Sometimes it's just one or two well placed,well fitting characteristics that make a character. In this episode we are going to look at what kind of characteristics we can give our characters, how to present those characteristics in a convincing and persuasive way, and we'll look at some examples of how writers have used characteristics of all kinds to complement and enhance the essence or core of their characters. ...
This episode is a conversation with Northern Ireland based author Ian McDonald. Ian has been a professional writer for over twenty five years, and in this episode he takes us on from the solid foundational work that we usually focus on in the Creative Writer's Toolbelt to some of the more advanced concepts. Ian has won numerous awards including the Locus, Philip K Dick, Hugo, Theodore Sturgeon and John Campbell Memorial awards, and the BSFA best novel award three times. ...
Writing the first draft of a novel, like scaling the north face of the Eiger, presents particular difficulties. In this episode, we look at what those challenges are, and how we can overcome them to get the first draft done. ...