Writing Roots

New authors are constantly asking how to write someone of a different gender or background. Readers are constantly making fun of authors who wildly misrepresent or stereotype their gender. Our goal in this episode to help show you the best practices for writing characters who don’t share the same experiences as you.

There are physical characteristics to consider when writing someone of certain genders*. Those born female have a different center of balance than those born male. They each have their advantages and disadvantages in things like combat.

Most importantly, though, is that they are human. The only consideration for the time and effort you put into developing a character is the role they play in the story, not their gender role. Listen for more.

*We are not covering transgender or non-binary in this episode as those topics are much broader than we could fit into this episode. Refer to our LGBTQ+ episode from 2020 for a brief overview.

The post S38E8 – How Do I Write Women/Men? appeared first on Writing Roots.

A good plot twist is a wonderful addition to a story. It can reframe how the reader views the rest of the story, spark a strong emotional reaction that will help them remember, or simply create a thrilling segment to experience. Writing a good plot twist takes planning and care (or for pantsers, a lot of detailed editing).

There are plenty of places to go wrong with plot twists. Namely, don’t try to make a twist just to shock and surprise the reader. It needs to make sense within the framework of the story. It’s actually better if the reader can figure it out just before its revealed. That helps the reader feel engaged and clever, which helps them like the book.

Listen to this episode for more on the dos and don’ts of writing plot twists.

First aired December 22, 2022.

The post S38E7 – How Do I Write a Story with a Plot Twist? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Once you’ve hit “publish” on your manuscript, knowing what to do next is overwhelming. You get inundated with all sorts of marketing ideas. For authors who usually don’t like to go out into public, one of the most common forms of marketing include live author events, from signings to fairs.

If you’re just getting started, you may be asking yourself how to prepare, what to do, and if there are small tricks to make it all easier. That’s where this episode comes in. Ley and Leigh have done several live events, from hosting to attending, and have a list of things to help simplify the process and make it less daunting. Especially for those of you who may not enjoy public events.

First aired December 19, 2022.

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One of the main jobs an author has is to immerse their audience in the story. One of the most effective ways to do this is to engage all of the reader’s senses – or at least their memories of those senses. We need to use sights, sound, smell, touch, and taste as we craft worlds and scenes. But that can be difficult. Books are limited in what they can actually show. Most of us tend to focus mostly on the sights of the world since it’s easiest to paint that mental picture. True worldbuilding involves so much more. That’s why we wanted to address this question.

Listen to this episode for a breakdown of how to include sensory details, both as you write and as you edit.

First aired December 15, 2022.

The post S38E5 – How Do I Add Sensory Details to My Writing? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Not all main characters have perfect plot armor. There will be times in your writing career where you will need to kill of the main character of your story. However, this is a delicate topic, as it is entirely too easy to incorrectly get rid of the hero.

In this episode, we break down a list of Dos and Don’ts to help guide you in the decision to unalive those MCs. But it all comes down to one important thing: make it mean something.

First aired December 12, 2022.

The post S38E4 – How Do I Kill a Main Character? appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s becoming more and more common to have a large cast of main characters, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Having a dozen or more named, active characters in a single scene, though, is complicated. It takes a lot of work to make sure it’s balance, easy to follow, and still serves a purpose.

In this episode, our hosts break down some of the best ways to have a large cast for scenes while avoiding confusion. We talk about how to sort them, how to track them, and how to make sure they all have a purpose.

First aired December 8, 2022.

The post S38E3 – How Do I Write a Scene With Several Active Characters? appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you want to self-publish your book, you may be considering doing the formatting on your own. While we often advise to turn to professionals who know how to do this step, doing that is simply not plausible for everyone. That’s why we’re tackling this question in our FAQ series: how do I format a book for publishing or querying?

There is a lot that goes into making sure a published book looks correct. You have to consider font, margins, headers, chapter titles, and more. In this episode, we do our best to break down the basics to get you started. Also keep in mind that whether you are directly publishing or setting out to query, the formatting will be different. Listen for more on the differences and important pieces.

First aired December 5, 2022.

If you’d like a more in-depth version of this episode, contact us at [email protected]

The post S38E2 – How Do I Format My Book For Publishing? appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s a question we see frequently. Does taking a break mean I’m not a real writer? Does it mean I’m a bad writer? This is the first question we want to address in our latest Frequently Asked Questions series. All month, we will be addressing your questions and ones we see often within the writing community.

For many of us, it’s difficult to think of ourselves as authors or writers. This is even more true when we aren’t writing every day. It’s easy to downplay our accomplishments when we view it as a hobby or something we do to simply fill time. We don’t think of ourselves as “real writers” if it isn’t our full-time job.

Our hosts are here to tell you that’s not the case. Writing is what makes you a real writer. Not writing every day. Not writing a certain type of story or format or genre. It simply comes down to the act of writing. In fact, we encourage taking breaks! Especially as we exit National Novel Writing Month where burnout is so common. Listen to this episode for more on why it’s important to make sure you take care of you, even if that means stepping away from the keyboard.

First aired December 1, 2022.

The post S38E1 – Does Taking a Break Mean I’m Not a Real Writer? appeared first on Writing Roots.

We’ve all done this at some point: picked up a book and assumed it must be of quality because it’s gone through a traditional publishing process. We’ve also likely been disappointed more than once by that initial assumption. Whether it’s poor copy editing or simply a bad story, it’s important to remember that not every traditionally published book is bad.

Having this understanding is so important for new authors. For one, it gives them realistic expectations about the quality of their books. No book has to be perfect. No author has a perfect understanding of the writing process. Any advice you receive from another author, no matter how they got published, should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, it’s your writing journey.

First aired November 28, 2022.

The post S37E8 – It’s Published, It Must Be Good appeared first on Writing Roots.

No piece of advice is shared more often than this: write what you know. We hear it constantly, often as encouragement to help us write better. It’s definitely something to listen to if you’re writing non-fiction. However, if you’re writing anything in fiction, be it contemporary or fantasy, writing what you know is incredibly limiting. It places you in a box instead of allowing you creativity.

In this episode, we dive into this piece of advice and why it is so often incorrect.

First aired November 26, 2022.

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