P.G. Holyfield is a walker of many worlds. Author and podcaster (http://www.pgholyfield.com), blogger and web architect (http://specficmedia.com/), his experience spans across most conventional media (and some unconventional ones), so we were delighted when he agreed to join us at the Roundtable for a chat. The topics of discussion for this showcase include worldbuilding, the relationship between plot and character, and the pitfalls of editing while you’re still writing. (and don’t miss P.G.’s Workshop Episode airing April 17th)
PROMO: Dead Robots’ Society (http://deadrobotssociety.com/)
Showcase Episode: 20 Minutes with P. G. Holyfield
Podcast: Download (Duration: 32:28 — 29.7MB)
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Episode Breakdown
01:05 – P.G.’s accomplishments
03:45 – How do you benefit from what’s good in another writer’s work?
04:30 – The Mentor archetype
06:10 – How do you create something that uses tropes but isn’t derivative
07:00 – Introducing the world to the readers
07:50 – Tales of the Children
09:00 – Worldbuilding: Gods first or world first?
09:40 – D&D Worlds
10:09 – Religious studies
10:31 – The idea of gods directly interacting with humanity
10:54 – Greek Mythology
12:00 – Neverwinter Nights by Bioware
13:00 – Spreadsheets of dialog
14:20 – Character relationships
15:20 – 20 years of worldbuilding
16:45 – PROMO: Dead Robots’ Society
18:30 – Did the ingrained worldbuilding stiffle your creativity?
20:15 – What do you wish someone had told you BEFORE you started writing
20:42 – Writing and not editing
21:25 – The NaNo Monkeys
22:05 – STILL want to go back
22:45 – But doesn’t that become a problem with a murder mystery?
23:15 – Tough to be a discovery writer
24:06 – Scrivner and Y-Writer
25:10 – Didn’t mean to write a mystery novel
25:40 – Joseph Campbell’s works
26:35 – Relationship between spirit and man
26:50 – The Writers Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
27:40 – Words of Wisdom
28:03 – Plot first, then characters
