Broken stories and likeable characters | author panel hosted by William R. Hincy

Are you stuck on your latest writing project? Between plot holes, character inconsistency, stalled plots and plots that have unraveled into a thousand strands, stories can "break" for a multitude of reasons. We'll discuss how they can break and methods you can use to fix them. We also debate whether a story requires a "likeable" protagonist, and discuss writing inspiration.

Today’s drinking game: drink whenever we say “character”

Bios:
“Some people run from their demons; others sit down and have cocktails with theirs.” William R. Hincy is a man who does and writes about the latter. Having become a writer after deciding it was the only sensible thing for a problem drinker to do, Hincy has won three American Fiction Awards, an International Book Award, and his anthology of short Fiction, Without Expiration, was named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews. He now lives outside Los Angeles with his wife and kids, having found solace in the notion that the only things sacred are self and whiskey-winged interludes.
WDW Intro video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lev5KHRpc5s
Website: https://williamrhincy.com/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/William-R.-Hincy/author/B07ZYB5FHZ

Mathieu Cailler is the author of six books. His short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in numerous national and international publications, most notably in The Saturday Evening Post and the Los Angeles Times. He is the recipient of a Shakespeare Award, a Short Story America Prize, and a New England Book Festival Award. Heaven and Other Zip Codes, his debut novel and most recently published book, has been hailed “a postmodern masterpiece” by Midwest Book Review and was named the winner of the 2021 Los Angeles Book Festival.
Cailler’s episode of WDW: https://youtu.be/IurSNQmO0bg
Website: https://mathieucailler.com/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mathieu-Cailler/author/B00RETCT3Q

John Gilstrap is the New York Times bestselling author of award-winning action novels including the Jonathan Grave Thrillers and the Victoria Emerson Thrillers. A master of action-driven suspense, he's touted as one of the most accomplished writers on the planet and his books have been translated into more than 20 languages. He is the recipient of an International Thriller Writers' Award for Against All Enemies and a two-time ITW Award finalist. He also won the ALA Alex Award for Nathan's Run, which was optioned for film by Warner Bros. A nationally recognized weaponry and explosives safety expert, John Gilstrap frequently speaks at conferences, events, clubs, youth programs, and military bases. He is a former firefighter and EMT with a master's degree in safety from the University of Southern California and a bachelor's degree in history from the College of William and Mary in Virginia. John lives in Fairfax, Virginia and can be found online at JohnGilstrap.com.
Gilstrap’s website: https://youtu.be/LJ2sU3nBXt0
Website: https://www.johngilstrap.com/
Books: https://bookshop.org/p/books/harm-s-way-john-gilstrap/19279470?ean=9780786050086

About Writers Drinking Whiskey: Open Bar
And for our algo-overlords (please introduce us to your friends!)… Welcome to your boozy author panel, Writers Drinking Whiskey: Open Bar, the show where we dive deep into the writing questions of today, from writing craft, to author life, to pop culture. Hosted by multi award-winning author William R. Hincy, the show takes booktube, authortube and booktok to another level with engaging, in-depth, and merrily irreverent conversations with today’s most interesting writers. We never dictate a process or a goal, just provide a wide-range of opinions and tactics proven to have WORKED. And there are plenty of creative writing tips, fiction writing tricks, and real-world examples to reflect on your process and figure out what works best for you. Cheers! ~ Each of these Open Bar episodes have been a wild ride: fun, insightful, full of fresh perspectives, and they never go exactly to plan (and that's a good thing)!

Interested in being a guest? Have a great cocktail recipe and story to share? Fantastic! Contact WRH at contact@williamrhincy.com. We’re currently booking for special episodes and season 2.

Chapters:
00:00:00 Start
00:00:55 Introductions
00:09:53 How to fix broken stories
00:23:52 On Character - is it necessary to write "likeable" characters
00:50:00 Writing inspiration and overcoming low motivation
01:28:01 Extra Shot: Audience Question

Brought to you by Whiskey-Winged Lit
Fiction for the modern reader. Life is the accumulation of scars—tell the stories!

Here we go!

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