Writing Roots

Readers are fully aware that they’re reading a book. However, for just a moment, they pretend they’re inside the story, that they are the characters going on this adventure. Breaking that bubble (also known as suspension of disbelief) can be dangerous because it reminds the reader they are not inside the story, but observing it. At other times, authors charge forward and brazenly shatter the fourth wall and the readers love them for it.

The fourth wall comes from a theater term. On a stage, there are three walls: Downstage, Stage Right, and Stage Left. The fourth one, Upstage, is where the audience sits. There’s no physical barrier there that separates the audience from the performers. Breaking the fourth wall means to engage with the audience. There are different levels to how much you break the fourth wall. You can go as far as Deadpool being aware that he’s in a comic book, to the narrative simply being written to the audience such as in Odd Thomas.

We discuss the uses and problems with the fourth wall in this episode.

First aired May 23, 2022.

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Readers have come to expect certain things from books, including certain tropes and clichés that help establish pieces of the story within a line or two. We’ve talked before about how you can use cookie-cutter representations of tertiary characters so you don’t spend a lot of time describing someone who never reappears. The same thing can work in small ways with your main characters.

You don’t have to spend a lot of time establishing an archetypal character. If you say barmaid and you’ve already established you’re in a medieval tavern setting, most readers will picture the same kind of person. A single line that says a character can crush a skull with one hand gives readers a mental image of a burly warrior type. However, if you are going to use this on your main and secondary characters, it’s best if you also include a twist. We discuss how to do that in this episode.

First aired May 19, 2022.

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Meme culture has given us plenty of names with strong stereotype associations. Karen, Chad, and Kyle, for example. As an author, it’s good to keep in mind that there’s a reason these names grew into memes. It’s because people naturally associate certain ideas and emotions with different names, and even individual sounds.

When you are choosing what to name characters, you’ll want to consider the associations a reader may make. If you’re using real names, it becomes a question of the impressions associated with them. If you’re making up names, you need to consider the implications of the sounds – whether you’re using more consonants or vowels. We discuss the common associations in this episode to help you find the best way to name your own characters.

First aired May 16, 2022.

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There are some things that reader will simply accept as fact because they are reading fiction. We’re not talking about magic or futuristic science. In this episode, we’re discussing actual things that readers will suspend their disbelief even if they know what you wrote is wrong.

You’ve probably read a book or watched a show where someone gets knocked unconscious. They always wake up after they’ve conveniently been stowed or stolen. In reality, if someone is knocked out for longer than about six seconds, they’re going to suffer severe brain trauma. They definitely won’t be in any shape to escape or fight their way out. The thing is, though, that no one really cares when they consume fiction. Readers know and accept that it will be that way because the author said so.

First aired May 12, 2022.

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It is impossible to keep opinion out of your writing. It is impossible to keep current events from swaying the flow of a story. Both of these things can be both a benefit and a hindrance to your storytelling in the minds of readers.

When deciding how far you want to go in presenting opinions, you need first to consider your audience. Those reading non-fiction about debated topics will gladly welcome in-depth discussions. Those seeking escapism in fantasy realms may be less inclined to dive into deep end. It also depends on you as the author. What kind of brand are you wanting to establish for yourself?

There are things, even if you are solidly in the fictional realms, that can help you tell a compelling story influenced by the discussions of the modern world. We discuss them in this episode below.

First aired May 9, 2022.

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Why do you read?

That simple question determines so much about how authors approach their books. Whether they’re writing a cook book or an epic fantasy, the author needs to know why someone may be interested in the book.

With fiction, the most common reason people read is to escape. They want to spend some time away from their own battles and spend a little time fantasizing, whether it’s about magic or a passionate relationship. Each genre has its own demands and expectations that go along with how a reader escapes into the world and plot. Hosts Ley and Leigh discuss in this episode why they read, and how you can fulfill your own reader’s escapist desires.

First aired May 5, 2022.

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Part of becoming a successful author is knowing your target audience. You need to know what they like, the kinds of stories that will interest them, and the types of characters they will align with. Even more important is to know the psychology behind reading. It’s more than simply enjoying a book and reading for fun. There are things that people subconsciously seek while they read. Throughout all of May, we will be exploring the psychology of the reader.

We begin by looking at the mechanics of reading. How people read changes depending on where they are in their journey of learning. Children and those learning a new language start by looking at individual letters. Eventually we begin to recognize groupings, until we grow into being able to recognize a word at a simple glance. Some even stop seeing words, but are picturing instead what the words are suggesting. This contributes to there being words invisible to the reader, but which are helpful in writing. Listen to this episode as we talk about the mechanics of reading and how it can help you as a writer.

First aired May 2, 2022.

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Part of why we’ve taken this whole month to introduce you to the writing skills involved in various kinds of storytelling is because all of those skills can be useful while writing any story. News articles will show up in novels, commercials may be part of the game you’re writing, or you need a stage performance inside your screenplay. It also applies for taking a story written originally for one medium, and translating it to another. The Witcher is a great example of this, going from books to games to a TV series.

Hosts Leigh and Ley take a look at why you should know how to use these different mediums in order to determine which one works best for your story in the end, or if maybe you need to use multiple.

First aired April 30, 2022.

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If you’re not looking for much notoriety, but enjoy writing flash and short fiction, consider getting into the world of actor monologues. These timed pieces are designed to help actors express a range of emotions in order to get hired into roles. They range from comedic to dramatic to everything in between. The important part is writing so the piece can be performed.

Monologues have been performed since ancient times. They can be part of larger productions (Shakespeare is known for monologues within his plays), or a individual pieces. It’s an opportunity for you to focus on character development within just a few hundred words. You can even use monologues to help find the voice for characters within your other works. But as mentioned earlier, there’s not a lot of notoriety. And when you’re writing for a single actor, it means writing a single character. There’s no conversation with anyone but the performer.

Listen to this episode for more about how and why to write monologues.

First aired April 28, 2022.

The post S31E8 – The Art of Writing Monologues for Actors appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s no secret that our hosts are into gaming. We talk about Dungeons & Dragons constantly, especially how to use it to build characters. It’s more than that, though. We understand that through games, you have a chance to tell amazing and intricate stories. This includes all kinds of games, from board games to tabletop to video games. Each one, even Monopoly, tells a story of some kind.

If you’re looking for a writing career and enjoy choose-your-adventure style creation, consider venturing into the gaming industry. Companies hire dozens of writers to help on a single project, especially if it’s something as large as an MMO or even a tabletop game universe. You have the chance to explore and build incredible worlds, characters, and possible plots. You get the chance to let your players have a say in how the story unfolds. And you also get a guaranteed massive audience, since games are wildly popular.

In this episode, we break down storytelling for games of all kinds, as well as the advantages and disadvantages.

First aired April 25, 2022.

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