The Write Note

In this episode we discuss a list of 13 tried-and-true tropes that make the horror genre…horrifying.

Highlights:

02:50 Trope or cliché?

04:16 Character is King: Horror Story Edition

11:07 Presenting our 13 horror story tropes

14:49 Dreams and found footage

20:22 Splitting up

25:10 Mysterious neighbor

27:10 Janet, Jamie, and Psycho

29:05 The bad guy that won’t die

32:12 One. Last. Scare.

Want to dig deeper beyond our 13 tropes? Check out this article from Writer's Digest where they list 21 popular horror tropes. (Click link below).

Writer's Digest 21 Popular Horror Story Tropes

In this episode we share insider information to bring you the 5 must-have elements your manuscript submission package needs to query a literary agent.

Highlights:

01:16 Our inside informant in the lit agent world

01:55 Character is King: Proven Worthy Edition

08:40 Must-Have 1: Proper Word Count

11:44 Must-Have 2: Comparative Titles

13:20 Must-Have 3: Clear Concise Pitch

15:21 Must-Have 4: First Pages Matter (A lot)

18:25 Must-Have 5: Share Your Numbers

In this episode we share 13 editing tips to make your manuscript lean and mean.

Highlights:

01:51 Do you enjoy editing your work?

03:00 Character is King: Editor Edition

10:26 First Step: Take a break from your MS

13:28 Weed out clutter, weak verbs, and repetition

18:22 Hone your precision (sentence efficiency)

19:56 He said/She said (attribute tags)

24:10 The oldest rule in the book: Show Don’t Tell

26:31 Passive voice makes you sound scared

31:00 Sentence flow: Make a literary melody

In this episode we reveal our list of the Top 10 Greatest American Authors to celebrate America 250.

Highlights:

01:58 Preamble Ramble

06:20 Character is King: All-American Edition

11:40 Top-10 Greatest American Authors Kick-off

14:03 He defined the American Detective genre

16:16 I don’t write science fiction…I write fantasy

22:18 Architect of the modern short story

28:31 Meaning in the silences

31:28 Serious but satirical

In this episode we look at the two sides of love through the lyrics of songs filled with joy, desperation and despair in Volume 7 of our Lyrically Speaking series.

Highlights:

01:34 Nothing inspires like love

04:50 Character is King: Love Song Edition

10:31 Big drama out of nothing at all

14:44 It’s electrifying

18:11 She’s not wishing him well

22:44 The saddest song in the world

26:07 This love is killing me

31:03 This and that (and it all comes back)

In this episode action speaks louder than words as we share writing tips to craft awesome action scenes that elevate the impact of your story and lock in reader engagement.

Highlights:

01:12 The pivotal action scene

02:12 Character is King: Action Editon

08:10 Make the action mean something

11:33 Keep up the pace

13:50 The 3 pitfalls of writing action

18:25 Add sensory

21:35 Add personality

24:05 Think like a film editor

27:14 I busted a chair across his teeth

30:40 Hood slidin’ like Bo Duke

In this episode we share key elements you need to develop to create a custom-made world for your story.

Highlights:

01:24 Why worldbuilding is essential

03:33 Character is King: World Builder Edition

07:00 Your story’s foundation (6 key elements)

07:31 Geography – Real world, New world, Authenticity

11:23 Make significant settings memorable (examples)

12:45 Physics – Rules of Nature, Magic, Technology

17:24 Climate – Seasons, Weather, Character Impact

20:40 Culture – Customs, Class, Politics, Occupations

24:25 History – Deep past, Major events, Need to Know

27:10 Religon – Poly/Mono, Influence on Society,

28:20 Things to keep in mind

In this episode we hail The Bard himself, William Shakespeare, and celebrate the enduring impact his writing has had on Western literature and entertainment for over 400 years.

Highlights:

01:30 The Titan of Western Literature

04:45 Character is King: Shakespeare Edition

12:03 Shakespeare in Led Zeppelin - Merchant of Venice (Act 2, Scene 7)

14:28 Shakespeare in Wonka - Romeo and Juliet (Act 2, Scene 2)

16:20 We happy few - Henry V (Act 4, Scene 3)

17:18 Something Good from Nothing - King Lear (Act 1, Scene 1)

20:53 Double Double - Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 1)

22:46 The Undiscovered Country - Henry V (Act 3, Scene 1)

26:48 To be, or not to be (performed poorly by J Ryan Fenzel)

In this episode we share a creative writing exercise that teaches authors how to avoid the predictable and unleash the vivid.

Episode Highlights:

01:27 The Goldberg Prompt

02:42 Setting up the exercise

03:30 An example run-through

04:23 Resulting verb-driven sentences

In this episode we take on writer’s block and share tried & true strategies to break through the wall and get those words flowing again.

Episode Highlights:

01:44 Character is King: Communication Problem Edition

08:45 The 4 types of Writer’s Block

12:42 Level 1 Treatment: Overcoming the variants

18:45 Level 2 Treatment: Manage the writing process

24:00 Set a clear intent for your writing session

26:23 Movement is medicine

30:51 Level 3 Treatment: Kickstarters

31:08 Develop a character

33:16 Start in the middle

36:22 Genre swapping

39:22 Caffeine