The Writer's Block Podcast

Inconsistent Pacing - #6 of the Ten Most Common Mistakes

Pacing is the speed with which your narrative unfolds. The Writer’s Block welcomes Barbara Wallace to talk about the importance of pacing.

• Your book should be like a symphony
• The pace should be variable
• There should be a purpose to your pacing
• At what point in the writing process should pacing be addressed?
• Language and sentence structure can be used to control pace

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Dialogue Is not Just Conversation - #5 of the Ten Most Common Mistakes

Today on the block, Barbara Wallace joins us to discuss the importance of honing your dialogue skills... in writing.  Dialogue is not just conversation between characters.  It is a vital story tool that, if done properly, should:

• Advance the plot
• Can often point out subtext
• Reveal story information
• Provide insight into character
• Heighten tension
• Character’s with heavy accents…don’t overdo it. Transition from very brief dialect and then make it easy for the reader going forward
• Repetitive words that you hear in real life have no place in the story…”Um, Like, Well” readers don’t want to read them over and over again
• Sex noises during love scenes are a no no
• Don’t over vary or over use your tags…”She Said, they replied, and he asked” are examples of good easy tags that can lubricate the dialogue
• Dialogue is not a tool for info dumping

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Failing to Use Setting Effectively - #4 of the Ten Most Common Mistakes

A good setting isn't just where your story takes place.  It is an integral part of your story, sometimes to the point where it could actually become a character itself.  When you are in your characters POV, you're not just writing what they're saying and thinking... you are writing where they are, what is happening around them, and what stimuli is involved.  Written correctly, what they notice about their environment can tell so much about a character.  What a real estate agent notices about a house will not be the same thing as what a criminal breaking in will notice.  Barbara and Debby will share ways to make your scene stand out by using setting most effectively.

• Setting is one of the main characters of the book
• The setting is another way to reveal hints about different characters. A criminal is going to look at a room different than someone who stages homes for sale
• Choose your scenes that will work your plot
• Setting can be similar archetypes: Sad theme set on a rainy day
• Setting can be opposing archetypes: Sad theme on a bright sunny day

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Character Derailment - #3 of the Ten Most Common Mistakes

Barbara Wallace, award winning author of romance and mystery, will continue her discussion of the most common writing mistakes. 

This week's topic is Character Derailment.  This is when the character does something so "out of character" that the writer loses credibility and the reader loses interest.  Characters need to feel like real people to the reader so the writer can't make them do things just to move the story along or to hit a plot point. 

• Is your hero too stupid to live?
• Every scene should have conflict but it needs to stay within the confines of the character that you have created
• When you really understand your character you will be less likely to derail them
• What is pre-writing?
• What is your character's motivation?

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Info Dumping - #2 of the Ten Most Common Mistakes

Barbara Wallace and Debby will discuss one of the biggest mistakes rookie writers make... info dumping.  To be fair, info dumping ins't limited to beginner writers, but the experienced writer usually knows when the words need to hit the cutting room floor.   Back-story, Transition scenes, and world building are three of the common dumping grounds.  Barbara and Debby will discuss how information can be woven through-out the story

• Too much too quick vs picking and choosing what is important
• Let the story play out like and onion layer after layer
• What would be important to the character in that scene right now
• Sometimes you do have to catch the reader up in the case of time traveling...6 months later...
• Science fiction tends to have the most info dumping with respect to technology

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Starting at the Wrong Place - #1 of the Ten Most Common Mistakes

Barbara Wallace, award winning author of romance and mystery, will join Debby today to discuss the ten biggest mistakes writers make.  They will show you how to identify them, how to avoid them, and how to fix them when you do make them.  This week they're discussing what makes a good beginning that will grab your reader and hook them into your story.  A good opening scene will introduce us to the main character and their big problem.  It will set the tone of the book and hint at the story's theme.  Most of all, a good beginning will make the reader want to keep reading!

• A good beginning should grab the reader
• Set the tone
• Introduce the main character
• Identifies the main conflict
• Never break the promise with the reader
• Story action vs action action
• What is your character's motivation?
• Do you really need a prologe or is that cheating?

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Trust Your Intuition

Author Jill Sylvester joins the Writer's Block to discuss her latest book, Trust Your Intuition.  In her book she shares 100 ways to transform anxiety and depression for stronger mental health.  As a licensed mental health counselor, she guides people to health and wellness.

• Self published
• Why 100 ways and not the top 10?
• How did she find her intuition?
• This book is part of a series
• Fiction work to follow
• How does Jill find time to Write, be a therapist, and a mother?
• Why does she think that anxiety a good thing?

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Deborah Monk Books Etsy Shop Grand Opening

Debby doesn't like traditional marketing tools so she's broken the rules and created her own marketing plan that resonates with her.  Today she launches the grand opening of her Etsy store, DeborahMonkBooks.  From her Seeds of Wisdom hand-made books to her inspirational jewelry, the shop will be home to all the art from her heart.  

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

How to Write a Good Bad Guy

Mandra and Debby will explore the ways to make your antagonist a worthy opponent for your protagonist.  They will give examples of bad guys we hate to love, as well as bad guys we love to hate.

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.

Writing Your Book Bio

While Shelly's away, Debby and Mandra will play with her author bio.  Now that Shelly's coming close to finishing her book, her editor reminded her it's time to write the dreaded author bio.  Listen in as the kid gloves come off and we edit the first draft.

• Opening bi-line
• Credentials that are relevant to the work
• Synopsis of your writing work
• Interesting facts or two about you
• Be relevant not repetitive

May you be inspired, feel empowered, and B. Well.

All this and more on this week’s episode of The Writer’s Block Podcast recorded at the Studio 21 Podcast Café and hosted on the United Podcast Network.