Writing Roots

S29E7 – What To Do While Your Editor Edits

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 manuscri...

S29E6 – Developing Your Author Identity

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 a...

S29E5 – The Purpose and Value of News Releases

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 de...

S29E4 – Marketing Books Through Newsletters

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S29E3 – Building an Effective Author Website

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S29E2 – About the AIDA Funnel

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 p...

S29E1 – How to Waste Money on Marketing

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S28E9 – The Habit of Finishing Your Work

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Actually finishing a piece of fiction, especially something of novel length, is a great accomplishment. Many writers start out with grand ideas, but t...

S28BE – Staying Inspired During the Writing Process

29 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 durin...

S28E8 – The Best Resources for Your Writing

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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, f...

S28E7 – Learning While Consuming Stories

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

S28E6 – Building a Writing Community

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

S28E5 – Preparing Your Environment for Writing

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 gua...

S28E4 – Hacking Your Brain to Make Writing an Addiction

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

S28E3 – Improving Your Writing Through Time Management

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 wr...

S28E2 – Setting Realistic Writing Goals

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 se...

S28E1 – Discovering Yourself Through Writing

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writing should be a journey of self-discovery, which means allowing yourself to explore. Throughout the month of January, we’ll be talking about dev...

S27E9 – What Are the Current Trends in Fiction, and Should I Follow Them?

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

S27E8 – How Do I Transition From One Scene to Another?

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 f...

S27 Bonus – What Is a Query Letter, and How Do I Write One?

25 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For those taking the traditional publishing route, querying is the first step in the process (after finishing the manuscript, of course). That letter ...

S27E7 – How Do I Know Where My Story Begins?

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Great stories begin somewhere important. Somewhere catching. You want to draw the reader in within the first chapter. Better yet, within the first pag...

S27E6 – Can I Use Swear Words in My Novel?

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You probably know that word choices are important in writing. Different words have nuances that can change their meaning. Consider how “angry” is ...

S27E5 – How Do I Write Morally Gray Characters?

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Morally gray characters are quickly becoming some of the most popular kinds of characters in fiction. Part of that is because they’re actually relat...

S27E4 – How Do I Write a Fight Scene? How Accurate Should It Be?

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you’re writing contemporary action, swords and sorcery fantasy, or science fiction, most authors will come across a fight scene or twenty du...

S27E3 – How Important is Being Unique?

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 storytell...

S7E2 – How Do I Describe Characters Without Boring the Reader?

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today’s FAQ is all about descriptions, especially character descriptions. It’s difficult to find the balance between enough description to actuall...

S27E1 – How Do I Write a Good Short Story?

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S26E9 – How to Avoid Crippling Your Language

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

S26 Bonus – Playing with Language

27 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 pla...

S26E8 – When in Doubt, Leave it Out

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S26E7 – The Basics of Sentence Structure

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The sentence is the core of writing. While every language has different requirements on what makes a sentence, they all usually share common threads. ...

S26E6 – Uh, Phrasing!

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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. P...

S26E5 – The Rules of Commas

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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. Ne...

S26E4 – The Parts of Speech (Part Two)

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 sh...

S26E3 – The Parts of Speech (Part One)

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 schoo...

S26E2 – The Basics of Formatting Styles

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

S26E1 – Becoming a Student of Language

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 la...

S25 Bonus – A Guide to Finishing Your Book

30 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Finishing a book is probably the most difficult part of the writing process. Editing can be daunting and publishing simply overwhelming, but none of t...

S25E8 – A Guide to Building an Author Brand

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 book...

S25E7 – A Guide to Publishing

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S25E6 – A Guide to Plotting the Series

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S25E5 – A Guide to Designing Support Characters

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Story would not be the same without multiple characters. You often need a villain and at least one supporting character. In some genres, especially ep...

S25E4 – A Guide to Designing the Main Character

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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. Rea...

S25E3 – A Guide to Worldbuilding

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S25E2 – A Guide to Plotting a Hero’s Journey

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

S25E1 – A Guide to Stirring the Imagination

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

S24E9 – Futuristic and Dystopian Stories

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S24E8 – The History of Superheroes

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

S24 Bonus – How Film Impacted Storytelling

25 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 w...

S24E7 – The Creation of Monster Fiction

24 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

S24E6 – Fairy Tales and Bedtime Stories

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Fairy tales have been one of the go-to ways to teach children about the world for centuries. Though the stories have changed greatly since their origi...

S23E5 – Shakespeare and the Printing Press

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Both William Shakespeare and the invention of the printing press had a major impact on storytelling across the world. This is when stories for enterta...

S24E4 – Educational Storytelling and the Use of Theater

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There came a time in the history of storytelling, especially around the rise of Christianity in Europe, where story became a way to educate the genera...

S24E3 – Introduction of Man vs. Man and Character Arcs

09 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There was a point in the history of storytelling where the tales began to include a character arc. They also became more about man versus man, rather ...

S24E2 – Stories of Gods and Fate

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the earliest stories we know from the time around the beginning of written language were stories about gods and fate. This is where stories st...

S24E1 – Storytelling in Prehistoric Times

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Story has been imbedded in human culture since the beginning, even since those prehistoric times before written language. Though we may not have those...

S23E9 – Choose Your Adventure

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Choose Your Adventure books are a unique way to involve the reader in the storytelling process. Many of you may remember the old Goosebumps “Choose...

S23 Bonus – Episodic and Serial Stories

28 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Serial stories have started to make a comeback in the writing format recently. While it’s always been there in the form of comic books and fiction m...

S23E8 – Reverse, Reverse! Telling a Story Backwards

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re looking for a unique way to tell a slow burn suspense, consider the reverse story structure. This is all about going backwards in time. ...

S23E7 – A Story Within a Story

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“Story within a story” is a fun framing device for writing your novel in a unique way. The idea behind this structure is that the narrator is actu...

S23E6 – Structuring a Paradigm Shift

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A paradigm shift structure is more than a simple plot twist. As the definition states, it’s a fundamental change to the underlying assumptions. One ...

S23E5 – Using Amnesia in a Story Plot

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Amnesia has been used in storytelling for a very long time. Soap operas and telenovelas use lost memory frequently to ramp up the drama in their stori...

S23E4 – Structure with Recursion

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One way to play with structure and step outside the normal bounds of linear storytelling is to consider the recursion structure. You may know this bes...

S23E3 – Rashomon Stories

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re looking for a unique way to tell a story – especially a crime story – consider the Rashomon structure. Originally a Japanese film, Ras...

S23E2 – Parallel Structure

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s about time. Stories about time. Throughout August, we’ll be talking about the use of time within story structure, as well as less common stru...

S23E1 – Stories About Time

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s about time. Stories about time. Throughout August, we’ll be talking about the use of time within story structure, as well as less common stru...

S22 Bonus – Favorite Moments

31 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every editing conversation should end with positives and those favorite moments your editor found while reading. An editor isn’t there just to tell ...

S22E9 – Fog and Flame: Worldbuilding

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Worldbuilding can apply to all types of writing, but it is essential for speculative fiction. Modern – and even historical – fiction is easy when ...

S22E8 – K/D Ratio: Beats in Dialogue

27 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dialogue can be tricky for authors, especially if you’ve never heard of the idea of beats in dialogue. It can either feel stilted in an attempt to m...

S22E7 – Fog and Flame: Character Development

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stories generally develop in one of two ways: with a focus on the plot with the characters playing their parts, or a focus on the characters as they n...

S22E6 – K/D Ratio: Character Voice

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A key to unique characters is to develop and maintain character voice. Think of your favorite books. Can you tell who is speaking without needing to r...

S22E5 – Fog and Flame: Take it Back Now Y’all!

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Narrative flow is important for keeping your reader engaged in the plot. You want to keep driving them forward to the next event or next reveal. There...

S22E4 – K/D Ratio: Setup and Payoff

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve probably heard about the trope of Chekov’s Gun. We’ve talked about it here multiple times. The idea behind it is that if there’s someth...

S22E3 – Fog and Flame: First-Person Omniscient

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The narrative in a story has so much influence on how the story will progress. Most authors are familiar with the broad categories of first person and...

S22E2 – K/D Ratio: Structural Changes

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One major part of the editing process is doing what’s known as developmental edits. These are structural changes to a story. That can be removing sc...

S22E1 – Editing Demonstration: Overview

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Editors are an invaluable piece of the publishing process. No one should publish without having someone with editing knowledge look at the manuscript....

Extended Archives: Determining the Genre

23 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are so many subgenres listed in KDP and other self-publishing sites that it can be more than overwhelming to figure out the right ones. Experien...

Extended Archives – Before You Write

09 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No matter where you are in your writing journey or what kind of writer you are, there are some things you need to know before you ever put that pen to...

Extended Archives – Getting Effective Reviews

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Reviews can mean everything for book sales. Good ones can help a book thrive, while bad ones can drive away potential readers. In this episode, Leigh ...

Extended Archives – Social Media and Marketing

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No book can become a bestseller without outstanding marketing, and one of the best platforms for marketing in this age is social media. Whether it’s...

Extended Archives – Writing Right Right Now

19 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most difficult things about working on a first draft is accepting it for what it is: a first draft. Some authors feel a compulsion to edit ...

Extended Archives – Rules of Writing

12 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You will encounter rules about writing everywhere you turn. We’re taught grammar and structure in school. Teachers demand specific formats, like APA...

Extended Archives – Target Audience

05 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the Extended Archives episodes! Writing Roots is on a temporary hiatus until July. Until then, we’ll be releasing extended versions of ep...

S21E9 – Villainy: Should Villains Be Evil?

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Villains can make or break a story. Their purpose is intertwined with the hero of the story. But what are their motives? Are they truly evil or are th...

S21E8 – Point of View: Single or Multiple?

27 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Any story can be very different depending on whose point of view is taken during the narrative. The question, then, is whose story do you follow as yo...

S21 Bonus – Story Building: Plot First or Character First?

25 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New authors often wonder what they should focus on more when building a story. Should they focus on the plot itself, or the characters? What should be...

S21E7 – Stories: How Many Different Stories Exist?

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of story is nebulous. Humans have been telling stories from the dawn of time, even before there was written language. Even still, ideas are c...

S21E6 – Point of View: Third- or First-Person?

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There is no real wrong answer to whether you should choose first or third person when deciding on the narrative perspective. However, there are some t...

S21E5 – Romantic Subplots: Are They Necessary?

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It can seem sometimes that every story has some kind of love interest, even if the story isn’t a romance. After all, it’s a great way to build con...

S21E4 – Word Count: Push the Limits or Stay Reserved?

12 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How many words should be in one novel? There are standard answers for all genres, especially for authors starting out (we’ve discussed as much in pr...

S21E3 – Word Choice: To Use Big Words or Not to Use Big Words

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Finding the right word for the moment can be a difficult task that slows down any author’s writing process. But how do we know which word is the rig...

S21E2 – Fanfiction: Is it Really Writing?

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Writing comes in all forms, from short poems to epic tales that span hundreds of thousands of words. One form of writing, though, is often looked at a...

S21E1 – Writing Prompts: Helpful or Not?

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you search for writing prompts in Google, you’ll get hundreds and hundreds of suggestions. They range from silly suggestions to academic treatise...

S20E9 – Myth Nine: Everything is Better as a Trilogy

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It seems that so many of the popular books these days – especially in the YA genre – are set in a trilogy. That must be the recipe for success, ri...

S20 Bonus – Myth Ten: Self-Publishing is Free

27 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Self-publishing has many advantages, from avoiding the stresses of getting traditionally published to having total control over the product. However, ...

S20E8 – Myth Eight: Worthy Ideas are Unique

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Writers spend a lot of time on their projects before they even start putting words down on a page. That leads to a strong attachment to the idea alone...

S20E7 – Myth Seven: Writing is Easy

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s rarely said by those who actually try to write a book, but it can be discouraging to hear. The myth for today’s episode is that writing is ea...

S20E6 – Myth Six: A Good Book Will Sell Itself

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While it is true that the quality of a book can influence its success, it is only a myth that a good book will sell itself. This myth exists more beca...

S20E5 – Myth Five: A True Writer is _____

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a phrase you see everywhere, especially on any number of writing blogs. A “true writer” will do this or be that. It could be anything from ...

S20E4 – Myth Four: Characters Control the Author

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In any writing group, you’ll encounter someone who says their characters are like living voices in their head that control their own actions through...