How do you begin your epic sci-fi, fantasy, or horror story? How do you grab a viewer or reader’s attention, introduce your characters and world, and avoid the dreaded infodump? To discuss these questions and much more, we talk to Shiraz Janjua, host of the YouTube channel How the Novel Starts.




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Show Notes:

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  • How the Novel Starts
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Shiraz's website
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Shiraz's Instagram
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Bulwer-Lytton Awards
  
  
  
  
  

Reading and Watching List:

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  • George Orwell, 1984
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Karen Russell, Swamplandia
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Susanna Clarke, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
  
  
  
  
  

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  • William Gibson, Neuromancer
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Michael Chabon, Yiddish Policemen's Union
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Vajra Chandasekera, The Saint Of Bright Doors
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Frank Herbert, Dune
  
  
  
  
  

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  • JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings 
  
  
  
  
  

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  • Christopher Nolan, Inception
  
  
  
  
  

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  • George Lucas, Star Wars