The Taylor Stevens Show

In this weeks show, Taylor takes a deep dive edit into a scene sent in by a listener who wanted to be sure her main character didn’t fall into the background in the group scene the listener sent in as an example. We recorded this as one as video as well. If you want to […] The post TSS126: Editing to Keep Your Main Character Front and Center in Group Scenes appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s show, Taylor responds to an email she received about character archetypes and any advise she has for how best to study them.  As is often the case, Taylor responds at length on the importance of writing characters as real people which leads to a discussion of stock characters in fiction. Thanks so […] The post TSS125: Should you Study Character Archetypes or Study People? appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

This week’s episode is the third and final episode of a three-part series where Taylor takes a deep dive into how removing detail can help to better develop your character and improve your story.  This week we work through the document and see (and hear) Taylor’s revisions of the document, and she explains why she chose […] The post TSS124: The Importance of Keeping Your Characters in Motion appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

This week’s episode is the second of a three-part series where Taylor takes a deep dive into how removing detail can help to better develop your character and improve your story.  This week we begin fresh with a second draft rewrite and begin the work of line editing to shape it into a compelling narrative.Thanks to […] The post TSS123: Line Editing to Shape a Compelling Narrative (Part 2 of a 3 part series) appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

This week’s episode is part one of a three-part series where Taylor takes a deep dive into how removing detail can help to better develop your character and improve your story.  Thanks to S.M. Fedor for providing the source material. In the pre-show chit chat, we debate which of the two of us prepares the better […] The post TSS122: Cutting Back on the Description to Bring Your Story to Life appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

What’s the best path to success as a writer?  Finding and having someone validate your perfect idea for a story OR writing, developing your voice and improving your craft. Taylor received a message from someone who found an article she posted on her website (see below) and uses that question to explore the idea of […] The post TSS121: Developing the Mentality of Success appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s episode, which builds on last week’s show, Taylor works through an excellent action scene from some epic fantasy material provided by a listener.  Her objective is to slow down the action and to focus the reader’s attention on a specific character trait of the lead character. We recorded this as one show […] The post TSS120: Line Editing to Slow Down the Action – Part 2 appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s episode, Taylor works through an excellent action scene from some epic fantasy material provided by a listener.  Her objective is to slow down the action and to focus the reader’s attention on a specific character trait of the lead character. We recorded this as one show for video purposes, but have split […] The post TSS119: Line Editing to Slow Down the Action (Part 1 of 2) appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s show Taylor answers a listener question on editing from a subscriber to her email newsletter: About my current non-fiction book project, please at what time should I consider the book fit enough to be sent to a professional editor to do his part of the job? My initial draft is completed, but […] The post TSS118: Taylor answers a subscriber question on when and how to find an editor appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

Listener C.A. (Carol) Newsome is refreshing the first book in her Lia Anderson Dog Park Mystery Series, to try and bring the level of her craft up to that in the later books in the series.  Carol send the prologue and some of the first chapter to Taylor to get her input on a couple […] The post TSS117: How Effective Anchoring Can Help Your Dialogue to Shine appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

Listener C.A. (Carol) Newsome is refreshing the first book in her Lia Anderson Dog Park Mystery Series, to try and bring the level of her craft up to that in the later books in the series.  Carol send the prologue and some of the first chapter to Taylor to get her input on a couple […] The post TSS116: Bringing Your Characters to Life appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s episode, we discuss the importance of doing the hard work that will make your writing standing out.  The show uses some real examples from Steve’s WIP and provides the opportunity for Taylor to discuss how to use the three Vs (vivid, vibrant, and vicarious) to strengthen your writing. Thanks so much for […] The post TSS115: The Importance of Doing the Hard Work when Writing appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s episode, we discuss some of Taylor’s pet peeves with regard to dialogue. How to avoid unnecessary dialogue, conversations that are too formal, and questions that are too pointed. Thanks so much for joining us again this week! If you have questions or suggestions for future shows, we’d love to hear from you. […] The post TSS114: Using Empathy to Avoid Boring Dialogue in Your Fiction appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s abbreviated episode, we discuss the use of Natural Disaster’s in fiction as a way to drive tension, Taylor offers up a juicy hurricane-related plot, and we discuss the synopsis she’s preparing for book two in her new series. Thanks so much for joining us again this week! If you have questions or […] The post TSS113: Using Natural Disasters in Your Fiction – The Hurricane Edition appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this episode, we talk transparency and then get into writing advice, discussing character traits or quirks and how they can bond readers to your characters. Thanks so much for joining us again this week! If you have questions or suggestions for future shows, we’d love to hear from you. You can leave your suggestions […] The post TSS112: Using Character Traits to Bond Readers to Characters appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s episode, Taylor walks us through several examples of how to quickly show readers the traits of some characters through movement, dialogue, self-talk, action and more.  Thanks to author C.A. Newsome for providing the idea for today’s shows. Show notes Thanks so much for joining us again this week! If you have questions […] The post TSS111: Showing Character Traits to Your Readers appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

This week we respond to this question, from author J.W. Benshoof, who wonders how to split a single novel that’s growing larger than anticipated, into a series that will still appeal to readers.  Taylor points out several things J.W. should consider, including giving the reader a sense of completion with each book, and the resolution […] The post TSS110: How Can I Break My Ever Expanding Novel into a Series? appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s show, Taylor and Steve discuss the fungibility of books, and what Taylor has done to try and make her books less fungible to those who enjoy her work. Wikipedia defines fungibility as follows:   In economics, fungibility is the property of a good or a commodity whose individual units are essentially interchangeable. […] The post TSS109: Why Should a Reader Buy YOUR Book, Instead of Something Else? appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

In this week’s episode, we take a look behind the curtain, at the decision-making process Taylor went through before deciding how to publisher her next book.  Things like writing style, speed, self-knowledge and the library market all played a part in the journey that’s just beginning with her new publisher. Thanks so much for joining […] The post TSS108: A look behind the curtain at Taylor’s recent publishing decisions appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.

  This week’s show is the third of a three-part discussion of story structure, where we break down the three-act structure and try and apply it to Taylor’s writing style. The focus of this week’s show is endings. In this weeks episode, Taylor mentions story fatigue and shares some thoughts on how cultural expectations come […] The post TSS107: Hitting the Right Notes with the Ending of Your Book appeared first on The Taylor Stevens Show.