Architecture of Story

In this episode, cohosts Meg Rosenthal and Alyssa K. Burns we dive into the essentials of perfecting your pitch and solidifying your author brand. Your pitch is the face of your book. It's how you introduce your work to potential readers and agents. We discussed the importance of having a one-sentence pitch, a one-paragraph pitch, and a two-paragraph pitch ready for different situations, such as author events or querying agents. Author branding is essentially how you present yourself to the world. It encompasses your writing style, the themes you explore, and your public persona. A well-defined brand can create a loyal reader base and make marketing your books much easier. Let’s get right into it!

Shoutouts mentioned in this episode:

Carolyn Elaine (IG: @carolynelainewrites)

H.K. Green (IG: @authorhkgreen)

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

IG @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

Connect with Alyssa:

https://www.alyssakburns.com

IG: @alyssakburns

TikTok: @alyssakburns

Welcome to Season 2 of Architecture of Story!

In this episode, cohosts Meg Rosenthal and Alyssa K. Burns give an overview of what this season is going to look like as well as break down their latest news... Architecture of Story is no longer just a podcast. We are in business, baby!

Now offering an Indie Publishing Partnership Service. This includes:

Editorial Services: developmental editing, line editing, proofreading, content pull, and formatting.

Social Media Marketing: monthly Canva templates, strategies to find your target audience and grow a community.

In house vendors: cover design, arc management, and public relations.

Shoutouts mentioned in this episode:

Carolyn Elaine (IG: @carolynelainewrites)

Kate H. Meadows (IG: @katehmeadowswrites)

MGK covering Mr. Brightside

https://www.tiktok.com/@bigmoll/video/7654000635024543006?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7650695045535860237

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

IG @megrosenthalauthor 

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

Connect with Alyssa:

https://www.alyssakburns.com

IG: @alyssakburns

TikTok: @alyssakburns

In this final episode of The Architecture of Story, author Meg Rosenthal sits down with Mindy Kuhn, owner of Warren Publishing, to talk about how the publishing industry has evolved and continues to change its shape. Faced with the reality that technology evolves at this same rapid rate, the two discuss what role generative AI plays in this modern stage and how authors can navigate this space.

Click to watch Kurt Vonnegut on Shapes of Stories: https://youtu.be/oP3c1h8v2ZQ?si=hPlMDGodWtEnOGa8

Connect with Mindy and Warren Publishing:

https://www.warrenpublishing.net

Instagram @warrenpublish

TikTok @warrenpublishing

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

Instagram @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and J.N. Kindig discuss several archetypal ways that you can cross that final threshold and NAIL that finish line... or in other words, finish your story. Using a traditional three act story structure as the vehicle to arrive at the final image, Kindig brings to the conversation her own education from her recent masters in English degree to guide us all to different types of narrative endings we can employ.

Click to learn more about Jeff VanderMeer and Wonderbook: https://wonderbooknow.com/about/

Connect with Jordan:

https://www.authorjnkindig.com

Instagram @authorjnkindig

TikTok @authorjnkindig

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

Instagram @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and Benjamin Bradley list out the tenets of a mystery novel and go through the steps of how you can write your own. Bringing their own fresh perspectives on both writing and the publishing industry, the conversation makes the genre seem... well... less mysterious.

Connect with Benjamin Bradley:

https://benjaminbradleywrites.com/whlb

Instagram @BenjaminBradleyWrites

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

Instagram @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and Hannah Hamrick go beyond the structure of the physical plot points of a novel and dive deep on the characters that make up these stories. They walk through certain techniques that they use to flesh out their characters to get to know their attributes, their wants vs. their needs, and things that help fuel their arcs. Once we know who our players are, the two talk about how to break down the plot by using action and reaction to further deepen the reader's understanding of the growth being done on the page.

Connect with Hannah Hamrick:

https://authorhannahhamrick.com

Instagram @authorhannahhamrick

TikTok @authorhannahhamrick

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

Instagram @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and C.C. Tyler break down key definitions within the genre of fantasy and discuss various plotting techniques they use to outline their stories. They talk at length about the arcs needed within each individual book, but the necessity of a global arc tracking over the series as a whole as well. Saves the Cat and the Four Act Story Structure are both dissected in this conversation.

*Recommend watching Episode 2: Saves the Cat prior to this episode so certain definitions make sense.

More information on the 3 and 4 act story structures:

https://reedsy.com/blog/guide/story-structure/three-act-structure/

https://thenovelsmithy.com/the-four-act-structure/

https://writershelpingwriters.net/2024/09/the-missing-link-in-three-act-structure/

https://rachaelherron.com/developing-novel-4-act-story-structure/

Connect with C.C. Tyler:

https://www.authorcctyler.com

Instagram @authorcctyler and @coachcctyler

TikTok @authorcctyler

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

Instagram @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and Nicole Ryan discuss the 7 Point Story Structure, a technique popularized by Dan Wells. They first detail what the 7 points within this structure are and how they provide a loose, skeletal outline. Then, following the steps that Dan Wells describes himself, they walk through how to apply this method to your own story planning.

Click to watch the Dan Wells lecture on the 7 Point Story Structure: https://youtu.be/KcmiqQ9NpPE?si=ogF1siRMon4msE5c

Connect with Nicole:

https://nicoleryanbooks.com

Instagram @nicoleryanbooks

TikTok @nicoleryanbooks

Connect with Meg:

https://megrosenthal.com

Instagram @megrosenthalauthor

TikTok @megrosenthal.author

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and Shannon McLellan go into detail about the intricacies of weaving a plot twist into your story. They define a plot twist and provide examples of different kinds of twists before giving you tips and tricks on how to effectively pull one off. Finally, the duo talks about the effects on your story's structure depending on when the plot twist occurs.

In this episode of The Architecture of Story, authors Meg Rosenthal and Alissa DeRogatis focus on the story arcs found specifically in the ROMANCE genre of fiction. Using the book, "Romancing the Beat" by Gwen Hayes as a guide, they outline the beats this genre hits and how you can apply them to your own work. Connect with Alissa:https://www.alissaderogatis.comInstagram @alissaderogatisTikTok @alissaderogatis

Connect with Meg:https://megrosenthal.comInstagram @megrosenthalauthor TikTok @megrosenthal.author