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Love 'em or hate 'em, tropes are a major part of narrative storytelling. The important thing is understanding them, so you can either use (or avoid!) them to your heart's content.

In today's episode, your hosts Liz and Kristina talk through popular tropes in many different genres of novels and discuss which ones they love, which ones they hate, and most importantly... which ones they love to hate. :) 

Thanks to this website for giving us a great springboard for which tropes to discuss! https://kindlepreneur.com/book-tropes/

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We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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You know, sometimes it happens. You prepare in whatever way works for you, you carve out time, you buy new fuzzy socks... and you still manage to fall behind.

In today's episode, your hosts Liz and Kristina give you some #realtalk about what to do when your graph is looking bleak. Spoilers: It's going to be okay.

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Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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Listen, we get it. You go to work, and then you come home exhausted. All you want to do is relax, or watch TV, or collapse in bed. How do you prioritize writing when your job leaves you lacking in energy or inspiration?

In today's episode, your hosts Kristina and Liz tackle the topic of how to continue to make progress on your writing while working full time.

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Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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Generic store-brand November Writing Challenge begins in 2 days! Listen for words of encouragement and an update on the ways your hosts Kristina and Liz will be tackling the challenge in this most unprecedented year. Most importantly: we've chosen our tracking tool for the year and have a LEADERBOARD you can join! Best of luck this November, fam—we're all in this together.

Support the show

Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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How do you make your side characters feel like real people? Do you need side characters? How many should you have? There's so much to consider when developing your cast of characters!

In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz dive into the wonderful world of character development. We discuss how many characters is too many characters, how to build flawed & complex people, and how to make sure every choice serves your plot. 

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Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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This is something we hear a lot when people are considering what to write in November: does fanfiction count? is it allowed? can I write it?

In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz discuss why their answer is an incredibly enthusiastic yes, including the many merits of fanfiction writing and a bit about why it sometimes has a bad reputation.

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Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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This year, it's the wild west for novelists who still want to participate in some kind of November writing challenge. Where do we track our words? Will it feel the same? How do we find our commmunity? Will winning still "count"? 

In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz discuss options for how to still write in November without supporting NaNoWriMo, and whether we even need an official organization at all if we've still got each other. 

Support the show

Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

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Even if you're a true pantser, there are some decisions that must be made before you can start writing. Choosing a point of view to write from is necessary, as is deciding on a tense. But how do you know which one is right for you? What are your options, and what's the difference?

In today's episode, hosts Liz and Kristina discuss the different use cases for past, present and future tense, and weigh the pros and cons of the many various POV options out there.

Links referenced in the episode:
Different verb tenses
Second person point of view
Third person narrator POV

Support the show

Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

Send us a text

What if you've taken a break from writing and find you've forgotten how to do it? Is noveling like riding a bike? How exactly do we rebuild the habit we may have lost?

In today's episode, hosts Kristina and Liz discuss the various reasons we might stop writing at points in our lives, and how to get it back. Thanks to lovelycastellan for the question!

Support the show

Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)

Send us a text

Welcome to Season 6! You might have noticed we've done a bit of a rebrand... this podcast (formerly known as How To Win NaNo) is now called "Write Your Damn Novel"! In the first episode of our new season, hosts Kristina and Liz talk a bit about what's been going on with the NaNoWriMo organization and why we felt the need to distance ourselves from it.

Things wont change too much around here otherwise, as we still plan to write 50,000 words in November. It might just look a little different from now on.

Support the show

Enjoy the show? Like this episode, give a thumbs up, or better yet - leave a review!

Follow us on:
Instagram: @writeyourdamnnovel
Threads: @writeyourdamnnovel
Join our Discord server to hang out with a community of writers: https://discord.gg/u92vfhgAYm
Become a Patron and help keep the podcast ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/writeyourdamnnovel

We write books! Check out our anthologies:
Boys, Book Clubs, and Other Bad Ideas
The Mistletoe Paradox
What Happened to Annabell?
(All published by Kristina's publishing company: @84thStreetPress)