The Writers' Apprentice

Finding plot devices in surprising places. This week, we wonder how much research Atwood did around Stockholm Syndrome whilst writing Offred.

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We explore how Margaret Atwood created complicated motivations to show the cruelty of her dystopia - rather than using boring exposition.

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We edge into the world of non-fiction today, looking at the importance of getting your readers to trust your narrator - and the times when you want to tell them to not trust you.

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How should you go about making you characters relatable? Let’s take a look at how The Handmaid’s Tale does it.

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We consider if I’ve been setting my expectations in a direction in a way The Handmaid’s Tale never decided it would reach, and the impact that had on my reading.

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This time around we try to figure out why Offred doesn't seem to be a very ... active protagonist.

How to build a character? Turns out, it’s not personality, or even details, but something more plot defining. This time, we talk about desire.

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How much description is too much? How do you decide when it’s time to give your reader a helping hand to visualise the scene?

Why wit is important to your story, and how to make sure your reader understood your premise. (Or, if that’s even your job.) We also talk about the films of Bong Joon-Ho.

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How much should you cut from your story to make a snappy book that keeps your reader interested? If the story isn’t moving a mile a minute, are you boring the them? Lets take a look at some rather boring Handmaid’s Tale chapters.

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Flashbacks. When do they work, and when are they distracting? As well as  what we should consider when deciding which tense to write a story in.

A trip to town today, where we look into the usefulness of naming things whilst building a world, and some other lessons from Dungeons and Dragons.

We start off in earnest, settling in for the first Night. We figure out how leaning into your readers’ memory is an important part of setting the scene and realise that how you chapter your story might not be such a big deal.

In this week’s episode, we start by looking at the Introduction written by Margret Atwood in most modern copies of the book. We take a look at why spoilers might not be as bad as we think they are (though that doesn’t stop me being annoyed about it) and spend some time thinking about the usefulness of giving a reader the context they might need to better enjoy the story.

This is one of the first times I’ve done anything in an audio format and you’ll certainly be able to tell… Many lessons have been learnt whilst recording this, and I’m hoping they’ll be carried to the following episodes. I don’t think it’s enough to put anyone off though, so please do make yourself a cup of tea and take a break for fifteen minutes.

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