Writing Roots

S38E1 – Understanding Writing Community Lingo

It’s time to level up your writing.
If you’re new to writing communities, you may be daunted by the amount of acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon you encounter every day. Sifting through seemingly nonsensical posts makes an already difficult process feel overwhelming.
For our first episode of 2023, we wanted to dive into this lingo to help you understand. After all, if you can’t communicate with the community of writers, it’s difficult to get help improving your own works.
First aired January 2, 2023.
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S38 Bonus – Who Are You?

If you’re new to the podcast, you may have asked these questions. “Who are you? Who are these people telling me about writing?” To wrap up 2022 and our FAQ series, we wanted to give you some answers.
The podcast has grown so much in the last year. We are thrilled to be able to share our knowledge with all of you. For you to trust us, you should know our backgrounds.
Overall, we’re writers and editors. We are on the same journey as you, and we’re trying to share the things we’ve learned along the way so you don’t have to learn it the hard way. But there’s more to it than simply that we write.
Listen for more about who we are at Writing Roots, what we do, and how we aim to help new and aspiring authors.
First aired December 31, 2022.
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S38E9 – How Do I Make a Podcast?

A surprising question we get often is “how do I make a podcast?” Though it may not be directly related to writing, it is still a topic we wanted to cover this month. Especially when you consider the benefits of using a fiction podcast to share your writing with the world.
Podcasts, whether fiction or non-fiction, are a great way to reach a wide audience. It’s easy enough to set one up and to create content. The difficulty, then, comes in trying to stand out. The podcast market is saturated with all kinds of shows. The ones that do the best are the ones that find a unique edge to a common topic.
First aired December 29, 2022.
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S38E8 – How Do I Write Women/Men?

New authors are constantly asking how to write someone of a different gender or background. Readers are constantly making fun of authors who wildly misrepresent or stereotype their gender. Our goal in this episode to help show you the best practices for writing characters who don’t share the same experiences as you.
There are physical characteristics to consider when writing someone of certain genders*. Those born female have a different center of balance than those born male. They each have their advantages and disadvantages in things like combat.
Most importantly, though, is that they are human. The only consideration for the time and effort you put into developing a character is the role they play in the story, not their gender role. Listen for more.
*We are not covering transgender or non-binary in this episode as those topics are much broader than we could fit into this episode. Refer to our LGBTQ+ episode from 2020 for a brief overview.
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S38E7 – How Do I Write a Story with a Plot Twist?

A good plot twist is a wonderful addition to a story. It can reframe how the reader views the rest of the story, spark a strong emotional reaction that will help them remember, or simply create a thrilling segment to experience. Writing a good plot twist takes planning and care (or for pantsers, a lot of detailed editing).
There are plenty of places to go wrong with plot twists. Namely, don’t try to make a twist just to shock and surprise the reader. It needs to make sense within the framework of the story. It’s actually better if the reader can figure it out just before its revealed. That helps the reader feel engaged and clever, which helps them like the book.
Listen to this episode for more on the dos and don’ts of writing plot twists.
First aired December 22, 2022.
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S38E6 – What Do I Do At a Live Author Event?

Once you’ve hit “publish” on your manuscript, knowing what to do next is overwhelming. You get inundated with all sorts of marketing ideas. For authors who usually don’t like to go out into public, one of the most common forms of marketing include live author events, from signings to fairs.
If you’re just getting started, you may be asking yourself how to prepare, what to do, and if there are small tricks to make it all easier. That’s where this episode comes in. Ley and Leigh have done several live events, from hosting to attending, and have a list of things to help simplify the process and make it less daunting. Especially for those of you who may not enjoy public events.
First aired December 19, 2022.
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S38E5 – How Do I Add Sensory Details to My Writing?

One of the main jobs an author has is to immerse their audience in the story. One of the most effective ways to do this is to engage all of the reader’s senses – or at least their memories of those senses. We need to use sights, sound, smell, touch, and taste as we craft worlds and scenes. But that can be difficult. Books are limited in what they can actually show. Most of us tend to focus mostly on the sights of the world since it’s easiest to paint that mental picture. True worldbuilding involves so much more. That’s why we wanted to address this question.
Listen to this episode for a breakdown of how to include sensory details, both as you write and as you edit.
First aired December 15, 2022.
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S38E4 – How Do I Kill a Main Character?

Not all main characters have perfect plot armor. There will be times in your writing career where you will need to kill of the main character of your story. However, this is a delicate topic, as it is entirely too easy to incorrectly get rid of the hero.
In this episode, we break down a list of Dos and Don’ts to help guide you in the decision to unalive those MCs. But it all comes down to one important thing: make it mean something.
First aired December 12, 2022.
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S38E3 – How Do I Write a Scene With Several Active Characters?

It’s becoming more and more common to have a large cast of main characters, especially in the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Having a dozen or more named, active characters in a single scene, though, is complicated. It takes a lot of work to make sure it’s balance, easy to follow, and still serves a purpose.
In this episode, our hosts break down some of the best ways to have a large cast for scenes while avoiding confusion. We talk about how to sort them, how to track them, and how to make sure they all have a purpose.
First aired December 8, 2022.
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S38E2 – How Do I Format My Book For Publishing?

If you want to self-publish your book, you may be considering doing the formatting on your own. While we often advise to turn to professionals who know how to do this step, doing that is simply not plausible for everyone. That’s why we’re tackling this question in our FAQ series: how do I format a book for publishing or querying?
There is a lot that goes into making sure a published book looks correct. You have to consider font, margins, headers, chapter titles, and more. In this episode, we do our best to break down the basics to get you started. Also keep in mind that whether you are directly publishing or setting out to query, the formatting will be different. Listen for more on the differences and important pieces.
First aired December 5, 2022.
If you’d like a more in-depth version of this episode, contact us at writingroots@aspenhousepublishing.com
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