Questions 682: Best Story Structures
Simon asks: What are the main ways of structuring stories, and can you rate them? Subscribe Here!
Questions 659: Writing Multiple Timelines
Elizabeth asks: “How do I write a story with multiple interweaving timelines and multiple protagonists – without losing or confusing my readers?” Resources Mentioned Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Questions 632: All About Prologues
Subscribe Here! Roland asks: “What’s your take on when an author should use a prologue, and how it should relate to the rest of the book?” Resources Mentioned: Opening prologue to Ralph Bakshi’s Lord of the Rings Opening prologue to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings
Questions 616: A Unique Conflict?
Subscribe Here! Brian asks: “My high school English teacher challenged us to find a story with a unique conflict – outside of the person v. person, person v. nature, person v. society, etc. conflict types we all get in class. None of us could. Can you – or the listeners?”
Questions 599: On The Heroine’s Journey
Subscribe Here! Today, special guest Gail Carriger joins us to answer a question on from Andrew. Andrew asks: “Can you do a deeper look into the heroine’s journey?” Resources Mentioned Sexual Personae by Camille Paglia Homeric Hymn to Demeter Isis and Osirus Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower …
Questions 465: Plot Reveals Through Structure
Subscribe Here! Caine asks: How do you stick to a genre structure, without spilling the beans? Resources Mentioned: Agatha Christie Robert Bloch Rear Window Best American Mysteries of the 20th Century
Questions 462: Finding the Climax
Subscribe Here! Robert asks: Do you do anything different when writing the climax of your book?
Questions 347: When is a beat a beat?
Subscribe Here! David asks “Is a story event still a ‘beat’ if it becomes significant to the characters/plot later on in the story?”
Questions 240: Series vs. Multi-Volume Stories
Subscribe Here! Cheyenne asks: “I’m finding myself more interested in events in volume 2 of my story, and it’s making it hard to write volume 1. What do I do?” Resources mentioned: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Dune by Frank Herbert
Questions 215: Graphing Story Structures (Writing Instruction Series 9)
Subscribe Here! In this ninth installment in our miniseries on teaching students how to write, Rob asks: “I use the classic pyramid plot diagram to teach story structure. Is there another way that’s more engaging?” Resources mentioned: Kurt Vonnegut’s Story Shape Graphs Dan Wells’s 7-Point Plot Lecture