Writing Roots

When we communicate with each other, most of what is relayed and understood has nothing to do with the words we actually say. When you’re dealing with a written format, conveying meaning with something like tone or body language is incredibly difficult. Yet it is absolutely essential. That is why we are taking this episode to look at subtext within dialogue specifically. For a breakdown of what subtext is and how it can be used, you can listen to S16E3 – Between the Lines: Importance of Subtext. In this episode, we look at what it looks like in and around dialogue and the different tools to help you convey the meaning you intended. First aired January 30, 2023. The post S39E9 – Using Subtext in Dialogue appeared first on Writing Roots.

Choices are the crux of your character’s progression through a story. Those choices will paint the picture about who your character is and what is important to them. As the author, it is your duty to actually give your characters an opportunity to choose. Instead of forcing them in the direction that would be good for your story, you need to consider several things. There are two types of choices you can throw at the character: big ones that impact the plot, and little ones that help define character. Each person is going to make choices based on what they need and want out of life. Consider Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If your character is in need of shelter, they’re not going to make a decision based on emotional fulfillment. Even then, what they choose should be in-character. In our bonus episode, we break down how to give your characters choices in meaningful ways to both advance the plot and build the characters. First aired January 28, 2022. The post S39 Bonus – Giving Your Characters Choices appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you may have noticed a habit that is easy to fall into. From new to experienced writers, all of us have accidentally started sentences using the main character’s pronoun one too many times. There will be times, of course, where that is the best avenue. However, if you continue to use the same words and pattern to start each sentence, it begins to feel like a play-by-play rather than a detailed story. Listen to this episode for tips and tricks on how to avoid starting each sentence with your MC’s name or pronoun. First aired January 26, 2023. The post S39E8 – Starting Sentences Without Using the MC’s Pronoun appeared first on Writing Roots.

Psychic distance is a useful tool to understand in order to improve your writing in a way that will help the reader connect with the story. After all, that’s the basis of this concept. According to John Gardner in his book The Art of Fiction, psychic distance is the “distance that the reader feels between [themselves] and the events of the story.” The closer the reader feels, the more invested they will be in the story’s ending. We break down psychic distance, how it relates to POV, and why it’s important to understand. First aired January 23, 2023. The post S39E7 – Understanding Psychic Distance for Your Writing appeared first on Writing Roots.

Emphasis can completely change the meaning of a sentence. Too much emphasis and the sentence looses meaning entirely. That’s why knowing how and when to use italics in the formatting of your writing is so important. Using too many italics is is often a sign of a new author. You can use italics for more than just emphasis, though. In this episode, we talk about when and where to use this formatting technique to help deliver the right kind of message to your audience. First aired January 19, 2023. The post S39E6 – Knowing How to Use Italics in Your Novel appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you really want to improve your writing, you need to start pushing yourself. Try things you never would have considered before. Even if it turns out terribly, there is a lesson to be learned in the process of trying something else. First aired January 16, 2022. The post S39E5 – Going Outside Your Writing Comfort Zone appeared first on Writing Roots.

Short stories take all of the nuances of crafting a novel and slam them into fewer than ten-thousand words. No, you won’t have a lot of sub-plots or side characters or even points of view. You will, however, need an entire beginning, middle, and end. Writing short stories is one of the best ways to learn the arc of storytelling quickly. In this episode, we talk specifically about how short stories can help improve your skills. If you’d like more information about how to write a short story, visit our past episode on the topic. Here, we talk about the principles of keeping it simple and condensed, along with why it’s such a useful tool to write outside of your main work in progress. First aired January 12, 2023. The post S39E4 – Improving Your Writing Through Short Stories appeared first on Writing Roots.

We’ve often said that reading is one of your best tools to learn how to write. It’s more than simply consuming the stories, though. To learn the art of writing through reading, you need to be able to read critically. Critical reading is the process of analyzing not only the writing style, but your own thoughts and feelings toward the story. Writing is subjective. Not everyone is going to view a story in the same way. If you want to appeal to an audience like yourself, you need to know what about a story you find enticing or curious or compelling. You also need to identify what you specifically don’t like, so you can avoid it. In this episode, we discuss the process of critical reading, some tricks we’ve learned to help in the process, and break down how it can help you. First aired January 9, 2022. The post S39E3 – Learning to Critically Read appeared first on Writing Roots.

An important step in improving your writing is learning how to participate in the feedback process. It’s more than just learning how to to take criticism of your work. You need to learn how to give feedback to other authors in a constructive and analytical way. Giving and getting feedback will help you figure out what works in your writing. We are often blind to our own works for various reasons. Most notably, we know what it should say, and we know what we meant. It’s difficult to read our own writing with the same eye as a reader. To get better, you simply need to start critically reading writing from other people. Listen to this episode for more about the feedback process and how to improve your writing by being critical. First aired January 5, 2023. The post S39E2 – Giving and Getting Feedback appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s time to level up your writing. If you’re new to writing communities, you may be daunted by the amount of acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon you encounter every day. Sifting through seemingly nonsensical posts makes an already difficult process feel overwhelming. For our first episode of 2023, we wanted to dive into this lingo to help you understand. After all, if you can’t communicate with the community of writers, it’s difficult to get help improving your own works. First aired January 2, 2023. The post S38E1 – Understanding Writing Community Lingo appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you’re new to the podcast, you may have asked these questions. “Who are you? Who are these people telling me about writing?” To wrap up 2022 and our FAQ series, we wanted to give you some answers. The podcast has grown so much in the last year. We are thrilled to be able to share our knowledge with all of you. For you to trust us, you should know our backgrounds. Overall, we’re writers and editors. We are on the same journey as you, and we’re trying to share the things we’ve learned along the way so you don’t have to learn it the hard way. But there’s more to it than simply that we write. Listen for more about who we are at Writing Roots, what we do, and how we aim to help new and aspiring authors. First aired December 31, 2022. The post S38 Bonus – Who Are You? appeared first on Writing Roots.

A surprising question we get often is “how do I make a podcast?” Though it may not be directly related to writing, it is still a topic we wanted to cover this month. Especially when you consider the benefits of using a fiction podcast to share your writing with the world. Podcasts, whether fiction or non-fiction, are a great way to reach a wide audience. It’s easy enough to set one up and to create content. The difficulty, then, comes in trying to stand out. The podcast market is saturated with all kinds of shows. The ones that do the best are the ones that find a unique edge to a common topic. First aired December 29, 2022. The post S38E9 – How Do I Make a Podcast? appeared first on Writing Roots.

New authors are constantly asking how to write someone of a different gender or background. Readers are constantly making fun of authors who wildly misrepresent or stereotype their gender. Our goal in this episode to help show you the best practices for writing characters who don’t share the same experiences as you. There are physical characteristics to consider when writing someone of certain genders*. Those born female have a different center of balance than those born male. They each have their advantages and disadvantages in things like combat. Most importantly, though, is that they are human. The only consideration for the time and effort you put into developing a character is the role they play in the story, not their gender role. Listen for more. *We are not covering transgender or non-binary in this episode as those topics are much broader than we could fit into this episode. Refer to our LGBTQ+ episode from 2020 for a brief overview. The post S38E8 – How Do I Write Women/Men? appeared first on Writing Roots.

A good plot twist is a wonderful addition to a story. It can reframe how the reader views the rest of the story, spark a strong emotional reaction that will help them remember, or simply create a thrilling segment to experience. Writing a good plot twist takes planning and care (or for pantsers, a lot of detailed editing). There are plenty of places to go wrong with plot twists. Namely, don’t try to make a twist just to shock and surprise the reader. It needs to make sense within the framework of the story. It’s actually better if the reader can figure it out just before its revealed. That helps the reader feel engaged and clever, which helps them like the book. Listen to this episode for more on the dos and don’ts of writing plot twists. First aired December 22, 2022. The post S38E7 – How Do I Write a Story with a Plot Twist? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Once you’ve hit “publish” on your manuscript, knowing what to do next is overwhelming. You get inundated with all sorts of marketing ideas. For authors who usually don’t like to go out into public, one of the most common forms of marketing include live author events, from signings to fairs. If you’re just getting started, you may be asking yourself how to prepare, what to do, and if there are small tricks to make it all easier. That’s where this episode comes in. Ley and Leigh have done several live events, from hosting to attending, and have a list of things to help simplify the process and make it less daunting. Especially for those of you who may not enjoy public events. First aired December 19, 2022. The post S38E6 – What Do I Do At a Live Author Event? appeared first on Writing Roots.

One of the main jobs an author has is to immerse their audience in the story. One of the most effective ways to do this is to engage all of the reader’s senses – or at least their memories of those senses. We need to use sights, sound, smell, touch, and taste as we craft worlds and scenes. But that can be difficult. Books are limited in what they can actually show. Most of us tend to focus mostly on the sights of the world since it’s easiest to paint that mental picture. True worldbuilding involves so much more. That’s why we wanted to address this question. Listen to this episode for a breakdown of how to include sensory details, both as you write and as you edit. First aired December 15, 2022. The post S38E5 – How Do I Add Sensory Details to My Writing? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Not all main characters have perfect plot armor. There will be times in your writing career where you will need to kill of the main character of your story. However, this is a delicate topic, as it is entirely too easy to incorrectly get rid of the hero. In this episode, we break down a list of Dos and Don’ts to help guide you in the decision to unalive those MCs. But it all comes down to one important thing: make it mean something. First aired December 12, 2022. The post S38E4 – How Do I Kill a Main Character? appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s becoming more and more common to have a large cast of main characters, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Having a dozen or more named, active characters in a single scene, though, is complicated. It takes a lot of work to make sure it’s balance, easy to follow, and still serves a purpose. In this episode, our hosts break down some of the best ways to have a large cast for scenes while avoiding confusion. We talk about how to sort them, how to track them, and how to make sure they all have a purpose. First aired December 8, 2022. The post S38E3 – How Do I Write a Scene With Several Active Characters? appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you want to self-publish your book, you may be considering doing the formatting on your own. While we often advise to turn to professionals who know how to do this step, doing that is simply not plausible for everyone. That’s why we’re tackling this question in our FAQ series: how do I format a book for publishing or querying? There is a lot that goes into making sure a published book looks correct. You have to consider font, margins, headers, chapter titles, and more. In this episode, we do our best to break down the basics to get you started. Also keep in mind that whether you are directly publishing or setting out to query, the formatting will be different. Listen for more on the differences and important pieces. First aired December 5, 2022. If you’d like a more in-depth version of this episode, contact us at [email protected] The post S38E2 – How Do I Format My Book For Publishing? appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s a question we see frequently. Does taking a break mean I’m not a real writer? Does it mean I’m a bad writer? This is the first question we want to address in our latest Frequently Asked Questions series. All month, we will be addressing your questions and ones we see often within the writing community. For many of us, it’s difficult to think of ourselves as authors or writers. This is even more true when we aren’t writing every day. It’s easy to downplay our accomplishments when we view it as a hobby or something we do to simply fill time. We don’t think of ourselves as “real writers” if it isn’t our full-time job. Our hosts are here to tell you that’s not the case. Writing is what makes you a real writer. Not writing every day. Not writing a certain type of story or format or genre. It simply comes down to the act of writing. In fact, we encourage taking breaks! Especially as we exit National Novel Writing Month where burnout is so common. Listen to this episode for more on why it’s important to make sure you take care of you, even if that means stepping away from the keyboard. First aired December 1, 2022. The post S38E1 – Does Taking a Break Mean I’m Not a Real Writer? appeared first on Writing Roots.

We’ve all done this at some point: picked up a book and assumed it must be of quality because it’s gone through a traditional publishing process. We’ve also likely been disappointed more than once by that initial assumption. Whether it’s poor copy editing or simply a bad story, it’s important to remember that not every traditionally published book is bad. Having this understanding is so important for new authors. For one, it gives them realistic expectations about the quality of their books. No book has to be perfect. No author has a perfect understanding of the writing process. Any advice you receive from another author, no matter how they got published, should be taken with a grain of salt. After all, it’s your writing journey. First aired November 28, 2022. The post S37E8 – It’s Published, It Must Be Good appeared first on Writing Roots.

No piece of advice is shared more often than this: write what you know. We hear it constantly, often as encouragement to help us write better. It’s definitely something to listen to if you’re writing non-fiction. However, if you’re writing anything in fiction, be it contemporary or fantasy, writing what you know is incredibly limiting. It places you in a box instead of allowing you creativity. In this episode, we dive into this piece of advice and why it is so often incorrect. First aired November 26, 2022. The post S37 Bonus – Write What You Know appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you encountered a fork in the road of your author journey, which would you take? One path appears to be a well-groomed road with guidance along the way. The other looks overgrown with thorns and no clear direction. It seems too easy, right? The obvious answer must be a trick. Unfortunately, that thinking often leads new authors into believing they must forge their own path to become an author. They think they must not take the advice or suggestions of those who have come before. After all, the old adage says “those who can’t do, teach.” If they’re teaching about writing, they must not be able to do. This adage is horribly and grossly wrong. There are so many wonderful lessons we can learn from authors who’ve smoothed out the difficult road, making things easier for the rest of us. The lessons they learned stand as signs. All we have to do is listen. In this episode, we talk more about why it’s important to learn what we can from those willing to teach in order to make good progress on our individual journeys. First aired November 24, 2022. The post S37E7 – Those Who Can’t Do, Teach appeared first on Writing Roots.

Few things are worse for your book than making a character perfect. We don’t mean perfect for the story. That’s a good thing. We mean perfect as in always positive and has no flaws. There is a common misperception in the writing world that only positive, upbeat, and “perfect” characters can be likeable. Readers will reject all others as lesser characters. However, the opposite is true. We’ve talked at length on this podcast about needing to have characters with realistic flaws. Those are the ones the readers can relate with, connect to, and root for. Most of us are drawn to the characters who struggle, who have to fight each step of the way, because that’s often how we feel in our lives. We want to see fictional characters make it through challenges much larger than ours to show us we can make it too. That message isn’t conveyed if it wasn’t a challenge. Listen for more about creating how creating a “perfect” character can harm your story. First aired November 21, 2022. The post S37E6 – Characters Must Be Practically Perfect in Every Way appeared first on Writing Roots.

Responding to critics, especially in a public forum, is one of the fastest ways to get people to remember you in all the wrong ways. While this piece of advice isn’t one people often say, it is one shown in their actions. Time and time again, authors and other artists get pulled into the trap of trying to defend their work to critics. One author even infamously called reviewers names after leaving 4-star reviews. Instead of garnering support, it turned a lot of people away from reading her book and leaving reviews for fear of being subjected to the same individual call-outs. Another way people often respond to negative criticism is by trying to fix everything that was pointed out. This, however, is a fine line to walk. Many criticisms authors receive is subjective to the readers. Some people enjoy a fluffy romance, others like it spicy, and some don’t like romance in their books at all. If you try to appease each of these people, you’ll be locked into writing nothing. That’s the real danger of responding to criticism. You stop writing. You stop writing for yourself. Listen to this episode for more advice on how to correctly treat criticism to you works so you can keep writing selfishly. First aired November 17, 2022. The post S37E5 – You Should Publicly Respond to Criticism of Your Books appeared first on Writing Roots.

Few things are more damaging to the writing community than this thought. Other authors are your competition. Not only is that incorrect, it creates unnecessary animosity in place of a supportive system where we can build each other – and our books – up in the eyes of the readers. It is unfortunate that this idea remains pervasive. It comes from the mislead idea that readers will remain loyal to only a handful of authors, or that they will only consume a finite number of books in their life. While yes, that is true, that doesn’t mean that your book won’t make that list. Treating other authors as your competition actually harms your chances, since there are numerous benefits to working together. Hosts Leigh and Ley discuss why this advice continues to make its rounds, as well as why the opposite is actually more helpful to your author careers. First aired November 14, 2022. The post S37E4 – Other Authors are Your Competition appeared first on Writing Roots.

One piece of common bad advice we see among authors is the suggestion that by writing detailed dark topics, the author is glorifying it. They suggest that writing racist characters must mean the author is racist, or that being able to write such evil, the author must spend a lot of time fantasizing about it. That simply isn’t true. The reason this piece of advice is bad is because it leads to lackluster stories. Dark aspects of humanity exist, and it does not serve fiction authors to ignore that simply because it is uncomfortable. Stories are better if you allow yourself to explore and shine light into the darkness. And just because you write it doesn’t mean you agree with it. We discuss how to approach writing the darkness without glorifying it in this episode. First aired November 10, 2022. The post S37E3 – Don’t Write Dark Things, It Just Glorifies Them appeared first on Writing Roots.

There are few pieces of advise worse than this one. There is a misconception that to be a truly good author, you don’t need a second draft, that your first draft will be perfect and ready for publishing. Unfortunately, many new authors will then use these first drafts to either query agents and publishers, or they will immediately self-publish their book. This has led to a misconception about self-published books being unedited and poorly written. We don’t say seasoned authors is because the more experience and knowledge you have in the writing world, the more you understand that second, or even third and fourth, drafts are essential. This advice comes from somewhere, though. There’s a reason it keeps being perpetuated among new authors. There is a limit to how many drafts you should do. Making too many edits and changes can make a worse story in the end. But you always need to take at least a second look if you want to publish. In this episode, hosts Leigh and Ley discuss why you should always do a second draft, and how you can approach this piece of bad advice in the future. First aired November 7, 2022. The post S37E2 – If You’re Good Enough, You Don’t Need a Second Draft appeared first on Writing Roots.

Writers get bad advice all of the time. Often, it’s the same pieces of bad advice heard again and again and again. Why, though? If it’s bad, why do so many people still repeat the same old refrains? Mostly, because it starts from someone who found what worked for them. Just like clothing, writing is not one-style-fits-all. Each person will need to find their own path. This month, our hosts are taking a deep dive into some advice they’ve heard (some of which they followed for a while), why people say it, what makes it bad, and how you should be applying that particular piece of advice. We start by talking about inspiration. For many writers, especially those just getting started in their pursuit, inspiration is their only source for writing. Some will even say “You should only write when you’re inspired.” Unfortunately, that can be harmful to those wanting to turn writing into a career. Inspiration is wonderful. It has sparked millions of fantastic tales across all genres. It is not, however, a reliable source. Relying only on inspiration can lead to unfinished drafts, years of writing gaps, and an unsustainable pace. Listen to this episode for more about how to best shape this common piece of bad advice into something usable in your personal goals. First aired November 3, 2022. The post S37E1 – You Should Only Write When You’re Inspired appeared first on Writing Roots.

Supernatural curses have been a large part of storytelling for centuries, if not millennia. Many of us grew up on tales of curses because of Disney movies. They’re also present in tales like The Mummy and Pirates of the Caribbean. In each example, there is someone using supernatural forces to cause harm to another person or group of people. History itself is also filled with tales of curses, from monks writing curses in books against anyone who may steal from the library, to the curses of ancient Egyptian tombs. Whether from history or fiction, there are common elements to all curses which you can use to add to your story. We talk about the variety of curses and their solution in this episode. First aired October 31, 2022. The post S36E9 – Dark Psychology: Supernatural Curses appeared first on Writing Roots.

Researchers in 2002 coined the phrase The Dark Triad to describe three main personality traits that share often malevolent aspects: psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. Those with two or three of these traits often manipulate, lie, abuse, and undermine the people around them, while often appearing charming and charismatic. Many serial killers are among those who fall into this dark triad. For authors, understanding these three traits can help you craft a villain, or in some cases, even a hero. The three sides of this dark triad work together in strange ways. Some people will only have one or two of the traits, such as being a narcissist and a Machiavellian, but they lack the emotional explosiveness of psychopathy. Others will be a Machiavellian and a psychopath, but they won’t show signs of needing external validation often seen among narcissists. In this episode, we break down the dark triad, looking at each aspect and how you can use each one to craft compelling characters with dark flaws. First aired October 29, 2022. The post S36 Bonus – The Dark Triad: Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism appeared first on Writing Roots.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), while not understood well in the world of psychology, has been explored in fiction for a long time. Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, DID is a mental health condition where someone has more than one distinct personality which control their behavior. One of the best classical examples, even if it was caused by a potion, is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Writing this disorder can be difficult, especially since not much is known about it overall in the world of psychology. It’s important to understand the basics of what we do know, if you want to write it accurately and respectively. Most importantly, you should know that it is often believed to come from trauma rather than an inherent personality trait. It should also not be confused with schizophrenia. Having a character with DID, though, can be a fun way to write a story. It would work well in a psychological thriller, or combined with science fiction and fantasy elements. Listen to this episode for a breakdown of the disorder and common examples within well-known fiction. First aired October 27, 2022. The post S36E8 – Dark Psychology: Writing Realistic Dissociative Identity Disorder appeared first on Writing Roots.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a common element when writing fiction. Authors are known to put their characters through traumatic events or to give them traumatic backstories. It’s likely that your characters hasn’t made it through life without some event that could have caused them to experience PTSD. The difficult part, then, is writing the disorder accurately. The most common elements to see in fiction are often the more rare or infrequent symptoms. They’re used because they’re dramatic. However, PTSD is more than just flashbacks. It’s more than just bad dreams. There are a lot of other daily habits and responses that are far more subtle which are part of PTSD. In this episode, we talk about some of the common traits and causes, and how to best write PTSD into your story. First aired October 24, 2022. The post S36E7 – Dark Psychology: Writing Realistic Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder appeared first on Writing Roots.

Imprisonment has a major effect on the minds of both the captives and the captors, which is important to remember when including this theme in your story. Not only are there plenty of fictional works which tell the tale of a prisoner and their life after release or escape, such as The Count of Monte Cristo or Les Misérables, but this idea of captivity is used as a subplot in many other stories. When you choose to write captivity into your story, you’ll need to look at the psychological impacts. For the imprisoned, there is a major change in how they manage their own lives. They no longer have control over things as simple as choosing when to eat or when to sleep. For the impact on the captors, just look at the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment’s impact on normal students. The guards became sadistic within just a few days and the whole experiment had to end early because of the strong negative influence it had on both sides. You also need to think of why you’re including this theme. Is it to tell the story of imprisonment like in the examples mentioned above? Or is your villain trying to get information out of a hero’s ally? Will their be torture involved? All of these things will change how you approach imprisonment in your story. Listen to this episode for a further breakdown of how and why to include this trope. First aired October 20, 2022. The post S36E6 – Dark Psychology: The Effects of Imprisonment appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you’re writing a thriller with a caretaker character, you may consider Munchausen Syndrome as a plot device. It’s when someone either pretends to be ill or even makes themselves ill in order to garner attention. This psychological disorder has been seen in several works of fiction, including The Sixth Sense, Supernatural, and even in It. In this cases, as is true for most cases used in fiction, it’s Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, where someone will make their victim ill for the same intent. Because this is a psychological disorder, it’s important to write it carefully. In this episode, we talk about what it means, how it presents, what it’s not, and how to use it most effectively in your writing. First aired October 17, 2022. The post S36E5 – Dark Psychology: Including Munchausen Syndrome in a Story appeared first on Writing Roots.

Of all the topics we’ll talk about this month, brainwashing is the one with the least basis in reality. Certainly, brainwashing is absolutely a real technique and has been used in many wars and even cults. However, when most people think of this kind of mental manipulation, they think of various shows or books. They’ll think of something like Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the keyphrases to trigger the switch in Bucky’s mind in order to keep him as an obedient soldier. In a way, this provides authors with a great opportunity to mold it to fit what your story needs. Like any writing advice or rule we talk about, however, it’s important to know what it really is before you bend it to your needs. In this episode, we talk about what brainwashing really is, the process, and share examples both realistic and fictional, to help if you choose to bring this piece of dark psychology into your writing. First aired October 13, 2022. The post S36E4 – Dark Psychology: Brainwashing in Fiction appeared first on Writing Roots.

When you’re building a backstory for your main character, it’s likely that you’ll include an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). Psychologists with the Centers for Disease Control have determined a list of ten things which qualify as an ACE, which can contribute to problems with mental health as an adult. The unique part of an ACE is that it is usually an accumulation of experiences rather than a single event that causes PTSD. The responses to ACEs vary, which means you have an opportunity to use these in a variety of ways in your storytelling. Those who go on adventures are rarely those content with their lives. Characters with ACEs are likely going to deal more with things like depression and substance abuse, or even have physical health problems related to the heart and lungs. Listen to this episode for the list of ACEs, and the possible impacts of each one. First aired October 10, 2022. As a reminder, we are writers, not psychologists. We took our time to research these topics and are handling them with as much care as possible. However, nothing said on this podcast should be used to diagnose yourself or anyone else. This is simply information given as a tool of storytelling. The post S36E3 – Dark Psychology: Adverse Childhood Experiences appeared first on Writing Roots.

One of the more common types of abuse in fiction is a form of domestic abuse. It can range from physical or verbal, to psychological or financial. For many victims, abuse causes drastic changes in their daily lives, usually over time. An abuser will start slowly and with small things, until the victim no longer believes they can leave. This episode is focused on discussing the psychology of both the perpetrators and victims. Any abusive relationship is a manipulative process. It starts with gaining trust, then getting the victim to rely upon the abuser. Whenever that trust is broken, the abuse frames it in a way to make the victim feel it was their own fault. First aired October 6, 2022. *Warning* This episode deals a lot with domestic abuse of all forms with as much respect to victims as possible. The same care should be taken when writing a relationship like this. If this is a sensitive topic, we suggest skipping this episode. If you are the victim of domestic violence, you can reach out to the Domestic Violence Hotline to get the resources to get out. The post S36E2 – Dark Psychology: Writing Domestic Abuse appeared first on Writing Roots.

The human mind can be a dark and scary place, capable of much more evil than most people would even consider possible. As writers, we have a unique kind of permission to explore those dark crevices and bring them into the light of day. It can be the source of great inspiration not only for your villain, but for your storyline in general. Unfortunately, because many of these darker aspects of human nature are all to real, it’s important to explore carefully within your fiction. Throughout October, we’ll be covering major themes regarding the evil capabilities of the human mind. As a warning, each episode will be talking about potentially triggering subjects, such as domestic violence, PTSD, imprisonment, and more. In our first episode, we look at gaslighting. It’s a term coined by an early 20th century play in which the husband slowly convinces his wife she’s insane by messing with the gas lamps in the home. The perpetrator’s main goal is to exert absolute control over the victim by convincing them that they cannot trust themselves, and thus must trust the perpetrator. Common examples in fiction include the relationship between Mother Gothel and Rapunzel in Tangled, Dracula and Jonathan Harker in Dracula, and even Jim and Dwight in The Office. Listen for more about gaslighting and how you can use it in your own story. First aired October 3, 2022. The post S36E1 – Dark Psychology: The Use of Gaslighting in Fiction appeared first on Writing Roots.

Few things throw readers off in a book like characters or objects suddenly teleporting in middle of a scene. We’re not talking about actual teleportation, which is more than plausible within fiction. We’re talking about blocking – a term borrowed from theater, used to describe the scripted motions of each actor with each other and with their surroundings. Bad blocking is when the author accidentally places a character at a doorway when seconds ago they were sitting on the couch, or when the physical choreography of certain scenes are simply too unrealistic. It can happen in fight scenes where a sword is accidentally pulled through a sheath because the author writes motions that aren’t possible with a real sword. It can happen when characters are interacting and accidentally reach through one another to grab something. This problem is most often caused by a lack of attention, which is what makes it a big red flag for readers. If the author isn’t paying attention to the details of where characters are, then how much are they paying attention to the rest of the plot? In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss the most common mistakes made when it comes to bad blocking, and the easiest ways to fix them. First aired September 29, 2022. The post S35E9 – The Confusion Caused by Bad Blocking appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you’ve been listening long enough, you’ve heard us tell you that clichés are a good thing. When applied correctly, they can help provide a framework for a character and even your plot as a whole. However, there is a fine line to tread between using these known elements to begin building your story, and using them to the point where it is just cliché. The most egregious use of a bad framework for a character is to use the Mary Sue trope. That’s when the main character is, in the eyes of the reader, too perfect. A Mary Sue (or Gary Stu) fulfills the fantasies of the author, but usually feel bland and unrealistic. This isn’t the only trope or cliché that can be a problem. The list is much longer than we have time to cover. But there are things you can look for in order to spot a trope used incorrectly. First aired September 26, 2022. The post S35E8 – When the Cliché is Too Cliché appeared first on Writing Roots.

The last thing any reader wants is to be distracted while they’re reading. There are memes galore about it. What’s worse than someone deciding to talk to you as soon as you start reading, is the book itself becoming a distraction from the story. Many things can cause this, but it usually comes down to one thing: bad writing. Anything from misspelled words and incorrect punctuation to words picked up in a thesaurus to tense consistency. Even the formatting of a book can be distracting if it was done improperly. Listen to this episode for a breakdown of the most common distractions in writing, and how they can be prevented. First aired September 24, 2022. The post S35 Bonus – Bad Writing Distracts from the Book appeared first on Writing Roots.

In media res is a common phrase used to describe how to start a story or scene. It means to get into the action quickly, to what really matters right away. This one thing can make or break a book. If a narrative starts too slowly, or is otherwise lacking some kind of interesting hook at the beginning, readers are not likely to keep going. Many readers use the first page or two as a gauge for whether or not they’ll enjoy the rest of the book. If it goes nowhere, the reader goes nowhere. Beyond just the beginning, authors need to keep up the pace of the book as a whole. If too many things happen which are unconnected with the plot as a whole, readers will feel misled, like their time is being wasted. Of course, what is slow depends on genre. It won’t be the same for everyone. As an author, this means you need to know your audience. Know the genre and what readers find acceptable in regards to pacing. Fantasy readers are a lot more forgiving than action and thriller readers. Ley and Leigh talk about the problems with slow beginnings and meandering plot progress in this episode. First aired September 22, 2022. The post S35E7 – Slow Beginnings Ruin Stories appeared first on Writing Roots.

When we talk about main characters being annoying, we aren’t referring to their personality traits which may be annoying in a real person. For readers, an annoying main character is often one who is unrealistic. Whether that’s because the author has created a Mary Sue/Gary Stu, or because they keep waving the magical wand of “because the author said so.” Characters don’t have to be perfect (actually, perfection often causes this problem more often than not), but they do need to be compelling. In this episode, Leigh and Ley talk about what works and what doesn’t work when crafting a main character, and how to avoid making one that will turn readers away from your story. First aired September 19, 2022. The post S35E6 – The Problem with Annoying Main Characters appeared first on Writing Roots.

Few things are more annoying than when a character makes a bad decision. We’re not talking about ones which are bad within the context of the world and the story. All characters need to make a bad decision or two in order to keep the plot moving and interesting. We’re talking about the decisions that don’t make sense for that character. An assassin who has to show off her skills at every turn to prove she’s the best, when the actual best assassins are never known. The sensible one suddenly going off the rails for no reason. Miscommunication for the sake of employing the miscommunication trope, even when the character has been established as being open. These apparent contradictions signal to the reader that the character is underdeveloped or that the author is forcing events to appease the plot. It never feels whole or natural. Listen to this episode for more about how to fix this problem to make sure your character decisions make sense for them. First aired September 15, 2022. The post S35E5 – When Characters Make Bad Decisions appeared first on Writing Roots.

It’s no secret that people turn to books to find an escape from the reality of the world. It’s why fantasy and science fiction are so popular. Even books outside those genres often include one impossible thing which the readers simply accept as being part of the tale. That acceptance, however, is limited. If you begin to include to many unrelated impossible things, readers start to look elsewhere for an escape. This red flag is more than just having a story set in a fictional world fictional elements. It’s like including fae and Marvel-esque superpowers and space battles and whatever other one you want. If you have to spend too much time explaining why they all belong in the same story, you’re probably including too many shiny ideas. Instead, pick one. A single cornerstone impossible idea, then build the rest of your world from that. Listen to this episode for more suggestions on how to make the impossible things in your story cohesive, rather than a red flag to turn away readers. First aired September 12, 2022. The post S35E4 – One Impossible Thing in Fiction appeared first on Writing Roots.

Plot points set up within a story need to be resolved. That’s pretty straightforward, right? That, however, is not how it turns out for a lot of new authors, especially pantsers (or discovery writers). Sometimes we find ourselves including interesting tidbits that the reader thinks will play an important part in the story, but then it never actually comes back into play. Maybe the character discovered an interesting power, or a magical item, which soon finds itself lost in the meandering plot. Setup without payoff may not be something that immediately makes a reader set down a book, but it will negatively impact their overall view of the story. It may even keep them from continuing the series because the ending didn’t satisfy all of the questions they had, and they don’t have trust that the author will resolve those in the coming stories. In this episode, we talk about this red flag in novels, how to avoid it, and ways to keep the tension but still give the necessary satisfaction to the readers. First aired September 8, 2022. The post S35E3 – When There’s Buildup Without a Payoff appeared first on Writing Roots.

Start too slow and you bore the reader. Start too quickly and you confuse them. Finding the right balance for the start of your story is essential. Unfortunately, it’s also incredibly difficult. There are many ways you can start off a story in the wrong way. You can make it cliché, use a flashback, or throw them into action without context. The list goes on and on and on. We talk about some of the common mistakes at the beginnings of novels that turn away the readers in this episode, then break down how to fix and avoid the problem. First aired September 5, 2022. The post S35E2 – Bad Beginnings Ruin a Story appeared first on Writing Roots.

There are a few red flags in writing that will cause nearly all readers to set down a book and never pick it up again. It can range from something as simple as bad grammar and punctuation, to problems with the characters. One of the more common problems, especially among new authors, is a lack of consistency in who is telling the story. Changing the point-of-view character is common enough in fiction, especially in fantasy and sci-fi. However, there is a difference between this normal POV change and what is known as head-hopping. The latter means switching between character perspectives in a single scene, sometimes a single paragraph or sentence. This style of change causes confusion and a lack of continuity that frustrates readers into setting the book down. We break down what head-hopping is, how to identify it, and how to fix it in this episode. First aired September 1, 2022. The post S35E1 – The Problem with Head-Hopping appeared first on Writing Roots.

The path to publishing a book is never the same for different authors. It varies widely depending on the author, their genre, the book itself, and often the connections the author has to the publishing world. The two main options are self-publishing (also known as indie publishing) and traditional publishing. Neither is better than the other, especially in today’s world where easy access has broken down the barriers that kept many from seeing their words in print even just one decade ago. Our hosts revisit the topic of traditional and self-publishing to discuss what they’ve learned since they first covered the topic, and the major advantages and disadvantages to each. First aired August 29, 2022. The post S34E9 – Two Publishing Paths: Pros and Cons appeared first on Writing Roots.