Stephen G. Eoannou And the Practice of Turning Headlines into Fiction
Episode notes
Plot Lab, Stephen G. Eoannou steps into the lab with Kristi and Beth for a brainstorming session. First, we play a warm-up game called The Book Imposter, challenging Steve to guess the real novel between two book descriptions.
Then, Steve picks a headline from three choices. What starts as one strange image, gradually becomes a story about a life somebody wasn’t ready to let go of, the people who are relieved he’s gone, and the one person who he’d rather stay with.
We discuss different elements of craft, like why Steve can’t write a word without a title, how he builds character before plot, how sensory detail can pull a reader into a room, and how a dark premise can still be very funny.
Meet Stephen G. Eoannou
Stephen G. Eoannou grew up in Buffalo, New York, reading Hardy Boys books and watching old Humphrey Bogart movies on The Late Show. His love of history and writing led him to SUNY Buffalo (BA), Miami University (MA), and Queens University of Charlotte (MFA). He is the author of the short story collection Muscle Cars and the historical novels After Pearl, Yesteryear, and Rook.
Eoannou lives in Buffalo, New York. When not writing, he can be found restoring his 1865 Second Empire Victorian home.
More information can be found at www.sgeoannou.com.
Books Mentioned
Stephen G. Eoannou, Rook
Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic
Stephen G. Eoannou, Yesteryear
Tess Gunty, The Rabbit Hutch
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Kathleen Rooney, Man Overboard!
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