The Story Craft Cafe Podcast

Lou Diamond Phillips - Crafting Stories in your Genre | SCC 190

Lou Diamond Phillips is currently starring in the FOX series “Prodigal Son,” having recently starred on the acclaimed Netflix series, “Longmire,” based on the Walt Longmire mystery novels by Craig Johnson. Other recent credits include Amazon’s “Goliath,” SyFy’s “Stargate Universe,” CBS’ “Blue Bloods,” and recurring roles on Fox’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and Netflix’s “The Ranch.” He received an Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Drama or Comedy” for his roles in both Amazon’s “Conversations in LA” and History Channel’s “Crossroads of History.” Recent film credits include Warner Brothers’ “The 33,” “Created Equal” directed by Bill Duke, and Sundance Festival favorite “Filly Brown,” for which he was named Best Actor at the Imagen Awards. 
As a director, Phillips recently helmed episodes of AMC’s hit series “Fear the Walking Dead,” “Longmire,” and ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. As a writer, Phillips has co-written the screenplays for ‘Trespasses,’ and HBO’s ‘Dangerous Touch.’ He wrote the Miramax feature ‘Ambition.’ He recently produced his play ‘Burning Desire,’ a romantic comedy in two acts, which received it’s world premiere at The Seven Angels Theatre in Waterbury, Connecticut. Phillips was also asked by his good friend, novelist Craig Johnson, to write the forward to his collection of short stories ‘Wait For Signs.’ 
Originally born in the Philippines, Phillips was raised in Texas and is a graduate of University of Texas at Arlington with a BFA in Drama. 
Drawing from a lifetime of work in the film industry, Lou used his screenwriting experience in order to write an original science fiction novel called The Tinderbox: Soldier of Indira. It is his first novel, inspired by a reading of the famed fable of the same title by Hans Christian Andersen.

60-Day Novel Challenge Week Five: The First Act | SCC 189

It’s Week Five of the 60-Day Novel Challenge and time to start writing! In this live stream, we’ll be tackling The First Act—setting the stage for your novel, introducing key characters, and establishing your story’s world. If you’ve been following along, you’ll have everything you need to get started once the writing portion of the Challenge starts tomorrow!
Each week we will be:- Discussing our own work for week's activities and exercises- Talking about the wins and struggles of the week - ours and yours!- Sharing personal insights from our own author journeys- Answering questions from viewers and participants
This week’s focus: Writing the first act, setting up your story, and introducing key elements.We’ll also cover the exercises from the template and talk about how to hook your readers right from the start!
Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any of these streams. We’re all in this together—let’s get writing!
🔗 Template Download: https://bit.ly/3XBxdVh🔗 Join the Challenge: https://www.storycraft.cafe/c/join-the-challenge/

From SFF To Regency Romance With Madeleine Roux | SCC 188

Madeleine Roux is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Asylum series, which has sold over a million copies worldwide. She is also the author of the House of Furies series and several titles for adults, including Salvaged and Reclaimed. She has made contributions to Star Wars, World of Warcraft, and Dungeons & Dragons. Madeleine lives in Seattle, Washington, with her partner and beloved pups.

60-Day Novel Challenge Week Four: Pulling Everything Together | SCC 187

Welcome to Week Four of the 60-Day Novel Challenge! Now that you’ve developed your plot, characters, and conflict, it’s time to start pulling everything together in this last week of our prep month. That means this week is all about refining your outline and preparing to start writing in November.
Each week we will be:- Discussing our own work for this week's activities and exercises- Talking about the wins and struggles of the week - ours and yours!- Sharing personal insights from our own author journeys- Answering questions from viewers and participants
This week’s focus: Reviewing and refining your outline, thinking about themes, and preparing your Plot Grid and character profiles in Dabble.
We’ll go over the template exercises, talk about setting goals for November, and give you tips on staying organized for the writing phase.
Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any of these streams. We’re all in this together—let’s get writing!
🔗 Template Download: https://bit.ly/3XBxdVh🔗 Join the Challenge: https://www.storycraft.cafe/c/join-the-challenge/

LitRPG Fantasy With Steve Beaulieu | SCC 186

Rhett C Bruno is the USA Today and Washington Post Bestselling & Nebula Award Nominated Author of 'The Circuit Saga', 'Children of Titan Series', 'Buried Goddess Saga', 'Vicarious', 'The Roach', and 'The Luna Missile Crisis' (Audible Originals); among other works.
He has been writing since before he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic stories when he was young to show to his friends and family. He is currently a full-time author and publisher living in Delaware with his wife, daughter, and dog Raven.
Find out more here: http://rhettbruno.com/
Steve Beaulieu (Also writing as Jaime Castle) was born in 1984 in East Hartford, CT. Having spent most of his life in Palm Beach County, Florida, he and his wife moved to Fort Worth, TX in 2012. He loves comic books, fantasy and science fiction novels.
He married the love of his life in 2005 and he fathered his first child in 2014, Oliver Paul Beaulieu. His namesake, two of Steve’s favorite fictional characters, OliverTwist and The Green Arrow, Oliver Queen. Baby #2, Juneau Grace Beaulieu was born in August of 2017.
Steve co-owns Aethon Books with his writing partner Rhett C. Bruno.

60-Day Novel Challenge Week Three: Conflict and Subplots | SCC 185

It’s Week Three of the 60-Day Novel Challenge! This week, we’re diving into one of the most important elements of your story: conflict. We’ll explore how to map out internal and external conflicts that challenge your protagonist and keep your readers engaged.
Each week we will be:- Discussing our own work for week's activities and exercises- Talking about the wins and struggles of the week - ours and yours!- Sharing personal insights from our own author journeys- Answering questions from viewers and participants
This week’s focus: Mapping out your novel’s internal and external conflicts, and ensuring they tie into your character’s journey.
We’ll explore the template exercises, including tips on creating subplots and building tension.
Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any of these streams. We’re all in this together—let’s get writing!
🔗 Template Download: https://bit.ly/3XBxdVh🔗 Join the Challenge: https://www.storycraft.cafe/c/join-the-challenge/

Combining Magic and Mystery With Susan Stokes-Chapman | SCC 184

Susan Stokes-Chapman is a writer based in North Wales. She grew up in the Georgian city of Lichfield, before spending four years in the town of Aberystwyth and graduating with a BA in Education and English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing. Her debut novel Pandora was an instant #1 bestseller in the UK, was shortlisted for the 2020 Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize, and longlisted for the Bath Novel Award.

60-Day Novel Challenge Week Two: Crafting Characters | SCC 183

Welcome to Week Two of the 60-Day Novel Challenge! This week is all about Characters—building compelling protagonists, antagonists, and supporting cast members that will drive your story forward.
Each week we will be:- Discussing our own work for week's activities and exercises- Talking about the wins and struggles of the week - ours and yours!- Sharing personal insights from our own author journeys- Answering questions from viewers and participants
This week’s focus: Building out your character profiles, including their goals, motivations, and arcs.
We’ll walk through the exercises in the template, talk about key relationships, and offer advice on developing character dynamics.
Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any of these streams. We’re all in this together—let’s get writing!
🔗 Template Download: https://bit.ly/3XBxdVh🔗 Join the Challenge: https://www.storycraft.cafe/c/join-the-challenge/

Romantasy And The Changing Fantasy Landscape With Penn Cole | SCC 182

HI! I’M PENN COLEI’M AN HYBRID FANTASY ROMANCE AUTHOR IN THE MIDST OF PUBLISHING MY DEBUT SERIES, THE KINDRED’S CURSE SAGA
While my life has taken me through a lot of ups and downs, my love for reading and writing has forever been my true north. I’ve been writing stories since my childhood, filling mountains of notebooks with wild worlds and angsty romances. I received my undergraduate degree in Creative Writing, hoping to write the Next Great American Novel, but... well… we plan, Fate laughs. After a detour as an attorney and small business owner, I am thrilled to finally be pursuing my lifelong dream of becoming an author.
I’m a regular participant in NaNoWriMo, and I love meeting and supporting other new authors, especially female authors and BIPOC/LGBTQ+ authors. When I’m not writing, I love reading fantasy, rom coms, and humorous non-fiction.
While I’m a Texas girl born and bred, I currently live in France with my husband, where I can usually be found drinking way too much wine and eating far too many pastries.

60-Day Novel Challenge Week One: The Big Picture

We're kicking off the 60-Day Novel Challenge by looking at the big picture of your novel! That means understanding your genre, nailing down the high-level plot points of your story, and getting started on worldbuilding (if you need to).
Each week we will be:Discussing our own work for week's activities and exercisesTalking about the wins and struggles of the week - ours and yours!Sharing personal insights from our own author journeysAnswering questions from viewers and participants
This week’s focus: Crafting a high-level outline of your story, identifying key plot beats, and getting clarity on your genre.
We’ll cover the exercises from the template, discuss common pitfalls, and share tips to help you start strong!
Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you don’t miss any of these streams. We’re all in this together—let’s get writing!
🔗 Template Download: https://bit.ly/3XBxdVh🔗 Join the Challenge: https://www.storycraft.cafe/c/join-th...