Writing Roots

S22E7 – Fog and Flame: Character Development

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 navigate the world. In other words, plot-driven or character-driven. Both are valid storytelling techniques and play to the interests of readers in varying genres. Even if you are driven by one, though, you should still be putting effort into developing the other. After all, characters are not just puppets and plot isn’t just a sandbox.
Before editing Ley’s Modakku Anthologies, she asked Leigh to help make sure the characters were strong in their respective roles. When she chose to write in first-person omniscient, she also decided to never name her main character, the narrator. It proved to be a challenge and with that came some concern that the character would feel disconnected.
Leigh and Ley discuss her characters in this episode, with a focus on Fog and Flame, and things she could do to improve the characters within the plot.
First aired July 22, 2021.
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S22E6 – K/D Ratio: Character Voice

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 read the dialogue tag? If you can, that means that author developed the character voice.
Each character should have their own unique way of thinking and speaking within the story. This doesn’t mean you need to write in accents or use completely different words. It does mean you need to consider your character. Dig into what they would notice in the world, their education level, and maybe the jargon they’d use. Part of voice is also making sure their motivations are intrinsic in their actions.
In this episode, Ley points out occasions where character voice needed to be tightened up in K/D Ratio. From making sure characters don’t overexplain to making sure the main character’s thoughts are tracking in the right direction.
First aired July 19, 2021.
The episodes in this series, Editing Demonstration, contain spoilers for Ley Esses’ The Modakku Anthologies as well as Leigh Hull’s Gamer Files series. Read them before you listen if you don’t want to have the endings spoiled.
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S22E5 – Fog and Flame: Take it Back Now Y’all!

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 are times, though, when it’s okay to reveal something, then step back in time to explain how you got there. This was a major piece of the Disney movie, Emperor’s New Groove. It was also a narrative style used in Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series. Ley’s use of first-person omniscient played well into using this as a plot device. It also led to using it more than was necessary.
Another piece of editing that the hosts wanted to demonstrate was the role of the editor to look for continuity errors. Having someone else take that step back to look at the work objectively is vital. Ley, though a plotter, still changed elements of her book through the process of self-editing. Leigh was able to find and fix those holes during her editing process.
In this episode, the hosts analyze the first book in the Modakku Anthologies, Fog and Flame. This episode does contain spoilers. If you haven’t read it yet, you can find on Amazon.
First aired July 15, 2021.
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S22E4 – K/D Ratio: Setup and Payoff

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 something, such as a gun, described in the story then it needs to come into play somehow. It’s the idea of setup and payoff. This can be fairly easy for plotters.
Leigh, however, is adamantly not a plotter. This leads to the opposite problem. Each piece of the story that contributes directly to the plot should have been presented by act one. This can be objects, fighting techniques, or even just character interactions.
During the edits, Ley noticed several scenes that could be improved by using it to prepare for a future scene. Throughout this episode, Leigh and Ley discuss how to make sure the entire story connects within itself, that there is setup and payoff.
These episodes still contain major spoilers for K/D Ratio and Toxic. You can find both on Amazon here. It’s recommended to read before listening to the episodes. Don’t forget to check out Ley’s Modakku Anthologies as well.
First aired July 12, 2021.
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S22E3 – Fog and Flame: First-Person Omniscient

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 third person, but there are subtle differences within those broader categories. One of the less-used POVs is first-person omniscient, which comes with its own difficulties.
When you choose a narrative POV, you’ll want to make sure it stays consistent. With third-person close, you want to make sure you’re not “head-hopping.” In third-person omniscient, you’ll need to make sure the characters don’t know everything the narrator knows. In first-person omniscient, tenses cause the most trouble.
Ley Esses decided to use first-person omniscient to write her most recent series, the Modakku Anthologies. This narrative is tricky, though, because it can contain several different timelines. The narrator is writing the story of how a young woman fulfills a prophecy from his own perspective. That’s two timelines: the current writer and the past teacher who experienced the events. On top of that, the narrator also reminisces on prior experiences. This makes tenses within the story incredibly difficult. It’s vital to keep them straight so the story is cohesive for even the casual reader.
Despite the trouble the tenses can be, first-person omniscient is well worth the effort. It gives the reader a sense of hope and further connection with the main character.
This continues our series on demonstrating the editing process and help other writers understand how to use POV to their advantage. Leigh and Ley discuss the use of the first-person omniscient point-of-view and the changes that were needed to maintain a cohesive story line.
As a reminder, these episodes contain major spoilers for the Modakku Anthologies. Pick up Fog and Flame, Snow and Ash, and Water and Bone today at this link. You’ll also want to get K/D Ratio as well as Toxic for future episodes. You can find both on Amazon here.
First aired July 8, 2021.
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S22E2 – K/D Ratio: Structural Changes

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 scenes or making sure the stage is properly set for the end. As the author, these needed changes can be difficult to see. We get attached to scenes or characters that may have no purpose overall. If you’re a pantser, setting up for the end can’t always happen because you don’t know exactly how the end will go.
Leigh knew K/D Ratio needed major structural changes, but couldn’t identify what changes would be best. She asked her editor, Ley, to keep an eye on what could be changed to reduce the word count and make sure only the relevant information was included. Some of the things they discuss in this episode include combining up to three scenes into one, focusing on tension and release, and setting up to make the final fight move faster.
As a reminder, these episodes contain major spoilers for K/D Ratio as well as Toxic. You can find both on Amazon here. It’s recommended to read before listening to the episodes. Don’t forget to check out Ley’s Modakku Anthologies as well before her episodes begin.
First aired July 5, 2021.
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S22E1 – Editing Demonstration: Overview

Editors are an invaluable piece of the publishing process. No one should publish without having someone with editing knowledge look at the manuscript. If you think about all of the books with a New York Times Bestselling label, they’ve all been pushed through a meticulous editing process. For new authors – especially self-published authors – that process can be unfamiliar and frightening. It’s difficult to give a piece of yourself – since that’s what our stories are – to someone to be essentially torn apart. That’s good, though. Trust us.
Writing Roots is back! The hosts have published their books and we’ve successfully moved into our new studio. This episode was recorded as we were still getting set up because we were still in the editing process and wanted the recordings to be genuine reviews. This means the sound may be a little rough since we’re still exploring settings, but we’ve done what we can to smooth it out.
In this first episode of our editing demonstration series, Leigh and Ley work explain the process of working with an editor and share key points that needed work from their most recent novels. They explain the process, how each episode will work, and share with each other an overview of what they wanted their editor to focus on through the story. Leigh needed the most help with cutting back on the word count, while Ley wanted advice on the magic system and worldbuilding.
SPOILER ALERT: This whole series contains major spoilers for K/D Ratio by Leigh Hull (along with spoilers for Toxic), and for The Modakku Anthologies by Ley Esses. If you don’t want to have spoilers, click the links to get their books today. If you’re not worried aobut spoilers or have already read the books, enjoy the episode!
First aired July 1, 2021.
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Extended Archives: Determining the Genre

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. Experienced authors and publishers know the importance of picking the right one, which just increases that pressure.
In this extended episode from our archives, we take a closer look at how to figure out your genre so the right target audience can find your book.
Original episode first aired December 14, 2020.
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Extended Archives – Before You Write

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 paper (or fingers to a keyboard). It doesn’t always have to be the plot of the story or a detailed history of the characters. It can simply be the spark of an idea.
In this extended episode, we take a look at what any author needs to know before they start writing, whether this is their first venture into writing novels or their fifteenth.
Original episode aired December 28, 2020.
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Extended Archives – Getting Effective Reviews

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 and Ley discuss ways to get the most effective reviews.
Original episode aired July 23, 2020.
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