Essential Guide to Writing a Novel

Episode 197 - That odd little thing for our character.

26 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How can we make our character memorable for the reader?  How can we make the character leap off the page and stay in the reader's memory?  Here...

Episode 196 - Importance of the character arc.

19 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Readers want a character who can grow and change over the course of the story. Here is a discussion of the character arc: how we can use the arc to de...

Episode 195 - The adopt a dog technique.

12 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the best ways to have readers like our story is to have readers like--maybe even love--our main character.   But we usually don't want o...

Episode 194 - How to invent a strong plot.

05 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We want to write but we don't have our story fully figured out.  What can we do?  Here are thoughts on inventing plot, things we can do to shak...

Episode 193 - Plotting: go big or go home.

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fiction's job is to entertain.  A main way to entertain is to be bold with our plot.  Here are thoughts on how to avoid the dull in our plot an...

Episode 192 - Plotting: the importance of conflict, crisis, resolution.

21 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In fiction in all genres only trouble is interesting.  How do we writers use trouble in our story?  Here are thoughts on how we can plot using confl...

Episode 191 - Do we know enough to write the first sentence?

14 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When do we know enough writing techniques to start our novel?  And when is the story ready to be written?  I'll try to answer both questions. ...

Episode 190 - The right way to leave red herrings.

07 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Red herrings--false clues--are used in most all stories in all genres.  Here are the right and wrong ways to insert red herrings into our stories.  ...

Episode 189 - Start as close to the end as possible.

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kurt Vonnegut said we should "Start as close to the end as possible."  What did he mean?  How can we do so?  Here are thoughts on this fa...

Episode 188 - How to make our writing fun.

24 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is your writing time becoming a grind?  If so, here are some things that may reduce the grind and maybe even make  writing fun.  Also, here are tho...

Episode 187 - Giving readers what they want.

17 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We writers should consider giving readers what they want.  Well, what do they want?  Here is a discussion of the five things readers want in a novel...

Episode 186 - Showing--not telling--what a character is thinking.

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Thoughts are interior, in our minds.  But there are ways to show--to give evidence--that reveal to the reader what our character is thinking.  Also,...

Episode 185 - The keys to musical writing.

03 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The three most important words in our fiction are, "Story, story, story."  But we can also shoot for lovely, musical language that makes ea...

Episode 184 - Skipping the dull stuff in our plot.

26 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In his famous ten rules of writing, Elmore Leonard says that we shouldn't write things readers tend to skip.  What are those things?  How can w...

Episode 183 - A key to making our sentences forceful.

19 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Ernest Hemingway, Cormac McCarthy, and Elmore Leonard have in common?   Powerful stories, yes.  But also lean and forceful sentences.  Here...

Episode 182 - Things to think about as we write the end of our story.

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After months and month if writing, we'll near the end of our story.  Our novel is almost finished.  Here are things we should consider as we wr...

Episode 181 - A critical difference between scene and summary.

05 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why should almost all of our story be scenes rather than summaries?  Here's how we can avoid summaries and instead write moment-by-moment real-t...

Episode 180 - The critical distance between the reader and the action.

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The reader is like a camera as the scene unfolds.  Where should that camera be?  How far away from the characters and the action?  Here are thought...

Episode 179 - The critical writing techniques all in one episode.

22 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here are the most important fiction writing techniques boiled down to twenty-five minutes.  I've talked about all these elements in prior episod...

Episode 178 - How to make readers laugh.

15 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We may be writing a comic novel or we may want to add humor to our thriller or romance or horror or literary novel.  Humor adds a strong element to m...

Episode 177 - The description double duty technique.

08 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Good descriptions of characters should do double duty: they can let the reader know what the character looks like and the description can also suggest...

Episode 176 - Inventing a fabulous title.

01 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The title is the book browser's first impression of our novel.  The title should tempt the browser to pick up and open the book.  Here are thou...

Episode 175 - Writing funny dialogue.

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We can write dialogue that makes readers laugh.  Here are thoughts on creating funny conversations between our characters.  Plus, we don't need...

Episode 174 - How to ruin our story's first sentences.

18 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A story's first sentence should make the reader ask, "What's next?"  They should propel the reader into the story.  Here's ...

Episode 173 - The magic of dialogue.

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dialogue is fun to write and fun to read.  Our story should have lots of it.  Here's a powerful thing dialogue can do: it can reveal (that is, ...

Episode 172 - Our first fifteen pages.

04 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The  first pages of our novel should contain certain elements and avoid certain elements.  Here's a list of things to include and exclude in th...

Episode 171 - Top ten list of bad advice for writers.

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In these episodes I try to set out good writing advice but a lot of bad advice is out there, so here is a list of bad advice, and the list may help us...

Episode 170 - Writing the crowd scene. And guilt and pride.

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here are techniques for keeping focus in a scene where there is a crowd, with an example from Harper Lee.  And how Margaret Mitchell worked.  Plus: ...

Episode 169 - How to find a surefire plot.

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen King says there is no idea dump we can visit to find a good plot.  We have to create our own plots.  How can we do so?  Here's a discu...

Episode 168 - Making our first sentence sparkle.

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Does our story's first sentence cause the reader to ask, "What's next?"  Or does the reader say, "So what?"  Here are ...

Episode 167 - Revealing our character by the setting.

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our setting descriptions should do more than describe a place.  They can also show the reader much about our character.  Here's how to do so. ...

Episode 166- Showing our character's thoughts.

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two mistakes can ruin our presentation of what our character is thinking: telling rather than showing, and interior monologue.  Here are ways to pres...

Episode 165 - The rule of exceptions.

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes the strongest writing technique isn't the strongest in our story.  Every writing rule has exceptions, and here's a discussion on ...

Episode 164 - Design our cover? And the masters on setting details.

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We are learning fiction techniques, and we are or soon will be skilled fiction writers.  Does this mean we should design our own book covers?  Also,...

Episode 163 - The benefits of an underdog.

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Having readers fall in love with our character is so important, and making our hero an underdog is a good way to do it.  Here are thoughts on underdo...

Episode 162 - The state fair plotting technique.

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our story should be like a state fair: one thing after another.  Here are some ideas on state fair plotting.  Plus: settings shouldn't be inert...

Episode 161 - Ways to give readers what they want.

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Readers want five things in a story, three of which are right in the beginning.  Here's a discussion of how to deliver those five things.  Plus...

Episode 160 - Should our story have a theme?

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Best-selling writers disagree on the importance of a theme in stories.  Here are thoughts on whether we should present a theme in our novel or short ...

Episode 159 - A surefire way to generate plot, the sidekick.

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Putting a sidekick into our story adds many benefits, a main one being that readers love sidekicks.  Here are some techniques for creating a sidekick...

Episode 158 - A lifetime's writing advice reduced to one minute.

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Were a young writer to ask me for advice, and only had one minute to listen, here is what I'd say.  Plus: how Louisa May Alcott worked.  And, a...

Episode 157 - How we writers can create a world.

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Remember the fabulous worlds that fantasy, sci fi, and historical writers create for us readers?  How do they do that?  What works so well?  I&apos...

Episode 156 - How to write the fast start.

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many readers only give a story ten or twenty pages before putting it aside to look for something more interesting.  A fast start is the best way to m...

Episode 155 - The single most important ingredient in an unforgetable story.

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Manon in Paris asked, "Why do some novels move us more than others?"  Here is the single best way to make our story unforgettable, a story ...

Episode 154 - Learning from the masterful writer Edna Ferber.

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Edna Ferber was a master of character description.  Here are a few of her characters, and maybe we can pick up some of her skill.  Also, how many wo...

Episode 153 - A legendary novelist's lesson for us writers.

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is a classic of western literature, a novel that endures and still hugely entertains because . . . it's s...

Episode 152 - How the masters create their settings.

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why are some novels so good?  One of the reasons is that the author is a master at setting descriptions.  How did Charlotte Bronte and Edna Ferber m...

Episode 151 - Mad Magazine, and techniques for riveting dialogue.

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

My first encounter with Mad Magazine, a life changer.  And dialogue techniques that can help make our characters' conversations fascinating.Supp...

Episode 150 - How to deliver a surprise in the story.

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Good stories are filled with surprises for the reader.  There are right and wrong ways for us writers to deliver surprises, and I'll talk about ...

Episode 149 - How masterful writers use details.

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do George Orwell, Sara Gruen, Jean Shepherd, and John Steinbeck have in common?  Many things but foremost among them is their expert use of deta...

Episode 148: A magical way to end one scene and begin another.

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Here is a magical way to end a scene and to begin another without worrying about travel and time between scenes.  Also: avoiding dangling modifiers. ...

Episode 147 - Make sure it's important and make it short.

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What should we do if we must--absolutely must--have an element in our story that might not be fully entertaining and engaging?   1) Make sure it&apos...

Episode 146 - How to make our character unforgettable.

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We writers can use lovely phrases and perceptive observations when describing our character in our story, and yet the reader may still quickly forget ...

Episode 145 - Bringing our settings to life.

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We can show (as opposed to tell) as we create a setting for our story.  Showing will make our settings vivid, and will allow the setting description ...

Episode 144 - One sentence can bring our character to life.

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We'll build our character as we write along, adding descriptions and actions and dialogue.  But there is a way with only one or two sentences to...

Episode 143 - The three most important sentences when writing a scene.

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Bickham's three sentences on scene construction are the best I've found regarding how to write a scene.  Here are why these sentences ...

Episode 142 - A big technique for literary writing.

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many listeners are writing literary novels and stories.  Here is an important technique regarding construction of a literary story, and it also appli...

Episode 141 - How to begin and end scenes.

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The easiest thing for a reader to do is to quit reading our story.  Here are ways to begin and end scenes that'll prevent that from happening. ...

Episode 140 - Tips from Stephen King on writing dialogue.

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen King is a powerful storyteller, of course, and he is also a highly-skilled sentence-by-sentence writer.  Here are his tips on writing dialog...

Episode 139 - Writing in the first person.

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Readers love first person novels, where the hero talks directly to the reader.  Here are some techniques for first person writing.  Also, famous nov...

Episode 138 - How to live a writer's life.

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Usually I talk about writing techniques but here are some living techniques for us writers.  And some famous writers' favorite writers and novel...

Episode 137 - Twenty-one rules of writing.

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can an injury be good for us writers?  It was for Roald Dahl.  And here are Strunk and White's twenty-one rules of writing.  Also, Stephen...

Episode 136 - Benefits of a character's otherness.

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A strong way to make a character likeable, and to have the reader root for her, is to have the character experience "otherness."  She'...

Episode 135 - Maybe the strongest writing tool - contrast.

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Contrast is among the strongest tools we writers can use.  It's magic.  Here is a discussion of how and where to use contrast.  Also, Henry Mi...

Episode 134 - A stong technique for describing a character's personality.

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We can show (as opposed to tell) about a character's personality by describing the character's face and body, so that our physical descripti...

Episode 133 - In our plot what should we save for a sequel?

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our novel should we leave plot questions unanswered so we have compelling questions for a sequel?   Here are thoughts on how we can approach it. ...

Episode 132 - How to avoid the main reason readers stop reading a novel.

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Why do readers put down a novel for good before they reach the last page?  Here is a reason, maybe the main reason, and how we writers can avoid it. ...

Episode 131 - A review of the ten strongest writing techniques.

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here is a list of the top ten writing techniques in order of their importance, as best I can figure them out.  Also, good comments from a book coach....

Episode 130 - Kurt Vonnegut's rules of writing, and powerful character descriptioins.

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here are Kurt Vonnegut's eight rules of writing.  Also, why reading an Andy Weir novel is such a good writing lesson.  And; character descripti...

Episode 129 - A scene with too many mistakes. Can we spot them?

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here is a scene with a strong plot point important to our story.  It should be powerful but it isn't because of technical mistakes in the writin...

Episode 128 - Should we be afraid our plot has been done before?

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if we get the sense that our story is a trope, that the plot is a cliche, that it's been done before?  Here are thoughts on cliched stories...

Episode 127 - Go big or go home plotting.

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Classic novelists knew the strong technique regarding plotting and it's a terrific lesson for us: go big or go home.  And what if we want to ign...

Episode 126 - Should we hire a book coach?

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When can a book coach help us and when can a coach not help us?  Here are thoughts on book coaches.  Also, the master George Orwell on describing a ...

Episode 125 - When to avoid the proven writing technique.

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes we don't need to use the standard and strong writing technique, and we can deviate from the proven technique.  When?  We'll talk...

Episode 124 - Save the cat plotting.

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Blake Snyder's famous Save the Cat plotting--where he describes fifteen beats a movie screenplay should have--is useful for us novelists.  And w...

Episode 123 - The beauty of a professional submission.

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How can we submit a manuscript that meets the industry's format expectations and so avoids an amateurish look?  Here's how to do it.  Also...

Episode 122 - Getting inside a villain's mind.

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We aren't villains, and we likely don't have the background and personality of a villain.  How can we get inside the mind of a villain for ...

Episode 121 - The biggest mistakes new writers make.

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes new writers have a strong plot idea and they begin writing without learning much about fiction writing.  Here are the ten most common mista...

Episode 120 - The most important element in fiction.

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We learn many techniques to improve our fiction writing.  Is there one big thing we should think about first, the most important element?  Yes, and ...

Episode 119 - Making our sentences instantly stronger.

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Here is a technique--it's magical--to make our sentence-by-sentence writing instantly stronger; avoiding qualifiers.  And how to use good dialog...

Episode 118 - Naming characters and the framing device.

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Naming our story's characters is fun but there is a big technique involved, which we talk about in this episode.  Also; the iceberg theory of wr...

Episode 117 - Making multiple submissions, and a strong dialogue technique.

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's critical for us writers to make multiple simultaneous submissions.  Here are some thoughts on why it's so important.   And I mention ...

Episode 116 - Advice from your lifestyle counselor, and mistakes when describing our setting.

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Where can we turn when wondering about whether we should continue reading a novel?  Right here, for some thoughts on reading.  Also, here is a discu...

Episode 115 - Downer titles and words that echo poorly.

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some novels--even novels that are great literature--have titles that are downers: titles that are sour and pessimistic.  Here are thoughts on why we ...

Episode 114 - A critical technique to make our story engaging.

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Details are proofs, evidence offered to the reader about our story.   Details will make our fiction engaging and will allow the story to grab reader...

Episode 113 - The clear window technique.

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For most of us our sentence-by-sentence writing should be a clear window to our story rather than a barrier to seeing the story.  Here are thoughts o...

Episode 112 - Writing in the past or present tense, and making submissions.

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing in the present tense?  And the past tense?   Also, a reminder about the importance of setting. ...

Episode 111 - If we have to have a big meeting, show rather than tell.

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's hard to make a big meeting scene interesting.  Much of the time meeting scenes should be avoided.  But if we must have a meeting, showing ...

Episode 110 - Book cover design, and regaining enthusiasm.

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Good advice about designing your own book cover; don't.   If you self-publish your novel don't ruin it with a do-it-yourself book cover.  ...

Episode 109 - How we can stop stalling and get going.

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some of us have a hard time beginning the writing of our novels or short stories.  Here are the reasons why and things we might do to overcome them. ...

Episode 108 - Every description should do double duty.

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We can avoid inert paragraphs by having our descriptions do more than one thing at once.   Descriptions of our characters, settings, and action and o...

Episode 107 - The differences between literary and commercial fiction.

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Should we categorize our novel as literary or commercial?  What are the benefits and drawbacks of doing so?  Also, we can improve our dialogue writi...

Episode 106 - How to write a scene's sequel, and plotting the novel's middle.

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Bickham says that scenes should be followed by sequels.  Here are thoughts on how to write a sequel.  Also, the middle of a novel--sometimes ca...

Episode 105 - A technique for plotting scene to scene, and my failed writing experiment.

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is the best way to plot our novel, plotting from scene to scene?  Here is a discussion of the critical technique of avoiding a scene's set ...

Episode 104 - Let's get to work, and showing with dialogue.

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What if we are stymied in our plotting, and can't think of enough story?  Here are some thoughts on how we might get to work.   Also; one of t...

Episode 103 - The joy of creating something out of nothing. And, is our new plot point a strong one?

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We writers get to experience the joy of creating something--a character, a setting, an event--out of nothing.  And, how can we tell if the new plot p...

Episode 102 - Lovely sentence-by-sentence writing, and pumping up our creativity.

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us subscribe to the our-words-should-be-a-clear-window-to-the-story technique but some writers intentionally make their sentences beautiful so...

Episode 101 - The phrases notebook, and avoiding our plot bogging down.

23 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A phrases notebook is a remarkably useful tool for writers.  Here's how to create one.  Also, sometimes while writing we might get the feeling ...

Episode 100 - Getting into the flow, and the power of fiction.

16 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can we writers get into a mental state called the flow or the zone, then write 40 pages?  Maybe.  Here's how.  And: our fiction might someday ...

Episode 99 - Traps when writing character-driven stories.

09 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Character-driven stories--which delve deeply into the hero's change and growth--can be moving and unforgettable for readers but there are traps t...

Episode 98 - Counterintuitive techniques that new writers might resist.

02 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

At some point all writers are new writers.  Here are some sure-fire fiction writing techniques that might not seem right, that are counterintuitive. ...