What book are you recommending right now?

There are a lot of great craft books out there and so many amazing resources online as well but the one rec I do have is to read these books not as a strict instruction manual but as a form of understanding the basics of story structure and character arc/motivations and then reading widely. Reading books in the genre you're writing and reading books in a different genre that have similar plot lines or similar characters. Reading non fiction books for research from different sources because history can look different depending on who is telling it. If I had to recommend one craft book though it would be my well loved book that is always on my desk and with me if I go out to write. The Emotion Thesaurus.

If your story beast had a form, what would it be?

A form of No-Face from Spirited Away. Drifting around. Dissociating. Masking. Collecting diagnoses. My past clinging greedily, burrowing under my skin in search of something warm. Consuming dread on a daily basis as I bloat and bloat and bloat with no release until I cannot recognize myself or remember who I was or who I want to be. But I keep going, my heart tender, my loved ones a steady flame, a constant welcome, home.

If you could meet one story character, who would it be and why?

I'd like to meet my own characters and apologize to them.

Let's talk favorites! Tell us your...favourite book:

What a rude question :D The dictionary. I CANT PICK IM SORRY. I have a lot of favorites for a lot of different reasons. Do not make me choose.

...favourite author:

Nope. How dare you ask this. Help I can't. Okay listen. I have a lot. And I'm wildly grateful to be friends with some of my favorite authors, authors who have their books out in the world, authors who are in the process of having their books out in the world, and authors who have amazingly trusted me with their work that need to have their books out in the world and it will happen I know it with my squishy heart so I cannot choose a favorite but what I can say is that there is one author who made me believe in myself and my dream just from seeing their name on a book I came across in a bookstore when I was younger :)

...favourite trope:

I love when characters have history together and feelings that have been building up, and all the yearning ALL OF IT THE TENSION THE SWEET JUICY TENSION YUMMMM. A character calling another character by their last name but then using their first name and the reason for it and the other character's reaction is just all so juicy. Same with nicknames BUT NOT ALL NICKNAMES OKAY! we can discuss more :D Cold character warm towards their person.

...favourite snack right now:

Anything I can get my hands on haha. Chocolate, radishes with lemon, carrots, candy.

Where can our listeners find you?

Crying in the bathroom but also on:

IG: @zeynebholdridge

Website: www.zeynebholdridge.com

Newsletter: zeynebholdridge.substack.com