The Writership Podcast Editing Tips For Fiction Authors
On the Writership Podcast, professional book editor Leslie Watts critiques five pages of fiction from writers who are, or soon hope to be, traditionally or independently published. The submissions come from actual authors who understand they may need help seeing the flaws in their stories and are brave enough to share this experience so that you might improve your writing too.
- Update frequency
- every 8 days
- Average duration
- 40 minutes
- Episodes
- 136
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2019
Episode 118: Why You Must Choose a Genre
In this episode, fiction editor Leslie Watts and author C. Steven Manley critique “The Highwayman,” a fantasy short story by Jacob Oakley. They discuss genre and why it’s important to choose one prim…
Episode 117: Shoe Leather: Eliminating Unnecessary Exposition
In this episode, Leslie is joined by author and Story Grid editor Jarie Bolander. They critique the opening chapters of The Home Front, a women’s society novel by Melinda McDonald. Shoe leather, that…
Episode 115: Motivation-Reaction Units
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie Watts and Kim Kessler critique the first chapter of Passage, a fantasy/women’s society novel by S. Thies. This week’s author submitted her scene in first- and …
Episode 114: Inciting Incidents
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie Watts and Anne Hawley critique the beginning of Sheila Lischwe’s as yet untitled psychological thriller. They discuss inciting incidents: the submission as a p…
Episode 113: Intentional Sentence Construction
Fiction editor Leslie Watts is joined by Liz Green, Writership’s first officer, to discuss the first chapter of The Left-Handed Gunslinger, a western fantasy novella by Shaun Gill. In this episode, t…
Episode 112: Flashbacks
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark critique the first chapter of The Fifty-Two Week Chronicles, a chick lit/romantic comedy novel by Joslyn Westbrook. They discuss flashbacks, getting …
Episode 111: Experiment with Omniscient POV
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark critique the first chapter of The Palace Thief, a YA fantasy novel by AR Richardson. They discuss omniscient point of view and why you should give it…
Episode 110: Self-Editing Your Fiction
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark talk about self-editing. To get the most from hiring an editor, you'll want to tackle certain tasks before you turn it over. There are plenty of step…
Episode 109: Where to Begin Your Story?
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark critique the prologue and first chapter of From the Flame, a fantasy novel by Kristen Franklin. They discuss where to begin your story. If all the ev…
Episode 108: Narrative Drive—Compelling Your Reader to Turn the Page
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie Watts and Anne Hawley critique the first chapter of Esperanza, a science fiction horror novel by Mike Ward. They discuss narrative drive. Different people use …
Episode 107: Check the Tension in Your Opening
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Valerie Francis critique the first chapter of The Arctic Compass, a middle grade fantasy novel by Ryan Gannon. They discuss how to check your opening scene…
Episode 106: Capture Your Character’s Essence
In this episode, fiction editor Leslie Watts and guest fiction editor Anne Hawley critique the opening pages of The Bad Shepherd, a crime story set in Los Angeles in the 1980s, by Dale M. Nelson. The…
Episode 105: Do Your Scenes Work?
In this episode, fiction editor Leslie Watts and guest editor Valerie Francis critique the prologue of Shadow Falls, a thriller novel by Maxwell Perkins. They discuss the elements of scenes that work…
Episode 104: Revising Your Action Scenes
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark critique a scene from *Beneath the Crypt*, a middle grade fantasy novel by Alex Heath. They discuss how to evaluate and revise action scenes. When ch…
Episode 103: Narrative Identity and Why It Matters
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark critique “A Hero Least of All,” a literary short story by Tim LaFave. They discuss narrative identity and why it matters for your writing. Humans use…
Episode 102: How to Choose Your Story's Point of View
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark discuss point of view (POV) in their critique of “The Second Prayer: A Confession for the Dead,” a thriller short story by David L. Storm. The POV is…
Episode 101: Check Your Narrative Distance
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark critique the beginning of Osweyth, an epic fantasy novel inspired by Cornish folklore by J M Hudson. They discuss narrative distance, omniscient poin…
Episode 100: Answers to Your Questions about Writing and Editing
In this episode, fiction editors Leslie and Clark celebrate 100 episodes. They depart from the regular format to answer your questions about writing and editing. They discuss passive voice, pantsing …
Episode. 99: Revealing Character: Science Critique
In this episode, Leslie and Clark critique the first chapter of Let’s Go Inwards, a science fiction novel by Jake. They discuss revealing character. Unlike screenwriters, we can’t rely on actors to s…
Episode 98: Storytelling vs. Telling a Story: Horror Critique
In this episode, Leslie and Clark critique “Vermillion Dusk & Crimson Dirt,” an as yet unpublished horror short story by Lane M.M. Whitens. They talk about storytelling vs. telling a story and framin…