(#19) Why your word count is ZERO

Plot holes are not inevitable and it's easy to avoid them with good plotting - you can make anything make sense in your story (barring going against laws of physics). But don't despair if you've already fallen into a dreaded plot hole because I also give you three ways to fix them in this episode. You can find the Plot Without Holes workbook here: https://writerlifestyle.etsy.com/listing/4365755365  Listen to this episode to learn how to plot your story: https://whatifyouwrote.com/podcast/16-dont-know-how-to-plot-your-story-do-this/

Autumn is THE most aesthetic season to write about, but you do need more than vibes to write a story. In this episode, I help you truly SHOW this season in your writing, and I give you some inspiration for stories and conflicts. Want to turn your vibes into a plot? Listen to episode #10 next: https://whatifyouwrote.com/podcast/what-if-you-have-all-vibes-and-no-plot/  Don't have your best story idea yet? Get our completely free workbook here: https://whatifyouwrote.com/workbook/

Have you ever thought of using a real historical figure as a character in your story? In this episode, we'll explore a few options for doing this and I give you some ideas for stories about historical figures. You can find all the writing prompts in this blog post: https://katrisoikkeli.com/story-ideas-about-historical-figures/ If you still don't have your best story idea, you need my free workbook: https://whatifyouwrote.com/workbook/

This week's episode is another edition of editing quick tips: What to do when your characters are constantly looking, frowning, sighing or anything else completely repetitive, redundant, duplicative and repetitive. As always, this stuff is perfectly fine in your first drafts, this is just something to keep an eye on when editing your story. P.S. Sorry if the audio is weird - I have more technical issues than I have the time to deal with them, but I'll do my best to return with pristine audio next week. Don't have your perfect story idea yet? Get the FREE workbook here: https://whatifyouwrote.com/workbook/ 

When it comes to using generative AI to help you write, or even write completely for you, people on the internet have A LOT of thoughts. Unfortunately, many of those thoughts are based on misunderstanding how both artificial intelligence and writing novels actually work. Yikes. I don't actually care what you do with your life, but I do care about you, and I think you should care more about your own writing and your skill development, and we should ALL care about how young people are being turned towards even more screens rather than towards each other. This episode is all about how much more you matter than AI ever could and about how writing already is extremely accessible. Resources mentioned in the episode: - Can you use ChatGPT to write a novel?: https://katrisoikkeli.com/can-you-write-a-novel-with-chatgpt/  - The Genius Plotting System: https://courses.protagonistcrafts.com/genius-plotting-system/  - Writing 101: https://katrisoikkeli.com/writing-a-book-101/  - Start Your Novel 5-day course (it's free!): https://katrisoikkeli.com/write-a-book-free-course/ 

Does your character see dead people? In this episode, we're talking about what a plot twist actually is and how you can write one in three easy steps. I bet you didn't see THAT coming! Writing a great plot twist that works requires some planning beforehand, so you might also want to listen to episode #4 to learn all about outlining your novel. If there's anything else related to plotting that you'd like me to talk about in this podcast, let me know - I'm here to solve your problems and not just listen to myself talk. Still need a winning story idea that keeps you writing all the way through? You might need our free story idea workbook: https://whatifyouwrote.com/workbook/  Want to learn everything you need to write a page-turning plot? Get the Genius Plotting System here: https://courses.protagonistcrafts.com/genius-plotting-system/ 

Our new Editing Quick Tips series is exactly what it sounds like: Quick, laser-focused tips that you'll need during the editing process. In this episode, we're focusing on when your characters "decide" something. What do you actually mean when you write that and could you cut it out? You'll have to listen to find out. Got requests for future Editing Quick Tips episodes? Let me know! Find more links and information at https://whatifyouwrote.com 

If you're a writer, you should be writing, but if your word count is still sitting at zero, one of these seven reasons might be the culprit. Don't worry, you can also find solutions in this episode, so put your listening ears on. If you'd like to see the video version of this episode, you can find it on the Protagonist Crafts Youtube channel. Want to finally find a story idea that keeps you writing? Get the free story idea workbook from https://whatifyouwrote.com/workbook  

Your novel needs a title, but do you need it NOW? In this episode, you find out why a good novel title matters, when it matters, and how to find the right title inside your story. The stakes are just about as high as when naming your first-born, but with these tips and examples, it doesn't have to be hard. Stay tuned every Friday to get more inspiration for your writing and for your writer life.

If you've ever said YIKES while reading your own writing or when thinking about sharing your stories with the world, this episode is for you. When you stop worrying so much about whether your writing sucks or not, you have a lot more time to actually improve it. I know, weird.  Don't forget to get your writing exercises: https://whatifyouwrote.com/exercises You can find more useful resources here: https://whatifyouwrote.com/