Podcast interview about opening chapters
I was interviewed on the Wizards & Spaceships podcast about writing great openings in scifi/fantasy stories. We geeked out about some favourites in popular media, and also shared a few “hot takes.” (Episode page)
Growing from literary rejection: Interview with writer and marketer Grace Flahive
A case study from the front lines of fiction publishing: novelist/marketer Grace Flahive talks about the dos and don’ts of pursuing publication, working with an agent, hooking editors, and learning from rejection. Read the transcript on Medium.
Finding your novel’s niche: interview with the editor of “Crazy Rich Asians”
Editor Jenny Jackson shares how Crazy Rich Asians was able to find its niche to connect with readers. She also shares practical tips that help her authors focus their novel’s intent. Finally, she discusses her own transition from editor to author, and what she brought from her editorial experience into her writing process. Read the transcript on Medium.
How “Crazy Rich Asians” hooks readers: building genre and expectations
How the opening chapters of the novel Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan build (and subvert) genre expectations to hook and satisfy readers. The novel knows exactly what readers expect, and the opening delivers on those expectations with surprise and delight. Read the transcript on Medium.
How the prologue of “The Book Thief” hooks readers: a unique point of view
How the prologue of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak delivers an impressionistic look at the plot ahead, without spoiling that plot or even setting it up. Also, how the prologue teaches us to read the novel’s unique narrative voice without interrupting the story’s dramatic action. Read the transcript on Medium.
How the prologue of “A Game of Thrones” hooks readers: Instant gratification
How the prologue of A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin breaks from the Tolkien model of starting with heavy exposition and world-building, and instead delivers a simple action scene with sympathetic characters—a scene that also foreshadows the great conflicts of the novel and series. Read the transcript on Medium.
How “Saga” hooks readers: Starting with action
How the comic series Saga starts with a bang, dropping us into the middle of a story already in progress, and how its exposition delivers drama instead of information. Also, how Saga’s structure follows in the footsteps of the pilot episode of Lost and the opening of the first Star Wars film. Read the transcript on Medium.
How “The Hunger Games” hooks readers: Bringing a premise to life
How author Suzanne Collins creates a compelling high-concept premise in the opening chapter of The Hunger Games, how she brings that premise to life through character, world-building, and language, and how that premise conquered the literary world. Read the transcript on Medium.
How “The Road” hooks readers: Rooting for the underdog
How author Cormac McCarthy creates vulnerable characters that engage our emotions in his Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Road. Also, how the literary theories of Greek philosopher Aristotle still apply today, and what the modern anti-hero gets right and wrong. Read the transcript on Medium.
How “Cloud Atlas” hooks readers: Delivering the unexpected
How author David Mitchell uses unexpected structure and language to hook readers in his novel Cloud Atlas. Plus, how the psychological concept of flow applies to great writing. Read the transcript (with extras) on Medium.