What is a protagonist, and does your story need one? What are the stakes your protagonist needs? Who is the right person to tell your story? And how is a protagonist different from a point of view character? And ultimately, do you have to discover one thing before another in your pre-writing process?
Want to start off 2017 right? We talk about how to use accountability in tandem with your productivity to boost your writing. Is there a difference between accountability and productivity? And how can you set up accountability in your own life? What tools are out there for use? And should you go public with your goals? It all comes down to knowing yourself and how you work.
What is a writing habit? And how can you create one that is both enjoyable and productive? What if you are writing around all your other life responsibilities? And what kind of systems can you put in place to make yourself successful? As we head into this new year, make your writing a priority.
Taking a look at “What it Means to Be a Man” by Ed Bok Lee, we talk about why Alida picked this story, and what it is really all about. How do you create empathy with your readers when they may have no cultural context for your story? Or even find your subject matter repulsive? How do you choose the right narrator for the story? And what does it really mean to be a man?
Taking a look at “The Birth Will Take Place on a Mutually Acceptable Research Vessel” by Matthew Bailey, we talk about why Kathryn picked this story, and what it is really all about. Why would a man write from the point of view of a pregnant woman? And does the second person work for us? What hooks readers, and how does the author get them to empathize with this uncomfortable narrator? Even with Matt’s hesitation over whether or not he likes the story, we still laugh at the humor and appreciate the twist at the end.
Taking a look at “Sonny Liston Takes the Fall” by Elizabeth Bear, we talk about why Matt picked this story, and what it is really all about. Why did the author choose one protagonist over another? And what is the theme of this story? We talk about the narrator character and if Sonny Liston even took the fall. In the end we wonder what genre this truly is – and want to know if there is any alternate history in this story that we don’t know about.
I'm Alida
I help people express their gifts to the world.
I do not believe in formulas. I believe that the stories we are compelled to tell the world make demands on us, and it is our privilege to meet those demands in order to reach the most people in the most authentic and compelling way possible.
