Writing Roots

Commas. They’re a problem. It can be difficult to remember where commas should be and, more importantly, where they shouldn’t be in a sentence. New writers often hear the suggestion to put a comma wherever feels natural. Stephen King even recently tweeted, “If you hear a pause in your head, the comma goes in (see what I did there?). If you don’t you don’t.” While that can work at times, it is also dangerous advice for people seeking to be published. Misusing commas can be a sign of other problems within a manuscript.

Like any other writing rule, it’s important to know it before you break it. There are several rules that dictate where commas belong. Sometimes those rules change based on the style book, such as the hotly debated Oxford comma. Commas also belong with introductory or interjectory phrases, where you omit other words, or inside quotation marks when you have a dialogue tag.

We break down what all of those mean in this episode, as well as in our next episode about phrases.

First aired November 15, 2021.

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Language is made up of so many different pieces. Often, you use them instinctively because it’s what you grew up learning. To write, however, you should become more familiar with all the different parts of speech and how they should be used. Knowing that, then, will help you break the rules when necessary.

This is the second part of our episodes about parts of speech. To listen to part one, click here.

First aired November 11, 2021.

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No one can be a good writer without knowing the basics of the language in which they write. You may have learned terms like nouns and adverbs in school, but its quite possible you’ve forgotten what they actually mean or how they should interact. Maybe you’re still learning, as all writers are. That’s why we’re taking two episodes to break down the parts of speech within the english language.

In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss the basic parts of speech, such as verbs, adjectives, and even interjections. They break down the term’s meaning and how those words are used within sentences.

First aired November 8, 2021.

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When someone talks about the formatting of a book, there are many different things this could mean. They could be talking about the final book format, or the manuscript formatting requirements. Those are fairly simple, though. Some of the more difficult formatting comes from the writing requirements most often encountered in professional and academic environments.

In this episode, we discuss the differences between the different stages of formatting, as well as style guides such as Chicago, MLA, and AP.

First aired November 4, 2021.

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As a writer, you should be striving to become a student of language. This doesn’t mean becoming a polyglot, but learning to love the study of the language you use to write. It is vital to know the rules of a language in order to become a good writer, because it is only then that you can really know how to properly break the rules.

If you’re writing in english, you’re not going to follow all of the rules all of the time. Dialogue is often broken and fragmented as it is supposed to be an imitation of how people actually speak. You may start sentences with conjunctions, or end with prepositions. You may break all of those rules your teachers told you were hard and fast in the writing world. The danger is in breaking the rules because you don’t know the rules. Readers can often see the difference, whether they realize it or not. It changes how they view the story. Rules broken well are seamless. Rules broken poorly are jarring.

In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss how to become a student of language, why it is important (even if you don’t like it), and ways you can begin studying.

First aired November 1, 2021.

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Finishing a book is probably the most difficult part of the writing process. Editing can be daunting and publishing simply overwhelming, but none of that can even happen if you never reach the end. This is an especially important goal as we enter National Novel Writing Month, where people across the country (and now across the world) attempt to write 50,000 words in one month. That’s the minimum size for a single writing work to be considered a novel.

In reality, writing a book is all about perseverance and consistency.

Did you know that 90% of people never finish NaNoWriMo? Schedules get in the way, the ideas fall flat, and it simply gets discouraging to see that goal get more and more out of reach as the daily word goals aren’t met. But that’s where this episode comes in handy. There are lots of things you can do to help yourself get back on track and keep motivated to write.

If you’re setting out to reach the 50,000 word NaNoWriMo goal, the most important thing to remember is that the writing does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be. Ley and Leigh share some of the tricks they’ve learned from successes and failures during their own NaNo projects. This includes making sure you take care of yourself, find a buddy to help encourage you, and how to identify what’s holding you back.

First aired October 30, 2021.

For other episodes and articles on this topic, see below:”

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Building a brand around yourself as an author is a key element of successful marketing. This is even more important if you plant to write several books or different series. Having an author brand is how you can lead people to all of your books, not just the most successful ones.

A brand is what people perceive as being you. When it comes to retail and large companies, this is often a symbol that can be immediately recognizable, such as a logo. It’s difficult to develop a symbol to represent you as an author, but the idea still applies. It can be the voice you use on social media, what makes you and your books unique, your style of profile photo, and the kind of imagery you share when promoting your books.

When building your brand, consider the authors who you believe share your target audience. Look at the successful ones. What do they do that helps build an audience? What have they done to build a brand? How are they recognizable? Take elements of what they do and apply it in your own marketing process. This can include anything from a website to social media sites, to newsletters.

There’s a lot more to consider as well, such as consistency, ways to get your name out there, and building your own personal schedule. We’re creating a notebook to help you track all of these elements, as well as build ideas for how you want to present yourself in the marketing world. This episode is a breakdown of some of the elements included in that book.

First aired October 28, 2021.

For more episodes on this topic, see below:

Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here.

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Publishing can be a daunting process, especially if you’re a new author and unsure what comes after finishing that manuscript. You may be looking at is and asking yourself “what now?” Do you self-publish, or pursue traditional publishing? What about the title and the cover and the formatting?

Even once you’ve decided those things, it’s not the end. There is more to publishing than just getting the book printed or in the hands of a publisher. It’s also about marketing and getting the word out to your target audience, even if you’re traditionally published. If you don’t share what you’ve created, no one will know it exists. Once you’ve figured out the cover and titles, it’s time to start getting together promotional material.

In this episode we discuss the workbook we’re creating to help you get published. We include a calendar to schedule the release date and everything you need to do beforehand, ideas and space for you to jot down your plans for social media, as well as scheduling and budgeting things like the editing and cover design processes.

First aired October 25, 2021.

For more episodes on this topic, see below:

Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here.

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If you think about your favorite books, they’re probably not standalone novels. Many of todays books, especially in fantasy and sci-fi settings, are part of a set. Writing a series, though, can be difficult work. Not only do you need to consider the plot of a single book, but the plot that will connect all of them. This, of course, doesn’t always apply. If you’re writing an episodic series, such as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, or Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, then you don’t need to worry about connecting plot threads.

However, if you’re planning to write a complicated series, then keeping detailed notes is a must. That’s where our book comes in handy. In this episode, we discuss the notebook we’ve created to help you plot out a whole series, starting with book one. Like the rest of the workbooks, you can use the ones we’ve created, or use this episode to guide you in the process of creating your own. These are starting points to help you write the best series you can.

First aired October 21, 2021.

For additional episodes on this topic, see below:

Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here.

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Story would not be the same without multiple characters. You often need a villain and at least one supporting character. In some genres, especially epic fantasy and science fiction, there will be at least a dozen prominent supporting characters. There are even some cases where the supporting characters are almost main characters of their own.

It’s important, then, to consider how all of these supporting characters play into the story as a whole. What role do they fulfill in the group? Are they important to the the plot in some way? What will they contribute to the resolution of the conflict?

In the workbook we discuss this episode, we talk about several kinds of supporting characters and things to consider for each of them as you build your cast. We include things from how they look, who they are to the main character, and what strengths they contribute to the team.

This workbook will be just one in a series we’ll release through the month. Each book is designed to help you plot, build, and write. If you’re a plotter, you’ll probably find the books more helpful before you write. Pantsers can use them to chart and track as they work on their stories. This series, though, is built in a way to help you even if you don’t get the book. You’ll get all the information you need in each episode to help you build your own version, whether it’s about worldbuilding, branding, or creating your own writing prompts.

First aired October 18, 2021.

For additional episodes on this topic, see below:

Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here.

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