Sione and r.r. do some creative writing calculus by waxing philosophical on the nature of time, space, and their intersection with story. Oh, and all apologies to Richard Gere. You’ll understand once you’ve listened to the episode.

Author Brenda Marie Smith joins the show to discuss the interplay between developing character, building drama, and more.

Ryan Decaria returns to the Writescast Network to explore what archetypes and tropes are, why they sometimes get a bad rap, and how we can use them effectively in our work.

In an episode oddly chockfull of Care Bears and Smurfs, r.r. and Sione tackle the dark side of storytelling. What distinguishes a villain from an antagonist? How can we avoid creating caricatures of evil? Will r.r. ever remember the names of the actors in his favorite shows?

What is Wattpad? What does it have to offer readers and writers alike? Is it a good option for your fiction? This episode’s guest, a Wattpad pro, breaks it all down for us.

Once we’ve drawn readers to our work, it’s important we maintain their attention. But how? This week’s guest, editor Lori Puma, explains.

Click here for the details of the example used in the second half of this episode.

National Novel Writing Month is almost here! How can you ensure you get the most out of one of the year’s most popular annual events? Sione and r.r. explore with help from #WritescastChat participants.

Have you ever considered turning a novel into a podcast serial? A short story into a play? A poem into a screenplay? In this episode, storyteller Jess Witkins discusses the why and the how of content adaptation—and the magic we can capture in exploring the process for ourselves.

Award-winning author and former fire captain Gregory Lee Renz describes how his experiences fighting fires translated to writing a novel about the same. Along the way, he offers advice for other writers who aspire to write from experiences of their own.

 

Content warning: episode includes mentions of suicide, PTSD, and lives lost to fire.

What is exposition? Why do we need it? How can we use it judiciously? In an episode that hails the importance of being concise, r.r. and Sione are anything but. With help from #WritescastChat participants, however, there’s much wisdom to be gleaned despite the occasional rambling!