So you've identified the key information about your settings and characters, and now you have to seed it into your work. If you do it right, you can carry your readers into a rich and immersive world with characters they will want to care about; if you do it wrong you may lose your readers altogether. The stakes are that high, and in this episode we explore the techniques and strategies for avoiding the mistakes and making the best of the information you need to give your readers. ...
In this episode we look at another dimension of showing not telling, and that's the potential for hinting, suggesting or implying something rather than telling the reader outright. One of the most powerful tools we have as creative writers is derived from the fact that a hint or suggestion, well understood, will always have more power than something said explicitly. ...
This episode is a conversation with the novel editor and writing coach, Ellen Brock. You may know Ellen from her annual Novel Boot Camp event and her series of videos on YouTube. Ellen has a real heart for helping people who want to develop their skills in the craft of writing, and in this first half of our conversation, we talk about the biggest problems writers have with both structuring their work and refining narrative quality. ...