The Every Day Novelist J. Daniel Sawyer

Jim asks:I may have asked something like this before, but how does one rekindle the enjoyment of writing? It used to be a thing I did to avoid doing things I didn’t want to do, like finding time in the middle of the work day to sneak in some words, or a thing I did to prove to myself I could do it. It seems like as soon as it became a thing to do as a potential career, suddenly it’s the thing I don’t want to do, and it became the video games rather than the writing, which is now the expected work. How do I fix it?







The Clarke Lantham MysteriesChinatown

Ed asks:What does it mean for an author to “break faith” with his readers?







The Wheel of Time by Robert JordanPoodle Springs by Raymond Chandler and Robert B ParkerVariable Star by Robert A Heinlein and Spider RobinsonThe SilmarillionThe Game of ThronesWriting Excuses podcastA Subversive Masterpiece

Jim said:In my last question I talked about re-discovering the sequel I was supposed to be writing after spending 95,000 words on the wrong idea.







As I approached the writing of the appropriate sequel, I bogged down early. I think I’ve figured out that the problem was not understanding the motivations of the various characters and whose perspectives told the story best. I have some ideas, but what are ways you establish those motivations to keep up the story momentum?















Suave Rob’s Rough & Ready Rugrat RaptureIdeas, Inc.Lost Days, Last NightsCrime and PunishmentWar and PeaceRopeMacbethThe Tell-Tale Heart

Jim asks:A little while back I dove into a sequel featuring my protagonist about fifteen years down the road. It was a big time jump, one I was ready for in the character, but so much more would have occurred, and so much left undone that it was the wrong book. I realized this when I was 95,000 words in. I wrote a whole novel to figure out it was the wrong one.







Has this ever happened to you? 😉 How does a writer rectify it?Archivos

Indiana Jim:A couple years ago you did an epic twitter thread on what the Lord of the Rings films got wrong. Could you do an episode on this topic so we can learn how to avoid these pitfalls in characterization?







Original twitter thread We Need To Talk About FrodoLord of the Rings, by J.R.R. TolkienLord of the Rings film series

A guide to surgery for writers and an update from the hosts.















Healthy Living Can Be Deadly







The Secrets of the Heinlein Juvenile