Write On SC

Kasie Whitener
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By writers, for writers, a weekly discussion of writing craft lead by South Carolina Writers Association members and guests.

  1. Special Guest: S.L. Harby

    JAN 26

    Special Guest: S.L. Harby

    A child of the 80's, SL Harby grew up playing Dungeons & Dragons and classic video games. An only child, he was bitten early by the reading bug, cutting his teeth on the masters of modern fantasy. His days were spent inside the worlds created by Howard and Lieber, Moorcock and Tolkien. A perpetual Jersey boy, SL Harby lives in northwestern New Jersey with his wife and muse, Jessica and their bad ass rescue dog, Tellulah. Visit www.ReadSLHarby.com for fiction, reviews, creator interviews and more!

    45 min
  2. Special Guest: Nick Roberts

    JAN 26

    Special Guest: Nick Roberts

    Nick Roberts is the award-winning author of Anathema, The Exorcist's House series, Mean Spirited, and several others. His works have been translated into multiple languages, becoming international bestsellers and garnering the attention of Hollywood. He’s a member of the Horror Writers Association, a doctoral graduate from Marshall University, and currently resides in South Carolina with his wife and three children.  He talks with Rex about his career.

    45 min
  3. Catalysts and Decision Makers

    12/23/2025

    Catalysts and Decision Makers

    The last time we did this topic was way back in 2021 here’s the link to Episode 130. We think maybe we’ve learned something since then. Born out of the “be mean to your characters” necessity, “what could be meaner than making your characters make decisions, do something, take responsibility, and live with consequences of their actions?” According to this link by Meg LaTorre at Savvy Authors, “agency” means the character is more proactive than reactive in the story. The character does stuff instead of stuff just happening to him/her.To give characters agency, ensure they drive the plot through active choices and pursuit of clear, motivated goals, rather than passively reacting to events. This involves providing meaningful choices, showing consequences for their actions, creating internal and external conflicts that require decisive action, and allowing for character growth based on their decisions. (thanks, AI and this link)How do you do it? Check out this link (summary below): Active, Not Passive: Your protagonist should be the driver of the plot, making decisions that shape the story, not just having things happen to them.Clear Goals: Give characters specific, achievable goals rooted in their desires and motivations.Strong Motivations: Explain why a character takes action, linking their choices to their values, beliefs, and internal struggles.Meaningful Choices: Present dilemmas where characters must make difficult decisions that reflect their personality.Consequences: Show the tangible positive and negative outcomes of their decisions, reinforcing their impact on the story.Conflict as a Catalyst: Use obstacles and conflicts to force characters to act and make choices.Show, Don't Tell: Reveal agency through actions and dialogue, not just narration of thoughts or feelings.Character Arc: Allow characters to change and develop as a result of their experiences and choices.Avoid Deus Ex Machina: Don't resolve conflicts randomly or through external forces beyond the character's control.Read more on the blog

    45 min
  4. Getting Ready for an Event

    12/23/2025

    Getting Ready for an Event

    Finding the right event, getting the vendor license, and packing all your stuff to go over there and sell is all part of the prep. The South Carolina Artisan license can be found at the SC Department of Revenue (link). Some expected costs: Table ($50-200), vendor license (maybe), travel -- if you have an LLC, you can consider all of these business expenses. Some preparation consideration: Table aesthetics - what will get people's attention? How can you display your logos and branding? What props will you use to lure people? Rex has foam boards of the book covers, Kasie has QR code displays. Rex has a foam baby eating a rat, it was a Halloween store buy. What giveaways will you have? We've used candy and we've used stickers. Match the stickers to the event. Book display stands are available at Amazon and the foam board displays will have theirs in the purchase price. Some of the vendors we mentioned for giveaways: DiscountMugs.com, VistaPrint, 24HourWristBands.com Tote bags - people walk around with the bags and advertise for you. This is a good onsite investment. Book pricing can and should be related to the people at the event. Consider charging what you think the people will pay. All the authors charging the same thing may not sell anything. But when Rex charges what he thinks the people will pay, he undercuts the other authors. Volume is what matters here, he says, so the more books you can put out in the world the better. How to present yourself at the table: look professional, a jacket and a nice shirt, something relevant for the event, put out a select number of books so that people can peruse them individually. Engage with people, talk to them, don't be nervous. Know something about the subject. Read more on the blog

    45 min
  5. Welcome Back Heather Harris-Bergevin

    12/23/2025

    Welcome Back Heather Harris-Bergevin

    Heather has been with us before. She visited back on Episode 261: Edit Like a Pro. Here are some details about Heather: Heather Harris-Bergevin is an author whose business, Barrow Editing, is based in Columbia, South Carolina. She, her three children, two cats, and a happy pitbull spend most of their time fighting entropy. Her own poetry books are published with By Common Consent Press, and she has an upcoming children’s picture book with Lucky Rabbit Press, based in Columbia, SC.

    45 min
  6. Being a Good Literary Citizen: Part 2

    12/23/2025

    Being a Good Literary Citizen: Part 2

    We always talk about how to promote your book and this week I attended (as a speaker) the Business Boot Camp for the Women in Publishing Summit team where all we talked about was authorprenuership. But there’s more to this literary life than just self-promotion. There’s a give-back element that we call literary citizenship and if you can learn to enjoy it, you can really profit from it. Five years ago, we talked about this as taking the easy way out by doing anything but writing. In 2021, we touched on the topic as it related to Paying Your Writerly Dues. And last week in our quest for inspiration, we suggested some of these activities to channel your creative vibes.  This time we’re taking a list from the Executive Director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, Jonathan Haupt, who presented on the topic at last week’s Joy of Writing conference for the SCWA. We’re going to expound upon each of these topics on the air. No segments today, just working the list: Join a writers’ groupGo to a writers’ conferenceBe a loyal customer to your local indy bookstoreWrite reviews for your favorite indy bookstoresAttend author talks and book signingsSend than you letters, notes, and messages to authorsLike, comment, share, subscribe to authors’ digital contentPost reviews for books you enjoyGo to book festivalsBe the “in conversation with” hostBe a library patron, better yet, a Friend of the LiberarySupport literary journals and magazinesBe a literacy volunteer at your local schoolsDonate books to the Little Free LiberariesJoin the Authors GuildJoin a book clubJoin Authors Against Book BandsAdvocate for the rights to read and write freelyChronicle the times in which you liveSupport the arts and your fellow creativesBe a literary touristRead.Read more on the blog

    45 min
  7. Being a Good Literary Citizen: Part 1

    12/23/2025

    Being a Good Literary Citizen: Part 1

    We always talk about how to promote your book and this week I attended (as a speaker) the Business Boot Camp for the Women in Publishing Summit team where all we talked about was authorprenuership. But there’s more to this literary life than just self-promotion. There’s a give-back element that we call literary citizenship and if you can learn to enjoy it, you can really profit from it. Five years ago, we talked about this as taking the easy way out by doing anything but writing. In 2021, we touched on the topic as it related to Paying Your Writerly Dues. And last week in our quest for inspiration, we suggested some of these activities to channel your creative vibes.  This time we’re taking a list from the Executive Director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center, Jonathan Haupt, who presented on the topic at last week’s Joy of Writing conference for the SCWA. We’re going to expound upon each of these topics on the air. No segments today, just working the list: Join a writers’ groupGo to a writers’ conferenceBe a loyal customer to your local indy bookstoreWrite reviews for your favorite indy bookstoresAttend author talks and book signingsSend than you letters, notes, and messages to authorsLike, comment, share, subscribe to authors’ digital contentPost reviews for books you enjoyGo to book festivalsBe the “in conversation with” hostBe a library patron, better yet, a Friend of the LiberarySupport literary journals and magazinesBe a literacy volunteer at your local schoolsDonate books to the Little Free LiberariesJoin the Authors GuildJoin a book clubJoin Authors Against Book BandsAdvocate for the rights to read and write freelyChronicle the times in which you liveSupport the arts and your fellow creativesBe a literary touristRead.Read more on the blog

    45 min
  8. Searching for Inspiration

    08/23/2025

    Searching for Inspiration

    We’re in the dog days of summer which can lead to a slow, reluctance to turn to the screen or the page and get new stories generated. Why do we feel this? What can we do about it? This writer offered a few tips and tricks: Read, read and read again – other writers can gently or violently shake something free in usSurround yourself with other writers – group, conferences, readings, book stores, go where the writers areBe open to conversation – you might avoid too much socializing when you’re focused, but right now you need conversation, so seek it outSpend time elsewhere – travel or retreat, get into a new space to shake yourself out of mundaneityOur AI answers also suggest immersing yourself in the world. But being intentional about it is what matters. Don’t just move through the world, observe and record what you’re seeing and let those observations light the fuse to new stories. Segment 2 Let’s talk about creativity as an inspiration. Do you watch other stories? Veer into nonfiction books? See concerts or artwork?  Some image or phrase might inspire you to write the backstory or the what-happened-next. Sometimes movies can have a side character that makes you want to write what that character might be doing otherwise. Can you be spontaneously inspired? What are the results of such experiences? Novels? Short stories? Segment 3 Planned writing exercises? Yes, please. Some prompts might start a new story or inspire a character or longer work. I like a writing prompt exercise but sometimes others’ prompts are dumb. Where do you get writing prompts? Google AI. For real. Just ask it for writing prompts for adult writers. Otherwise you’ll get a bunch of elementary school prompts like “how was your summer vacation?” Read more on the blog

    45 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

By writers, for writers, a weekly discussion of writing craft lead by South Carolina Writers Association members and guests.

Information

  • Creator
    Kasie Whitener
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    222
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Show Website
    Write On SC