Marissa chats with Alyssa Colman about her Gilded Magic middle grade fantasy duology and her upcoming WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW in this jam-packed middle grade focused episode. Also discussed: the hallmarks of middle grade (themes, tone, voice), word counts, heavy and difficult themes in middle grade books, voice, humor, creating sympathetic characters, how middle grade characters defeat their villains, magic systems, standing out in a crowded market, and so much more!
Jennifer Laughran’s post about word counts: https://literaticat.blogspot.com/2011/05/wordcount-dracula.html
Lisa Cron’s Story Genius: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781607748892
Jessica Brody’s Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9780399579745
Dan Wells on Story Structure: https://youtu.be/KcmiqQ9NpPE?si=jVamtqLH3YPFYBub
The Happy Writer at Bookshop.org
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Order The Happy Writer: Get More Ideas, Write More Words, and Find More Joy from First Draft to Publication and Beyond https://bookshop.org/a/11756/9781250362377
Find out more and follow The Happy Writer on social media: https://www.marissameyer.com/podcast/
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