Writers' Toolbox

S1.E12: Dramatic Irony for Humor

This is the sixth and final episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Dramatic irony is not just the perfect tool for making readers cry, but to make them laugh out loud, too! Especially suitable for children’s and young adult books, but also in lighter stories for adults, we’ll look at how to create the funniest scenes, using The Amulet of Samarkand as our main example.  We’ll refer a lot to the psychological model called the JohariI window in this episode, you can see a visual representation here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window].  Find us here: Tina: www.storyexcavator.com [http://www.storyexcavator.com] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator [https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator]  Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com [http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com]  Instagram: @inanesauthor YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach [http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach] Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot Licensed via bensound.com [http://bensound.com/]

S1.E11: Maintaining Story Momentum and Pacing

This is the sixth episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. She covers how to assess and improve your story momentum and structural pacing. To see a visual of the momentum measure table and read more on the topic, visit: https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/maintaining-story-momentum [https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/maintaining-story-momentum ] Find us here: Tina: www.storyexcavator.com [http://www.storyexcavator.com] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator [https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator]  Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com [http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com]  Instagram: @inanesauthor YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach [http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach] Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot Licensed via bensound.com [http://bensound.com/]

S1.E10: Dramatic Irony for Tragedy

This is the fifth episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Tragic stories can reach epic heights with a good dose of dramatic irony—this goes all the way back to Shakespeare and the ancient Greeks. Using Game of Thrones and Arcane: League of Legends as examples, we’ll look at the importance of backstory and worldview to charge a tragic scene that hits the reader hard. Find us here: Tina: www.storyexcavator.com [http://www.storyexcavator.com] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator [https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator]  Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com [http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com]  Instagram: @inanesauthor YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach [http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach] Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot Licensed via bensound.com [http://bensound.com/]

S1.E9: Self-Editing Your Prose to Hook Readers

This is the fifth episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. She breaks down the complex diagnostic tool of content versus function and explains how it can help improve your pacing, structure, and help you check that your scenes are accomplishing more than one thing. To read more about the twelve elements that comprise the functions of a piece of fiction, visit: https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/content-versus-function [https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/content-versus-function]  Find us here: Tina: www.storyexcavator.com [http://www.storyexcavator.com] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator [https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator]  Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com [http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com]  Instagram: @inanesauthor YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach [http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach] Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot Licensed via bensound.com [http://bensound.com/]

S1.E8: Dramatic Irony in Prologues

This is the fourth episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Prologues are beloved and hated, but instead of going too much into whether you should or shouldn’t use it, we’ll talk about what a prologue can do to both reveal and hold back information, looking at Mistborn: The Final Empire and Game of Thrones, and how this information changes the reader’s perception of the story—so you can make an informed choice. Find us here: Tina: www.storyexcavator.com [http://www.storyexcavator.com] YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator [https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator]  Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com [http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com]  Instagram: @inanesauthor YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach [http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach] Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot Licensed via bensound.com [http://bensound.com/]