Writer Unleashed
Writer Unleashed is a weekly podcast for fiction and memoir writers. It's a deep dive into story techniques, writing craft, and the mindsets that help you write with unstoppable momentum and create stories readers can't put down.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 20 minutes
- Episodes
- 257
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2025
#56: Three Quick Editing Tips to Craft Riveting Sentences
You can engineer a stellar plot line, dream up characters with compelling conflicts — all the broad strokes – but it’s the accumulation of small word choices that keep readers spellbound.
In today's…
#55: Is Your Story Plot Driven or Character Driven?
The question isn't whether your story is character driven or plot driven. Or even how to write one or the other.
The question is..
How do you integrate character with plot?
Because both are inseparable.
…
#54: Structure Your WIP With This 3-Act Framework
Where are you getting most stuck in your work in progress? The beginning? The end? Or are you getting stalled in the middle?
In this episode, I'm giving you a 3-Act framework to help guide you thro…
#53: How to Write Dialogue That Sounds Natural
Story dialogue is not the same as real-life dialogue. It's shaped with intention, word by word.
Even so, we should pay attention to the nuances and the rhythm of real-life conversations.
We want to be…
#52: The Number One Mistake Writers Make With Dialogue
What's the number one mistake writers make with dialogue?
Writing way too much of it.
In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore 3 ways to shape compelling dialogue that rings true to your…
#51: Three Ways to Beat Writer's Block
How do you keep writing when you're totally blocked? When you feel like you have utterly nothing to say?
In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, I'll give you a 3-step strategy for breaking through.
…
#50: How Much Backstory Does Your Reader Really Need To Know?
How much backstory does your story need? And how much backstory does your reader need?
Learn what backstory is important for you to know as the author, and what backstory belongs on the page.
In toda…
#49: The Quickest Way to Engage Your Reader
The way to engage your readers and keep them absorbed sentence by sentence is to draw them into the tactile world of your story and evoke their sensations.
Not the fact that it's raining, as E.L. Doc…
#48: Does Your Story Need An Antagonist?
Does your story need an antagonist?
The short answer is yes.
But to avoid the formulaic good vs. bad story, there are deeper questions to unwrap.
In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore:
- …
#47: Even Minor Characters Play a Major Role
Every character you include, no matter how minor, or however brief their appearance, must serve the story you're telling. Nobody should be in a scene for mere decoration or as a prop.
There are no m…
#46: What's the Theme of Your Story? And Why Does It Matter?
What is theme? And why does it matter to your story?
In today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, we’ll talk about what theme is, what it isn’t, and how to arrive at yours.
We'll explore:
- The common de…
#45: How to Hook Readers in Your First Sentence
If your first sentence is a dud, chances are readers won't give you a second chance.
In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, we'll explore 5 elements that will hook your readers from the get-go and k…
#44: How to Fix a Broken Plot
Is your plot broken?
First, what is a broken plot?
It's when you start out with one conflict but lose confidence in your ability to move that conflict forward through a series of actions. So you shif…
#43: Five Ways to Transform Real People into Fascinating Fictional Characters
Just because you're basing characters on real people doesn't make them believable or interesting. It's far more important for your story to work than it is for it to be true.
And even when people are…
#42: What Kind of Writer Are You?
Are you a memoir writer? Or a fiction writer? A novelist? Or short story writer?
Lots of people have a story to tell. But some are still flying blind after years, even decades of trying to nail down …
#41: The Struggle Most Writers Never Talk About
In the theater of our mind, our story is a multi-dimensional, techno-color, high-def world teeming with life. But inevitably, in our early attempts to transfer that vision onto the page, that world d…
#40: Show Don't Tell: Revealing Character Through Body Language
It’s a scientific fact: body language speaks volumes about what’s truly in our hearts and minds. And the same is true of your characters.
Facial expressions, mannerisms, gestures, eye movements — non…
#39: How to Write Captivating Character Description
We're all tired of being introduced to characters like the young man in his twenties with jet black hair, emerald green eyes, and a chiseled jaw.
Even if a character looks like that, there are ways t…
#38: How to Create Characters Readers Care About
How do you create characters readers care about? So that the reader can't help but keep reading?
In today's episode of Writer Unleashed, I'll explore 5 common character mistakes and how to avoid the…
#37: Three Questions to Ask Before You Plot Your Story
What questions should you ask before you plot your story? Whether you outline every chapter, or write from the hip, on today’s episode of Writer Unleashed, I’ll break down 3 questions you should expl…