Writing Roots

Every writer needs tools to help them along the way. This series will be focusing on the toolbox. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of the medium used for writing, how to find the ideal location and setting to optimize your writing time, and get into the details of punctuation and word use.

November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo for short. Writers everywhere set out to write 50,000 words in the month. It can be a daunting task, especially when you have school, work, or other hobbies. In this episode of Writing Roots, Ley and Leigh break down the numbers and offer suggestions on how to get the most out of the month.

First aired November 4, 2019.

The post S4E1 – Getting the Most from NaNoWriMo appeared first on Writing Roots.

Every writer has heard the adage “write what you know” at least a dozen times. What does it even mean? As writers, especially of fiction, we constantly write what we don’t know. This month, we explore how to navigate the balance between imagination and reality.

Happy Halloween! In this episode, Ley Esses and Leigh Hull talk about the things that go bump in the night and how to make it work in your stories. We discuss what makes something scary, the difference between horror and terror, and how to build a monster.

First aired October 31, 2019.

The post S3E9 – Monsters and Horror appeared first on Writing Roots.

Every writer has heard the adage “write what you know” at least a dozen times. What does it even mean? As writers, especially of fiction, we constantly write what we don’t know. This month, we explore how to navigate the balance between imagination and reality.

Religion is a large part of earth’s history and the motivation for more than a few wars. In fiction, religion can play a part in not only your world as a whole, but in your character’s motivations and desires.

Leigh Hull and Ley Esses discuss how to create a religion or a pantheon that works with – or against – your characters and world.

First aired October 28, 2019.

The post S3E8 – Building a Pantheon appeared first on Writing Roots.

Every writer has heard the adage “write what you know” at least a dozen times. What does it even mean? As writers, especially of fiction, we constantly write what we don’t know. This month, we explore how to navigate the balance between imagination and reality.

We return with the Forge in this episode, the writing group that helped start AspenHouse Publishing. Listen to hear Halloween-themed stories written by authors in The Forge.

First aired October 26, 2019.

The post S3 Bonus – The Forge: Short Horror Stories appeared first on Writing Roots.

Every writer has heard the adage “write what you know” at least a dozen times. What does it even mean? As writers, especially of fiction, we constantly write what we don’t know. This month, we explore how to navigate the balance between imagination and reality.

Weaknesses are for more than just powers. Characters need weaknesses to make them interesting. Leigh Hull and Ley Esses talk about what weaknesses can do for your story, and what kinds of weaknesses can work.

First aired October 24, 2019.

The post S3E7 – Weaknesses appeared first on Writing Roots.