Keystroke Medium

Tonight we get the insider's take on writers conferences. Four authors share their favorite moments and lessons learned from the Superstars Writing Seminars.

What makes that conference so cool?

Are conferences worth the time and money invested?

Can I be besties with one of my favorite authors without being all stalkery?

We answers these questions and more on this special episode of The Writer's Journey.

Believe it or not; there is a right and wrong way to use tension in your story. Josh, Scott and Chuck sit down to talk about how to properly use tension to push your story to the next level.

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Using Tension In Your Story

Believe it or not; there is a right and wrong way to use tension in your story. Josh and Scott sit down to talk about how to properly use tension to push your story to the next level.

Hosts: Josh Hayes, Scott Moon

[00:00] Opening remarks—Dragon Award Nominations are open!

[08:17] Weekly update

Josh: Wrapping up some work on Valor #3. It will be the final book in the current series. A couple of new ideas. VALOROTICA! Wow Wow Wow! Bingeing Aaron Sorkin and Newsroom.

Breakthroughs!

Scott: Progress on Reaper #10, wrapping up series plot threads. Went back and dug up a western manuscript involving Tsarist Russian family.

[21:14] Sponsor: TS Hottle’s The Homefront Arc Omnibus: A Compact Universe Collection

[22:04] Main Event: Using Tension In Your Story!

Example: True Detectives

-How to set up your tension points to keep the story going.

-The doorbell trope

-Lost method of answering questions.

-Building tension and delivering

Example: Glotka in Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself (First Law #1)  [link]

Example: Dolores Umbridge in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5)  [link]

Example: Sadeas in Brandon Sanderson’s The Stormlight Archives [link]

Example: The quarter scene in No Country for Old Men

Example: Milk scene in Inglourious Basterds

Example: George R.R. Martin’s numerous deaths in A Song of Ice and Fire series [link]

Example: Cormac McCarthy’s The Road [link]

-Segue into the grimdark genre

Example: Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses [link]

Counter-Example: Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series [link]

-Sets up tension, but does not pay off (ex. North Central Positronics)

-Stakes for your character are important (Chekhov’s Gun)

Example: Richard Fox and Josh Haye’s Terra Nova [link]

Counter-example: Hale vs. Carson tension (lack of payoff in a follow-up work)

-Falsely manufactured tension (ex. A character that knows something but doesn’t tell the main character and thus the reader doesn’t know)

-Character secrets vs. reader secrets

-The reader knowing more than the character is great tension

Example: GRRM’s use of bias of knowledge and events in ASOIAF

Example: M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense

-Tension in a battle scene can be a problem if it’s continuous or repetitive.

-Scene tension vs. story tension

[56:14] Closing remarks

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

    Farthest Reach – https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

The Writing Dream – and How to Make it to Happily Ever After – Keystroke Medium’s first non-fiction book. https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

Talking up that Beta read. Why we love them and why we keep coming back for more.

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

    Farthest Reach – https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

The Writing Dream – and How to Make it to Happily Ever After – Keystroke Medium’s first non-fiction book. https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

Walt is LATE and all by his lonesome to talk up taking a minute away from the words. Recharge, regroup, re-engage!

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

    Farthest Reach – https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

The Writing Dream – and How to Make it to Happily Ever After – Keystroke Medium’s first non-fiction book. https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

This week’s book spotlight is on The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, and tonight we’ll discuss revising character and setting choices.

Our guest is a writing coach and co-author of The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, along with six other writing guides. Join us in our discussion to dig deep into the emotions that make our characters tick.

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

    Farthest Reach – https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

The Writing Dream – and How to Make it to Happily Ever After – Keystroke Medium’s first non-fiction book. https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

Two storytellers (Josh Gayou and Georg Rockall-Schmidt) discuss the many facets of Warren Schmidt.

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

    Farthest Reach – https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

The Writing Dream – and How to Make it to Happily Ever After – Keystroke Medium’s first non-fiction book. https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

You've got a great idea, a concept, but that's not the WHOLE story. On this episode of KSM LIVE, we talk about taking ideas from concept to a complete story.

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

    Farthest Reach – https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

The Writing Dream – and How to Make it to Happily Ever After – Keystroke Medium’s first non-fiction book. https://amzn.to/2UZINeo

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

Walt and Bill share a cup of joe and talk about 5 things media gets right and wrong about weapons.

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

Who wants to spend days, months, years of their life writing a novel only for it to sit on a slush pile or get lost in a river of books on Amazon? Not me. But how do we write stories that grab the reader? It all starts with plot.

In tonight's episode of The Writer's Journey, Larry Brooks joins us to unpack the key elements of story and explain how we can use them to write the best versions of our story. Ready to take the next step on your writer's journey?

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!

Josh Gayou discusses books with a voracious reader, including the story elements she's always chasing...and those she runs from.

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Become a Medium today! https://keystrokemedium.com/mediums/

Don't forget to Subscribe and get involved with the mayhem and shenanigans in the live chat! http://www.youtube.com/c/keystrokemedium

If you have any thoughts or ideas for show topics or if you have authors you'd like to see on the show, let us know. Visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KeystrokeMedium

For all the latest and greatest KSM Gear, check out our store at: https://keystrokemedium.com/ksm-store/

Also, subscribe to Sci Fi Explorations for the best discounted and free books we come across through our contacts: http://www.scifiexplorations.com

Keystroke Medium Anthologies

     Kingdoms of Iron and Stone - https://amzn.to/2GjbE6I 

     Horizons Beyond - https://amzn.to/2SrJ6uX

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave us a review and rate the show on iTunes, Podbean, Stitcher, or where ever else you found us!