Episode 347: Narrative Premise
Telling a story is one thing, but how you tell it is another.
Writing: Page 3
Which Descriptive Details Are Excessive to Readers?
Don't describe scenes as though you're taking a photograph.
How Can Writers Make Description Evocative?
The best description conveys the right tone, is easy to imagine, and makes the world feel alive.
What Do Writers Need to Describe?
If you don't describe the right things in right order, it can break immersion and jar readers.
Episode 339: Elements of Good Description
Hot take: words are made up, don't use them.
Lessons From the Edgy Writing of Blindsight
Author Peter Watts has an engaging voice and a reckless disregard for accuracy.
Five Simple Ways to Make Your Prose Easier to Read
What to do when your wordcraft is dooming your story's chances.
Lessons From Three Bad Fight Scenes
For instance, you shouldn't need vague and unexplained magic to justify why people are fighting.
Episode 329: Writers in Stories
Why are writers so bad at writing about writing?
Narration Makeover: Giving Action More Immediacy
The last thing you want is prose that makes action feel like a slog.
Episode 325: Ending Lines
What is that last line even for?
Episode 324: Opening Lines
Due to the linear nature of spacetime, stories have to start somewhere.
How to Teach World Terms Without Confusing Readers
Confusing new terms can make readers feel jarred and overwhelmed.
Seven Prologues and the Problems They Cause
Prologues are almost always meaningless and disconnected mistakes.
Q&A: What Exactly Is a Scene?
Answered
I Tried to Praise The Eye of Argon and Ended Up With These Lousy Writing Lessons
The worst story ever written... or is it?
Episode 314: Levels of Editing
Most writers will seek out editing at some point, but what kind of editing should you get?
Five Bad Habits Writers Learn From Movies and TV
Some storytelling habits don't translate from the screen to the page.
Oren Ashkenazi