The Story Craft Cafe Podcast

Most unfinished manuscripts in the world died somewhere between chapter eight and chapter sixteen. The writer didn't lose interest. They lost the shape of it. The plot started to drift. The scenes started to feel disconnected. The book stalled.
This 65-minute workshop is about the shape. The bones of a novel that works — and the structural diagnostic that tells you, every time, which beat in your draft is the one that needs work next.
Novelist and writing coach Hank Garner walks through Freytag's Pyramid, why it's incomplete for novels, the modernized six-beat story arc that every working novel hits, the midpoint shift that fixes a sagging middle, and the five most common structural mistakes in first-novel manuscripts.
You'll learn:
Why "pantsers vs plotters" is the wrong fight — and what both sides get rightFreytag's Pyramid, the five-part shape underneath every working drama since the GreeksThe six-beat story arc — Hook, Inciting Incident, Rising Action, Midpoint Shift, Climax, ResolutionThe three-act translation, and why six beats is easier to write than threeThree ways to use the midpoint — false victory, point of no return, revelationHow to diagnose a sagging middle in 60 secondsTry/fail cycles, yes-but / no-and, and the chapter-end question that earns the page turnFive common structural mistakes — and how to fix each one
Try out Dabble free for 14 days and see why it’s the best writing tool on the planet—no credit card required! Visit our website at www.dabblewriter.com to get started.Subscribe to our channel for more live events like author interviews, Writing Sprint Wednesdays, Feedback Fridays, and Fireside Chats.
We're all about helping authors hone their craft with engaging, fun, and educational content.
On top of all that, Dabble Premium members get access to exclusive content like Craft Q&A Office Hours, Wordsmith Workshops, Deep Dive articles, bonus resources, and guest speaker workshops.
Happy writing!

Most new writers freeze on the first line because they think it has to be brilliant. It doesn’t. The opening line isn’t the point. The opening page is. And the opening page is doing a job.In this 60-minute workshop, novelist and writing coach Hank Garner walks through what an opening actually has to do, the three kinds of hooks that work, and a five-question diagnostic you can run on any opening you’ve ever written.You’ll learn:
The lie about first lines that kills more drafts than anythingThe five jobs every working opening must doThree kinds of hooks — situation, voice, image — and when to use eachWhat to cut and what to keep in your first 250 wordsThe prologue trap and the three legitimate usesA diagnostic you can run on any opening in ten minutes
Join us at DabbleU to continue the conversation about this workshop at https://www.dabbleu.com/c/cafe-chats/join-us-today-for-our-dabble-workshop-how-to-start-a-story
Try out Dabble free for 14 days and see why it’s the best writing tool on the planet—no credit card required! Visit our website at www.dabblewriter.com to get started.Subscribe to our channel for more live events like author interviews, Writing Sprint Wednesdays, Feedback Fridays, and Fireside Chats.
We're all about helping authors hone their craft with engaging, fun, and educational content.
On top of all that, Dabble Premium members get access to exclusive content like Craft Q&A Office Hours, Wordsmith Workshops, Deep Dive articles, bonus resources, and guest speaker workshops.
Happy writing!

Beginnings are everything. Not only for starting the journey that you hope the reader takes with you, but the first thing you have to do is HOOK your reader. Want them to go on a journey with you? give them a reason. Join Hank and Abby as they discuss this.

Welcome to First Novel Problems, a brand-new YouTube series from Dabble Writer for anyone who's ever wanted to write a novel and didn't know where to start (or got stuck partway through and gave up).
In this introduction episode, meet your hosts:
Abby Mathews: Community Manager at Dabble, published middle-grade author, and someone who tried (and failed) to write a novel three times before finally figuring it out
Brooke: brand-new to Dabble, brand-new to writing, and signing up to learn the whole process from scratch, on camera, so you don't have to do it alone
Here's the idea: every week, Abby teaches Brooke something real about writing a novel, and you get to learn right alongside her. We'll cover plotting, getting unstuck, picking a genre, the "rules" of writing (and when to break them), and all the roadblocks that stop first-time novelists from finishing.
It's genre-agnostic (although Brooke will have to pick one!). It's beginner-friendly. And it's built on the idea that if you want to write a book, you ARE a writer—you just need someone to walk you through it!
Got a writing roadblock you want us to tackle? Drop it in the comments. Brooke is officially on the hook to ask the embarrassing questions for you.
SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss Episode 1, where we get into the real stuff.
Try Dabble free: https://www.dabblewriter.com/Free writing resources at DabbleU: https://www.dabblewriter.com/dabble-u

Plot gets a lot of attention, but characters are what make people fall in love with your story. Want to write a memorable book? Create characters that your readers want to invite to Thanksgiving, or run from! Join Hank and Abby as they discuss the most important element in your writing, CHARACTERS.

You have a story in you, I know you do. But where do you start? Does the thought of writing a whole novel give you anxiety and keep you from starting at all?
Join published author Hank Garner from Dabble for a live brainstorming workshop on how to write a book when all you've got is a spark. We'll break down how to mine your creative well for character, setting, and plot ideas that will help you start your first novel (or your fifty-first).
Whether you're staring at a blank page or sitting on a pile of half-baked ideas, this workshop will help you figure out what you actually have — and how to turn it into a book.
WHAT WE'LL COVER-How to brainstorm character, setting, and plot from scratch-How to mine your own life, obsessions, and what-ifs for story fuel-How to tell if your idea is a novel, a short story, or something else-Hank's method for moving from spark to first chapter-Brainstorming for plotters, pantsers, and the "I don't know yet" crowd
Download the Brainstorming Dabble template here: https://app.dabblewriter.com/?importTemplate=uFwqT2KkgZrcma8t&_gl=1*j974m6*_gcl_au*MTU0MzUyMDM5MS4xNzc1NTc0NjY2LjE2ODM5NTU0MDMuMTc3NTU3NDY2OC4xNzc1NTc0NjY3*_ga*MTI4MTEwMzkzNy4xNzc1NTc0NjY2*_ga_09N6VRHLQG*czE3Nzc5MDk0NzYkbzYyJGcwJHQxNzc3OTA5NDc2JGo2MCRsMCRoMTAyMjk1MjU1
ABOUT HANKHank is a published author with one foot in traditional publishing and one in indie publishing. Between his name and his pen name, he's written over fifty books. (Mostly fiction, some non-fiction too.) He has also spent the last ten years hosting thousands of podcasts on writing, which means he's talked craft with more working authors than most people have read.
ABOUT DABBLE WRITERDabble is novel-writing software built by writers, for writers. Outline, draft, revise, and track your whole story in one place. Try Dabble free for 14 days. No credit card required. www.dabblewriter.com
SUBSCRIBE FOR MORESubscribe for more live events like author interviews, free writing workshops, and Fireside Chats. We're all about helping writers hone their craft with content that's actually useful.
JOIN THE COMMUNITYDid you know Dabble Writer also sponsors the DabbleU Campus, our free online writing community? It's our hub for 2x weekly writing sprints, coffee hours, craft talk, and more. https://www.dabbleu.com
Happy writing!

Get your copy of the workbook and slides here:https://www.dabbleu.com/c/upcoming-events-e63100/outlining-for-non-outliners
Are you the kind of writer that needs a little extra freedom in your process? Are you frustrated by people that tell you that you need to outline more, but that just makes you feel stifled? This workshop is for you. 
Try out Dabble free for 14 days and see why it’s the best writing tool on the planet—no credit card required! Visit our website at www.dabblewriter.com to get started.Subscribe to our channel for more live events like author interviews, Writing Sprint Wednesdays, Feedback Fridays, and Fireside Chats.
We're all about helping authors hone their craft with engaging, fun, and educational content.
On top of all that, Dabble Premium members get access to exclusive content like Craft Q&A Office Hours, Wordsmith Workshops, Deep Dive articles, bonus resources, and guest speaker workshops.
Happy writing!

So, you want to write a novel. The question is, where on earth do you start?
Come hang out for a live Dabble Writer Fireside Chat about what to think about BEFORE you start writing that book. We're taking your questions in real time. Plotter, pantser, or anywhere in the middle. Everyone's welcome!
Hi, I'm Abby. I'm a middle-grade author, and I run the writing community at Dabble, the novel-writing software built for real writers. And my partner in crime is Hank, who's done this whole book-writing thing more than 20 times, now. 
 We'll be talking through the stuff no one tells first-time novelists. The pre-writing questions that actually matter, and the traps we wish we'd avoided. 
Bring your questions. No question is too basic! That's the whole point.
WHAT WE'LL COVER-Premise vs. idea. Do you actually have a book yet?-Plotter or pantser (and why "a little of both" is a perfectly real answer)-What pre-writing actually means, and what you can skip-How to tell if your idea wants to be a novel (or something else)-The stuff that stops first-time writers before Chapter 1
ABOUT DABBLE WRITERDabble is novel-writing software built by writers, for writers. Outline, draft, revise, and track your whole story in one place. Try it free for 14 days: https://www.dabblewriter.com/pricing
JOIN THE COMMUNITYWeekly pep talks and writing sprints, craft breakdowns, and the occasional reminder to just write the ding dong book already! Join us here: https://www.dabbleu.com/feed
#howtowriteanovel #writingcommunity #amwriting #firstnovel #plotterorpantser #writingtips #novelwritingtips #writingabook #writingadvice #fictionwriting #dabblewriter #prewriting #writerslife

Does your dialogue feel flat? Do all your characters sound a little too much alike? Bring it to the Dialogue Doctor.
Join Jeff Elkins (author, editor, and host of the Dialogue Doctor Podcast) for a live craft session on dialogue. We're talking how to make every conversation pull its weight, how to build character voices readers can tell apart on the page, and how to turn a scene of people talking into a scene readers can't stop reading.
Bring the dialogue scene that's been giving you trouble. Bring the character whose voice won't stick. Bring your questions.
WHAT WE'LL LIKELY COVER-How to structure dialogue so it moves the scene forward-How to build character voices that don't blur together-How to show emotion through dialogue without going purple-How to hook readers from the first line of a conversation-Audience questions and story-specific checkups
ABOUT JEFFJeff is the founder of the Dialogue Doctor and host of the Dialogue Doctor Podcast. He's the author of 11 novels, 2 works of nonfiction, and more than 100 short stories. He's worked with hundreds of authors online and edited more than ten full manuscripts. When Jeff talks dialogue, working writers listen.
ABOUT DABBLE WRITERDabble is novel-writing software built by writers, for writers. Outline, draft, revise, and track your whole story in one place. Try Dabble free for 14 days. No credit card required. www.dabblewriter.com
SUBSCRIBE FOR MOREMore live events like author interviews, workshops, and Fireside Chats.
Happy writing!
#writingdialogue #howtowritedialogue #dialoguedoctor #jeffelkins #charactervoice #writingworkshop #writingcraft #writingcommunity #amwriting #novelwriting #fictionwriting #dabblewriter #dialogueinfiction

Jim Butcher, author of the Dresden Files, Codex Alera, and the Cinder Spires, joins us live on Story Craft Cafe to talk about the hardest moment in any series. The "All Is Lost" beat. The point where everything your protagonist has built comes apart, right before the climax.
We're asking Jim how he lands this beat across a long-running series (one that started over 20 years ago and is still going). How does "All Is Lost" work in book 4 vs. book 14? When do you hold back, and when do you scorch the earth? And how do you keep raising the stakes without breaking the story you've built?
Grab coffee. Bring your craft questions. This is a live recording of the Story Craft Cafe podcast.
WHAT WE'LL COVER-What the "All Is Lost" moment is, and why you can't skip it-How to build to it in a single novel vs. across a full series-Jim's approach to plotting the Dresden Files across 17+ books-How to raise series stakes without breaking the story you've built-Writing from deep inside a long-running world
GUEST BIOJim Butcher is the author of the Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. His resume includes a laundry list of skills which were useful a couple of centuries ago, and he plays guitar quite badly. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides mostly inside his own head, but his head can generally be found in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado. Jim goes by the moniker Longshot in a number of online locales. He came by this name in the early 1990's when he decided he would become a published author. Usually only 3 in 1000 who make such an attempt actually manage to become published; of those, only 1 in 10 make enough money to call it a living. The sale of a second series was the breakthrough that let him beat the long odds against attaining a career as a novelist. All the same, he refuses to change his nickname.
ABOUT STORY CRAFT CAFEStory Craft Cafe is Dabble's podcast for writers who take their craft seriously and their vibes casually. We bring in working authors, editors, and industry pros to get into the stuff that makes stories work. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
ABOUT DABBLE WRITERDabble is novel-writing software built by writers, for writers. Outline, draft, revise, and track your whole story in one place. Perfect for series writers juggling multiple books, timelines, and character arcs. Try it free for 14 days: https://www.dabblewriter.com/
FOLLOW ALONGSubscribe to this channel for more author interviews and live craft conversations.