Terry and Paul discuss a myriad of writing craft topics and for the first time ever, actually agree on most of them.
Series, Sagas, and Standalones
What’s the difference between an episodic series and a saga? And what about stand-alone stories with the same characters in
8 Responses
I always thought that paragraphs were shaped for dramatic effect. Isn’t that the case for fiction?
They can be. Certainly. That’s another trick to use or just plain artistry. As always, depends on what you’re trying to do.
Thanks Paul. This episode was great. I like listening about craft and learning what you guys do with yours. I’m in the Terry Camp of Pantsing, and I do enjoy the discovery aspect of writing a story. But I do outline afterwards for the second draft.
Just listened to this episode. It was great, but you mentioned imposter syndrome a couple of times without really getting into it. You think you guys could talk more about that in a future episode?
We might actually take that up tomorrow. Thanks for the comment and the suggestion.
I “pants” like crazy too. But if I’m working on a series, the pantsing has to take a back seat to making sure no retcons take place, and that the characters are consistent, as is the goal of the overall arc. That doesn’t require outlining, per se, but it does require some more thought. Whenever I write an outline, I usually look at it, and then throw it away. The story in your head at the time has to take some precedence. But it all depends on where you are in the process. Pants away!
What is a “retcon”? You mentioned having to avoid it in your post here?
RetCon = Retroactive Continuity.
(in a film, television series, or other fictional work) a piece of new information that imposes a different interpretation on previously described events, typically used to facilitate a dramatic plot shift or account for an inconsistency.
In other words, changing the past that has already been established.