Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

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  Episode 227 - Becoming a close observer. 24.07.2026 28นาที

  Almost all successful fiction writers are close observers. We can teach ourselves to be close observers, and use those observations in our characters and settings. And here are examples of close observations from the masters, those small details that bring their stories to vivid life. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 226 - Ways to make our sentences shine. 17.07.2026 26นาที

  Novels that endure not only have bold plots but are also beautifully written. Here are techniques on how to make our sentences shine. Also: should we write our first chapter first and our last chapter last (as does John Grisham) or should we write the chapters and scenes out of order (as did Margaret Mitchell)? Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. E...
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  Episode 225 - Leave it all on the field. 10.07.2026 26นาที

  Cliches can offer solid advice. Pedal to the metal. Go big or go home. Leave it all on the field. We should swing for the fences with a bold plot. Also: a setting can be more than facts about the landscape. The masters add compelling moods to their stories with their settings. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 224 - Using all the senses to describe our character. 03.07.2026 26นาที

  Some of us may describe our characters using only the sense of sight: what the reader sees when imagining the character. But we can also use sound, smell, taste, and texture to make our characters more memorable. Here are thoughts on how to do so. Also, Janet Burroway on the critical difference between a scene and a summary. And how Francine Prose reads fiction to learn the writing craft. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course cov...
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  Episode 223 - Readers can fall in love with our settings. 26.06.2026 25นาที

  I talk about ways we can make our settings--the time and place of our story--irresistible to readers. They'll want to live there. Plus: we can use our global search function to almost instantly make our sentences more forceful. And: novelist Elizabeth George's plotting technique she calls the plot kernel. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 222 - Small techniques can add up to forceful sentences. 19.06.2026 26นาที

  Here are pocket-sized techniques that can result in strong sentences; small--even tiny--things we can add to our prose writing arsenal. Also, Elizabeth George on her use of two outlines: the step outline and the running plot outline. And we can make our dialogue stronger by avoiding "Yes" and "No." Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each epi...
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  Episode 221 - Writing that is more intense than real life. 12.06.2026 24นาที

  For readers, fiction offers escape from their real lives. How can we make our writing intense, and so lift our scenes above real life? Details are a key, and here are ideas on the use of odd and memorable details to make our prose vivid. Also, here's a good way to practice: write one perfect sentence. And, what made you want to write? Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 220 - Cut to the chase. 05.06.2026 29นาที

  The phrase "cut to the chase" originated in the film industry. When shooting and editing a movie, if things are getting dull cut to a chase scene. Cut to the chase applies to our novels and short stories, too. Here are ways we writers can make our stories stronger and our sentences more forceful by cutting to the chase. Also, a suggestion on naming characters. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialo...
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  Episode 219 - How to get our story going. 29.05.2026 25นาที

  Here is a checklist of things we likely should think about as we begin our first chapter: some elements to have in the beginning pages of our story and some things to avoid. Also: the strong technique of using contrast in consecutive scenes so that lights shine on both scenes. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 218 - Our writer's voice. 22.05.2026 26นาที

  What is a singular attribute that separates Oscar Wilde, Ernest Hemingway, and Edgar Alan Poe? Their literary voices. Here are thoughts on our own voices: if and how we should try to develop them. Also: the strong tool of contrast, when the character contrasts with the setting. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and a...
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  Episode 217 - Why and how to practice. And Edgar Alan Poe. 15.05.2026 26นาที

  Writing is like learning the violin. We can get better. Here are reasons we should practice, and suggestions how to do so. And what sparked Edgar Alan Poe's imagination? Also: how much of our story should be scenes rather than summary? The answer: should fill our story with scenes that play out in real time in front of the reader like a movie. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 216 - Too many characters is a scene. 08.05.2026 26นาที

  What's the problem with having a lot of characters in a scene? Aren't lots of people needed to make street scenes and party scenes and sports scenes and battle scenes credible? I'll talk about the problem of too many characters, and how we can fix the crowded scene so it doesn't lose focus. Also, a quick almost magical way to make our sentences stronger using the global search function on our computer. And lovely setting descriptions from Rachel Joyce. Here...
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  Episode 215 - The ratchet, a strong plotting tool. 01.05.2026 25นาที

  How can we know if our scene pushes the story forward. Does our scene contribute to the story? The ratchet can test our scene. I talk about the ratchet and show how Cormac McCarthy and F. Scott Fitzgerald used it. Plus, a technique for searching for instances of telling in our manuscript so we can change them to showing. And C.S. Lewis's rules of writing. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 214 - Famous writers show us how to write and live. 24.04.2026 26นาที

  If we emulate famous authors, won't we get better at writing? Here are how some highly-skilled, best-selling authors write and live. Plus: the three dumbest pieces of advice for writers. And: George Orwell's rules of writing. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is focused and about 30 minutes. The full class—all 20 episodes...
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  Episode 213 - Save the cat plotting. 17.04.2026 25นาที

  How can we get readers to admire and respect our hero, maybe even to fall in love with him? Our hero can save the cat. Here is how the screenwriters' save the cat technique can apply to our novels. Also, best seller Lawrence Block on how we can use our pleasure reading to improve our fiction writing skills. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 212 - Getting skilled with point of view. 10.04.2026 31นาที

  Keeping a tight point of view is critical for our story. Here's how we can stay inside the mind of our main character yet learn what others in the scene are thinking. Plus, how John Grisham works. And: how we can reveal what a character is thinking through facial expressions. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, characters, dialogue, scenes, sentence-level craft, and much more. Each episode is foc...
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  Episode 211 - How to have fun while writing. 03.04.2026 26นาที

  Sometimes writing can be a grind. Here are things that are fun while writing that'll give us energy and keep us at our desks and allow us to pour joy into our words. Also: we should avoid vanilla, meaningless word packages. And here's how Kate Chopin worked. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 210 - Timeless plot patterns. 27.03.2026 26นาที

  Folks new to fiction may think because there are a million stories and dozens of genres, plots can be presented in any way imaginable. But successful plots have time-tested patterns, and these are discussed here. Plus, M.M. Kaye's lovely setting descriptions, so elegant her writing might be called the voice of magic. And: how the best-selling romance novelist Emily Henry lives and works. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering p...
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  Episode 209 - Avoiding blunders in our story. 20.03.2026 27นาที

  How and why should we avoid our character traveling? And how does Orson Scott Card not make blunders in his novels? Here is his tool for having a mistake-free novel. Also: here is why our scenes--almost all scenes--should have some action, and how to write that action. Support the show Buy the master class.
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  Episode 208 - How to paint pictures with words. 13.03.2026 29นาที

  Writing is magic. We type on a keyboard, and then the words we type create powerful images in readers' minds. Here is a discussion of our main tool for creating vivid images: detail. Which details, how to use them, and examples from a detail master, Jean Shepherd. And another angle: detail is as important in dialogue as it is in character and setting descriptions. Here is a 20-episode master class on fiction writing—a start-to-finish course covering plot, charact...