Writing Roots

Marketing is not a process that can wait until the book is launched. There are things you can – and should – do prior to even getting the manuscript back from your editor. After all, the AIDA funnel requires building awareness and interest. That’s best done long before the launch date. Pre-orders factor hugely in algorithms on many bookstore websites. The more people who are interested before the book ever comes out, the more attention your book will get on the site. In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss ways to build awareness, interest, and desire, while you waiting on your editor. That includes things such as cover development, branding, and social media campaigns. First aired February 24, 2022. The post S29E7 – What To Do While Your Editor Edits appeared first on Writing Roots.

A recognizable author identity can do so much to boost your marketing efforts. We’ve talked plenty about finding your target audience, but this is about them finding and knowing you. There are plenty of things you can do to help build your recognition. One of the easiest, of course, is something visual. Photos are the most common, but other authors have logos (think JRR Tolkein’s signature). This is especially important if you’re writing non-fiction or want to do any public speaking. People need to recognize you. Other things you can do to build your identity as an author is to have merchandise, themed and focused social media, and open communication with fans. We discuss all these options and more in this episode. First released February 21, 2022. The post S29E6 – Developing Your Author Identity appeared first on Writing Roots.

News releases (often called press releases) are an old way of advertising books, but they can still have some worth even in today’s world. It’s definitely not the route for everyone, but knowing the purpose of news releases for you marketing efforts can help you make the decision whether or not you should put in that effort. Media releases are designed to get journalists talking about your books before the release, and therefore their viewers or readers. Your goal in writing one is to do half of the journalist’s job. They’re more likely to pick it up that way. That means you need to know not only your audience, but the journalist and their audience. We break down the use of news releases and how to write one in this episode. Listen today on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Stitcher. The post S29E5 – The Purpose and Value of News Releases appeared first on Writing Roots.

Staying connected with your readers is an important part of any marketing efforts. They need to know what you’re doing and what you have planned. It helps build anticipation and desire. The more people you have actively following your progress, the more sales you will have when the book launches. One way to stay connected is through newsletters. Most authors these days – most companies, for that matter – have newsletters they send to their subscribers. For businesses, they’re often sales notifications, coupons, or announcements for new items. For authors, the newsletters include progress on books they’re writing or working towards publishing, important dates (such as for events and book releases), and even access to free short stories. Having a newsletter is one thing, but building a subscription base for one is entirely different. It can be an uphill battle to get the numbers you want. Then you have to keep them. Listen to this episode for more about how to create newsletters, what should be in them, and how to gain and retain an audience. First aired February 14, 2022. The post S29E4 – Marketing Books Through Newsletters appeared first on Writing Roots.

An author website may seem a bit archaic when compared to social media, but they are still essential in the process of marketing. A website helps lend credibility and gives you a place to not only show your work, but your style to the world. It can draw readers in and keep them connected. Not every site is equal, though. It takes real work and effort to keep one running and effective. In this episode, we take a look at the basics of building a website. This includes focusing it on you as the author, having a page dedicated to each of your books, and making the perfect home page. First aired February 10, 2022. If you would like the full version of this episode, send us a request through email, Facebook, or Instagram. The post S29E3 – Building an Effective Author Website appeared first on Writing Roots.

Knowing what it takes for a consumer to buy a product is the key to marketing. It’s more than just fulfilling a need or want – there are lots of products out there that do the same thing, after all. When you go to market a book, you need to know what the reader expects and what it takes for them to decide to purchase. First, every reader has a quota for the number of times they need to see or hear about a book before they read it. It changes based on genre and the reader’s personal interests and demands. Some quotas are smaller with books from known authors, or even for books with pretty covers. Other quotas are insurmountably high, such as when the book is outside the reader’s preferred genres (you’ll never catch Ley reading a romance novel). The other thing you need to know is about the AIDA funnel. This is what people either enter or fall out of when looking at a potential product. Listen to this episode for a breakdown of the funnel, and what it means for your marketing efforts. First aired February 7, 2022. The post S29E2 – About the AIDA Funnel appeared first on Writing Roots.

Marketing your self-published book is a pain. For one, it’s completely up to you. Yes, you can hire and pay people to help you, but you don’t have a publishing company to front those costs or give you any guidance. Getting your book into the world is entirely reliant on the decisions you make. Unfortunately, a lot of new authors don’t know how to market, so they end up wasting a ton of money. The key to marketing correctly is knowing how to wisely use your budget. For one, you don’t want to market to everyone. Not everyone will want to read your book. It means finding who will want to read your book, and making sure they know about it. Listen to this episode for tips and tricks on how to avoid wasting money while trying to market your book. First aired February 3, 2022. Throughout February, we will be talking about marketing your books. This is a companion series to Marketing Your Writing, and will dive into more topics to help you learn the best practices for selling books. The post S29E1 – How to Waste Money on Marketing appeared first on Writing Roots.

Actually finishing a piece of fiction, especially something of novel length, is a great accomplishment. Many writers start out with grand ideas, but the inspiration eventually falters. They stop writing because the ideas aren’t there anymore. The book is never finished. That is why it’s important to build a habit of finishing your stories. Not just writing to “The End,” but to stop editing and making constant changes. Leigh has often said that finishing Toxic opened the floodgates for the rest of her books. It helped her realize she had both the motivation and ability to write an entire book, if only she would stop waiting around for inspiration to strike. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss habits you can build throughout your writing journey that can help you do what many writers have failed: finish writing a novel. These include things like setting deadlines, and creating a checklist so you can know when it’s time to hand your book over to someone else, such as an editor or your readers. First aired January 31, 2022. The post S28E9 – The Habit of Finishing Your Work appeared first on Writing Roots.

Inspiration is a tricky thing when it comes to relying on it to write an entire novel. It is wonderful for sparking the ideas and for driving us during those exciting scenes, but it is not reliable. Inspiration comes and goes. Or does it? There are ways you can help yourself stay inspired. Start now by getting into the habit. It can be anything from setting up your environment to using smell or flavor to help remind yourself of those times you were inspired. In this episode, we discuss habits you can pick up to make sure the faucet of inspiration stays running as you set down to begin writing. First aired January 29, 2022. The post S28BE – Staying Inspired During the Writing Process appeared first on Writing Roots.

One of the best habits any author can get into is to make a habit of using our resources. There are so many things around that can help you improve, from specific advice from experts in fields you’re writing about to craft books by well-known authors. It’s not just about having these resources, though. You must use them. How often have you gotten a book that will help you learn something, and it ends up sitting on the shelf or your nightstand for months? If you really want to get serious about your writing, you must make the conscious decision to learn, to explore, and to stretch your mind to improve every day. In this episode, we talk about some of our favorite resources, our reader’s favorite resources, and the kinds of places you can go to learn in your writing journey. First aired January 27, 2022. Recommended Books: – On Writing, by Stephen King – Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You’ll Ever Need, by Jessica Brody – Telling Lies for Fun and Profit, by Lawrence Block – The Fantasy Fiction Formula, by Deborah Chester – Write Your Novel from the Middle: A New Approach for Plotters, by James Scott Bell Recommended Websites: – Notebooks for Writing Selfishly – Think Written Writing Prompts – Grammar Girl with Quick and Dirty Tips – Writer’s Digest – Inkarnate (Map builder) – US Copyright Law The post S28E8 – The Best Resources for Your Writing appeared first on Writing Roots.

One of the best habits you can get into to improve your writing is to learn from the writing and storytelling of others. We don’t want to take the fun out of consuming stories, but we do recommend taking time to think about it. Think about what you like, what you don’t like, how you would change aspects to make it better. Once yo figure out how to do this with other media, you can then take it to improve your own writing. Listen to this episode for more tips and tricks to learn from consuming stories, and how make it a habit. First aired January 24, 2022. The post S28E7 – Learning While Consuming Stories appeared first on Writing Roots.

Though the process of actually writing is often a solitary activity, it’s not something we can take on alone easily. We need support, encouragement, and people around who know our struggles. This is why finding and participating in a writing community is a healthy writing habit. Including other people in your writing process can give you different perspectives, a sounding board for ideas, and provide knowledge you might not have alone. They also don’t know your story, so they can bring a fresh view. On top of that, having fellow writers in a community means having people you can talk with to sift ideas, get past writer’s block, and provide accountability. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss the benefits of having writing friends, their own experiences, and how you can find and build one of your own. First aired January 20, 2022. The post S28E6 – Building a Writing Community appeared first on Writing Roots.

Where do you go to write? Have you found that some spots work better than others? Now is the time to figure out why those places work best. We can guarantee it comes down to the environment and how well it can spawn creativity. When it comes to the best environment for your writing, there is no one right answer. Each person is different, so their needs are different. Some people like to write in busy places with lots of people, such as a café. Others prefer the solitude of a closed office. But the environment is about more than just where. It’s the noise, the clutter, the distractions. Hosts Ley and Leigh discuss the different ways you can prepare your environment to capitalize on your writing time, to make it the most creative and most efficient time possible. First aired January 17, 2022. The post S28E5 – Preparing Your Environment for Writing appeared first on Writing Roots.

Computers aren’t the only thing that can be hacked. You can, over time, trick your brain into thinking and reacting the way you want. This trick is especially helpful when you want to build healthy habits. It takes about twenty-one iterations of a thing to make it a habit, and it’s much easier to do something twenty-one times if you make it something desirable. Something we want to do. Or as James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, would say, make it a healthy addiction. There are four steps in an addiction. The cue, craving, response, and reward. We can hack our brains into making writing an addiction by following these steps. Create a cue. Something that will trigger that craving. In order to make it an addiction, we then need to respond to the craving, and then we end by rewarding ourselves. Listen to this episode for more about things you can do to start hacking your brain and instilling in yourself an addiction to writing. First aired January 13, 2022. The post S28E4 – Hacking Your Brain to Make Writing an Addiction appeared first on Writing Roots.

There are few things more counterproductive than poor time management when it comes to writing. This isn’t just about not giving yourself time to write, but about making sure the time you spend is worth it. Just sitting and staring at a blank page isn’t helpful. Good time management with your writing is important, not only for your stories but for your physical health. Writers often find themselves wearing themselves out trying to push too hard towards their goals. If you find yourself falling into those habits – staying up too late but not getting things written, for example – this episode may help. We talk about setting realistic timelines, making sure you’re taking breaks, and getting the most out of the time you do spend writing. This is where quality is more important than quantity. A few shorter sessions that give you great writing is better than several long sessions of no progress. First aired January 10, 2022. The post S28E3 – Improving Your Writing Through Time Management appeared first on Writing Roots.

Writing a whole novel is a huge undertaking. For some, it takes years to complete a single draft. If it gets finished at all, that is. That’s why setting goals for your writing is such an important step in the process. Without realistic and achievable goals to work towards, we can often find ourselves pulled away by other things in our busy lives. Goals can help you focus on your task and then feel accomplished as you make progress. There are a number of things you can do when setting the goal that will help you become more successful. Rather than saying “I want to finish this book this year,” break it down into chunks. Steps you can finish along the way. The first version is vague and easily forgettable. Procrastinators out there will understand that kind of deadline is too far off to take the steps now. That means setting hard dates and breaking down the book into the steps needed to finish it. Listen to this episode for more about how to set realistic goals for your writing to help you achieve your dreams. First aired January 6, 2022. The post S28E2 – Setting Realistic Writing Goals appeared first on Writing Roots.

Writing should be a journey of self-discovery, which means allowing yourself to explore. Throughout the month of January, we’ll be talking about developing good habits when it comes to writing. That all starts with giving yourself permission to discover what we mean when we say “write selfishly.” It’s common around this time of year for people to try to reinvent themselves. “New year, new me” is a common phrase (common enough to have become satirical in many places). Even if you aren’t trying to vastly change yourself, make this your chance to set and keep your writing goals. Build the habit of trying new things, all until you figure out what works best for you in the end. This exploration helps you find your voice, your strengths, and even you weaknesses. Go outside of your comfort zone and see how you grow. First aired January 3, 2022. The post S28E1 – Discovering Yourself Through Writing appeared first on Writing Roots.

Just as with fashion, the world of books and writing has trends. Certain styles and genres and topics and tropes will go in and out of popularity as time passes. Ley often refers to it as a circle, going from growing, to popular, to a downslide, and into satirical before it starts growing again a few years down the line. Trends are how we know what people like, what people want to read, and what might sell the best. Following trends, though, is tricky work. Following a trend is as it sounds. You’re behind the curve, following in the footsteps of others. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but doing so intentionally will always leave you in the dust. On the other side, it’s good to know what’s popular, what’s trending, and to let it influence your writing. Listen to this episode for more about achieving this delicate balance between following a trend and being influenced by the trends in the writing world. First aired December 30, 2021. The post S27E9 – What Are the Current Trends in Fiction, and Should I Follow Them? appeared first on Writing Roots.

There are two kinds of moments in a story: The Scene and The Sequel. Not every moment needs to be action. Not every moments needs to propel the plot forward. Sometimes you need a sequel. You need a moment in between the scenes. A moment to pause, to think, to talk. The idea of scene and sequel is an important one when learning how to transition from one scene to the next. Knowing exactly when to end one scene and start another is a skill learned with time. Readers don’t want to read all of the traveling and walking and the in-betweens with nothing happens. That means whenever you have a moment of Sequel, it need to have purpose. Otherwise it’s just filler and fodder for the editing room. You need to trust your readers. Trust they will fill in the gaps. Those scene transitions aren’t as jarring as you think. Listen to this episode for more about how to transition between scenes, and a breakdown of the concept of scene and sequel. First aired December 27, 2021. The post S27E8 – How Do I Transition From One Scene to Another? appeared first on Writing Roots.

For those taking the traditional publishing route, querying is the first step in the process (after finishing the manuscript, of course). That letter is what will get you an agent and a publishing deal. Which means it’s incredibly important. It needs to stand out and grab the attention of an agent who likely gets hundreds of similar queries. In this episode, we discuss the tips and tricks from published authors to write the best query letters, along with the first steps in the process of traditional publishing. First aired December 25, 2021. Resources mentioned in the episode: – Writers Write: Janet Evanovich’s 12 Tips for Writing a Query Letter – New York Book Editors: How to Write a Darn Good Query Letter – Jane Friedman: How to Write a Novel Synopsis – Query Tracker – publishedtodeath.blogspot The post S27 Bonus – What Is a Query Letter, and How Do I Write One? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Great stories begin somewhere important. Somewhere catching. You want to draw the reader in within the first chapter. Better yet, within the first page or even sentence. Knowing exactly where that is, though, is the tricky part. We know where our characters being, where they are before that inciting incident. We know where we want them to end up. We think we know what the readers need to understand before any of that occurs. Most often, we’re wrong. Stories don’t always begin at the beginning. Books often start right at the cusp of important things – and sometimes right in middle of those important things. That means the answer to this question is most often found at the end. Once you’ve finished that first draft, you can finally know, really, where a story needs to start. Listen to this episode for more on how to identify a good beginning, tips for a strong start, and how to get past the need to know the start at the start. First aired December 23, 2021. The post S27E7 – How Do I Know Where My Story Begins? appeared first on Writing Roots.

You probably know that word choices are important in writing. Different words have nuances that can change their meaning. Consider how “angry” is different from “frustrated” or “irritated.” The same principle applies with swear words. We’ve had many writers question whether or not they can or should use swear words in their stories. The short answer is yes, but it gets a little more complicated as you dig into the writing. There are a few important things to consider before diving in and using all the swear words in your vocabulary. The first and foremost is you target audience. On this podcast, we always tell you to not worry about the audience in the first draft. That applies here. In your first draft, write whatever words you think work best in the moment. When you edit, though, consider the best words for the audience. Especially if you are traditionally publishing, there will be different considerations for things like the target age and the book’s genre. We discuss target audience as well as other considerations when choosing whether or not to use swear words in this episode, as well as creating your own fictional curses that fit the world and setting. First aired December 20, 2021. The post S27E6 – Can I Use Swear Words in My Novel? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Morally gray characters are quickly becoming some of the most popular kinds of characters in fiction. Part of that is because they’re actually relatable. No one is as perfect as a hero appears, nor usually as evil as a villain in the classic senses of the words. Instead, people are somewhere in between those two. Creating a compelling character that lives in that gray area between right and wrong can be challenging. One of the best things to help is to look at their motivation. Why do they make the decisions they do? Usually, it’s something selfish. They could be doing good things, but it’s never for the heroic reasons. Listen to the episode for more about morally gray characters, including the antihero archetype, and how to best create ones for your own story. First aired December 16, 2021. The post S27E5 – How Do I Write Morally Gray Characters? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Whether you’re writing contemporary action, swords and sorcery fantasy, or science fiction, most authors will come across a fight scene or twenty during their books. Most of us, though, don’t have any actual fighting knowledge. It’s not like we’re out there swinging swords at people on a daily basis (unless you’re a LARPer, which is awesome). This means we need to cross over that mistaken idea of “write what you know” into the territory of writing the unknown. How, though? It starts with knowing your characters and the purpose of the scene. What do you need to accomplish? Does someone need to get injured? Does someone need to save the day? Write towards that. Also know what kind of style your characters will have. Their builds and history make a lot of difference in how they’ll fight. An archer or marksman won’t have the same hand-to-hand skills as an assassin. There are also a lot of misconceptions about what’s important in a fight. It’s not all fists and feet. You also need to consider what’s around the characters that may hinder or help them. Listen for more tips as Ley and Leigh discuss what really matters in a fight and how to work through one even if you don’t have any combat experience. First aired December 13, 2021. Fight Grid This is an example grid from one of Ley’s current works. Use the columns to track people and objects, and the rows to track beats in the story (what everyone is doing in each key moment). Just because it’s in the chart doesn’t mean it needs to be written into the scene, and not everything needs to be doing something every moment. The post S27E4 – How Do I Write a Fight Scene? How Accurate Should It Be? appeared first on Writing Roots.

One worry that consistently nags at writers is the belief that their story is not unique. We often compare our ideas to those of writers and storytellers before us and think they may be too similar to be interesting. The good thing we all need to remember is that people actually like stories to not be entirely unique. Tropes exist for a reason. There are some tropes people will seek out. For example, one of the common ones now is the “enemies/rivals to lovers” trope, or the “found family.” While the framework of each story with these may be similar, the story itself is still unique because only the author can create that tale. The first step in overcoming this idea is to consider what it means to be unique, then what elements of the story actually need to be unique. Structure, tropes, some plot elements, and even some character ideas can all come from other places. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss the term “unique” and how it applies to writing your own fictional narratives. First aired December 9, 2021. The post S27E3 – How Important is Being Unique? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Today’s FAQ is all about descriptions, especially character descriptions. It’s difficult to find the balance between enough description to actually give readers a mental image of what’s happening, and inundating them with three pages about a tree. Descriptions are vital for a story. They immerse readers into the world, and help make characters real. Just think of all the fan art of popular books out there. That wouldn’t be possible – or they’d all be wildly different – if the author didn’t have detailed and interesting descriptions. Ley and Leigh discuss how and when to provide your readers with details about a character’s looks, whether from their perspective or another’s. First aired December 6, 2021. The post S7E2 – How Do I Describe Characters Without Boring the Reader? appeared first on Writing Roots.

Short stories are a wonderful way to practice all kinds of writing techniques. Writers can use short stories to explore ideas, work on weaknesses, and try new techniques. You’ll also find that most awards are given based on short story competitions. That doesn’t mean that short stories are easier. They are still a challenge in their own way. Writers often have big ideas. We want to fill pages and pages with our words. Short stories are the opposite. We need to take a grand idea and condense it into less than ten-thousand words. This means knowing how to cut out the exposition, cut out the unnecessary scenes, and jumping into what really matters. Listen to this episode for a breakdown of how and why to write short stories. First aired December 2, 2021. The post S27E1 – How Do I Write a Good Short Story? appeared first on Writing Roots.

There is no faster way to convey a sense of uncertainty than including hedging and crippling language in your writing. Words have power, meaning, and convey more than just the definitions. Choosing to write in certain ways will weaken what your saying, thus weakening your message. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to identify those words as the author. You might have heard these in classes on public speaking or other business-related writing courses. Works that convey apologies will always weaken phrases, as well passive phrasing. Each author will also have their own red flag words which – because they are used too often – will also weaken your message. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss the words they struggle with, as well as how to spot those things which harm your overall product. First aired November 29, 2021. The post S26E9 – How to Avoid Crippling Your Language appeared first on Writing Roots.

Language can be fun. It’s not always the dry, boring material you learned in school. Those are important for fundamentals, but when you learn to play with language, you reveal new potential in writing. Because english is a strange combination of several different language, there are lots of opportunities for wordplay. Just look at Shakespeare’s writing. There are puns galore. Same with authors such as Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett. They all know how to play with language to make their writing more interesting. In this episode, we talk about different ways you can have fun and provide more entertainment for your readers. That includes using alliterations, pangrams, puns, and even malaphors. First aired November 27, 2021. The post S26 Bonus – Playing with Language appeared first on Writing Roots.

One key to good writing is to accepting that sometimes, you’ll need to leave things out entirely. This is often based not on any hard and fast rules, but on instinct. We can’t teach instinct, but we can help you identify those moments when they happen. Most often, the things that need to be left out leave a manuscript feeling awkward or bulky. Sometimes you need to leave the comma out, even if the technical rules say it should be there. At other times, there are entire words you should be removing from a sentence. Listen to this episode to learn more about when and how to leave things out. First aired November 25, 2021. The post S26E8 – When in Doubt, Leave it Out appeared first on Writing Roots.

The sentence is the core of writing. While every language has different requirements on what makes a sentence, they all usually share common threads. Complete sentences need a subject and a verb. A thing doing something. That simple construction is the foundation for all the world’s best stories. To write, you need to know what makes a sentence. Not all of what we create will be crafted of the perfect complete sentences, though. In fact, it can be good to have incomplete sentences outside of strictly academic scenarios. You need variety. Rhythm. Even simple sentences are not enough. In this episode, Leigh and Ley talk about the four types of sentence structure, how to diagram a sentence, and other basics you need to know in order to break the rules in the best ways. First aired November 22, 2021. The post S26E7 – The Basics of Sentence Structure appeared first on Writing Roots.

A phrase is one of the basic elements of a sentence. Without knowing the different kinds of phrases and what they do, sentences can feel disjointed. Phrases often dictate comma placement or flow. In this episode, Ley and Leigh break down the different kinds of phrases, from introductory to prepositional, and when a phrase can be a sentence all its own. First aired November 18, 2021. The post S26E6 – Uh, Phrasing! appeared first on Writing Roots.

Commas. They’re a problem. It can be difficult to remember where commas should be and, more importantly, where they shouldn’t be in a sentence. New writers often hear the suggestion to put a comma wherever feels natural. Stephen King even recently tweeted, “If you hear a pause in your head, the comma goes in (see what I did there?). If you don’t you don’t.” While that can work at times, it is also dangerous advice for people seeking to be published. Misusing commas can be a sign of other problems within a manuscript. Like any other writing rule, it’s important to know it before you break it. There are several rules that dictate where commas belong. Sometimes those rules change based on the style book, such as the hotly debated Oxford comma. Commas also belong with introductory or interjectory phrases, where you omit other words, or inside quotation marks when you have a dialogue tag. We break down what all of those mean in this episode, as well as in our next episode about phrases. First aired November 15, 2021. The post S26E5 – The Rules of Commas appeared first on Writing Roots.

Language is made up of so many different pieces. Often, you use them instinctively because it’s what you grew up learning. To write, however, you should become more familiar with all the different parts of speech and how they should be used. Knowing that, then, will help you break the rules when necessary. This is the second part of our episodes about parts of speech. To listen to part one, click here. First aired November 11, 2021. The post S26E4 – The Parts of Speech (Part Two) appeared first on Writing Roots.

No one can be a good writer without knowing the basics of the language in which they write. You may have learned terms like nouns and adverbs in school, but its quite possible you’ve forgotten what they actually mean or how they should interact. Maybe you’re still learning, as all writers are. That’s why we’re taking two episodes to break down the parts of speech within the english language. In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss the basic parts of speech, such as verbs, adjectives, and even interjections. They break down the term’s meaning and how those words are used within sentences. First aired November 8, 2021. The post S26E3 – The Parts of Speech (Part One) appeared first on Writing Roots.

When someone talks about the formatting of a book, there are many different things this could mean. They could be talking about the final book format, or the manuscript formatting requirements. Those are fairly simple, though. Some of the more difficult formatting comes from the writing requirements most often encountered in professional and academic environments. In this episode, we discuss the differences between the different stages of formatting, as well as style guides such as Chicago, MLA, and AP. First aired November 4, 2021. The post S26E2 – The Basics of Formatting Styles appeared first on Writing Roots.

As a writer, you should be striving to become a student of language. This doesn’t mean becoming a polyglot, but learning to love the study of the language you use to write. It is vital to know the rules of a language in order to become a good writer, because it is only then that you can really know how to properly break the rules. If you’re writing in english, you’re not going to follow all of the rules all of the time. Dialogue is often broken and fragmented as it is supposed to be an imitation of how people actually speak. You may start sentences with conjunctions, or end with prepositions. You may break all of those rules your teachers told you were hard and fast in the writing world. The danger is in breaking the rules because you don’t know the rules. Readers can often see the difference, whether they realize it or not. It changes how they view the story. Rules broken well are seamless. Rules broken poorly are jarring. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss how to become a student of language, why it is important (even if you don’t like it), and ways you can begin studying. First aired November 1, 2021. The post S26E1 – Becoming a Student of Language appeared first on Writing Roots.

Finishing a book is probably the most difficult part of the writing process. Editing can be daunting and publishing simply overwhelming, but none of that can even happen if you never reach the end. This is an especially important goal as we enter National Novel Writing Month, where people across the country (and now across the world) attempt to write 50,000 words in one month. That’s the minimum size for a single writing work to be considered a novel. In reality, writing a book is all about perseverance and consistency. Did you know that 90% of people never finish NaNoWriMo? Schedules get in the way, the ideas fall flat, and it simply gets discouraging to see that goal get more and more out of reach as the daily word goals aren’t met. But that’s where this episode comes in handy. There are lots of things you can do to help yourself get back on track and keep motivated to write. If you’re setting out to reach the 50,000 word NaNoWriMo goal, the most important thing to remember is that the writing does not need to be perfect. It just needs to be. Ley and Leigh share some of the tricks they’ve learned from successes and failures during their own NaNo projects. This includes making sure you take care of yourself, find a buddy to help encourage you, and how to identify what’s holding you back. First aired October 30, 2021. For other episodes and articles on this topic, see below:” – S1E8: Getting it Written – S20E4: Myth: Characters Control the Author – S4E1: Getting the Most from NaNoWriMo – Series 16: Tricks of the Trade – Write Terribly – Series 19: Writing Prompts for Act Two – Series 6: The Nitty Gritty – S9E3: I Have an Idea for a Book The post S25 Bonus – A Guide to Finishing Your Book appeared first on Writing Roots.

Building a brand around yourself as an author is a key element of successful marketing. This is even more important if you plant to write several books or different series. Having an author brand is how you can lead people to all of your books, not just the most successful ones. A brand is what people perceive as being you. When it comes to retail and large companies, this is often a symbol that can be immediately recognizable, such as a logo. It’s difficult to develop a symbol to represent you as an author, but the idea still applies. It can be the voice you use on social media, what makes you and your books unique, your style of profile photo, and the kind of imagery you share when promoting your books. When building your brand, consider the authors who you believe share your target audience. Look at the successful ones. What do they do that helps build an audience? What have they done to build a brand? How are they recognizable? Take elements of what they do and apply it in your own marketing process. This can include anything from a website to social media sites, to newsletters. There’s a lot more to consider as well, such as consistency, ways to get your name out there, and building your own personal schedule. We’re creating a notebook to help you track all of these elements, as well as build ideas for how you want to present yourself in the marketing world. This episode is a breakdown of some of the elements included in that book. First aired October 28, 2021. For more episodes on this topic, see below: – S4E8: Working with Other Writers – S12E2: Building an Author Brand – S12E1: Finding your Target Audience – S17E4: How Do I Determine the Genre of a Book? – S5E1: What’s in a Name? Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E8 – A Guide to Building an Author Brand appeared first on Writing Roots.

Publishing can be a daunting process, especially if you’re a new author and unsure what comes after finishing that manuscript. You may be looking at is and asking yourself “what now?” Do you self-publish, or pursue traditional publishing? What about the title and the cover and the formatting? Even once you’ve decided those things, it’s not the end. There is more to publishing than just getting the book printed or in the hands of a publisher. It’s also about marketing and getting the word out to your target audience, even if you’re traditionally published. If you don’t share what you’ve created, no one will know it exists. Once you’ve figured out the cover and titles, it’s time to start getting together promotional material. In this episode we discuss the workbook we’re creating to help you get published. We include a calendar to schedule the release date and everything you need to do beforehand, ideas and space for you to jot down your plans for social media, as well as scheduling and budgeting things like the editing and cover design processes. First aired October 25, 2021. For more episodes on this topic, see below: – S20E1: Don’t Judge a Book by its Cover – S20 Bonus: Self-Publishing is Free – Series 2: Final Draft – S17E4: How Do I Determine the Genre of a Book? – Series 8: Exploring Genres – Series 12: Marketing Your Writing – S11E6: Why Editing is Essential for the Business of Publishing – S5E7: What’s the Difference? Traditional vs. Self-Publishing – Industry Spotlight: Lindsey Teske, Of Ink and Pearls Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E7 – A Guide to Publishing appeared first on Writing Roots.

If you think about your favorite books, they’re probably not standalone novels. Many of todays books, especially in fantasy and sci-fi settings, are part of a set. Writing a series, though, can be difficult work. Not only do you need to consider the plot of a single book, but the plot that will connect all of them. This, of course, doesn’t always apply. If you’re writing an episodic series, such as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan series, or Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, then you don’t need to worry about connecting plot threads. However, if you’re planning to write a complicated series, then keeping detailed notes is a must. That’s where our book comes in handy. In this episode, we discuss the notebook we’ve created to help you plot out a whole series, starting with book one. Like the rest of the workbooks, you can use the ones we’ve created, or use this episode to guide you in the process of creating your own. These are starting points to help you write the best series you can. First aired October 21, 2021. For additional episodes on this topic, see below: – S12E8: Using Sequels During Marketing – S20E9: Everything is Better as a Trilogy Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E6 – A Guide to Plotting the Series appeared first on Writing Roots.

Story would not be the same without multiple characters. You often need a villain and at least one supporting character. In some genres, especially epic fantasy and science fiction, there will be at least a dozen prominent supporting characters. There are even some cases where the supporting characters are almost main characters of their own. It’s important, then, to consider how all of these supporting characters play into the story as a whole. What role do they fulfill in the group? Are they important to the the plot in some way? What will they contribute to the resolution of the conflict? In the workbook we discuss this episode, we talk about several kinds of supporting characters and things to consider for each of them as you build your cast. We include things from how they look, who they are to the main character, and what strengths they contribute to the team. This workbook will be just one in a series we’ll release through the month. Each book is designed to help you plot, build, and write. If you’re a plotter, you’ll probably find the books more helpful before you write. Pantsers can use them to chart and track as they work on their stories. This series, though, is built in a way to help you even if you don’t get the book. You’ll get all the information you need in each episode to help you build your own version, whether it’s about worldbuilding, branding, or creating your own writing prompts. First aired October 18, 2021. For additional episodes on this topic, see below: – S1E5: Character Design: Support – S6 Bonus: What Makes a Good Villain – S10: Designing Your Characters – S21E9: Villainy: Should Villains Be Evil? – S22E6: K/D Ratio: Character Voice Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E5 – A Guide to Designing Support Characters appeared first on Writing Roots.

Stories could not exist without some form of character. Especially in the Hero’s Journey, it is the main character who drives the story forward. Readers connect better to the story when it is about the people inside the pages. That’s why one of the first things any author should build is their main character. While some authors don’t plan their characters down to every last detail, others will list every aspect of their physical appearance. On top of that, there is the character’s history to consider. They didn’t just spawn into existence within the story’s world just as the story begins. You have to consider moments in their history that made them who they are now. In this episode, we discuss our guidebook to building main characters. We break down as much as we can within 10 minutes to give you a starting point for creating the key element of your story. We include questions in the book about the character’s defining moments, what they do, who they know, their faults and strengths, and the lie they believe about themselves. This workbook will be just one in a series we’ll release through the month. Each book is designed to help you plot, build, and write. If you’re a plotter, you’ll probably find the books more helpful before you write. Pantsers can use them to chart and track as they work on their stories. This series, though, is built in a way to help you even if you don’t get the book. You’ll get all the information you need in each episode to help you build your own version, whether it’s about worldbuilding, branding, or creating your own writing prompts. First aired October 14, 2021. For additional episodes to assist in building main characters, check out the ones below: – S1E4 – Character Design: Primary – S3E7 – Weaknesses – S7E1 – The Mary Sue – S7E4 – Love Triangles – S7E7 – Plot Armor – S9E7 – Cultural Appropriation – S10 – Designing Your Characters Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E4 – A Guide to Designing the Main Character appeared first on Writing Roots.

Worldbuilding is one of those things that we at Writing Roots (especially Leigh) can talk about for a very, very long time. There is so much that goes into the process of creating the world of a book, even if that book is based in modern Earth. You need to consider things like the history of the place and culture, the languages, and the geography. If you create a magic system or have advanced technology, that only adds to what you have to track. It can be difficult to keep all of those straight, or even to remember to consider all of them, as you set about writing. That’s why we’ve created the guide to worldbuilding. Leigh and Ley explain as many of the elements involved in the worldbuilding process as they could fit within a 10-minute(ish) episode. This episode will be a companion to the workbook we will be releasing soon. We divided the book into sections, such as the natural world, government, religion, and magic. Each of those sections includes prompts for what to consider along with plenty of space to add and develop your own ideas. This workbook will be just one in a series we’ll release through the month. Each book is designed to help you plot, build, and write. If you’re a plotter, you’ll probably find the books more helpful before you write. Pantsers can use them to chart and track as they work on their stories. This series, though, is built in a way to help you even if you don’t get the book. You’ll get all the information you need in each episode to help you build your own version, whether it’s about worldbuilding, branding, or creating your own writing prompts. First aired October 11, 2021. For additional information about worldbuilding, check out these episodes: – S1E6 – Worldbuilding: The World Around You – S1E7 – Worldbuilding: Fantasy and Magic – S3 – Writing What You Don’t Know – S15 – Monster Mash – S18BE – Pearls from the Masters: Brandon Sanderson – S24E1 – Storytelling in Prehistoric Times – S24E2 – Stories of Gods and Fate – S24E9 – Futuristic and Dystopian Stories Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E3 – A Guide to Worldbuilding appeared first on Writing Roots.

One of the most common types of structures, especially in fantasy writing, is the Hero’s Journey. It’s why we’ve talked about it as much as we have over the course of this podcast. As we get further into Preptober, getting ready for National Novel Writing Month, one thing we suggest is to plan out the story you want to write. Yes, even you pantsers can benefit from having an idea of how your story fits into this structure. In this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss our upcoming workbook designed to help you fill in all of the gaps in a Hero’s Journey as you prepare to write your next novel. This workbook will be just one in a series we’ll release through the month. Each book is designed to help you plot, build, and write. If you’re a plotter, you’ll probably find the books more helpful before you write. Pantsers can use them to chart and track as they work on their stories. This series, though, is built in a way to help you even if you don’t get the book. You’ll get all the information you need in each episode to help you build your own version, whether it’s about worldbuilding, branding, or creating your own writing prompts. First aired October 7, 2021. For more episodes about this topic, see below: – S21 Bonus: Story Building: Plot First or Character First? – S6E4: When to Kill a Character – Series 8: Exploring Genres – S6E8: Rule of Three – S11 Bonus: READ – S1E3: Story Structure – S2E3: Playing with Structure Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E2 – A Guide to Plotting a Hero’s Journey appeared first on Writing Roots.

We are one month away from National Novel Writing Month. October, sometimes known in writing circles as Preptober, is the time to start planning for trying to write 50,000 words in one month. Before you can do any writing, you need some kind of idea. Something needs to stir your imagination so you can create wonderful worlds and characters. Leigh, the pantser, is using the month to get into a habit of writing daily with a word count goal through the use of writing prompts. Writing prompts can be helpful in sparking creativity, whether it’s related to your story or not. That’s why we’re releasing a workbook full of different kinds of prompts. They’re divided into three sections: 10-minute prompts, 30-minute prompts, and 2-hour prompts. This workbook will be just one in a series we’ll release through the month. Each book is designed to help you plot, build, and write. If you’re a plotter, you’ll probably find the books more helpful before you write. Pantsers can use them to chart and track as they work on their stories. This series, though, is built in a way to help you even if you don’t get the book. You’ll get all the information you need in each episode to help you build your own version, whether it’s about worldbuilding, branding, or creating your own writing prompts. First aired October 4, 2021. For more episodes about this topic, see below: – Series 19: Act II Writing Prompts – S11E8: PLAN – S21E1: Writing Prompts: Helpful or Not? Our first workbooks are now available! Check them out here. The post S25E1 – A Guide to Stirring the Imagination appeared first on Writing Roots.

Whether it’s a dystopian or utopian outlook, humans have been looking towards the future for almost all of history. The reason for painting on cave walls was to teach future generations. The reason we record current events is to make sure those to come know what happened in their past. The thing with the future, though, is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s what makes it a perfect setting for fiction. Science fiction stories often take place somewhere in the future, in a time with wondrous technologies we have yet to invent and worlds we have yet to discover. There are usually two ways to look on the future: a utopian outlook where the world is better and humans are thriving, or a dystopian outlook where there are fundamental cracks in society where corruption thrives. Both outlooks have spawned some of the most well-known stories of our generation. Another way to look to the future is to look at the past and as the question “what if?” What if the Allies had lost World War II? What if Kennedy hadn’t been assassinated? What if ______? In this episode, Ley and Leigh discuss the trends with futuristic and dystopian stories, their common tropes, and how all authors can learn something from looking to the future. Listen now below, or on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or Apple Podcasts. First aired September 30, 2021. The post S24E9 – Futuristic and Dystopian Stories appeared first on Writing Roots.

What is a superhero? Do they have to have superpowers of some kind? Did their origins have to be tragic? Are characters superheroes only because they started in comic books? No matter the answers, superheroes have become a massive piece of the storytelling world in recent years. We can largely thank the Marvel Cinematic Universe for that. Even before then, superhero stories have been an important element of the writing world. Stories about characters with fantastic abilities and strengths have been around far longer than the superhero genre as we know it. Superhero comic books started in the late 1930s with characters such as Superman, Batman, and Captain Marvel (no, not that Captain Marvel; the one that eventually became Shazam). One of the most notable parts of these stories is that the hero is usually a human who becomes something greater. Even when that’s not the case, there are other story tropes that help mark a story as a superhero story. Ley and Leigh discuss those tropes and how you can use the history of superheroes to help your writing, no matter the genre. Listen now below, or on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or Apple Podcasts. First aired September 27, 2021. The post S24E8 – The History of Superheroes appeared first on Writing Roots.

Storytelling has evolved more rapidly in the last 100 years than in the centuries before all because of film. Movies and television have changed the way we consume stories, sped up the process for evolving genres, and given another way for people to share the stories they want to create. Even before books, people were trying to tell story through pictures. In the earliest days of cave drawings, scientists theorize that people would use wavy lines to mimic motion. The flickering firelight would create an optical illusion to make the figures move. Later, grand scenes were embroidered into tapestries. Entire battles would be logged with needle and thread. In the late 1800s, we figured out how to make moving pictures. Only a few years later, people were using them to tell fictional and fantastical tales. George Méliès is among the first to use editing tricks such as stop motion to help him share his stories. From those early days of hand-cranked film reels to modern times, storytelling through movies has been evolving. It’s not entirely because of changing technology. Hosts Ley and Leigh talk through more than 100 years of film history, how it coincides with the writing industry at the time, and how both changed because of the other. First aired September 25, 2021. We’re still buying your books to celebrate our two-year anniversary and thank all of you listeners for your support! Hosts Leigh and Ley are buying self-published books from our listeners and followers. We’ll keep buying until our fund runs out. Find out more on our Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (found on our homepage) while you’re here. The post S24 Bonus – How Film Impacted Storytelling appeared first on Writing Roots.

Monster fiction as we know it came into being in the early 1800s. A large volcano erupted in 1816, causing what has become known as the year without a summer. It was during this time that we got some of the best monster fiction creations. It was during that summer that Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein as part of a writing contest. Most of the modern monster fiction we enjoy, whether in books or in film, can trace their roots back to the creations that summer in a writing contest held by Lord Byron. Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein, which was monumental in paving the way for later creations such as The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Todays monsters include zombies, vampires, werewolves, mummies, and more. It’s even opened the way for exploring the idea of a good monster. No matter the genre within the monster fiction category, there are common themes that have become important elements of storytelling. At the core, these stories explore human psychology, the complexities of humanity, and the battle of good versus evil. Listen to this episode for more on what you can learn from studying the creation of monster fiction. First aired September 23, 2021. We’re still buying your books to celebrate our two-year anniversary and thank all of you listeners for your support! Hosts Leigh and Ley are buying self-published books from our listeners and followers. We’ll keep buying until our fund runs out. Find out more on our Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (found on our homepage) while you’re here. The post S24E7 – The Creation of Monster Fiction appeared first on Writing Roots.