Writing Roots

S49E1 – Why Do You Have a Podcast?

Every December, we try to answer the questions we’ve received throughout the year that don’t quite fit into a normal season theme. This first question – why we have a podcast – is one we get most often at conventions and other live events.
The answer is as simple as we love talking about writing. More than that, we have learned a lot through helping each of you avoid the troubles we had when we started.
First aired December 4, 2023.

S48E9 – How to Identify Sexism

Intentional or not, it is important to recognize when writing is sexist. It can be as simple as how you describe different characters to the stereotypes you use as broad strokes information. Listen for examples and tips on how to know when writing is sexist.
First aired November 30, 2023.

S48E8 – How to Identify When Nothing Happens

Readers want a story to keep moving forward, whether that’s the plot or character development. When we are writing, however, it can be all to easy to write nothing in particular happening.
In this episode, we talk about how to identify when you’re writing nothing. Things like someone didn’t do a thing, not showing emotion, or even simply vague phrasing.
First aired November 27, 2023.

S48 Bonus – How to Identify Progress in Writing, AKA The Blackmail Episode

Every writing journey has to start somewhere. No writer out there started with perfect stories, even the bestselling authors we know and love. One thing we want all of our listeners to know is that writing is a never-ending journey. Each story, each piece of writing, makes you a better writer, even if the writing itself was terrible.
We’d be the first to admit our writing is still improving. However, we can also look back on where we started and see the progress. That’s why we’re sharing that with you. Ley and Leigh dredged up their oldest pieces of writing – some dating back nearly 20 years – to share with you.
If you take one thing from this, don’t get discouraged. Keep writing, keep trying, keep telling your stories, even if you don’t think it’s very good right now. Simply writing makes you better.
First aired November 25, 2023.

S48E7 – How to Identify Head Hopping

Head hopping is one of those problems that, unless you know what to look for, you probably don’t realize you’re doing. Unlike an omniscient point of view, where the narrator is talking about the events from a wide third-person perspective, head hopping happens when you’re trying to write from a third-person close perspective and swap that POV character without a clear delineation.
First aired November 23, 2023.

S48E6 – How to Identify Contradictions in Writing

It’s too easy to accidentally create contradictions in your writing. Often it happens at the sentence level, coming through in the form of gerunds or misaligned descriptions. In this episode, we talk about how to identify simple contradictions, and when it’s okay to leave them in.
First aired November 20, 2023.

S48E5 – How to Identify Poor and Excessive Descriptions

There is a delicate balance to providing descriptions to the readers. Write too little and your characters are empty shapes on a blank stage. Too much and it slows the pace of the book. Of all the problems we talk about this month, this is one of the more difficult to identify.
In this episode, we discuss how to spot when your descriptions need work.
First aired November 16, 2023.

S48E4 – How to Identify Sentences with Too Many Characters

Nothing can confuse a reader quite like having too many characters in a single sentence. This is especially the case when pronouns get involved. This problem extends beyond just characters, though. Listen for more about how to identify and fix convoluted sentences.
First aired November 13, 2023.

S48E3 – How to Identify: Extra Adjectives and Adverbs

If you’re trying to pare down a complicated sentence, you may want to look for any extra adjectives and adverbs. While clarity and descriptions are good, they can also bog down your writing and cause more confusion in the end. In this episode, Ley and Leigh talk about how to identify when those descriptions are causing more problems than they solve.
First aired November 9, 2023.

S48E2 – How to Identify a Confusing Timeline

Keeping a cohesive timeline through your story is more than simply maintaining an order of scenes. Even sentences can be out of order, causing little bursts of confusion that send the reader backwards in time. There are a few things you can look for to help you identify when you’re accidentally creating a confusing timeline of events at the sentence level.
First aired November 6, 2023.