Sacha Black is a bestselling author, host of The Rebel Author Podcast and Next Level Authors, and a professional speaker. She writes amazing educational nonfiction books for writers, and fantasy for Young Adult and adult audiences. She lives in Cambridgeshire with her wife and son.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why side characters drive your plot forwards
• Why your story needs a theme
• Juggling a writing (and podcasting!) schedule with raising small people
•  How to use time blocks effectively
• The benefits of a morning writing routine (and how much of a different it's made to Kristina's writing in a week!)

Show notes:

• 3.30 – Patreon shoutout
• 4.04 – Personal updates
• 11.50 – About Sacha Black
• 12.50 – Why are side characters so important?
• 14.50 – How side characters can be used to represent the theme of your story
• 17.30 – Do different genres require different characters and different characterisation?
• 21.45 – Is it time to cut that side character?
• 28.00 – The two types of character deaths
• 40.00 – Stop fridging your characters!
• 33.15 – How literal and metaphorical deaths affect your characters
• 48.50 – How to juggle writing books, raising a child, and everything else
• 55.05 – Setting an example for the next generation
• 59.10 – Time management when you’ve got too much to do
• 1.08.15 – The two books that changed Sacha’s life
• 1.11.25 – Where to find Sacha online

Preorder 8 Steps to Side Characters by Sacha Black:

• Amazon UK*
• Amazon US*
• Apple*

Preorder the 8 Steps to Side Characters Workbook by Sacha Black:

• Amazon UK 
• Amazon US 
• Apple 

Sacha's most inspiring books:

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham:

• Amazon UK*
• Amazon US*
• Apple*

Divergent series box set by Veronica Roth:

• Amazon UK*
• Amazon US*
• Apple*

Other books discussed:

Lifelong Writing Habits by Chris Fox:

• Amazon UK*
• Amazon US*
• Audiobook on Apple*

The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger

• Amazon UK*
• Amazon US*
• Apple*

*Affiliate link. It won't cost you any extra to purchase through one of our links, but we will get a small commission for every purchase.