By writers, for writers, a weekly discussion of writing craft lead by South Carolina Writers Association members and guests.
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In consuming a ridiculous amount of romance fiction, I (Kasie) have come across my share of absurd body part descriptions. So I thought we haven’t ever really talked about how to talk about body parts on this show. So let’s do that. Let’s talk: Basic biology versus nuanced inference When, where and how to flex that vocabulary Body parts as vehicles for metaphor (i.e. broken heart) What to leave to…
The last time we had a show near Valentine’s Day, it was the day after and we did Episode 299 “Love for Love’s Sake” exploring the trappings of a love story. So we’ll start there. Love stories are universal because they are so versatile. In our previous episode, we went through the types of love per This link which explains it this way: “the comprehensive feeling for the entire cosmos.” From the…
So last week Hollie joined us to talk about motifs which turned into a plot device conversation and we decided we could use of more that. So here it is, Part 2 if you will of Plot Devices to get us started this year. Turns out, we haven’t done plot devices before. We’ve done literary devices ( Episode 125 ) but not plot devices. What do we mean by “plot device”? A plot device is any tool used to…
This morning we’re joined by Hollie, a musician and contributor to the show, who had something to add to our conversation on motifs. The idea came from an article explaining how composers use motifs to advance the plot in musical theater. That got me (Kasie) wondering about other plot-advancement devices in literature that function in similar ways. Thanks, as always, to Gemini AI for curating the…
The appeal of the apocalypse. Seems like everyone takes a stab at writing about the end times. What does it look like in your imagination? Let’s remember that a lot, a LOT of what we have now was once imagined by writers. For example, Fahrenheit 451 predicted headphones, Frankenstein imagined transplants, Isaac Asimov predicted the rise of computers ( link ). Apple watches, self-driving cars, even…
Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions for your writing life? What’s the purpose of it and why should we do it? There are ancient origins for new year’s resolutions including the Babylonians in 2000 b.c. making promises to the gods at the new year to return borrowed items and pay off debts. How many of those promises do you suppose were kept? In medieval times, knights renewed their oaths of…
Kasie and Hollie host an old school flashback episode. Inspired by 90s sitcoms that had end of season flashback episodes, Kasie and Hollie decided to use each segment as a flashback to a previous episode of Write on SC to give a new perspective.
What is an anti-hero? This topic is so old, the show notes still introduce who we are to the audience. Wow. Episode 43 way back in 2019 was the only episode we have dedicated to the Anti-Hero. Notes there are not AI-generated, but these notes totally are: An anti-hero is a central character who lacks conventional heroic qualities like altruism, morality, or idealism, often driven by selfish…
It’s been a while since we covered the dozen uses for the Fool ( Episode 181 ) so there are some new notes and updated links for it but the concept remains. Per Gemini AI: the Fool is an archetype, often a jester or simpleton, who uses humor, feigned madness, or childlike simplicity to speak uncomfortable truths, challenge norms, offer wisdom, and provide commentary, acting as a mirror for society…
Heather has been with us before. She visited back on Episode 261: Edit Like a Pro. Here are some details about Heather: Heather Harris-Bergevin is an author whose business, Barrow Editing, is based in Columbia, South Carolina. She, her three children, two cats, and a happy pitbull spend most of their time fighting entropy. Her own poetry books are published with By Common Consent Press, and she…
What is Retroactive Continuity? Retroactive continuity (often called retcon ) is a storytelling device used in fiction when authors or creators deliberately change, add to, or contradict facts that were previously established in a story’s “official past.” In essence, the story’s “history” gets rewritten, sometimes subtly and sometimes quite dramatically. ( Wikipedia ) According to one definition:…
Crymsyn Hart is a multi-genre author from Horror, Urban Fantasy, and Romance. Her years of experience at Boston’s oldest psychic salon doing readings and her encounters with the supernatural have inspired many novels. She’s a lover of all things dark and goth. Vampires, grim reapers, and other paranormal creatures tend to end up in her books no matter how hard she tries to keep them away. She…
A child of the 80's, SL Harby grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and classic video games. An only child, he was bitten early by the reading bug, cutting his teeth on the masters of modern fantasy. His days were spent inside the worlds created by Howard and Lieber, Moorcock and Tolkien. A perpetual Jersey boy, SL Harby lives in northwestern New Jersey with his wife and muse, Jessica and their bad…
Nick Roberts is the award-winning author of Anathema , The Exorcist's House series , Mean Spirited , and several others. His works have been translated into multiple languages, becoming international bestsellers and garnering the attention of Hollywood. He’s a member of the Horror Writers Association, a doctoral graduate from Marshall University, and currently resides in South Carolina with his…
The last time we did this topic was way back in 2021 here’s the link to Episode 130 . We think maybe we’ve learned something since then. Born out of the “be mean to your characters” necessity, “what could be meaner than making your characters make decisions, do something, take responsibility, and live with consequences of their actions?” According to this link by Meg LaTorre at Savvy Authors,…
Finding the right event, getting the vendor license, and packing all your stuff to go over there and sell is all part of the prep. The South Carolina Artisan license can be found at the SC Department of Revenue ( link ). Some expected costs: Table ($50-200), vendor license (maybe), travel -- if you have an LLC, you can consider all of these business expenses. Some preparation consideration: Table…
Heather has been with us before. She visited back on Episode 261: Edit Like a Pro. Here are some details about Heather: Heather Harris-Bergevin is an author whose business, Barrow Editing, is based in Columbia, South Carolina. She, her three children, two cats, and a happy pitbull spend most of their time fighting entropy. Her own poetry books are published with By Common Consent Press, and she…
We always talk about how to promote your book and this week I attended (as a speaker) the Business Boot Camp for the Women in Publishing Summit team where all we talked about was authorprenuership. But there’s more to this literary life than just self-promotion. There’s a give-back element that we call literary citizenship and if you can learn to enjoy it, you can really profit from it. Five years…
We always talk about how to promote your book and this week I attended (as a speaker) the Business Boot Camp for the Women in Publishing Summit team where all we talked about was authorprenuership. But there’s more to this literary life than just self-promotion. There’s a give-back element that we call literary citizenship and if you can learn to enjoy it, you can really profit from it. Five years…
We’re in the dog days of summer which can lead to a slow, reluctance to turn to the screen or the page and get new stories generated. Why do we feel this? What can we do about it? This writer offered a few tips and tricks: Read, read and read again – other writers can gently or violently shake something free in us Surround yourself with other writers – group, conferences, readings, book stores, go…
It’s been a while since we did the grab bag thing. Here are some place to start but we’re sure to wander off and just riff a bit. I asked Gemini “What are Writers asking AI?” How can AI assist with research and brainstorming? AI can help writers research topics, generate outlines, and brainstorm ideas for stories or articles. Can AI help with editing and proofreading? Yes, AI writing assistants…
This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. So reading it might mean you don’t need our seven episodes but how about come along for the ride anyway? The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and…
The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas . The sins are: Pride Greed Lust Envy Gluttony Wrath Sloth We’ve done these before (episodes 151 – 157 ), but it’s been a while and this time…
We took last week off for the holiday weekend but we’re back this week to finish the Seven Deadly Sins series. Remember we did this one before, but it’s been a couple of years. This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior.…
It’s been the summer of the Seven Deadly Sins series. This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas…
It’s been the summer of the Seven Deadly Sins series. This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas…
The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and elaborated in the 13th century by St. Thomas Aquinas . The sins are: Pride Greed Lust Envy Gluttony Wrath Sloth We’ve done these before (episodes 151 – 157 ), but it’s been a while and this time…
This blog gives a quick summary of all seven sins and some examples of how to use them. So reading it might mean you don’t need our seven episodes but how about come along for the ride anyway? The Seven Deadly Sins ( this link ) in Roman Catholic theology , are the seven vices that spur other sins and further immoral behavior. First enumerated by Pope Gregory I (the Great) in the 6th century and…
We once did an episode on the character’s core wound and what’s occurred to me lately in my reading is that the core wound makes a really good secret. Something the character isn’t willing to admit to himself. Charlie started watching Ted Lasso and in a recent episode he told his wife she didn’t need to keep trying to be happy with him. He let her go. I think the secret he was keeping – and…
We’ve seen non-linear storytelling sometimes without knowing it. This article does a great job explaining what linear stories are: In a linear narrative structure, the viewer finds it facile to comprehend the way the narrative is moving. This is mostly because the viewer is naturally fed with all the information required to process whatever is happening on screen. And then explaining what…
Since last episode we worked on non-linear, this week we’re on the linear conversation. Linear Storytelling (from this link ) Linear storytelling, the conventional and time-tested approach, follows a chronological sequence. It presents events in a straightforward manner, adhering to a clear cause-and-effect progression. This structure provides a sense of order, enabling audiences to follow the…
Have we ever done a show on May the 4th? Yes. Way back in 2019 we were 41 episodes into this journey and working through the hero’s journey (perfect timing) so we did a little May the Fourth be With You in that episode ( link here ). So today we’re going to focus on Star Wars, not just sidebar it, and talk about worldbuilding ( like this episode ) and apprentice-mentor relationships ( like this…
It’s the end of the term for me (Kasie) and so that time of year when I’m ruing the way I set up my class and how labor intensive all the grading is. I’m also fielding emails from students looking for a few more points and begging for higher grades. Sigh. As such, I’ve had very little time for anything else although I did manage to take six more pages in the vampire rewrite to our writers’ group…
So Rex has been hired to help someone build a new Dungeons & Dragons game. As Gamemaster, he has some specific responsibilities. Maybe he can tell us about them? The game’s owner needs to organize himself and his resources and this is an experience we’re all familiar with. So today we’re talking about some major projects and the general (and specific) tools and techniques for organizing them.…
After we fully explained beginnings last week and kept coming up with the benign suggestions of “make it interesting” and “show don’t tell” we figured we ought to dive deeper into the bricks of the “show” universe. Those bricks are adjectives and they’re used to describe nouns and pronouns. Adjectives are modifiers. They modify a noun to make it more specific. House becomes tiny house. Cat becomes…
It’s been a couple of years since we dealt with first lines and opening pages and in our revision efforts, we only just touched on where the story should begin and how many times we’ve rewritten Page 1. So today we’ll look at what makes a strong opening page, how to work through the opening scene in revision, and whether you need to revisit that opening scene in subsequent pages or at the end…
You’re on what version of this vampire novel? Tenth? Yikes. It’s called revision and it lasts an indeterminate amount of time. What to google to prepare for this conversation: How many revisions does a novel need? How long does revising a novel take? What is a reasonable revision schedule? What is a good revision process? Where should someone begin when revising a novel? Why does revision get such…
Let's talk about Dragon Boat racing first. What is this sport? Who does it? How does it work? Why was Dragon Boat racing the right occupation for Tripp Avery? What is it about the challenge of Dragon Boat racing that requires more of Tripp than anything else he's done? He worked his way up from poverty to prosperity, became a 'someone' out of 'no one' roots, so how is Dragon Boat racing a…
We did some revision work last week and didn't get to this part of the show notes. So here we go, a whole episode on what would have been one segment last week. ::wideeyedemoji:: So how is it actually done? Well, here’s the link explaining what Six Pass Plan among others: The Framework Pass The Story Pass The Plot/Scene Pass The Feedback Pass The Writing Pass The Tweaking Pass These aren’t really…
So two weeks ago, we talked about basic outlines and discussed the turning point method versus the beats method for figuring out the structure of the story. Then last week we went into the 3 Act Structure and basically whined about Aristotle. In searching for 3 Act Structure resources, I found t his link gives us 11 basic structures: The Fichtean Curve The Three Act Structure The Hero's Journey…
It’s been more than a year since we studied plot arcs and even then we didn’t grab the recordings and add them to our podcast service. So we’re reviving those conversations for a few weeks to get some good episodes for the podcast. Missed a week of Write On SC? Nostalgic for those oldy-but-goody topics? Check out our podcast library on Apple, Google, and Amazon. ProWritingAid’s take on this story…
So last week we talked about basic outlines and discussed the turning point method versus the beats method for figuring out the structure of the story. We debated whether or not to write from a detailed outline in the initial draft – it provides direction, it stifles creativity – the age-old debate of planner vs. pantser. In any case, we agreed the outline is useful for knowing the trajectory of…
We’ve spent a few weeks on the various plot structures available and basically been working off this resource that gives us 11 basic structures: The Fichtean Curve The Three Act Structure The Hero's Journey Freytag's Pyramid The Five Act Structure Save the Cat Beats The Snowflake Method Dan Harmon's Story Circle The Seven Point Story Structure The Story Spine In Media Res We’re now down to numbers…
Couple of paired episodes last week and this one. Last week we took on first person narrators. Some good discussion (if I do say so myself) on collective first person (we, us) and the limitations of the first person narrator, including the establishment of unreliability. This week we take on the other point of view (POV) – third person. This is all those stories with the “he she they” characters.…
Our first conversation about film adaptations of books happened way back in August 2019 with episodes 54 & 55 – we talked so much we had to continue it out the next week. But yesterday was National Screenwriters’ Day and so I delivered my five inimitable screenwriters on the morning show: Tina Fey — Mean Girls, 30 Rock, Saturday Night Live The Coen brothers — The Big Lebowski, Raising Arizona, o…
So we’ve been working on perspectives of the narrator the last few weeks and at the end of each episode we talked about how to choose. But today I thought we’d do something fun by imagining some pretty famous (well known) stories from someone else’s perspective. Segment 1 But first! We have two very special guests in the studio this morning. Let’s introduce them and talk about how they’ve…
Is there any more arbitrary experience than Groundhog Day? It’s a day when an entire town lets a rodent predict the future. Or the weather anyway. Several questions: Is there any other profession besides weatherman insulted by the insinuation that an animal could do it as well or better than them? Is there any other animal with psycho abilities equal to the groundhog (who, by the way, is wrong…
So we’re in the middle of the “Must Read” challenge and Rex has completed 50% of the recommended texts and Kasie has completed 0%. How should we punish her for not doing her homework? But really, why we’re here this week is to celebrate the new version of Road House being advertised. Haven’t seen the trailer? Here it is . So, should old(er) movies be “rebooted” or remade into modern versions?…
It’s week 2 of our NaNoWriMo boot camp and we’re just four days away from the kickoff of the frenzy of writing that is NaNo. So today we’re going to talk about what you should be doing, what you can expect from the month and whether this whole kerfuffle is worth it. NaNoWriMo for anyone who missed last week is National Novel Writing Month and it’s facilitated by this website and the non-profit…
We’ve had the last three weeks to do something other than this on Saturday mornings and I gotta say, this is a better use of my time (laughing emoji). November 4th was Storyfest and that was awesome. November 11th was the SC Libertarian Party state convention and that was interesting. November 18th Kasie went Clemsoning. So we’re back here, live on November 25th and we’ve decided to challenge one…
