John Helps You Write Better

In today's episode, I want to talk you about tropes and cliches. They're nothing to overthink or fear.

In today's episode, I've gotten out of bed to talk to you about pushing yourself to work and being kind to yourself about doing it

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about that first draft you've been working on since the dawn of time and somehow still haven't finished it yet.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about how you're handling rejection and the less-than-ideal feedback you might be getting.

In today's episode I want to ask you why you think "taking too long" matters and why you want to go faster.

In today's episode, I'd like to ask you about why you're using AI to "edit" your work.

In today's episode, I want to encourage you to make your character not just the being doing the plot, but a wholly formed person who happens to be doing a plot.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about the royalty problem in your story.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about how a character can operate in their world versus the world of the story.

In today's episode, I've got the audio from a workshop I did this past weekend on world-building. I think it'll help you.

As the year ends, I want to talk you about the not-knowing of making things and how it's okay to not know how things are going to be.

In this nearly 90-minute Q&A session, I answer 27 questions from webnovelists and new writers. I think you'll find it really useful and enjoyable.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about trying to ape someone else's style.

In today's episode, I want to talk you about your goals and what you're doing to reach them.

This is the audio from a workshop I gave on 12/21 to some webnovelists and self-publishing authors about scene and beat usage in their writing. I think you'll find this helpful

In this episode, we need to talk about Superman.

In today's episode, I'd like to talk to you about co-authorship.

In today's episode, I want to talk you about your fantasy of being a writer.

In today's slightly cantankerous episode, I want to ask you what you think you're doing.

In this bonus audio from this past weekend, here's me talking to a group of writers about what plot is and what plot isn't and how to build an effective plot.

In today's episode, I want to ask you about why you're waiting and not making art.

In today's episode, I want you to just start.

In today's episode, I would like to tell you how to get away from pantsing forever.

In today's episode, I want to take the bite out of pantsing's number one excuse.

In today's episode, I want to keep talking to you about pantsing. It's a theme all week.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about why pantsing is ruining your writing.

In today's episode, I want to explain what people mean when they say you should read more.

In today's episode, let's talk about how we talk to or at or with our readers.

In today's episode, I want to explain how two labels so many writers use don't actually matter.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about abandoning the right/wrong dynamic.

In this re-do of a crashed stream, I answer questions about the state of the world, webnovels as pulps, cozy mysteries, grammar, and two brothers. Lots of good stuff here.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about your voice and how you can be using it do to what you want.

In today's episode I want to talk to you about those times where you're asking the reader questions directly in the text.

In this week's Writers Chat, I answer questions about insecurity, editors, prologues, conversations, payment plans, and genres.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about genre and conventions.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about not trying so hard to do something "new" in your writing.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about my mom and some stairs.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about what happens if you paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling in your garage.

In today's episode I want to talk to you about your reader and the bridge you're trying to build to them.

In today's episode I want to talk to you about the backstory you're using.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about your outline. Which kind are you using? Did you know about the other kind?

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about how your character is doing whatever they're doing.

In today's episode, I want to give you a few more options for opening your narrative that aren't dialogue.

In today's episode I want to talk to you about that opening line your character says at the start of your story. Are you sure you want to do that?

In today's episode, I have more things to say about pacing. Stop worrying about it.

In today's episode, I want talk to you about how to manipulate tension and do something with it, no matter what you're writing.

The Writers Chat emerges from its long slumber to be your spot to get answers to all your creating, writing, editing, and publishing questions. In this chat, I talk about the value of art, why NCIS Origins doesn't work, why flashbacks can be boring, and how much procrastinating is "just right"

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about the power your words have.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about your pacing and why it may not be the issue you're swearing that it is.

In today's episode, I want to talk to you about the goals your character may have.