Show overview
The Plotcast: Fiction Writing & Editing Tips with Authors and Experts launched in 2024 and has put out 13 episodes in the time since. That works out to roughly 10 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 35 min and 45 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 1.1 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. Published by Char Anna.
From the publisher
Learn a nurturing way to write your novel as we discard the limits of writer's block through conversation with (sometimes) professional editors and (other times) chaotic writers of the modern era.
Latest Episodes
13. The Future of Hybrid Publishing (with J. D. Barker, NYT & International Bestseller)
I had the great pleasure of talking to J. D. Barker, NYT and international bestselling author of suspense thrillers. His first novel was self-published and sold a quarter of a million copies; he wrote the prequel to Dracula for Bram Stoker’s family using the authors own journals and story notes; and he’s had novels and concepts auctioned for Hollywood productions. J. D. Barker's website and books: https://jdbarker.com/ I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
12. Everything It Takes to Self-Publish (with D. William Landsborough)
I’m joined today (actually last October as you may be able to tell by the things we talk about in this podcast, as I may or may not have delayed getting this episode out for nearly half a year) by a dear friend, Doug Landsborough, author of the Shadow's Advent dark fantasy series, and we discuss everything self-publishing at length - the finances, the motivation, the social media of it all and even our own takes on the future of the publishing industry. Doug's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B07MBGYQK2 Doug's website: https://www.dlandsborough.com/ I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
11. Writing Dysfunctional Families with Corrin DaCosta (author of Dead Daddy Issues)
I’m joined today by Corrin DaCosta, author of Dead Daddy Issues, and we dive into the complexities of writing realistic dysfunctional families without shying away from the ugly parts. Dead Daddy Issues: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGQ8J11H Corrin's website: https://www.corrindacosta.com/ Corrin's IG and Threads: @corrindacostaauthor I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
10. Writing for Games with Charlene Putney (Divinity: Original Sin)
I’m joined today by Charlene Putney, writer and teacher from Dublin. Charlene has worked on game titles such as the Divinity series, Baldur's Gate 3, and NUTS. Charlene's website: https://alphachar.com/ Charlene's game studio: https://neonaurelius.com/ Charlene's email contact: charlene.putney [at] gmail.com I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
9. Doing Justice to Heavy Topics in Our Novels (with Allie Nava, author of July and Everything After)
I’m joined tooday by Allie Nava. Her debut novel July and Everything after has just recently come out and it tells the Story of an American woman’s transformation after experiencing horrific events during a visit to her birth country in Asia at the inception of civil war. Pick up July and Everything After here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/July-Everything-After-Allie-Nava/dp/1965253067 Allie's website: https://allienava.com/ We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
8. The Protodraft: The #1 Hack to Easily Finish Your Story (with Carson Long)
I'm joined by Carson Long, a Youtube writing creator and author of Starlight Farm's Kennel for Talking Dogs, as we discuss the best trick to get through writing your first draft, shedding the fear of imperfection and discovering what your story is about. Pick up Starlight Farm's here: https://amzn.to/478cvAM Join Carson's Discord group events: https://discord.gg/5yR34spzeV Carson's Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/@writing-theory We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
7. Which Social Media Platform Should You Choose as a Writer or Author?
It's a painful truth that writers of this day and age are expected to have an online presence, and with this comes the choice of what social media platform you can get the most out of as an author. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear why social media shouldn't be your priority and what you should actually put your energy into instead. Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
6. Writing & Publishing Tips from a Full-Time Student (with Tokyo Yume)
I'm joined by one of my clients who's a full-time student, and has written and published a book on a 4-month timeline, then written a subsequent one in the next year. She shares her tips to keep herself writing without sacrificing sleep. Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Tokyo Yume's The Apple of My Eye: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-My-Eye-Tokyo-yume/dp/B0CFMCCZVV Tokyo's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyoyume_/ Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
5. How to Flesh Out Your Characters
Fleshing out your character doesn't come down to personality traits or fun quirks but to a more fundamental depth of a character - their internal conflict, their story arc & purpose, motivation, and their backstory. We dive into all of that in this episode. Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Jasmina's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminareadstoomuch/ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
4. Use Screenwriting to Master "Show Don't Tell" (with Kai Wissler)
Today, I'm joined by Kai Wissler, screenwriter and short film producer/director working in post-production for film & TV. We dive into the golden rule of storytelling and what you can learn from screenwriting to strengthen your prose. We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Kai's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiwiiii/ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
3. How to Find Motivation to Actually Write Your Novel
If you struggle finding motivation to actually sit down and work on your novel, Char & Jasmina share their best tips in what gets them to write versus what makes them hate the process. We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Jasmina's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminareadstoomuch/ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
2. Write a Bangin' First Chapter (All the Dos and Don'ts)
EYour first chapter is the first impression of your novel, and so many authors religiously get stuck on it. There's a plethora of advice online on what you should and shouldn't include in a first chapter, so we thought we'd add to the pot, hopefully, to clarify this hodgepodge rather than stir further confusion into your brain. You'll be the judge of that! We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Jasmina's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminareadstoomuch/ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/
1. Avoid This Toxic Writing Advice
In the first episode of the Plotcast, Char & Jasmina discredit the most toxic advice you might hear circulating around the writing community to pave the way for a more nurturing and positive approach to writing your novel. We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Jasmina's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminareadstoomuch/ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/