The Life of an Author

As the first episode of Life of an Author, it is only fitting that this episode covers the first step in writing; taking the first spark of inspiration, and how to expand it into a full story. While writing is rarely "one size fits all," there are a few constants. The need for an initial concept is one of them. So before you ever write that first word, let's cover a few ways to not only make that inspiration, but to grow the concepts into a cohesive, usable plot!

This week we will take a look at the first few sentences, and what goes into getting the reader's attention. We will cover a few styles of hooks, as well as get to some reading to break apart what makes a hook effective.

A well written character isn't going to know everything. While understanding what knowledge your character does or doesn't have is heavily dependent on context, this episode is here to help find out how to go about finding that context, and what knowledge will go into the story.

Show vs. tell is advice that gets spread a lot, but rarely is it followed up with how to show description in a story. This episode will cover how to use descriptions to show, as well as how to keep a description relevant and focused.

This week I go over the general concepts of wordbuilding and planning, focusing on what is really needed versus what can be left out. While there are many views on how to go about worldbuilding for your story, this episode is here to cover the highlights and get you ready to start writing!

Is there a difference in how you write between novels and short stories? Today we dive into what the focus is for each, and why not all authors do both.

Sometimes, daily life gets in the way of your writing life. It happens to all of us, but how do you deal with it? This episode covers a few of the things you can do to further your story even when you can't actively write, and how to keep planning when you're too busy to take notes.