The Plotcast: Fiction Writing & Editing Tips with Authors and Experts

I had the great pleasure of talking to J. D. Barker, NYT and international bestselling author of suspense thrillers. His first novel was self-published and sold a quarter of a million copies; he wrote the prequel to Dracula for Bram Stoker’s family using the authors own journals and story notes; and he’s had novels and concepts auctioned for Hollywood productions. J. D. Barker's website and books: https://jdbarker.com/   I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

I’m joined today (actually last October as you may be able to tell by the things we talk about in this podcast, as I may or may not have delayed getting this episode out for nearly half a year) by a dear friend, Doug Landsborough, author of the Shadow's Advent dark fantasy series, and we discuss everything self-publishing at length - the finances, the motivation, the social media of it all and even our own takes on the future of the publishing industry.  Doug's books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/author/B07MBGYQK2  Doug's website: https://www.dlandsborough.com/    I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

I’m joined today by Corrin DaCosta, author of Dead Daddy Issues, and we dive into the complexities of writing realistic dysfunctional families without shying away from the ugly parts.  Dead Daddy Issues: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DGQ8J11H  Corrin's website: https://www.corrindacosta.com/  Corrin's IG and Threads: @corrindacostaauthor    I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

I’m joined today by Charlene Putney, writer and teacher from Dublin. Charlene has worked on game titles such as the Divinity series, Baldur's Gate 3, and NUTS.   Charlene's website: https://alphachar.com/  Charlene's game studio: https://neonaurelius.com/  Charlene's email contact: charlene.putney [at] gmail.com   I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find my resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

I’m joined tooday by Allie Nava. Her debut novel July and Everything after has just recently come out and it tells the Story of an American woman’s transformation after experiencing horrific events during a visit to her birth country in Asia at the inception of civil war. Pick up July and Everything After here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/July-Everything-After-Allie-Nava/dp/1965253067  Allie's website: https://allienava.com/   We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

I'm joined by Carson Long, a Youtube writing creator and author of Starlight Farm's Kennel for Talking Dogs, as we discuss the best trick to get through writing your first draft, shedding the fear of imperfection and discovering what your story is about. Pick up Starlight Farm's here: https://amzn.to/478cvAM Join Carson's Discord group events: https://discord.gg/5yR34spzeV Carson's Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/@writing-theory   We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

It's a painful truth that writers of this day and age are expected to have an online presence, and with this comes the choice of what social media platform you can get the most out of as an author. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear why social media shouldn't be your priority and what you should actually put your energy into instead. Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast  I'm on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

I'm joined by one of my clients who's a full-time student, and has written and published a book on a 4-month timeline, then written a subsequent one in the next year. She shares her tips to keep herself writing without sacrificing sleep. Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Tokyo Yume's The Apple of My Eye: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-My-Eye-Tokyo-yume/dp/B0CFMCCZVV  Tokyo's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyoyume_/  Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

Fleshing out your character doesn't come down to personality traits or fun quirks but to a more fundamental depth of a character - their internal conflict, their story arc & purpose, motivation, and their backstory. We dive into all of that in this episode. Submit books for judging or questions for answering: https://www.the-plottery.com/the-plotcast We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Jasmina's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jasminareadstoomuch/ Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/ 

Today, I'm joined by Kai Wissler, screenwriter and short film producer/director working in post-production for film & TV. We dive into the golden rule of storytelling and what you can learn from screenwriting to strengthen your prose. We're on a mission to help authors change their relationship to writing to bring them joy instead of stress, self-doubt, and overwhelm. Find our resources & free content below: Apply for editing: https://www.the-plottery.com/editing Apply for coaching: https://www.the-plottery.com/coaching Join my Soft Plotting Program: https://www.the-plottery.com/soft-plotting-program Char's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.plottery/ Char's youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpUEKadKCk5xQ-RyJkZQ6XQ Kai's instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kaiwiiii/  Website: https://www.the-plottery.com/