Episodes
Insider tips from a writing contest organiser and judge. We talk about what judges look out for, entry red flags, and common cliches judges are used to seeing in manuscripts.
November Brown of @writesofnovember joins me for a lovely, productive chat!
Enter November’s writing contest here: https://www.writesofnovember.com/first-page-frenzy
Get the Character Workbook here: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks
Published 09/26/24
Captivating first lines and 3 types of hooks with fantasy editor Shay from Vine and Parchment!
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
Published 09/20/24
Practical tips for when you can’t seem to write anything half-decent (or even sit down to write at all).
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
Published 09/11/24
From 6AM starts to Mambo #5, I pieced together King’s routine from various interviews and tried it out. Parts of it worked great! Others not so much. I’ve documented it all for you.
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
Published 08/29/24
I found my amazing beta readers on Instagram. Today, Tina Marshall (@bookedtildawn) joins me to show you how to use social media to find beta readers, critique partners, ARC readers and people who are willing to buy your novel when it finally comes out. She also tells me what a shadow daddy is, so let's thank her for her service.
Get writer freebies here: https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
Find Tina here: instagram.com/bookedtildawn
Published 07/16/24
Screenwriter and director Eva Wikke takes your questions about script writing, getting your scripts funded and produced, why book adaptations are always so inaccurate, and more.
📜 FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE: https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
📖 WRITING WORKBOOKS: https://schoolofplot.com/collections/workbooks
💻 WRITING BLOG: https://schoolofplot.com/blogs/writing-guides
Published 04/29/24
There’s a lot of writing advice on the internet, and I disagree with some popular tips. In this episode, I explain why.
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
And you can find me at all these other places too:
➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/
➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides) https://www.pinterest.co.uk/schoolofplot
➡️TIKTOK: (Memes and foolishness)...
Published 04/16/24
You sent me your most hated dialogue cliches, and I got a professional editor to give you alternatives. Shay from Vine and Parchment joined this episode for a funny, productive chat.
Full disclaimer, the start is quite jarring because I had to cut around a sound issue, but it gets very good very quickly!
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
Published 04/08/24
Lore of the Wilds author Analeigh Sbrana chats with me about her unique path to an incredibly impressive book deal. We also discuss fantasy food, book boxes, diversity in fantasy, and the difference between indie and trad publishing.
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
Published 03/25/24
In this episode we take a virtually incoherent story idea that I jotted down at 3AM, and we turn it into a half-decent story idea. FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
And you can find me at all these other places too:
➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/
➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides) [https://www.pinterest.co.uk/schoolofplot
➡️TIKTOK: (Memes and foolishness)...
Published 03/22/24
I wrote a dark, comedic fantasy book. I answer your questions about outlining, timeframe, characters and more! I'll be regularly(-ish) posting about my self-publishing journey so we'll both learn exactly how it works.
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
And you can find me at all these other places too:
➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/
➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form writing guides)...
Published 03/18/24
Author Kate Korsak explains how (and why) she ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise $5K for the publication of her next fantasy novel.
TIMESTAMPS
01:50 - Author Kate Korsak on her upcoming epic fantasy novel
03:34 - Timeline from getting the idea to approaching publication
07:30 - Writers using Kickstarter
09:10 - Exclusive editions, book boxes, custom book-inspired coffees
11:24 - How early should you start marketing before a book is published?
11:57 - Publishing timeline (when...
Published 03/12/24
How I got my first 100K. Step-by-step guide of to grow your account, get more readers, promote your work and even get sponsorships...without making yourself cringe.
INSTA GROWTH PACK: https://schoolofplot.com/products/insta-growth-pack
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
And you can find me at all these other places too:
➡️ INSTA: (My main place of posting) https://www.instagram.com/schoolofplot/
➡️ PINTEREST: (Also quite active, longer-form...
Published 03/07/24
Handsome fairies, evil advisors, rebellious princesses who are bad at embroidery...and 45 other fantasy cliches. I tier rank them on a scale from cold lumpy porridge to hot buttery pie. Also I want to change my opinion on “name day” as a fantasy cliche. I’ve since learned that they’re a pretty normal thing in some cultures. That would be such a cool thing to explore in fantasy (as opposed to just using that term as a replacement for birthday) and I want to upgrade it to 🥧!
Published 02/25/24
Hey writer! Welcome to the shoddy beginnings of my podcast.
Here's a (very very) simple trick if you need an idea for a story: apply the 5 Ws to any painting. In this video, I walk you through an example.
Here are the resources I mentioned in the video:
FREE PLOT OUTLINE TEMPLATE:
📜 https://schoolofplot.com/pages/free-downloads
CORNISH MYTH RESOURCE (I just think it's cool!)
🧚 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1252513 (part 1 - you may need to log in through your uni/school/local...
Published 02/17/24