This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida, Kathryn, & Robert discuss developing your villains. Besides making a real person out of that black hat, the shape of the villain helps shape the protagonist and even your setting. So much more comes out of what you put into that character than you may think! Show notes & more at http://storyworkspodcast.com Check out our sister podcast, Story Works Reading Series, too!

SWRT 202 | Villain Development

Each week, co-hosts, Alida Winternheimer, author and writing coach at Word Essential, and Kathryn Arnold, emerging writer, have conversations about the craft of writing fiction. They bring diverse experiences and talents to the table from both the traditional and indie worlds.

Our goal is for each episode to be a fun, lively discussion of some aspect of story craft that enlightens, as well as entertains.

Sometimes we have special guests. All episodes are available in video as well. Visit www.StoryWorksPodcast.com for videos, show notes, and more.

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This week at the Story Works Round Table, five authors sit down to talk women's fiction. Alida Winternheimer is joined by D. Liebhart, Heidi McIntyre, Amanda Speights, and Jen Telger to discuss their genre and their stories. There is a lot more to women's fiction than strong female characters or women authors. The diversity of the genre makes it distinct from other genres, keeping the writer's hands unbound by conventions or reader expectations. Though writing stories that range from historical to magical realism to contemporary and medical, they have a lot in common...especially a deep commitment to realism and their characters' emotional journeys.  
 Find all of the authors' bios and books links in the show notes at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com 
 Get Alida's musings on life, writing, and the writing life in A Room Full of Books & Pencils and stay up to date on book launches, special offers, and more at booksandpencils.substack.com   Are you ready to get more out of your writing,  grow your writing skills, and get that book written? Do you want community, feedback, and the mentoring of an expert story craft coach? Check out group coaching for novelists and memoirists. A new session is beginning soon. Get details & schedule your free discovery call today at www.wordessential.com/fictioncoaching   Are you ready to work with a developmental editor or writing coach? Alida works with fiction and nonfiction writers on all kinds of writing projects. Email or schedule a discovery call. www.wordessential.com.    Show notes, links, & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.

SWRT 299 | Authors Talk Women's Fiction

This week, Alida and Kathryn discuss writing with whimsey. Whimsical writing can add humor and charm to writing, but it's not only for children's stories. Lighthearted, quirky, and funny moments add levity to otherwise serious or dark tales. After this week's episode, you might just find yourself writing whimsically. 
 Get Alida's musings on life, writing, and the writing life in A Room Full of Books & Pencils and stay up to date on book launches, special offers, and more at booksandpencils.substack.com   Are you ready to get more out of your writing,  grow your writing skills, and get that book written? Do you want community, feedback, and the mentoring of an expert story craft coach? Check out group coaching for novelists and memoirists. A new session is beginning soon. Get details & schedule your free discovery call today at www.wordessential.com/fictioncoaching   Are you ready to work with a developmental editor or writing coach? Alida works with fiction and nonfiction writers on all kinds of writing projects. Email or schedule a discovery call. www.wordessential.com.    Show notes, links, & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.

SWRT 298 | Writing Whimsey

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn talk dialogue. We've noticed what may be some poor advice and some frightening trends in dialogue floating around out there. Time to bust some myths and pop some speech balloons!   How should dialogue be formatted and how does it differ from interiority and thoughts? When and why does it make sense to honor trusted conventions? How would "experimentation" work in the voice of AI?  We draw on the past two Writers Book Club short stories for examples of dialogue, interiority, and narrative point of view. There is a lot of craft to unpack in this week's episode, a bit of silliness, and a writing prompt, too! "Dialogue is an art form all in and of itself. So be aware of what you're putting on the page." "Dialogue should reveal something to the reader." Are you ready to get more out of your writing, grow your writing skills, and get that novel done faster? Do you want community, feedback, and mentoring? Check out group coaching for novelists. New Summer Session begins May 29. Get details & schedule your free discovery call today at www.wordessential.com/fictioncoaching Get Alida's musings on life, writing, and the writing life in A Room Full of Books & Pencils. booksandpencils.substack.com Show notes, links, & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.          

SWRT 297 | Dialogue

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn discuss Chekhov's story, "The Woman with the Little Dog." You can get the link to read it in the show notes.  "Everything that he found important, interesting, necessary, in which he was sincere and did not deceive himself, which constituted the core of his life, occurred in secret from others." -Chekhov Unpack the layers of Anton Chekhov's poignant short story, "The Lady with the Little Dog," in this thought-provoking episode of Story Works Round Table. Alida and Kathryn dissect the narrative's exploration of love, regret, and societal imprisonment. As they navigate through the characters internal struggles and the story's critique of marital conventions, listeners are invited to consider depth of character emotion, subtext, and presenting social commentary through story. Are you ready to get more out of your writing, to grow your writing skills, and get that novel done faster? Do you want community, feedback, and mentoring? Check out group coaching for novelists. New Summer Session begins at the end of May. Get details & schedule your free discovery call today at www.wordessential.com/fictioncoaching Get Alida's reflections on life, writing, and the writing life in A Room Full of Books & Pencils. booksandpencils.substack.com  

SWRT 296 | Writers Book Club: Chekhov

This week on the Story Works Round Table, Alida and Kathryn discuss Gina Berriault's short story, "The Woman in the Rose Colored Dress." At only 2 1/2 pages, it packs in remarkable sentences, the experience of time passing, incredible subtext in minimal dialogue, and a realistic coming of age story when a girl makes a discovery about her father that shifts her understanding of the world. Get the link in our show notes to read the story yourself. Join my new group coaching session for writers. Get your free discovery call today: www.wordessential.com/fictioncoaching Get Alida's musings on life, writing, and the writing life in A Room Full of Books & Pencils. booksandpencils.substack.com Show notes, links, & more at www.StoryWorksPodcast.com.    

SWRT 202 | Villain Development

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