8 Top Writing Lessons From 8 Years of Writing

It’s been 8 years since I started writing in 2012. Listen to today’s podcast to discover the 8 biggest lessons I’ve learned.

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Show Notes:

Across the Broken Stars – goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49125250-across-the-broken-stars

Best writing advice resources:

Anything by K. M. Weiland

Brandon Sanderson’s online lectures

Lessons from the Screenplay

Story by Robert McKee

Dialogue by Robert McKee

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass

(Note: some of those links are affiliate links, which means if you use them, I may receive compensation – at no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!)

34 – The Language of Dying by Sarah Pinborough – Creating Emotion

The Language of Dying is an elegiac, emotionally moving novella, about a woman whose father is dying. In today’s episode, I dive deep into analysing how the author crafted such a profound emotional experience. If you want your words to move your readers, this episode explains how. 

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Or click here to listen online

My debut fantasy novella, Fires of the Dead, is available on amazon for pre-order! Get it here:  http://bit.ly/firesjedherne

Or use this link to read a free prequel story:https://jedherne.com/dead/

13 – The Martian by Andy Weir – Problem and Response Story Structure

book-review-the-martian

I’ve read this book multiple times and love it more with each re-read. In this episode, I try to figure out why it’s so engaging, and end up categorising problems/conflict into 6 distinctive archetypes which can benefit any story.

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Or click here to listen online

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7 – The Heroes by Joe Abercrombie – Exploring Theme

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, and what made it strong was Abercrombie’s masterful control of theme. In this episode, I examine how The Heroes doesn’t cram a moral down readers throats, but instead uses characters, structure, and symbolism to explore how in a war it’s impossible to be a hero in every way and at every time …

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Or click here to listen online

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Twitter: @JedHerne

Want awesome short stories, bite-sized writing advice, and lists of the best books to improve your craft? Join my VIP email list!

Shownotes:

Joe’s article on theme in The Heroes

Story by Robert McKee

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

(note: this post may have affiliate links – using them will give me a tiny bit of money, at no extra cost to you!)

4 – The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein – Writing an Amazing Midpoint

Done poorly, midpoints can bog down your story with annoying slowness. That’s not the case in today’s novel, which showcases one possible solution to avoiding the dreaded soggy middle.

Listen here.

Shownotes:

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein (affiliate link – using it will give me a tiny bit of money, at no extra cost to you)