Question 1019: Adding Character Texture
Simon asks: Do you add any randomness into your characters to give them texture and interest? Archivos
Question 1018: Writing Prompts (What Are They Good For?)
Nicole asks: What exactly are writing prompts? Are they helpful? Resources Mentioned Open Vistas: After the PeakThe Society of Miserable Bastards by J. Daniel SawyerBuried Alive in the BluesChicken Noodle Gravity by J. Daniel SawyerSuave Rob’s Double-X Derring-Do by J. Daniel Sawyer My Luck, by Mel Todd
Question 1016: What is YA?
Simon asks: What is the young adult genre? Is it just young protagonists, or is there more to it than that? Resources Mentioned Secrets of the Heinlein JuvenileHarry Potter seriesTwilight by Stephanie Meyer
Question 1015: Opposing the Current Thing (and State of the Podcasters)
Ed asks: How can a writer oppose the moral panic du jour without being consumed by it? Resources MentionedAdventures of Huck Finn by Mark TwainStarship Troopers by Robert A HeinleinThe Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel HawthorneEvery Day Novelist Success Stories: Mel ToddMel Todd on KDP Select Archivos
Questions 1014: Unreliable Narrator (pt 4 of 4)
Simon asks: Can you recommend any particularly great uses of an unreliable narrator? I mean, aside from Suave Rob… Resources Mentioned: Suave Rob’s Amazing AdventuresThe Usual SuspectsAn Instance of the Fingerpost, by Iain PearsLolita, by Vladmir NabakovThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark TwainA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, by …
Questions 1013: Unreliable Narrators (pt 3 of 4)
Simon asks: Can you push an unreliable narrator too far, and just break people’s immersion? Resources Mentioned: Lolita, by Vladmir NabakovSuave Rob’s Amazing Adventures
Questions 1012: Unreliable Narrators (pt 2 of 4)
Simon asks: What are the pitfalls with using an unreliable narrator? Resources Mentioned:The Usual SuspectsThe Sixth SenseThe VillagePenn and Teller Fool Us
Questions 1011: Unreliable Narrators (pt 1 of 4)
Simon asks: Are there any rules or conventions when using an unreliable narrator? I’m writing in first-person already which feels like it would be recommended if not outright required. Resources MentionedThe Usual SuspectsAn Instance of the Fingerpost, by Iain PearsClueThe Murder of Roger Akroyd, by Agatha ChristieLolita, by Vladmir NabakovTime …
Question 1008: Psychology and Character Design
Dawn asks: Do you consider psychology of your characters in your writing? If so, at what point in the writing process and how deeply? Resources Mentioned Star Wars original trilogyStar Wars prequel trilogyAmerican Graffiti
Question 1007: Writing as Therapy and Polemic
Dawn asks: How do work through personal or intellectual issues in writing without letting it take over? Resources Mentioned Gulliver’s Travels and A Modest Proposal by Jonathan SwiftThe Screwtape Letters by CS LewisLetters from the Earth (Twain)Candide by VoltaireSuave Rob’s Amazing AdventuresDown From TenThe Name of the RoseLord of the …