Master Fiction Writing

Stuart Wakefield
  • 0.0 (0)
  • BOOKS
  • EVERY TWO WEEKS

With 25+ years in theatre, media, and coaching, I’ve honed the art of storytelling. Now, I’m thrilled to share that expertise with you on “Master Fiction Writing.” Whether you’re crafting memorable characters or building gripping plots, each episode is backed by examples from literary pros. Recognised as a top book coach, my mission is to help your stories shine. Ready to master the craft? Subscribe today!

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Third Person Isn’t One Thing: How Narrative Distance Changes Everything

    In this episode of Master Fiction Writing, we untangle one of the most confusing pieces of fiction craft: third-person point of view. Because “write it in third person” sounds simple enough until you realise third person can mean several very different things. We’ll look at five major forms of third-person narration: Third-person objective, where the reader only sees what can be observed from the outside.Third-person limited, where we stay inside one character’s perspective at a time.Third-person deep or close limited, where the prose moves tightly into a character’s lived experience.Third-person multiple limited, where several characters carry the story in separate scenes or chapters.And third-person omniscient, where a larger narrative intelligence can move beyond any one character’s mind.Using the same scene, we’ll explore how each form changes the reader’s experience of intimacy, tension, voice, distance, and information. This is a practical, example-led episode for writers who want to understand not just what point of view is, but how to choose the right kind of third person for the story they’re trying to tell. And if you enjoy the podcast and would like to support future episodes, you can buy me a virtual coffee over on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/masterfictionwriting No pressure at all, but it does help keep the podcast going, and lets me pretend I’m a terrifyingly organised media empire rather than one man talking earnestly about point of view into a microphone.

    40 min

  2. 29 APR

    Writing Characters When You’re Afraid of Getting Them Wrong

    In this episode of Master Fiction Writing, we explore one of the most quietly intimidating parts of writing fiction: creating characters when you’re afraid of getting them wrong. Inspired by a listener question, this episode looks at the difference between research as preparation and research as protection. Research, plotting, and worldbuilding are essential tools, especially when your story is inspired by real histories, cultures, political conflicts, or human suffering. But sometimes those tools can become a very respectable hiding place from the messier, more intimate work of character. We’ll look at why character work can feel so exposing, how to begin before you feel perfectly ready, and how to invent responsibly without becoming paralysed by fear. You’ll also learn practical ways into character, including dictated monologues, private letters, character complaints, petty desires, contradictions, and the wonderfully freeing “ugly first character pass.” If you’ve ever delayed writing because you felt unqualified, uncertain, or afraid of causing harm, this episode offers a calmer, braver way forward. Not certainty. Not perfection. Just care, humility, specificity, and the courage to begin. If the podcast helps you with your writing and you’d like to support the time, thought, and mildly alarming number of notes that go into each episode, you can do that here: https://ko-fi.com/masterfictionwriting

    42 min

  3. 22 APR

    Filter Words in Fiction: What to Cut, What to Keep, and Why

    Should you cut words like saw, felt, heard, realised, and remembered from your fiction? Often, yes. Always? Not even slightly. In this episode of Master Fiction Writing, Stuart breaks down why so-called filter words and mental-processing verbs get flagged so often, how they can weaken immediacy and increase psychic distance, and why the advice to remove them can become unhelpfully rigid when treated as a rule rather than a craft decision. You’ll learn the difference between lazy filtering and purposeful usage, when these words genuinely flatten prose, when they’re necessary, and when they can actually strengthen voice, pacing, and emotional effect. With practical examples, revision guidance, and a more nuanced way to assess your own pages, this episode will help you stop editing by superstition and start editing with discernment.

    15 min

  4. 15 APR

    Cozy & Feel-Good Fiction: Crafting Low-Stakes Stories That Comfort Readers

    Need a gentler kind of story without sacrificing plot? In this episode, I’m diving into the craft of cozy and feel-good fiction and unpacking how to write low-stakes stories that still have tension, momentum, and emotional payoff. We’ll look at why readers are drawn to comfort fiction, especially when real life feels relentless, and why “low stakes” never means “nothing matters.” I cover the key ingredients that make this kind of story work, including character goals, emotional stakes, tone, pacing, setting, community, and the subtle engines of anticipation that keep readers turning pages. I also talk about what goes wrong when cozy fiction becomes shapeless, sentimental, or overly reliant on “vibes,” and how to create genuine emotional refuge without draining the story of movement or meaning. Whether you already love writing warm, hopeful fiction or you’ve been quietly suspicious of anything described as cozy, this episode will help you see the real craft underneath it. Because writing comfort well is not easy. It’s structure in a soft jumper.

    15 min

  5. 8 APR

    How to Write Wicked Women Who Feel Real

    What makes a female character feel dangerously compelling rather than flat, clichéd, or simply “unlikeable”? In this episode, Stuart explores how to write wicked women with complexity, power, and emotional truth. From villains and antiheroes to politically sharp schemers and socially inconvenient women, this is a deep dive into the craft of creating female characters who refuse to behave nicely on the page or stage. With literary examples including Medea and Lady Macbeth, plus practical tools you can apply to your own work, this episode will help you write women who are morally complicated, dramatically alive, and impossible to ignore.

    19 min

  6. 1 APR

    The Fiction Writing Myths That Need to Get in the Bin

    Writers are surrounded by bad advice masquerading as wisdom. In this episode, we take six of the most persistent fiction-writing myths and throw them politely but firmly in the bin. From talent and inspiration to first drafts, genre snobbery, publishing myths, and the idea that only bleak literary fiction counts as serious, this is a sharp, funny, practical reset for writers who are tired of feeling like they’re doing it wrong.

    14 min

  7. 25 MAR

    Tighten Your Narrative Without Losing Your Voice

    Why does tightening a draft so often feel slow, frustrating, and weirdly inconclusive? Usually because writers start at the sentence level instead of the structural one. In this episode, Stuart shares a faster, smarter way to revise by function rather than fussing. You’ll learn the three tightening passes he uses to diagnose saggy scenes (purpose, pressure, and payoff) along with a one-hour tightening sprint you can use on your own manuscript today. He also delivers a six-part kill list of common flab patterns, including throat-clearing openings, duplicated beats, over-explained emotion, and weak transitions. This is a practical, voice-friendly approach to revision that helps you cut what’s dragging without flattening what makes your work yours.

    12 min

  8. 18 MAR

    Build Cause-and-Effect Scenes

    If your scenes keep slipping into “and then… and then… and then…”, this episode is for you. In this episode, Stuart breaks down one of the simplest ways to create stronger cause-and-effect on the page: scene turns. You’ll learn what a turn actually is, why it matters, and four reliable types you can use to make any scene work harder. Stuart also walks you through a quick Scene Turn Audit you can use in revision, plus a mini quiz to help you test your understanding as you listen. In this episode: What a scene turn is Why flat scenes often lack meaningful change Four practical scene-turn types you can use straight away A simple two-question audit for revising weak scenes A quick assignment to help you apply the tool to your own draft If you want scenes that generate momentum instead of just filling space, this episode will help you build them! Follow the show for more practical story-development tools, and check out the earlier causality episode for a perfect companion listen.

    13 min
See All (90)

About

With 25+ years in theatre, media, and coaching, I’ve honed the art of storytelling. Now, I’m thrilled to share that expertise with you on “Master Fiction Writing.” Whether you’re crafting memorable characters or building gripping plots, each episode is backed by examples from literary pros. Recognised as a top book coach, my mission is to help your stories shine. Ready to master the craft? Subscribe today!

Information

  • Creator
    Stuart Wakefield
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    90
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Stuart Wakefield
  • Show Website
    Master Fiction Writing

You Might Also Like