Author Jennifer Colwell and Miranda pull apart Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone to show how the author broke the fourth wall in a murder mystery and the writing craft in the humor displayed by the very voicey first person narrator who kept readers along for this wild ride. SPOILER ALERT - This video contains major spoilers for Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. 00:00 start02:35 Q1 does this over-sharing narrator spoil or enhance the suspense09:06 Q2 breaking the fourth wall how does it work for this story and does it break immersion14:17 Q3 how does the novel avoid becoming overly self-aware and smug despite the narrative tone25:35 Q4 how does past tense and hindsight allow for emotional framing28:20 Q5 Is Ernest an unreliable narrator30:45 Menu recommendations for book clubs reading this book33:25 Q6 How does the author create a character with a unique voice who readers want to believe despite telling partial truths45:20 Q7 Who killed whom now? The breakdown of all the backstory.1:04:36 Q8 What do authors risk when they break the fourth wall and how does breaking the fourth wall impact pacing and suspense1:08:26 Q10 Advice for writing a comedic tone and what aspects of this story might be hard to pull off for newer authors1:11:53 endFollow me on all my social media pages:Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/Facebook: / miranda.darrow Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_DarrowThreads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrowBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/miranda-darr...

Dive into the writing secrets of Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. Learn how to build emotional stakes, balance humor with darkness, and develop unforgettable characters like Carl and Princess Donut, even in the most outlandish settings. Tips for writing Lit RPG and more with co-hosts Megan Manzano and Ayesha Ali and as always, Miranda Darrow, official Carl Superfan.SPOILER ALERT - This video contains major spoilers for the first book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman. Ayesha’s website: https://writingpowerup.com/Megan's website: https://meganmanzano12.wixsite.com/md...

00:00 start02:07 Q1 How does the author establish credibility with this wild premise06:55 Q2 Game mechanics without overload13:15 Q3 Character agency when they're in a game20:29 Q4 Pacing27:06 Q5 Humanizing Princess Donut32:48 Q6 Use of Humor, emotional balance37:48 Q7 Power of relationships41:21 Q8 Worldbuilding without info-dumping47:36 Q9 Limitations imposed by the world building51:27 Q10 Writing craft takeaways55:25 ENDFollow me on all my social media pages:Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/Facebook: / miranda.darrow Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_DarrowThreads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrowBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/miranda-darr...

Librarian and super-reader Ellie Dynek and Miranda go deep into Abby Jimenez's Just for the Summer where we explore her many uses of the central trope: they're both the last person to date others before they find their true love. These two date each other to break this curse, of course, and it impacts the character growth arcs, the plot, the pacing, pretty much everything. Romance writers, take note!

SPOILER alert for the novel. This is a craft-heavy, spoiler-friendly discussion designed to help writers see how the technique works on the page—and how they might apply it in their own fiction.

Miranda’s social media pages: Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/ Facebook Page: / bookmdediting Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_Darrow Threads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrow

Book Coach Gala Russ and Miranda dive into Jason Reynold's Twenty-Four Second from Now. Together we examine the impact of the story's reverse chronological story structure and its impact on the forward character growth arc of Neon, the main character and its impact on pacing and plotting.

SPOILER alert for the novel. This is a craft-heavy,spoiler-friendly discussion designed to help writers see how the technique works on the page—and how they might apply it in their own fiction.

Gala's website: https://galarussauthor.com/ Miranda’s social media pages: Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/ Facebook Page: / bookmdediting Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_Darrow Threads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrow

Author Barbara Gene Cardin and Miranda dive into Missing White Woman by Kellye Garrett. Together we examine the impact of modern social media and technology in today's thriller novels and how that impacts pacing, stakes, and how the case gets solved.

SPOILER alert for the novel. This is a craft-heavy,spoiler-friendly discussion designed to help writers see how the technique works on the page—and how they might apply it in their own fiction.

Barbara's website: https://www.barbaragenecardin.com/

Miranda’s social media pages: Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/ Facebook Page: / bookmdediting Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_Darrow Threads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrow

Book Coach Sue Brown Moore and Miranda dive into Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. Together we examine the differences between writing romance genre and romantasy, talk about the pacing and proportion differences, and have tips for authors wanting to break into this very hot romantasy genre.

SPOILER alert for the novel. This is a craft-heavy,spoiler-friendly discussion designed to help writers see how the technique works on the page—and how they might apply it in their own fiction.

Sue Brown Moore's website: https://www.suebrownmoore.com/

Miranda’s socialmedia pages: Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/ Facebook Page: / bookmdediting Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_Darrow Threads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrow

Editor MA Hinkle and Miranda dive into James Islington's The Will of the Many to explore how the author conveyed vast worldbuilding and an entire system of power distribution in this universe with huge blocks of infodumping or front-loading.

SPOILER alert for the novel. This is a craft-heavy, spoiler-friendly discussion designed to help writers see how the technique works on the page—and how they mightapply it in their own fiction.

MA Hinkle's website: https://www.cheshirecateditorial.com/

Miranda’s social media pages: Website: https://www.mirandadarrow.com/ Facebook Page: / bookmdediting Instagram: / miranda.darrow X/Twitter: https://x.com/Miranda_Darrow Threads: https://www.threads.net/@miranda.darrow