Joe Abercrombie (author of The Blade Itself and many other brilliant stories) joins me to discuss the opening chapters from his new book, The Devils. This is an in-depth deep dive into the techniques Joe uses to hook readers, introduce characters, and develop an interesting fantasy world.

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

01:23 - Writing a great opening hook

10:59 - Does Joe read aloud during editing?

12:05 - What makes 'good prose'?

13:34 - Deep dive into Diaz’s character

22:53 - Chapter transitions and pacing

25:01 - Introduction of Alex

30:03 - Using familiar tropes in fresh ways

34:45 - Making metaphors multilayered

41:00 - Worldbuilding through POV

46:40 - Deductive vs inductive worldbuilding

49:55 - Abercrombie’s anti-worldbuilding approach

54:17 - How to introduce several characters at once

01:02:33 - Jed's favourite character from The Devils

1:04:55 - What is Joe trying to improve with his writing?

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Today I'm joined by Christopher Ruocchio, author of the Sun Eater series! I share my top 5 storytelling lessons from reading this excellent series, while Christopher shares his top 5 lessons from writing it. This will be a spoiler-free discussion for the first 40 or so minutes, and I learned SO MUCH from this wonderful chat. Enjoy!

00:00 – What is the Sun Eater series about?

02:31 – How to write a great hook

12:16 – The importance of outlining

26:49 – Creating complex characters

34:15 – Constraints as opportunities in writing

38:59 – Don’t be afraid to make bold choices

48:02 – Design to your strengths

1:02:06 – How to write soft magic

1:25:03 – Borrowing expertise to improve authenticity

1:27:50 – How to write a terrifying antagonist

1:41:59 – You don’t trust your readers enough

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In this podcast, I explain the Pyramid of Prose -- a concept I wish someone had taught me when I started writing my first novel 13 years ago. Why is that? Well, 'prose' refers to the specific words you use to transmit your story from your mind into the reader's mind. It's crucial to master, because if you can't express your ideas on the page in an effective and emotionally compelling way, then none of the other elements of your story will work. So today, I'll be drawing from my experience (of publishing four fantasy books and coaching over 180 writers in my different programs) to walk you through the seven levels of this pyramid to perfect your prose, with lots of examples along the way.

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Thanks to ProWritingAid for sponsoring this episode!

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