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SWRT 160 | Paranormal Romance
What defines paranormal romance? And what flavor does Frances write? How do you weave paranormal elements into your overall plot? And how important is the setting and research to Frances’s work? We dive into the importance of the romantic elements, and the choices you will need to make if you choose to write in the paranormal romance genre.
SWRT 159 | Flawed Heroes
How do you create a competent character who still has to grow? How do you utilize motivation to create plausibility? And how do you develop flaws that help your character keep their competence?
SWRT 158 | Read Like a Writer
Do we always read like a writer? What happens when we slow down and pay attention to the books we are reading? Does reading like a writer destroy your ability to read for enjoyment? We dig into our current reads and how our reading benefits our writing.
SWRT 157 | Subtext
What is subtext? And why is it important? Why is it so tricky to work on, or define? What effect does subtext have on the reader? We dive into an example and then talk about the ways we think you can learn how to write better subtext.
SWRT 156 | Keeping a Series Exciting
How do you keep a story going over a long series without tiring out characters and readers? Is this limited to a single genre? What ways can you use innovation, and plot elements to keep the reader engaged?
SWRT 155 | POV-Narrative Lightning Round
How do you keep readers from skipping point of view chapters? What if you have to cut a point of view out of your story? And how do you switch from your narrator to your character’s point of view? This week we take some time to answer some questions that have popped up in our Facebook group. If you have a question, make sure to join us there and ask away!
SWRT 154 | Maintaining our Passion
Do we love all of the aspects of writing? Or do we get stuck in certain processes? How can we break out of our stuck state? And how do we keep the whole project in mind when working on one piece? We talk about how to maintain your passion even in the parts that are less exciting, and how that helps you craft stories that readers will be passionate about too.
SWRT 153 | Q&A With Alida
How do you know if you’ve picked the right POV? Where is the balance between narrative and dialogue? And how do you handle POV switches in a multiple POV story? Alida answers all these and more in this Q&A session.
SWRT 152 | Inventing Characters
Where do your characters come from? What if you get stuck? How do you create a character when you don’t know what to write about? What about innovating characters? We discuss thinking about what your story needs, working backwards, and thinking who, what, and why in order to invent the best characters for your story.
SWRT 151 | Unicorns & Fairies
What is a scene stealing adorable character? And how do we create them? Are they deliberate or accidental? And what do you do with those who don’t speak English? Are these characters three dimensional? And when have they earned their own spin-off?
Do you enjoy the show?
Do you learn something every week?
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About the Hosts
Matt is the author of The Auriga Project, a scifi thriller, Scrivener Superpowers, a how-to book for writers, and the forthcoming Tales of the Republic, a serialized novel set in a specualtive future. He also founded the Indie Author Society, an organization that offers community and support for indie authors. When he’s not bending words to his will, Matt likes to climb mountains, throw a frisbee for his Boxer mutt, Elsa, and travel to expand his mind. Learn more about him and his books at www.mgherron.com.
