The last episode of the current season! Pilar talks about what she's gained from taking part in previous NaNoWriMo s and encourages anyone who's been thinking of writing a novel to try it too. What is NaNoWriMo https://nanowrimo.org/ Community aspect You commit for a month, that might be easier You discover the story I learned to sit and write - at least to sit and start Learn what works, what doesn't Helps you to talk about writing without saying you're a writer Why Pilar is pausing her novel w...
Oct 27, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 36
In today's episode, Pilar talks about: Why she's stuck. How the story's changed once she got writing, and how the idea can develop. What's she learned from Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman What's she's incorporated from Scott King's Story Pitch Here's the link to exporting synopses from Scrivener https://www.scrivenervirgin.com/2018/05/file-compile-export-synopsis/ She also mentions Austin Kleon's clarification of what he means by Show Your Work, in his interview in the What ...
Aug 18, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Pilar has realised that all her character was doing was living in the past, but she has a couple of things she's going to try to make the character more active. Following feedback from her writing coach, she now needs to almost go back to the drawing board, but this presents plenty of opportunities to make the piece richer. Plus: Thinking Remote: Inspiration for leaders of distributed teams is now out in audiobook format.
Jun 30, 2019•21 min•Season 2Ep. 34
You'd think it's obvious, but it's taken Pilar quite a while to realise the main difference between writing a non-fiction book and writing a novel. Pilar recommends Anne Janzer’s excellent book on writing non-fiction, "Writing to Be Understood: What Works and Why". A little bit of progress on Pilar's own editing the novel. Check out the Trello board for book recommendations https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast and Pilar's website for more info www.pilarwrit...
Jun 02, 2019•12 min•Season 2Ep. 33
Why do we write? I struggled so much during the re-write that I almost threw it all away and gave up this "I want to write fiction" thing. Why I didn't: I hate dropping stuff before giving it a proper go - that's why I went to drama school I'm learning a lot I know that what I'm doing is hard, so if I get through it, or almost there, it will be amazing I'm paying for the process! I still don't know why we write / create art 2. Really glad I put the work in, because apparently, the writing has im...
May 19, 2019•14 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Pilar updates listeners on her writing retreat and how it's difficult to explain to people who don't write that writing is not driven by inspiration. She shares her struggle with technique and the bad writing habits she's discovered. This episode's wisdom is on using dialogue as exposition, borrowed from Into the Woods by John Yorke. For book recommendations: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast And to find out more about me and get in touch: www.pilarwrite...
May 05, 2019•15 min•Season 2Ep. 31
I've finally received some feedback, at a micro and macro level. Lots to think about regarding character, supporting characters and the level of trauma the character is carrying with her at the beginning of the story, and what's triggered by the inciting incident. I recommend episode 456 of the Helping Writers become Authors podcast. https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/podcasts/ For book recommendations: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast And to f...
Mar 24, 2019•17 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Today I share how I'm struggled to write a scene which was hard for the character to go through. The writing journal has been very useful in identifying where I need to pay attention to next in the story. How shall I incorporate all the subplots into the ending? Check out all the books I talk about in my Trello board https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast And get in touch through www.pilarwrites.com...
Mar 17, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Having never "journaled" before, Pilar has started a writing journal to help her identify the bits that need fixing. She came across this idea when listening to the podcast How do you write? with Rachel Herron Connect with Pilar over at www.pilarwrites.com For more book recommendations, check out Pilar's Trello board for this show: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast...
Mar 10, 2019•18 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Pilar has started working with a coach, and so now the hard work begins! She talks about how she's made some changes after considering the character's point of view. Recommended book: On Editing. How to edit your novel the professional way by Helen Corner-Bryant and Kathryn Price (again!) For more book recommendations, check out https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast And connect with Pilar over at www.pilarwrites.com or @PilarWrites on twitter...
Mar 04, 2019•10 min•Season 3Ep. 27
In this episode, Pilar talks about how she's working on the structure of her novel and the holes she's identified. She recommends the book On Editing. How to edit your novel the professional way by Helen Corner-Bryant and Kathryn Price For more books, check out the Trello board https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze-podcast And to check out Pilar's books and other podcasts, head over to www.pilarwrites.com...
Feb 24, 2019•15 min
I'm back with Season 3 - after a month of struggling to build the story for the current novel, I've dug out a piece from a year ago and decided to work on that instead, hopefully with an editor... In this episode, Pilar talks about her fiction plans, recommends Being a Writer by Dorothea Brander (again!) and she refers to Neil Gaiman's class in Masterclass.com You can check out other book recommendations over at her Trello board https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-board-on-writing-for-word-maze...
Feb 17, 2019•14 min
In this episode, Pilar reflects on something she read in Becoming a Writer about paying attention to the kind of style you like writing in. She comes back to the lack of need of describing a character's physical appearance, after listening to episode 154 of the Bestselling Experiment podcast, with guest Mark Billingham. Finally, she shares what she's learned from working with a copy editor for the first time, on her non-fiction co-authored book Thinking Remote. And she's finally updating the Wor...
Jan 20, 2019•16 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In today's episode: Pilar shares how to get into the habit of writing, and how to be aware of the context that helps you to do your best writing. Advice from Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brand She's heard some wonderful advice over at the Story Grid podcast on how to pick up a book you're writing after being away from it for a while. Finally, Pilar shares what she liked stylistically from Nick Hornby's 'Juliet, Naked'. (By the way, she thought she'd written a blog post on it, but she hasn't!) A...
Jan 13, 2019•16 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Another short episode: Pilar mentions a device she quite liked from Duel en Ville How she's started working with an editor through reedsy.com She recommends Nick Hornby's novel 'Juliet Naked'. Link to books on writing: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-nanowrimo2018-learning-and-podcasting-board Pilar's site: https://pilarwrites.com/ The book Pilar and Maya are working on: Thinking Remote, inspiration for leaders of distributed teams...
Jan 06, 2019•15 min•Season 2Ep. 22
When writer's block comes from not wanting to dive into the emotional world I'm trying to create... There is of course the voice that whispers, will they believe the superhero story you're trying to create? Actually, it doesn't matter that much, as I've seen watching Contact, a French TV series. I've changed the plot because my character was way too passive - much more interesting if she's driving the story; I've been able to do this by realising what does she really want, how SHE wants the worl...
Dec 09, 2018•15 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Well, I really wish my characters had a life of their own and were destroying my plot, but, it's not really happening - though, as I was recording for this episode, I realised that yes, one of them has thrown in something unexpected. Today's quoted books: Plotting and Writing Suspense Fiction by Patricia Highsmith Fiction Attack! Insider Secrets for Writing and Selling Your Novels & Stories by James Scott Bell And if you're thinking of podcasting, check out Alitu.com https://trello.com/b/3LU...
Dec 02, 2018•9 min•Season 2Ep. 20
I've discovered some of the reasons why it's been so hard to get writing today - I hope it's of some use to you too! But it's not all about how difficult I'm finding it, I also have some advice about when to use dialogue - or what to look out for when you're editing. I mention the book Write a Novel and Get it Published by Nigel Watts and Stephen May To see the other books, check out my Trello board: https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-nanowrimo2018-learning-and-podcasting-board Twitter: @pilar...
Nov 25, 2018•11 min•Season 2Ep. 19
I've decided to abandon NaNoWriMo and I briefly explain why. However, I'm not abandoning my story, or this podcast, as it's all great fun. I also explain why. If you want to have a look at what I'm learning, check out my Trello board https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-nanowrimo2018-learning-and-podcasting-board In this episode I refer to Lisa Jewell's The House We Grew Up In, which I'm really enjoying reading and learning a lot from her prose. I also recommend episode 139 of the podcast Writin...
Nov 18, 2018•14 min•Season 2Ep. 18
I've discovered a new feature in the Remarkable tablet, thanks to the NaNoWriMo forum! I talk about that and also about finding the truth in your story, your characters and painfully, in your villain. How much are you willing to go through for your story?
Nov 11, 2018•11 min•Season 2Ep. 17
The blocks I'm coming across - to do with plot and characters, (what else!) and what I'm enjoying most. Plus, my NaNoWriMo word count - I'm falling behind... but there's still time to catch up!
Nov 09, 2018•6 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Days 5 and 6 of NaNoWriMo: How I realised my character was being totally reactive and what I did about her. Plus, reflections on the how the mind of superheroines work.
Nov 06, 2018•8 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Realising that I had paid not attention to the setting, I did so, and went off in a completely different direction! Plus, there's no need to say "she thought" when you're in someone's point of view.
Nov 04, 2018•9 min•Season 2Ep. 14
I've caught up with the word count! Today I share what I've learned about villains and antagonists, a little device I used to help time pass, and the meaty theme behind the superhero story. Check out the Trello Board https://trello.com/b/3LUWiqsc/pilars-nanowrimo2018-learning-and-podcasting-board And this episode of Writing Excuses https://writingexcuses.com/2018/02/04/13-5-villain-antagonist-obstacle/...
Nov 03, 2018•15 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Day 2 of NaNoWriMo. I've come up with the mentor's story, but I'm a bit stuck with the villain. And I tell you about a device I've learned from Big Little Lies.
Nov 02, 2018•9 min•Season 2Ep. 12
And we're off! Pilar explains why she's chosen to write in the superhero(ine) genre, (all about the inner journey) and what the first 950 words of her story cover.
Nov 01, 2018•11 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Welcome to a new season of Word Maze, where Pilar Orti, your host, shares her progress through NaNoWriMo and everything she's learning about writing fiction.
Oct 31, 2018•9 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Words featured in today's episode: Tryst Burlap Anachronism Mnemonic Obeisance Deigned Descry Mot juste Admonished Schadenfreude Pithy Burnish Pilar's book: Hi, I'm Here for a Recording. The ordinary life of a voiceover artist. At 14:10mins you can find some writing advice from Pilar today, something she's learned while listening to the Smarter Artist podcast . Featured Books in Today's Episode: The Circle by David Eggers Sweet Caress: The Many Lives of Amory Clay by William Boyd The Antidote: H...
Jan 07, 2018•21 min•Ep. 21
Words featured in today's episode: stipend miscreant asinine maudlin tendrils assuage desuetude inchoate oneiromancy Pilar's book: Hi, I'm Here for a Recording. The ordinary life of a voiceover artist. At 15:25mins you can find some writing advice from Pilar today, something she's learned while reading "So Many Ways to Begin" like a writer. Featured Books in Today's Episode: Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat The Accident by Chris Pavone More Fool Me by Stephen Fry So Many Ways to Begin by Jon ...
Dec 17, 2017•21 min•Ep. 20
In today's episode, we cover the words: emetic deliberative cantilevered frangipani conniptions conflagration schadenfreude scuzzy rebuke Books covered Nutshell by Ian McEwan Meatspace by Nikesh Shukla Back Story by David Mitchell and Pilar's own Hi, I'm Here for a Recording. The ordinary life of a voiceover artist. At 17:20 mins you can find some writing advice from Episode 329 from The Creative Penn with guest Rachel Aaron Remember you can check out all the words covered in Word Maze in the Wo...
Dec 03, 2017•26 min•Ep. 19
