Writing Roots

If you find yourself writing only dialogue – or vice versa – it’s not always a bad thing. First of all, you’re writing! That alone is an accomplishment. Keep going and trust yourself to fix it later.

When it is later and it’s time to fix those scenes that are too heavy towards dialogue, there are several tricks you can use to make it smooth. That includes things from acting out the scene to identifying what about the scene isn’t natural.

First aired December 28, 2023.

A major part of querying and even marketing is finding the right comp titles for your book. It’s a tricky business, though, to find ones that both fit your book and show your knowledge of the current reading market.

When looking for comp titles, you want to find newer books that fit not only the genre and target audience, but the overall vibes of your story.

First aired December 25, 2023.

This is a question we see a lot in the writing spaces where newer authors are looking for advice as they set off on their careers. There seems to be a belief that if an author is starting, they cannot branch into other genres – that they should pick one and stick with it in order to build their fanbase.

While there is some truth to that, the answer is not so simple. Especially early on, exploring and testing different genres and styles is actually a good thing. Listen to this episode for more on why, and how the answer to this question changes throughout an author’s journey.

First aired December 21, 2023.

It’s happened to all of us at some point. We sit down to write, and the only thing our brains can think of in the moment are the most basic words. It’s admittedly frustrating when we know we have a large vocabulary, but every word seems like an elementary school word.

We’re here to tell you that is perfectly okay. In some cases, the more simple the words used, the better the story. What’s more important than using big words to show of your vocabulary is choosing the correct word for the moment.

First aired December 18, 2023.

There are a variety of monsters you can have in your writing, and not all of them appear like monsters at first glance. When we dig into what a monster is, we encounter the question “what qualifies as a complete monster?” The answer is rarely its appearance or species. Rather, a complete monster is quantified by actions and choices.

In this episode, we discuss the different kinds of “bad guys” in story, and look at how to write a complete monster.

First aired December 14, 2023.

If you are creating a story that is heavy with war, battles or politics, you may need to build a military structure for your worldbuilding. That will lead you to the question we received from one of our listeners: How do I build a military for a speculative fiction story?

Listen for more on the different steps to development based on what is best for your own story.

First aired December 11, 2023.

This is a question we see a lot in the writing forums and discussion groups: Is head hopping the same thing as having multiple points of view within a single story? The short answer is no. These two are very different in how they are presented on the page, and head hopping is rarely seen as acceptable by the reader.

In this episode we break down the differences and look at how to write multiple points of view without crossing into the dangerous territory of head hopping.

First aired December 7, 2023.

Every December, we try to answer the questions we’ve received throughout the year that don’t quite fit into a normal season theme. This first question – why we have a podcast – is one we get most often at conventions and other live events.

The answer is as simple as we love talking about writing. More than that, we have learned a lot through helping each of you avoid the troubles we had when we started.

First aired December 4, 2023.

Intentional or not, it is important to recognize when writing is sexist. It can be as simple as how you describe different characters to the stereotypes you use as broad strokes information. Listen for examples and tips on how to know when writing is sexist.

First aired November 30, 2023.

Readers want a story to keep moving forward, whether that’s the plot or character development. When we are writing, however, it can be all to easy to write nothing in particular happening.

In this episode, we talk about how to identify when you’re writing nothing. Things like someone didn’t do a thing, not showing emotion, or even simply vague phrasing.

First aired November 27, 2023.