19.44: A Close Reading on Structure: Tradition and Innovation
Writing Excuses3 Nov 2024

19.44: A Close Reading on Structure: Tradition and Innovation

Today we’re zooming out to see where N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season fits into the canon of fantasy literature. How does Jemisin interact with magic, words, and the expectations of the genre? And what expectations do the readers bring themselves?


How does Jemisin repurpose parts of the hero’s journey while creating something fundamentally different? Does this work start a new lineage for epic fantasy? We think so! We talk about what other works this book is in conversation with, and what it even means to be in conversation with something.


Thing of the Week: Family Reservations by Liza Palmer


Homework: Make a list of the books that you consider the antecedents to the book that you’re working on now. What other works are your book in conversation with? Are you following in and building upon their foundation, or are you disrupting and disputing their legacy?


Do you want a signed special edition copy of The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin? Preorder The Orbit Gold Edition set before November 19th to get 20% off! Visit orbitgoldeditions.com to order.


Sign up for our newsletter:

https://writingexcuses.com

Credits: Your hosts for this episode were Mary Robinette Kowal, DongWon Song, Erin Roberts, and Howard Tayler. It was produced by Emma Reynolds, recorded by Marshall Carr, Jr., and mastered by Alex Jackson.

Join Our Writing Community!

Patreon

Instagram

YouTube

Facebook

Twitter




Our Sponsors:
* Check out MasterClass and use my code masterclass.com/EXCUSES for a great deal: https://MasterClass.com
* Check out Talkiatry and use my code talkiatry.com/WX for a great deal: https://www.talkiatry.com


Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/writing-excuses2130/donations

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(1008)

21.39: Write What You Feel

21.39: Write What You Feel

Your life is probably weirder—and more useful to your writing—than you think. This week, our hosts explore how to turn lived experience into fiction, from borrowing sensory details and emotional react...

27 Sep 26min

21.38: Rules, Tools, and History’s Fools

21.38: Rules, Tools, and History’s Fools

“Tools, not rules” gets flipped on its head this week. Our hosts revisit the Turkey City Lexicon, a snarky collection of writing “rules” that circulated widely among speculative fiction writers in 198...

20 Sep 23min

21.37: Barrier Breaking: The World Is on Fire

21.37: Barrier Breaking: The World Is on Fire

How do you keep writing when the world is on fire? This week, our hosts talk about protecting our narrative energy when the news, social media, or our own lives feel overwhelming. We explore boundarie...

13 Sep 28min

21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable

21.36: Twists: How to Make the Unexpected Feel Inevitable

A great twist shouldn’t just surprise us—it should make us rethink everything that came before. This week, our hosts explore reader expectations, misdirection, and hiding clues in plain sight. We look...

6 Sep 23min

21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu

21.35: The Four Acts of Kishōtenketsu

This week, our hosts explore kishōtenketsu, an Asian story structure that appears under different names in China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Unlike the Western three-act structure, it isn’t built arou...

30 Aug 21min

21.34: Knowing the Distance

21.34: Knowing the Distance

How close is your reader to the story? Should they be closer? Today, our hosts get nerdy about narrative distance: the space between reader, narrator, character, and world. We talk POV, sensory detail...

23 Aug 23min

21.33: When To Shift Gears

21.33: When To Shift Gears

A story doesn’t always need the same tools from beginning to end. In this episode, we talk about recognizing when it’s time to shift gears—and how to make those changes feel intentional rather than ab...

16 Aug 22min

21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints

21.32: Barrier Breaking- Time Constraints

There never seems to be enough time to write—but is time really the problem? Our hosts explore the reality of working within limited hours, changing life circumstances, and competing priorities. We sh...

9 Aug 27min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
dine-penger-pengeradet
e24-podden
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
rss-pa-konto
rss-skravla-gar
pengepodden-2
lederpodden
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
finansredaksjonen
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
stormkast-med-valebrokk-stordalen
pengesnakk
rss-orjasater
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
liberal-halvtime
utbytte
okonomiamatorene
rss-markedspuls-2