Writing Roots

One way to play with structure and step outside the normal bounds of linear storytelling is to consider the recursion structure. You may know this best from the film Groundhog Day. Recursion is when at least one character relives the same day (or other period of time) again and again.

This structure really lends itself to a story focused on the character development and story arc. Outside conflicts are usually secondary to the need of the main character to change in some way. The recursion storytelling technique is incredibly flexible, which makes it perfect for nearly any genre.

It’s not, however, a simple and straightforward structure. There are a lot of things to consider and include, like making sure your readers are following easily when the timeline resets. Listen to this episode for suggestions and a full breakdown of what recursion can mean for your story.

First aired August 12, 2021.

We’re still buying your books to celebrate our two-year anniversary and thank all of you listeners for your support! Hosts Leigh and Ley are buying self-published books from our listeners and followers. We’ll keep buying until our fund runs out. Find out more on our Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (found on our homepage) while you’re here.

The post S23E4 – Structure with Recursion appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you’re looking for a unique way to tell a story – especially a crime story – consider the Rashomon structure. Originally a Japanese film, Rashomon told the storyh using the subjective views of those involved in the events. The same scene was shown several times from all different perspectives.

Using the Rashomon structure means digging into the characters and how they view the world. People often see and notice what they know or what they want to see. Those with tactical training – military and police for example – will see threats and weapons. The bookworm that would rather be home than out on a Friday night would probably notice the dogs or cats at a party. Telling a Rashomon story will help you convey what matters to the character. Who they really are at the core.

It is not an easy structure, however. You need to plan out not just the event, but how each character perceives that event. It takes thought and deep knowledge of your character. No viewpoint should be completely accurate.

Listen to this episode to learn more about the Rashomon structure and how it can be used in your own story.

First aired August 9, 2021.

We’re still buying your books to celebrate our two-year anniversary and thank all of you listeners for your support! Hosts Leigh and Ley are buying self-published books from our listeners and followers. We’ll keep buying until our fund runs out. Find out more on our Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (found on our homepage) while you’re here.

The post S23E3 – Rashomon Stories appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s about time. Stories about time. Throughout August, we’ll be talking about the use of time within story structure, as well as less common structures available.

Story structures are the framework used to build a fiction novel or even short stories. Common ones include the three-act, five-act, seven point, or the hero’s journey. Some stories, though, allow for more creativity in the way the story is presented. It’s not all linear, but could be a “big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.” It’s difficult to pull off in a sensible way, but worth at least trying.

This episode is about the use of parallel structure in creating a style that has readers leaning toward the end of your story without knowing exactly how you’re going to get there.

Listen now to learn how to use multiple points of view and play with timelines – even across centuries – to tell your story in a fresh and interesting fashion.

First aired August 5, 2021.

It’s also our two-year anniversary! We’re celebrating by buying your books! Hosts Leigh and Ley are buying self-published books from our listeners and followers. We’ll keep buying until our fund runs out. Find out more on our Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (found on our homepage) while you’re here.

The post S23E2 – Parallel Structure appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s about time. Stories about time. Throughout August, we’ll be talking about the use of time within story structure, as well as less common structures available.

Story structures are the framework used to build a fiction novel or even short stories. Common ones include the three-act, five-act, seven point, or the hero’s journey. Some stories, though, allow for more creativity in the way the story is presented. It’s not all linear, but could be a “big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.” It’s difficult to pull off in a sensible way, but worth at least trying.

This episode is about the use of time within stories. This could be through time travel, portals where time flows differently, or even having an immortal character.

Listen now to learn how to use time within the plot without simply confusing your listeners.

First aired August 2, 2021.

It’s also our two-year anniversary! We’re celebrating by buying your books! Hosts Leigh and Ley are buying self-published books from our listeners and followers. We’ll keep buying until our fund runs out. Find out more on our Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (found on our homepage) while you’re here.

The post S23E1 – Stories About Time appeared first on Writing Roots.

Every editing conversation should end with positives and those favorite moments your editor found while reading. An editor isn’t there just to tell you what you did wrong. They should also tell you what you did right, what you did well. This is part of constructive criticism. There will always be things that could be improved, but it is easy to get disheartened when all you see – and all anyone ever shows you – is what is bad.

This is also an important note for any editors out there. Make sure you’re looking and making note of those moments that are good. Especially for those moments that are great. Draw a smiley face. Circle it. Tell the author. Let them know when they are doing good things, so they can keep doing those good things. The last thing you want is to make an author feel like they need to change everything about the way they write because you neglected to point out what worked.

In this episode, Ley and Leigh conclude their editing discussion by doing just this. Leigh talks about her favorite moments and themes in The Modakku Anthologies, while Ley shows her favorites from K/D Ratio.

If you haven’t yet, check out for K/D Ratio by Leigh Hull and The Modakku Anthologies by Ley Esses on Amazon.

First aired July 30, 2021.

Stay tuned for August. We’ll be talking about different ways to play with time in your story structure. The first episode of Series 23 drops August 2.

The post S22 Bonus – Favorite Moments appeared first on Writing Roots.

Worldbuilding can apply to all types of writing, but it is essential for speculative fiction. Modern – and even historical – fiction is easy when it comes to worldbuilding. There is an expectation that the readers will know what you mean when you say a small town or big city. They have knowledge of our world already. When you’re showing a world that you created, there is some obligation to describe. To set the stage, so to speak, for your readers’ imaginations.

Ley requested an extra look at her worldbuilding and magic when she asked Leigh to edit. This episode continues our demonstration of the editing process by looking at how Ley’s worldbuilding in The Modakku Anthologies could be improved and where it worked.

First aired July 29, 2021.

The post S22E9 – Fog and Flame: Worldbuilding appeared first on Writing Roots.

Dialogue can be tricky for authors, especially if you’ve never heard of the idea of beats in dialogue. It can either feel stilted in an attempt to make it grammatically correct, or end up nonsensical with a lack of structure. What goes in the dialogue and what goes around it? What actually needs to be said out loud? These are all things writers work to improve over time. Unfortunately, they’re not the only things about dialogue that need attention.

There’s also a lot more to writing dialogue than just knowing the right words to put on the page. You need to find the beats in dialogue. Stage actors and others involved in the theater are familiar with the idea of beats. It’s the timing of the whole play. Pauses and actions need to be in just the right place to compliment the dialogue. Take the famous line “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?” from Shakespeare’s play. When said with the wrong beats as it often is in high school readings, it comes off as asking where Romeo is located. Skilled actors, though, convey the true meaning by maintaining the beats. “Why must you be Romeo?”

In this episode, Ley introduces this idea and how it applies to Leigh’s K/D Ratio. They discuss specific lines where the beats in dialogue, often demonstrated with a dialogue tag, is misplaced.

First aired July 26, 2021.

The post S22E8 – K/D Ratio: Beats in Dialogue appeared first on Writing Roots.

Stories generally develop in one of two ways: with a focus on the plot with the characters playing their parts, or a focus on the characters as they navigate the world. In other words, plot-driven or character-driven. Both are valid storytelling techniques and play to the interests of readers in varying genres. Even if you are driven by one, though, you should still be putting effort into developing the other. After all, characters are not just puppets and plot isn’t just a sandbox.

Before editing Ley’s Modakku Anthologies, she asked Leigh to help make sure the characters were strong in their respective roles. When she chose to write in first-person omniscient, she also decided to never name her main character, the narrator. It proved to be a challenge and with that came some concern that the character would feel disconnected.

Leigh and Ley discuss her characters in this episode, with a focus on Fog and Flame, and things she could do to improve the characters within the plot.

First aired July 22, 2021.

The post S22E7 – Fog and Flame: Character Development appeared first on Writing Roots.

A key to unique characters is to develop and maintain character voice. Think of your favorite books. Can you tell who is speaking without needing to read the dialogue tag? If you can, that means that author developed the character voice.

Each character should have their own unique way of thinking and speaking within the story. This doesn’t mean you need to write in accents or use completely different words. It does mean you need to consider your character. Dig into what they would notice in the world, their education level, and maybe the jargon they’d use. Part of voice is also making sure their motivations are intrinsic in their actions.

In this episode, Ley points out occasions where character voice needed to be tightened up in K/D Ratio. From making sure characters don’t overexplain to making sure the main character’s thoughts are tracking in the right direction.

First aired July 19, 2021.

The episodes in this series, Editing Demonstration, contain spoilers for Ley Esses’ The Modakku Anthologies as well as Leigh Hull’s Gamer Files series. Read them before you listen if you don’t want to have the endings spoiled.

The post S22E6 – K/D Ratio: Character Voice appeared first on Writing Roots.

Narrative flow is important for keeping your reader engaged in the plot. You want to keep driving them forward to the next event or next reveal. There are times, though, when it’s okay to reveal something, then step back in time to explain how you got there. This was a major piece of the Disney movie, Emperor’s New Groove. It was also a narrative style used in Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series. Ley’s use of first-person omniscient played well into using this as a plot device. It also led to using it more than was necessary.

Another piece of editing that the hosts wanted to demonstrate was the role of the editor to look for continuity errors. Having someone else take that step back to look at the work objectively is vital. Ley, though a plotter, still changed elements of her book through the process of self-editing. Leigh was able to find and fix those holes during her editing process.

In this episode, the hosts analyze the first book in the Modakku Anthologies, Fog and Flame. This episode does contain spoilers. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find on Amazon.

First aired July 15, 2021.

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