The Novel Analyst Podcast: Creative Writing Advice & Author Interviews

Today’s episode is all about secondary characters. What constitutes a great secondary character? How can us writers create amazing side characters that improve the quality of our stories?

Show notes:

3 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling - Creating Suspense Using Question Arcs

11 - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling - Narrative Misdirection

Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

Website: novelanalyst.com

Join my VIP email list: novelanalyst.com/email

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Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing [email protected].

Also, if you want free sci-fi and fantasy stories written by me, go to jedherne.com/club. It’ll let you join my brand new Reader Club, and when you do that I’ll send you 5 free short stories, plus exclusive bonus content. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing [email protected].

Also, if you want free sci-fi and fantasy stories written by me, go to jedherne.com/club. It’ll let you join my brand new Reader Club, and when you do that I’ll send you 5 free short stories, plus exclusive bonus content. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

27 - Skulduggery Pleasant - Death Bringer by Derek Landy - The Gap

Backstories matter, but they can be hard to execute. This episode deconstructs how Landy uses the idea of the Gap to create intriguing character backstories that readers crave to learn. Enjoy!

Shownotes:

19 - Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy - The Art of Naming

Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

Website: novelanalyst.com

Join my VIP email list: novelanalyst.com/email 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Let me know what you think of these short bonus episodes by emailing [email protected].

Also, if you want free sci-fi and fantasy stories by yours truly, go to jedherne.com/club. It’ll let you join my brand new Reader Club, and when you do that I’ll send you 5 free short stories, plus some exclusive bonus content. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Starting a new series! In addition to your normal Novel Analyst episodes, for the next month I’ll be posting a Quick Writing Tip episode every Monday. Let me know what you think and if you want more of them, email [email protected] or hit me up on twitter @JedHerne.

Also, if you want free sci-fi and fantasy stories by yours truly, go to jedherne.com/club. It’ll let you join my brand new Reader Club, and when you do that I’ll send you 5 free short stories, plus some exclusive bonus content. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

 26 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling - Ring Structure 

I've wanted to do this for a long time, and it's finally here: an analysis of one of my top novels of all time ... In this episode, I dive super deep into the circular structure of Rowling's masterpiece. Be warned: you won't look at Harry Potter the same way after hearing this dissection ... Enjoy!

Shownotes:

Harry Potter as Ring Composition and Ring Cycle By John Granger http://www.lulu.com/au/en/shop/john-granger/harry-potter-as-ring-composition-and-ring-cycle/paperback/product-13042044.html

Harry Potter - Hedwig's Theme (Piano Version) Piano Version by Patrik Pietschmann https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTPXwbDtIpA

John Williams - Buckbeak's Flight (Extended) | London Symphony Orchestra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLiXPbjaZrA

Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

Website: novelanalyst.com

Join my VIP email list: novelanalyst.com/email

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

25 - Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo - The Art of Setting Descriptions. 

In this fantastic YA fantasy novel, the town of Ketterdam is a living, breathing, three-dimensional creation: as much a character as any of the other (brilliant) characters in this story. Bardugo is a master of making a setting come to life. In today's in-depth episode, I analyse a scene to extract key techniques writers can use to improve their setting descriptions.

No mourners, no funerals. 

Shownotes:

Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

Website: novelanalyst.com

Join my VIP email list: novelanalyst.com/email

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24 - The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams pt. 2 - How to Write Funny. 

In the second part of my analysis of Hitchhikers I extract micro and macro techniques for creating comedy. (You don't need to have listened to the 1st part for this to make sense). Enjoy!

Shownotes:

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FunWithHomophones

https://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/humor-writing-filled-novel

Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

Website: novelanalyst.com

Join my VIP email list: novelanalyst.com/email

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 - The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams pt. 1 - Why Characters Don't Matter.

This absurdly funny sci-fi comedy is a fantastic example of how you don't always need amazing characters to create an amazing story. Buckle up as we use Orson Scott Card's MICE quotient to analyse what makes this novel work. And remember: don't panic!

Shownotes:

http://www.sfcenter.ku.edu/Workshop-stuff/MICE-Quotient.htm

Twitter: @JedHerne

Email: jed.herne1 [at] gmail.com

Website: novelanalyst.com

Join my VIP email list: novelanalyst.com/email

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.