We've started on the process of building a story from the ground up, and we're going to kick off with plot. In this episode we look at three aspects of plot: the shape of the story, the engine of the plot, and the danger of cliches ...
What genre does your story fit into? And how can you use the tropes of that genre to make your story fresh, original, and compelling? In this episode we explore the challenge of identifying the genre or genres of your story, and looking at way to embrace the tropes of that genre by re-imagining them and subverting them to keep your work interesting and cliche free. ...
This episode is the second half of my conversation with Ellen. We talk about a range of issues including making the right choice for the Point of View of your work, how to create the ideal query letter, and how to utilise the resources that Ellen has made available. ...