Start Writing
Start writing is a craft-focused podcast dealing with the art of telling stories. We look at the structure of plots, characters, worlds, scenes, word choice, and every other detail that goes into writing great novels.
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Episodes
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
Wednesday Mar 01, 2023
SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 10) EDITING TOGETHER
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/sXd0yr0rJQE
Episode 10 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teach about getting feedback from peers and readers. First, Raiders of the Lost Ark is an excellent example of how to cut all but the best stuff. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time shows us that the mundane can be made magical with very small tweaks. Harry Potter Illustrated has tons of typos, which means it’s okay to not have perfect copyediting. The different levels of editing are CONTENT, CHAPTER, and COPY editing. J believes content editing is by far the most important. His ideal writing group is one that trades full-length manuscripts, not chapters. You can sign up to be a J Washburn beta reader at http://betareader.jwashburn.com. Give your readers just two instructions: Let me know what you think and feel as you go, and I’ll call you when you finish. J gives his copy editors direct access to the manuscript. All early readers are given an ebook and instructions on how to share their highlights. J shares the list of questions he asks his readers. Don’t get discouraged, but do ask for really candid advice, even if it hurts. In the end, you’re the artist and get to decide what to do. Draft your covers and titles as early as you can. (Or, bump this over into the marketing phase.)
P.S. It’s stream of CONSCIOUSNESS!
P.P.S. I’m sorry I had a cough and that it’s so choppy!
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If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com
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Buy our books!
JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL
J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
Wednesday Feb 01, 2023
SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 9) EDITING ALONE
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/rQo3wO1JVys
Episode 9 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to be a damn fine editor. We talk about when you should NOT be editing. The different levels of editing are CONTENT, CHAPTER, and COPY editing, and we review examples of each of these. J edited STARCHILD one last time (and added a chapter!) before sending the book to his audiobook narrator. We take a forensic examination of book edits (The DaVinci Code adapted for Young Adults and the Anatomy of Peace 4th edition) to see what the pros change. Editing is a careful balance between being too clear and too obscure—go too far either direction and you’ll lose readers. Finally, you should make your book perfect before sending it for other to see (as we’ll talk about in the next episode).
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If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com
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Buy our books!
JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL
J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/
Tuesday Nov 01, 2022
Tuesday Nov 01, 2022
SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 8) SUBPLOTS (Joe’s favorite episode)
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/RqHtsXX3SAg
Episode 8 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how to do subplots. First, we review PLOT CLOCKS. Then we look at a model called SUBPLOT RAINBOWS. We follow along with how J.K. Rowling outlined the Order of the Phoenix. We see how the innovative MUSICAL PLOT STAFF works for organizing multiple viewpoints. And finally, we look at three short tips, which are (1) get a good editor, (2) start with the smallest plottable story chunk, and (3) keep the plot personal (not epic).
If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com
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Buy our books!
JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL
J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
Tuesday Oct 04, 2022
SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 7) PLOT CLOCK
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/cLT4tjU6QDg
Episode 7 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches you how J Washburn structures a story using a PLOT CLOCK! The main points of this clock are (1) HOOK, (2) PLEDGE, (3) TURN, (4) PRESTIGE, (5) FINALE. We take an in-depth look at Jurassic Park and Star Wars: A New Hope as examples of how this structure works. And we also takes quick glance as the kishotenketsu model for plotting. And finally, I reveal the behind-the-scenes story of the ECKSDOT finale!
If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com
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Buy our books!
JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL
J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/
Saturday Sep 03, 2022
Saturday Sep 03, 2022
SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 6) PLOT FROM SCRATCH
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/i4lClv8DSF4
Episode 6 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is the easiest way to write a plot!
We start with a letter from a listener, and we address questions like these:
- Should I write my story from the finale and work backward?
- Should I just figure out the plot as I go or should I write an outline?
- How does George Martin plan his FANTASY NOVELS?
- How do you fix a broken plot?
- Is it faster to just skip outlining and just start writing?
- What models can I structure my plot around?
- What’s the absolute simplest way to think of plot?
If you have questions, EMAIL US: pleasestartwriting@gmail.com
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Buy our books!
JOSEPH BENDOSKI: https://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Bendoski/e/B06XX7LYKL
J WASHBURN: http://library.jwashburn.com/
Friday Mar 04, 2022
Friday Mar 04, 2022
OUR PATREON! https://www.patreon.com/StartWritingPodcast
WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/diRbwOday_c Ray's RUNNING OFF THE RAILS podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/running-off-the-rails/id1546572690https://pca.st/podcast/6c329090-2adc-0139-32e0-0acc26574db2https://runningofftherails.com/WEAVE BREAKER D&D build: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/351499/The-Weave-Breaker--The-Ultimate-Spell-Sword-Class https://www.reddit.com/r/UnearthedArcana/comments/meh5ff/the_weave_breaker_the_ultimate_spell_sword_class/GETTING STARTED IN D&Dhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkVdb9Yr8fc05_VbAVfskCA
Saturday Jan 29, 2022
Saturday Jan 29, 2022
Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HHTHEKlHZd8
Jeanne Cavelos is an author, editor, scientist, and writing coach. In this episode, we talk about several of her works, including THE SCIENCE OF STAR WARS, several BABYLON 5 novels, and her upcoming near-future scifi novel called FATAL SPIRAL. She is the founder of a nonprofit that brings out the best in writers called the ODYSSEY WRITING WORKSHOP.
Apply to the Personal Odyssey Workshop here:
http://www.odysseyworkshop.org
Read some writing tips on the Odyssey Workshop Blog:
https://odysseyworkshop.wordpress.com/
Listen to the Odyssey Workshop Podcast:
https://www.odysseyworkshop.org/resources/podcasts/
[NOTE FROM J: Sorry for the audio quality in this episode. That's my mistake. But I'm absolutely delighted to have had this conversation with Jeanne. And my thanks to you for listening!]
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Friday Jan 07, 2022
SW SPECIAL J‘s Beginner‘s Guide (part 5) VILLAINS
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/egTvuOQI6Ns
HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/edit?usp=sharing
Episode 5 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel is about how to create DEEP CHARACTERS. This means making them dynamic. Villains can be the opposite of heroes, meaning they're dislikable and bad. Or villains can simply have opposing goals, ones that conflict with what they hero wants. These villains are not bad by nature, but they provide antagonism in a competitive, zero-sum game.
http://www.jwashburn.com
J Washburn is the author of STARCHILD, an epic space opera about a rogue pilot in a galactic revolution.
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
Thursday Nov 18, 2021
WATCH ON YOUTUBE (with cool visuals): https://youtu.be/j48hHK6TUd0
Episode 4 of A BEGINNER’S GUIDE to Writing a Novel gives you tips on how to create real and empathetic characters: Keep your cast small. Make every character physically and emotionally unique. Make sure readers can find the right button on the microwave. Use simple tags to remind your readers of a personality. Don’t be afraid to use repetition. Use a character outline to find the deeper emotional needs. Focus on VISION, INITIATIVE, and SPIRIT. Don’t make your hero too abnormal.
NEEDS WASHED: http://archive.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2007/11/11/lawn_needs_cut/ HOMEWORK: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYvaxzh7cfys4LP6CJZqje1wspxuNy5U-970mH7EvMY/
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
Thursday Sep 23, 2021
Episode 3 of A BEGINNER'S GUIDE to Writing a Novel teaches about building characters from the ground up. In this episode, J Washburn and Joe Bendoski tag team in a lecture that covers emotional intelligence, mimicry, and character names. We look at examples from Charles Dickens, George Lucas, J.K. Rowling, and George R.R. Martin.
To see the visuals from the slide deck, check out this episode of Start Writing on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uVdnrFxhscg