Writing Roots

S60E4 - FAQ 2024: How Do I Format Weird Numbers?

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The answer to the question about number formatting will largely depend on what style guide you've chosen to use. Most narrative fiction will use the C...

S60E3 - FAQ 2024: How Do I Format Weird Text?

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Standard paragraph formatting doesn't always cut it. Whether you're writing contemporary fiction with text messages or a steampunk novel with newspape...

S60E2 - FAQ 2024: How Do I Describe Different Body Types?

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While Ley might tell you that physical descriptions are entirely unnecessary outside of maybe basic identifiers, there is some importance to providing...

S60E1 - FAQ 2024: Asking Questions

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Questions are the never-ending well of inspiration for writers across the world. It can feel awkward or intimidating to ask sometimes, especially when...

S59 Bonus - Creating Numbered Rules in Your Story

30 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We've talked all month about numbers. How to use them in your story, common tropes associated with them, and more. But what about creating numbers wit...

S59E8 - The Chosen One

28 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Chosen One is a well-used trope throughout all kinds of fiction, but particularly science fiction and fantasy. There are many ways to proceed with...

S59E7 - Two Sides of the Story

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's often said there are two sides to a story in our lives. The same goes for the stories we write. This can include creating a villainous reflection...

S59E6 - On Three

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The infamous countdown can be found in all kinds of stories across genres. This is the moment characters are trying to sync actions, issue a threat, o...

S59E5 - Four of a Kind

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Four is a common number for dividing groups in fiction. If you're categorizing characters, those groups often fall into the categories of The Heroic, ...

S59E4 - Five: Parts of a Whole

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you are looking for a number to help show a sense of completeness or unity, consider the number five. This number is often seen as equal parts of a...

S59E3 - Six: Naming Characters with Numbers

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Using numbers to name your characters has several unique aspects which can help define the character themselves. It's common enough with the number si...

S59E2 - Seven: Using and Building Sequences

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you look at examples from history of the number seven, you will often see it associated with a sequence of things: colors of the rainbow, notes i...

S59E1 - Using Numbers for Storytelling

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Numbers are a useful tool in storytelling, as they can be used to establish patterns, convey importance, or give hints to your readers. The key is int...

S58E9 - Writing About Death: Exsanguination/Blood Loss

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The final method of death we are covering for the month is exsanguination, also known as extreme blood loss. There are many methods of this, including...

S58E8 - Writing About Death: Hypothermia

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another form of death you can use that is more often accidental is hypothermia. The process of getting hypothermia can be used to increase tension of ...

S58BE - Writing About Death: Weird Historical Deaths

26 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some ways that characters can die - or be tortured - can't fit into a category we've covered the rest of this month. Some ways have simply been weird,...

S58E7 Writing About Death: Blunt Force Trauma

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the forms of death, blunt force trauma is one of the most diverse ways to kill a character. It can be accidental or intentional - or one framed...

S58E6 - Writing About Death: Asphyxiation

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're looking for a more up-close and personal way to end a character in your story, asphyxiation might be what you're looking for. In this episod...

S58E5 - Writing About Death: Ranged Piercing Weapons

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If your characters want someone dead, but want to stay at a distance, ranged weapons are what you'll need. There are many to choose from, including gu...

S58E4 - Writing About Death: Hand-to-Hand Melee Combat

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While hand-to-hand melee combat has not historically been used in terms of warfare, except in extreme circumstances, it is more common in personal fig...

S58E3 - Writing About Death: Natural Toxins

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing from our last episode, we wanted to talk about other natural toxins that can be used in your story to kill a character. These are more like...

S58E2 - Writing About Death: Heavy Metal Poisons

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the ways you might use to kill someone in your story is through poison. In this episode, we focus specifically on poison from heavy metals such...

S58E1 - Writing About Death: The Moment of Death

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to spooky season! To celebrate, we will be digging into death. Across all genres, one common thread that connects many of them is the idea and...

S57E9 - Unwritten Communication: Rebranding Words

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rebranding words - taking words that exist and making them mean something particular for your story - is a time-tested way to engage readers with your...

S57 Bonus - Unwritten Communication: Leaving Stuff Out

28 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mystery is a friend to all writers, no matter the genre. Sometimes, what you leave out tells your reader a lot more about characters or the world than...

S57E8 - Unwritten Communication: Promises, Promises

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Intentional or not, you are always making promises to your reader. Whether it's promises related to the genre or how you establish your first chapter,...

S57E7 - (Un)written Communication: Tables of Contents, Headers and Footers

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The topic of this episode ventures slightly into written communication, though not within the bounds of the text itself. There are lots of useful tool...

S57E6 - Unwritten Communication: Fonts and Formatting

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The final formatting of a novel is a key part of connecting with your readers. From font size to chapter headers, it influences the reader's experienc...

S57E5 - Unwritten Communication: Head Hopping

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the questions we see often popping up in writing circles is "what is head hopping?" It's often confused with simply having multiple points of v...

S57E4 - Unwritten Communication: Rhythm in Sentences

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another way to create a rhythm in storytelling is through the sentences themselves. From the length of each sentence to the choice of punctuation, you...

S57E3 - Unwritten Communication: Rhythm in Dialogue

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Establishing a rhythm - not the kind used in poetry - in scenes can convey a message of its own to your reader. Within dialogue, it can help with paci...

S57E2 - Unwritten Communication: Using White Space

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The use of white space in your book is a subtle, yet powerful way you can communicate with your readers. Lots of white space with extremely short para...

S57E1 - Unwritten Communication: The Reader Experience

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of ways to communicate to your readers, including ways that go beyond the words themselves. The reader's experience also involves elem...

S56BE - Structures for Pantsers

31 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The reason we have spent the month looking at the structures of storytelling, characters and more is for one reason: to improve your own instincts for...

S56E9 - Case Studies: Big Fish

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our final storytelling case study of the month is Big Fish, directed by Tim Burton. Signature to his style, this movie relies a lot on visual element...

S56E8 - Case Studies: Stranger Than Fiction

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stranger than Fiction is an interesting study for authors, and not just because of the meta nature of it. There is a lot to learn by studying this mov...

S56E7 - Case Studies: Glass Onion

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode of our Case Studies series, we turn to a modern murder mystery that harkens back to the classics such as Agatha Christie. Glass Onion...

S56E6 - Case Studies: Welcome to Marwen

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're interested in writing a memoir, stories and movies based on true events are a great place to start. When deciding to write about your own ex...

S56E5 - Case Studies: Jaws

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Jaws has maintained a place in popular culture, despite being nearly 50 years old. It has memorable and distinct characters, and a monster interesting...

S56E4 - Case Studies: Kiki's Delivery Service

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Studio Ghibli is known for heartwarming and magical stories. They are a great source of inspiration for many writers, and often the perfect stories to...

S56E3 - Case Studies: The Princess Bride

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Another one of our favorite movies at Writing Roots is The Princess Bride. From amazing characters to an intricate story-in-a-story plot, this movie i...

S56E2 - Case Studies: Pixar's Up

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're looking for good story and character structures to study, a great place to start is with Pixar movies. One of our favorites at Writing Roots...

S56E1 - Case Studies: Analyzing Stories

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To begin our sixth year of Writing Roots, we wanted to equip you with the knowledge of how to break down stories that you consume so you can use them ...

S55BE - Learning from TTRPGs: Authors & Dragons with Rick Gualtieri

29 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The crossover between writing and TTRPGs is nothing new, as represented by the long-running podcast Authors & Dragons. From character work to plot...

S55E8 - Learning from TTRPGs: Getting Feedback

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tabletop games are a great place to test so many storytelling elements, from character dynamics to mechanics. It's also a great place to receive immed...

S55E7 - Learning from TTRPGs: Writing LitRPGs

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

LitRPGs are rising in popularity in the writing world, especially among fans of fantasy TTRPGs or video games. In this episode, we discuss the LitRPG ...

S55E6 - Learning from TTRPGs: Game Mechanics

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Even if you aren't are looking to write a fantasy or sci-fi story, one of the best tools you can use to write anything from fight scenes to the world ...

S55E5 - Learning from TTRPGs: Organizing Your Magic System

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you plan to write fantasy or science fiction, a great resource will be tabletop games. There is so much you can learn from the structure provided f...

S55E4 - Learning from TTRPGs: Weaving in Backstory

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Backstories are a key piece to characters in tabletop games, such as Dungeons & Dragons. Players usually create that backstory, and the game mast...

S55E3 - Learning from TTRPGs: Diversity in Storytelling

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

From the other players at your table to the vast cultures available within the worlds, there is a lot to learn about diversity from engaging in TTRPGs...

S55E2 - Learning from TTRPGs: Designing Choices

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In writing and in tabletop gaming, character choices are essential to plot progression. In either case, whether as a game master or author, it's easy ...

S55E1 - Learning from TTRPGs: Collaborative Storytelling

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of our favorite tools for learning storytelling is through playing tabletop roleplaying games, also known as TTRPGs. Games like Dungeons & Dra...

S54E9 - Finding Your People: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, and Horror

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thriller, mystery, and horror are all genres with their own strengths, but they do share a lot in common when it comes to marketing. They're all about...

S54E8 - Finding Your People: Cozy Fantasy and Cozy Mystery

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While cozy mysteries have been around for a while (just look at shows like Murder, She Wrote), cozy fantasy is a relatively new classification of stor...

S54BE - Finding Your People: Beta Readers, ARCs and Street Teams

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Among new indie authors, the difference between beta readers, ARC readers, and street teams can be confusing. It may seem like these serve largely sim...

S54E7 Finding Your People: Children's Books

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Stories are one of the most valuable things we can offer to children. In many cases, children learn stories before they learn to speak, walk, run. Chi...

S54E6 Finding Your People: Western and Historical Fiction

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Western stories are having a slight resurgence, along with overall historical fiction. In this episode, we discuss the marketing aspects that will hel...

S54E5 - Finding Your People: Romance

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Though often disregarded in the literary world as frivolous, romance books are among the most popular kinds of books read today. If you're writing rom...

S54E4 - Finding Your People: Memoir

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the nonfiction books, memoirs are among the most difficult to market and sell. Unless you're a household name already, you have to give people ...

S54E3 - Finding Your People: Nonfiction

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you're writing an educational or informational nonfiction book, finding your audience can be difficult. It depends on the topic, the writing style,...

S54E2 - Finding Your People: Spec Fic & Fantasy

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to marketing any book, it's about reaching your audience where they are. For authors of speculative fiction, particularly fantasy, that ...

S54E1 - Finding Your People: The Marketing Recipe

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're tackling the topic of marketing once again this month, focusing on how to tailor your efforts depending on the genre of your story. We start thi...

S53E9 - Breaking Rules: Active and Passive Voice

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One piece of advice that you will encounter a lot in your writing journey, especially if you take any formal classes, is to avoid passive voice. It he...

S53 Bonus - How to Identify Bad Writing Advice and Rules

27 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of people out there giving advice about writing, sharing their opinions and experiences to help you in your journey. Unfortunately, so...

S53E8 - Breaking Rules: Avoid Detailed Descriptions

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Perhaps it's an overcorrection from the extremely verbose fiction of the 1800s to early 1900s, but there has been a shift in writing advice to avoid d...

S53E7 - Breaking Rules: Kill Your Darlings

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One piece of good advice that is often applied too often is to "kill your darlings." It is good to approach the editing process with a sort of ruthles...

S53E6 - Breaking Rules: Only Use Said

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is another one of those contradictory rules you've probably heard: Only ever use "said" in your dialogue tags. Yet you've also probably heard "sa...

S53E5 - Breaking Rules: Never Open Your Story With _____

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to advice for starting your story, you've probably found lists of what not to do. Sometimes, those lists contradict themselves in ways t...

S53E4 - Breaking Rules: Word Count

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Word counts are a rule for very good reasons. From audience expectation to publisher requirements, word counts are an established part of writing. For...

S53E3 - Breaking Rules: Show, Don't Tell

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you've heard any writing advice or rules, you've heard "show, don't tell." While this is great advice that can help enrich a story and immerse the ...

S53E2 - Breaking Rules: Prologues

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to rules of writing, the rules regarding prologues is important for getting readers engaged and interested right away. Prologues have th...

S53E1 - Rules for Breaking Rules

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a podcast all about helping you learn how to write and craft your stories, we're not big fans of rules. Or, perhaps, we just like knowing that mos...

S52 Bonus - Writing Neurodivergence

30 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One way to create unique and relatable characters is to make some that are neurodivergent in some way. The more common diagnoses associated with neuro...

S52E8 - Writing Emotions - Exhaustion & Second Winds

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Along with that moment of hope mentioned earlier this month, characters will often have a moment of getting a second wind. First, you have to show the...

S52E7 - Writing Emotions: Being Unique and Loneliness

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is unique, but portraying it on the page is difficult. Among new writers, we often see the concern that their story - whether plot, character...

S52E6 -- Writing Emotion: Inferiority & Bullying

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There will come a time in your story where your characters don't feel up to the task ahead. Though there are a myriad of reason why this could be, the...

S52E5 - Writing Emotion: Hope and Inspiration

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the darkest times, your characters need something to give them a spark of hope. Something to get them back on their feet and willing to continue th...

S52E4 - Writing Emotions: Food & Hunger

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Though not exactly an emotion, hunger does have a huge impact on people as they move through their daily lives. Different levels of hunger come with t...

S52E3 - Writing Emotions: Confessions

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All characters have secrets. Sometimes it's their true feelings for another character, and sometimes it's about a dark time in their life. You can use...

S52E2 - Writing Emotions: Boredom

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Boredom can be a key element for writing your stories, but it is difficult to strike that balance between showing a bored character and making your re...

S52E1 - Writing Emotions: Grief

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Of all the emotions you could include in your story, grief is one of the most common yet most complex options. Many stories address the idea of grief,...

S51E9 Censorship and "Cancelling"

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This whole month has been about helping you understand that when you become an author, you become a public figure of sorts. That means "being cancelle...

S51E8 - Special Editions & FOMO Marketing

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If there is one thing that we collectively stop doing as a bookish community, it should be FOMO marketing and exclusive special editions. Don't get us...

S51 Bonus - Rage Bait & Apologies

24 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All advertising is good advertising, right? It doesn’t matter if you’re mean or nice, so long as people know your name, right? Wrong. People may k...

S51E7 - Using True Tales In Your Story

22 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of writing a memoir pushed me way out of my comfort zone. So instead of trying to eat the whole elephant in one sitting, I took small bites. ...

S51E6 - Interacting With Other Authors

20 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Authors often feel pressure to be active on social media, particularly TikTok, in order to get and keep a substantial following. This is largely new t...

S51E5 - Respecting Your Readers When Marketing

15 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Your readers are the most important piece of your marketing. If they like your book, they will share it with other readers with similar tastes. Like a...

S51E4 - Respecting the Reading Community

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There have been a few authors recently - usually newer authors - who have made a bad name for themselves because of how they interacted with readers. ...

S51E3 - Leaving Reviews as an Author

08 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As authors, it is good to engage in reader spaces, but it doesn't come without dangers. When you are looking to leave reviews, you need to look at you...

S51E2 - Being an Author in Reader Spaces

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bad behavior from authors has been causing all sorts of drama across the online book community recently, and much of it stems from authors interacting...

S51E1 - How to Handle Being Rejected

01 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rejection is part of writing. It's a simple fact which, unfortunately, not all writers are prepared to face. Throughout February, we will be discussin...

S50E9 - Your Unique Journey: This or That?

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Part of figuring out yourself as a writer is testing different options along the way. Are you a pantser or plotter or something in between? Do you lik...

S50 Bonus - Publishing on Kickstarter with Oriana Leckert

27 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Funding is one of the most precarious parts of publishing your own books. From the editing to cover design to formatting, it can be an expensive proce...

S50E8 - Your Unique Journey: The Path

25 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Each writing journey is a totally unique experience, and it’s not just because each book is unique. When you start along the path of writing and may...

S50E7 - Making the Choice to Monetize

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you are writing, we always want you to focus on creating the story for yourself. Inevitably, however, there comes a time when you will likely con...

S50E6 - Arming Yourself with Writing Tools

18 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Much of writing is having the right tools in your toolbox. Finding those can be complicated, especially if you’re just getting started. It boils dow...

S50E5 - Get Yourself a Writing Community

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Writing is not a solitary experience. Though you may be alone while you are actually writing, having a community around you of other writers is essent...

S40E4 - Take Advice With a Grain of Salt

11 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You might think it strange to hear this advice from a podcast based solely on the idea of giving advice to authors, but this idea to take all advice w...

S50E3 - Write Now, Edit Later

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most common reasons we see for why people don’t finish their books is because they try to edit as they go. While everyone has their own p...

S50E2 – Don’t Give Up

05 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The world needs your story. More than anything, we want you to keep pursuing your writing goals, whatever that might be. There are several things alon...