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The Taylor Stevens Show

Kicking writing in the butt, one word at a time

Taylor

TSS024: What’s the Recipe for Creating Unforgettable Characters?

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Is there a Recipe for Creating Unforgettable Characters?

With the understanding that she’s still learning, Taylor shares five ingredients she believes are critical to the creation of memorable characters. While delivering the recipe Taylor uses the phrase vicarious kickassery and shares a quote that she posted on Facebook some time ago, “It’s frustrating when you don’t know the recipe to your own secret sauce.”

Thanks to friend of the show Bruce Cantell for indirectly suggesting the topic of this episode.

Taylor’s Website www.taylorstevensbooks.com

 

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TSS023: The Power of Beliefs

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In this episode, Taylor talks about beliefs, especially our unconscious beliefs, and the power those beliefs have over us.  She uses an example from her own life where she kept delaying the completion of a first draft and then explains why her beliefs were self-sabotaging her writing process.  She also recommends a small book, THE POWER OF PERCEPTION, by Hyrum W. Smith.

Taylor’s Website www.taylorstevensbooks.com

 

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TSS022: An Author Gets Real on Other Authors’ Quotes

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In this episode, Taylor shares her thoughts on some of the most quoted observations on the craft of writing by authors like Ernest Hemingway, Stephen King, Gore Vidal, Lawrence Block and Harper Lee.

The author quotes we cover include:

“The only kind of writing is rewriting.”

—Ernest Hemingway

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway

“Each writer is born with a repertory company in his head. Shakespeare has perhaps 20 players. … I have 10 or so, and that’s a lot. As you get older, you become more skillful at casting them.”
— Gore Vidal

“One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell myself that I’m going to do my five or 10 pages no matter what, and that I can always tear them up the following morning if I want. I’ll have lost nothing—writing and tearing up five pages would leave me no further behind than if I took the day off.”
— Lawrence Block, WD

“When your story is ready for rewrite, cut it to the bone. Get rid of every ounce of excess fat. This is going to hurt; revising a story down to the bare essentials is always a little like murdering children, but it must be done.”
— Stephen King, WD

“I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent he would be wise to develop a thick hide.”
— Harper Lee, WD

Taylor’s Website www.taylorstevensbooks.com

 

The post TSS022: An Author Gets Real on Other Authors’ Quotes appeared first on CrimeFiction.FM.

TSS021: Sometimes Ignorance can be a Bonus

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In this episode, we discuss publishing truisms and how sometimes there’s an advantage in not knowing enough about a subject (publishing) to have misconceptions. Then we move on to the value of talking to the experts who have actually done the things you’re about to undertake and why you have a better chance of finding an agent than you might think.

We finish up by chatting about Bouchercon 2015 and Taylor’s Saturday panel titled, The Mechanics of Writing Violent Fiction. (Yikes!) Her session is at 1:00 Saturday at the Mariott Hotel in room State AB.

Taylor’s Website www.taylorstevensbooks.com

Bouchercon 2015 Website

Anthony Boucher Wikipedia Entry

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TSS020: The Power of Focus

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This episode is all about focus and goals. The show begins with Taylor sharing her thoughts on the different types of focus and what works for her. Then we move on to goals and how powerful they can be when it comes to maintaining your focus on what’s important.  We wrap up with Taylor sharing her annual New Years Eve practice of daring to dream big.

Taylor’s Website www.taylorstevensbooks.com

 

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TSS019: Juggles within the Juggles, or Managing Multiple Projects

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The topic of this episode is juggling, but not in the traditional sense of tossing balls, bowling pins, or rings. We’re talking about managing multiple projects while also managing a household and raising children. We get into dealing with publishers, social media, arranging speaking engagements, fixing breakfast and the six different writing projects Taylor is currently managing.

Taylor’s Website www.taylorstevensbooks.com

 

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