Learn how writing is like painting a picture. However, this episode is not what you think; it has nothing to do with writing description. Give it a listen.

Make your characters consistent. Learn how things can easily go wrong.

Stop being so sentimental. If it serves your story, kill the characters you love.

Stop being so sentimental. If it serves your story, kill the characters you love.

This time out, I talk about how setting can establish tone, bolster theme and give psychological dimension to your story.

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Step outside of yourself -- Stop making all your fiction thinly-veiled autobiography.

Ahh, yes. This is one of my favorite discussions when talking about writing. It goes well beyond the mundane, deeply into character and conflict analysis and into the psychological and archetypal. Without this useful dramatic device, your story can easily fall limp. You really need to check this one out as we will come back to the issue of the Shadow from time to time.

Should we be afraid of adverbs? Sometimes, yes. Listen to this and learn why.

Okay, write that hateful character -- but make sure that he is loveable.