SFA 059 – Writing Craft Tips and Listener Q&A

It’s a lot easier to sell books that grab the readers, don’t let them go, and leave a lasting impression on them. We talk marketing a lot on this podcast, but solid writing and good stories make it easier to build a dedicated fanbase.

This week, Lindsay, Andrea, and Jo share some of their favorite craft tips before answering listener questions related to writing, plotting, and characters.

News:

• Andrea’s book Killer Subject Lines: How to Grab Readers’ Attention and Get Your Emails Opened is in this month’s NaNoWriMo-themed Storybundle: https://storybundle.com/nano
• Lindsay shared from one of Ricardo Fayet’s Reedsy newsletters. You can sign up for the free newsletter on their site: https://blog.reedsy.com/

Craft Tips and Listener Questions We Answered:

• Rick: I know a lot of writers and authorities in the field say that a 3rd person POV novel should have a limited number of POVs, say 3-4 POVs, all of characters who have an arc in the story. I have always liked reading and writing throwaway POVs from one-off characters who are only there to give an outside view of the action and the main characters. I do try to give a mini-arc to the mini-POVs, but the characters do not appear again in the book. Is limiting POVs to main characters an important thing to the novel’s structure in your opinion?
• Vania: What are the key elements that should go into the first page or two (or the first 10% if that’s what Amazon shows of the look inside) of every book. Such as, no info dumps, of course. Thoughts on prologues? Too much setting? Too much character backstory? Too much world building. I’ve heard never start off a book with someone speaking because readers have no idea who is speaking, but I have to admit I’m guilty of this.
• Steven: What are the best resources you’ve found for writing fantasy? (Link to the start of Brandon Sanderson’s BYU Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction course.)
• Jayne: Any advice on making readers slow down and get the most out of your books thus making them more memorable?
• Antonia: How many words/pages do you allot to introducing the character, setting, etc (with stuff going on, not just an info dump!) before the inciting incident?
• Meg: I would love any recommendations for craft upskilling resources – books, courses, etc that have been helpful for any of you.
• Hannah: What kind of feedback loops did you use to gain confidence in your writing? Critique partners/beta readers/editor relationship… did you change it much from reader feedback? I’m letting my lack of confidence stop me before I’ve even started. An aside note for some resources: I really recommend Brandon Sanderson creative writing lectures and his writing excuses podcast, as well as Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester (foreword by Jim Butcher as she was his teacher).
• Kat: What craft recommendations do you have for a series? I know the plot needs to support multiple books, but what about the character goals/motivations/weaknesses/strengths? Should those change every book or grow? Do people get bored if a character has the same things for too many books for example?
• Dale: Making characters more engaging for the reader—what are your top tips?

Thank you for listening, and thank you to Joshua Pearson for producing the show.