Writing Roots

Are you a good writer? This is a topic we wanted to revisit because it’s a question that revisits every writer through their career. There is always doubt and question about skill level, whether the writing is good or interesting, and the constant habit of comparing to best-selling novels. It is unfortunate that often the better we are, the worse we feel about our skill.

In this episode, our hosts talk about their struggles with imposter syndrome, the times they feel their writing wasn’t good enough, and how they overcome the constant doubts.

First aired August 22, 2022.

The post S34E7 – Imposter Syndrome and Your Writing Skills appeared first on Writing Roots.

Comedy is an essential part of most writing. Even if you aren’t focusing on it as a genre, some humor can go a long way in helping readers enjoy your book even more.

We decided to take a second look at this topic (well, technically third, since there were two previous episodes about it). In this new episode, we take a deeper look at what humor is, and the ingredient to help craft the perfect moments in your story.

First aired August 18, 2022.

The post S34E6 – Writing Humor and Comedy appeared first on Writing Roots.

Humans like the number three. Political, religious, societal, and even superstitious structures are often divided into threes. It’s the smallest number needed to establish a pattern that can be broken. You want to keep three in mind while writing. Not only can it be fundamental to your story structure, but even to your sentence structures.

In this episode, Ley and Leigh take another look at the rule of three in regards to how it can be used in writing. From a single sentence to make a point, to the structure as a whole, authors should be considering their story in threes.

First aired August 15, 2022.

The post S34E5 – The Rule of Three in Writing appeared first on Writing Roots.

Book titles are vital for sales. A title that’s too generic won’t catch a reader’s attention. A title that’s too far from the genre trends will mislead and draw in the wrong readers. A boring title won’t draw in any readers.

Continuing our redo series, we’re taking a closer look at how to name a book. Our hosts look at what works, what to keep in mind, and the best practices for finding a title that fits your book.

First aired August 11, 2022.

The post S34E4 – What’s in a (Book’s) Name? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Pennames are a hot topic in the writing world. There are a lot of reasons to have one, but just as many to use your own name. The name you publish under is your brand. It’s important to remember that if you want to build a following that will read your content across multiple books.

Stephen King, using a penname (Richard Bachman) was proving he could be successful without relying on his public image. For other authors, it’s a way to conceal their gender in a preferential market. For yet others, it’s about picking a name that will be memorable for the readers.

In this episode, our hosts dive back into the topic of names. We look at the reasons for pennames, and how to pick one (if you need to) that will stand out in the market.

First aired August 8, 2022.

The post S34E3 – What’s in a (Pen)Name? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Plotting or pantsing? It’s a question of how you decide to take on your writing project. Are you more of an architect who builds out a story before you write it, or are you a gardener who cultivates the story as it grows? Knowing which style best suits you can help you maximize your writing adventures.

When we started this podcast, Leigh was a pantser, while Ley was a plotter. In the last few years, both have grown and adapted elements of the other styles. That has helped Leigh publish two books, while Ley has embraced the knowledge that sometimes the story needs to change.

In this episode redux, we take a look at what plotting and pantsing means, how our stances have changed, and give a bit of advice on how to discover the right balance for you.

First aired August 4, 2022.

The post S34E2 – Plotting vs. Pantsing, Take Two appeared first on Writing Roots.

Writing is a never-ending learning process. In the three years since we started this podcast, we at Writing Roots have grown in our individual writing journeys. That also means that we know a lot more now than we did when we started. To celebrate our anniversary and starting our fourth year, we decided to take a look at some of those old episodes and see what we could improve with our new knowledge.

These years of podcasting have been a journey. Both of our hosts have made major accomplishments and even changed some of their processes to improve their writing. Leigh, who started this podcast as an editor, has joined the ranks of published authors. Ley has continued to publish, but is learning to change how she approaches the later drafts of her works.

In this episode, the hosts talk about the podcast, how their perspectives have changed, and some of the lessons they have learned as they’ve grown in the writing careers.

The post S34E1 – The Lessons We’ve Learned appeared first on Writing Roots.

You’re nearing the end of the story. You need something to tie all of the threads together which you’ve woven through the pages. What better way to explain why everything happened than to have your villain say it?

There are lots of better ways. Trust us.

The villain monologue has long been a staple of action novels and spy stories. It’s a neat way to explain the motivation for everything the villain did, while giving an extra convenient opportunity for the hero to escape and save the day. Unfortunately, there’s usually a poor reason for it. Most of the time, it’s because of vanity. The villain just loves to hear themselves talk. Sometimes it’s hubris. They simply can’t be beaten. But it doesn’t work.

There are better ways to reveal important information without making your villain go into a monologue worthy of the hero in a Shakespearean tragedy.

First aired June 30, 2022.

The post S33E9 – Avoiding the Info Dump: The Villain Monologue appeared first on Writing Roots.

Just because you have a character say it doesn’t mean you’re actually avoiding exposition. In some ways, having a character share backstory information through dialogue can be more annoying than helpful. That’s not to say you should avoid it entirely. You should, however, be aware of the main three problems that come with info dumping in dialogue.

The first problem is that the person your character is speaking to already knows the information, or they don’t need it in that moment. The second problem is that it’s simply out of character. And the final problem is that your character is going into monologue status and talking entirely too much.

In this episode, Ley and Leigh break down ways to find when you’re going into dialogue exposition, and how to fix it so you still get the information across without boring or annoying your reader.

First aired June 27, 2022.

The post S33E8 – Avoiding the Info Dump: Within Dialogue appeared first on Writing Roots.

There may come a time in your writing where you simply can’t avoid the exposition. Some piece of history may need to be explained, or you need to discuss the magic and what’s possible. The trick is to do it in such a way that makes the reader want it, which then helps them not even realize it’s an info dump.

When you need to explain some bit of the story, you should still keep it short. Keep it relevant. And most helpfully, make sure you’ve prompted the reader to question the topic before you ever need to explain it. In this bonus episode, we talk about the best practices for including necessary exposition without making your readers bored or annoyed.

First aired June 25, 2022.

Don’t forget we have a digital writing retreat coming up in July! Find all the details here.

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