Jul 12, 2021

The second half of this discussion uses first lines and openings from different books to demonstrate the myriad ways of entering your story.

Tracey proves her love of horror, Anne proves that she is pretty random, and Jess makes a bid to usurp hosting powers.

QUOTE: “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not...

Jun 28, 2021

Hey, look, more rules for us to ignore! In Part One of this topic, the group chats about the “dos” and “do nots” of novel openings and when to pay more attention to them.

Tracey talks the importance of getting that character “feel,” Anne explains her dislike of opening dream sequences, and Jessica rounds it...

Apr 5, 2021

We need tension and conflict in our stories, but what exactly do these words mean and how do you harness them in your story? Tracey is out for the day, but the remaining duo trudges on. Jess compares these concepts to dissonant musical notes and Anne talks about re-evaluating scenes that are not doing your story any...

Feb 8, 2021

Part 2 of Lazy Words continues to dissect the smaller moments in our writing that can lead up to big issues.

This time the ladies explore harmless little words like “of” and “that.” Then Jessica chips away at the word “said,” Tracey clarifies the different ways that adjectives can bog down your work, and...

Jan 25, 2021

This episode focuses on words and phrases that indicate a potential problem with your prose. The group stresses that this is a late-in-the-game editing concern, but it is helpful to practice recognizing these as you go along.

Tracey and Jess compete to explain their ‘as’ problem, and Anne brings the word "when" onto...