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Today’s episode features an interview with scientist and debut novelist Carole Stivers, whose new book The Mother Code launches this week. The discussion ranges over climate science fiction, genetic engineering, military biological warfare, parenting, and lots of writing tips. We discuss the challenges of launching a dystopian near-future novel into a world utterly changed by pandemic (which initially delayed the book’s pub date) and how Carole retroactively connected to her characters in their somewhat parallel plight. The episode answers the question, does imagination prepare us for dramatic change? And touches on loving characters…and making them suffer… and avoiding evil bad guys. We delve into drafting and editing, from beat/ scene lists and planning to beta readers through the manuscript’s expanding and contracting, the uses of theme, the necessity of cutting characters and events, and integrating research. Carole’s advice? If you have a story to tell or a desire to write—get started!
Story Makers is a podcast that features in-depth conversations with accomplished writers, filmmakers and industry experts about story craft, technique, habit and survival–everything you need to know to stay inspired, connect to your creativity, find others’ wonderful stories and your own success.
The hosts:
Elizabeth Stark is a published, agented novelist and distributed filmmaker who teaches and mentors writers at BookWritingWorld.com.
Angie Powers is a distributed filmmaker and published short story writer with an MFA in creative writing and a certificate in screenwriting from UCLA who teaches story structure at BookWritingWorld.com.