Plot Blueprint website for more articles about the craft of writing. https://www.plotblueprint...
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