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What makes a character so compelling that readers will forgive almost anything about the plot? How do you move beyond vague flaws and generic descriptions to create people who feel pulled from real life? In this solo episode, I share 15 actionable tips for writing deep characters, curated from past interviews on the podcast. In the intro, thoughts from London Book Fair [Instagram reel @jfpennauthor; Publishing Perspectives; Audible; Spotify]; Insights from a 7-figure author business [BookBub]. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community and get articles, discounts, and extra audio and video tutorials on writing craft, author business, and AI tools, at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn This episode has been created from previous episodes of The Creative Penn Podcast, curated by Joanna Penn, as well as chapters from How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book. Links to the individual episodes are included in the transcript below. In this episode: Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' trifecta, how to hook readers on the very first page Define the Dramatic Question: Who is your character when the chips are down? Absolute specificity. Why “she's controlling” isn't good enough Understand the Heroine's Journey, strength through connection, not solo action Use ‘Metaphor Families' to anchor dialogue and give every character a distinctive voice Find the Diagnostic Detail, the moments that prove a character is real Writing pain onto the page without writing memoir Write diverse characters as real people, not stereotypes or plot devices Give your protagonist a morally neutral ‘hero' status. Compelling beats likeable. Build vibrant side characters for series longevity and spin-off potential Use voice as a rhythmic tool Link character and plot until they're inseparable Why discovery writers can write out of order and still build deep character Find the sensory details that make characters live and breathe More help with how to write fiction here, or in my book, How to Write a Novel. Writing Characters: 15 Tips for Writing Deep Character in Your Fiction In today's episode, I'm sharing fifteen tips for writing deep characters, synthesised from some of the most insightful interviews on The Creative Penn Podcast over the past few years, combined with what I've learned across more than forty books of my own. I'll be referencing episodes with Matt Bird, Will Storr, Gail Carriger, Barbara Nickless, and Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer. I'll also draw on my own book, How to Write a Novel, which covers these fundamentals in detail. Whether you're writing your first novel or your fiftieth, whether you're a plotter or a discovery writer like me, these tips will help you create characters that readers believe in, care about, and invest in—and keep coming back for more. Let's get into it. 1. Master the ‘Believe, Care, Invest' Trifecta When I spoke with Matt Bird on episode 624, he laid out the three things you need to achieve on the very first page of your book or in the first ten minutes of a film. He calls it “Believe, Care, and Invest.” First, the reader must believe the character is a real person, somehow proving they are not a cardboard imitation of a human being, not just a generic type walking through a generic plot. Second, the reader must care about the character's circumstances. And third, the reader must invest in the character's ability to solve the story's central problem. Matt used The Hunger Games as his primary example, and it's brilliant. On the very first page, we believe Katniss's voice. Suzanne Collins writes in first person with a staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short declarative sentences—that immediately grounds us in a survivalist mentality. We care because Katniss is starving. She's protecting her little sister. And we invest because she is out there bow hunting, which Matt pointed out is one of the most badass things a character can do. She even kills a lynx two pages in and sells the pelt. We invest in her resourcefulness and grit before the plot has even begun. Matt was very clear that this has nothing to do with the character being “likable.” He said his subtitle, Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love, doesn't mean the character has to be a good person. He described “hero” as both gender-neutral and morally neutral. A hero can be totally evil or totally good. What matters is that we believe, care, and invest. He demonstrated this beautifully by breaking down the first ten minutes of WeCrashed, where the characters of Adam and Rebekah Neumann are absolutely not likable, but we are completely hooked. Adam steals his neighbour's Chinese food through a carefully orchestrated con involving an imaginary beer. It's not admirable behaviour, but the tradecraft involved, as Matt put it—using a term from spy movies—makes us invest in him. We see a character trying to solve the big problem of his life, which is that he's poor and wants to be rich, and we want to see if he can pull it off. Actionable step: Go to the first page of your current work in progress. Does it achieve all three? Does the reader believe this is a real person with a distinctive voice? Do they care about the character's circumstances? And do they invest in the character's ability to handle what's coming? If even one of those three is missing, that's your revision priority. 2. Define the Dramatic Question: Who Are They Really? Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling, came on episode 490 and gave one of the most powerful frameworks I've ever heard for character-driven fiction. He explained that the human brain evolved language primarily to swap social information—in other words, to gossip. We are wired to monitor other people, to ask the question: who is this person when the chips are down? That's what Will calls the Dramatic Question, and it's what he believes lies at the heart of all compelling storytelling. It's not a question about plot. It's a question about the character's soul. And every scene in your novel should force the character to answer it. His example of Lawrence of Arabia is unforgettable. The Dramatic Question for the entire film is: who are you, Lawrence? Are you ordinary or are you extraordinary? At the beginning, Lawrence is a cocky, rebellious young soldier who believes his rebelliousness makes him superior. Every iconic scene in that three-hour film tests that belief. Sometimes Lawrence acts as though he truly is extraordinary—leading the Arabs into battle, being hailed as a god—and sometimes the world strips him bare and he sees himself as ordinary. Because it's a tragedy, he never overcomes his flaw. He doubles down on his belief that he's extraordinary until he becomes monstrous, culminating in that iconic scene where he lifts a bloody dagger and sees his own reflection with horror. Will also used Jaws to demonstrate how this works in a pure action thriller. Brody's dramatic question is simple: are you going to be old Brody who is terrified of the water, or new Brody who can overcome that fear? Every scene where the shark appears is really asking that question. And the last moment of the film isn't the shark blowing up. It's Brody swimming back through the water, saying he used to be scared of the water and he can't imagine why. Actionable step: Write down the Dramatic Question for your protagonist in a single sentence. Is it “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you brave enough to love again?” or “Will you sacrifice your principles for survival?” If you can't answer this with specificity, your character might still be a sketch rather than a person. 3. Get rid of Vague Flaws, and use Absolute Specificity This was one of Will Storr's most important points. He said that vague thinking about characters is really the enemy. When he teaches workshops and asks writers to describe their character's flaw, most of them say something like “they're very controlling.” And Will's response is: that's not good enough. Everyone is controlling. How are they controlling? What's the specific mechanism? He gave the example of a profile he read of Theresa May during the UK's Brexit chaos. Someone who knew her said that Theresa May's problem was that she always thinks she's the only adult in every room she goes into. Will said that stopped him in his tracks because it's so precise. If you define a character with that level of specificity, you can take them and put them in any genre, any situation—a spaceship, a Victorian drawing room, a school playground—and you will know exactly how they're going to behave. The same applies to Arthur Miller's Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman, as Will described it: a man who believes absolutely in capitalistic success and the idea that when you die, you're going to be weighed on a scale, just as God weighs you for sin, but now you're weighed for success. That's not a vague flaw. That's a worldview you can drop into any story and watch it combust. Will made another counterintuitive point that I found really valuable: writers often think that piling on multiple traits will create a complex character, but the opposite is true. Starting with one highly specific flaw and running it through the demands of a relentless plot is what generates complexity. You end up with a far more nuanced, original character than if you'd started with a laundry list of vague attributes. Actionable step: Take your protagonist's flaw and pressure-test it. Is it specific enough that you could place this character in any situation and predict their behaviour? If you're stuck at “she's stubborn” or “he's insecure,” keep pushing. What kind of stubborn? What kind of insecure? Find the diagnostic sentence—the Theresa May level of precision. 4. Understand the Heroine's Journey: Strength Through Connection Gail Carriger came on episode 550 to discuss her nonfiction book, The Heroine's Journey, and it completely reframed how I think about some of my own fiction. Gail explained that the core difference between the Hero's Journey and the Heroine's Journey comes down to how strength and victory are defined. The Hero's Journey is about strength through solo action. The hero must be continually isolated to get stronger. He goes out of civilisation, faces strife alone, and achieves victory through physical prowess and self-actualisation. The Heroine's Journey is the opposite. The heroine achieves her goals by activating a network. She's a delegator, a general. She identifies where she can't do something alone, finds the people who can help, and portions out the work for mutual gain. Gail put it simply: the heroine is very good at asking for help, which our culture tends to devalue but which is actually a powerful form of strength. Crucially, Gail stressed that gender is irrelevant to which journey you're writing. Her go-to examples are striking: the recent Wonder Woman film is practically a beat-for-beat hero's journey—Gilgamesh on screen, as Gail described it. Meanwhile, Harry Potter, both the first book and the series as a whole, is a classic heroine's journey. Harry's power comes from his network—Dumbledore's Army, the Order of the Phoenix, his friendships with Ron and Hermione. He doesn't defeat Voldemort alone. He defeats Voldemort because of love and connection. This distinction has real practical consequences for writers. If you're writing a hero's journey and you hit writer's block, Gail said, the solution is usually to isolate your hero further and pile on more strife. But if you're writing a heroine's journey, the solution is probably to throw a new character into the scene—someone who has advice to offer or a skill the heroine lacks. The actual solutions to writer's block are different depending on which narrative you're writing. As I reflected on my own work, I realised that my ARKANE thriller protagonist, Morgan Sierra, follows a hero's journey—she's a solo operative, a lone wolf like Jack Reacher or James Bond. But my Mapwalker fantasy series follows a heroine's journey, with Sienna and her group of friends working together. I hadn't consciously chosen those paths; the stories led me there. But understanding the framework helps me write more intentionally now. Actionable step: Identify which journey your protagonist is on. Does your character gain strength by being alone (hero) or by building connections (heroine)? This will inform every plot decision you make, from how they face obstacles to how your story ends. 5. Use ‘Metaphor Families' to Anchor Dialogue and Voice One of the most practical techniques Matt Bird shared on episode 624 is the idea of assigning each character a “metaphor family”—a specific well of language that they draw from. This gives each character a distinctive voice that goes beyond accent or dialect. Matt explained how in The Wire, one of the most beloved TV shows of all time, every character has a different metaphor family. What struck him was that Omar, this iconic character, never utters a single curse word in the entire series. His metaphor family is pirate. He talks about parlays, uses language that feels like it belongs in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it creates this incredible ironic counterpoint against his urban setting. It tells us immediately that this is a character who sees himself in a tradition of people that doesn't match his immediate surroundings. Matt also referenced the UK version of The Office, where Gareth works at a paper company but aspires to the military. So all of his language is drawn from a military metaphor family. He doesn't talk about filing and photocopying; he talks about tactics and discipline and being on the front line. This tells us that the character has a life and dreams beyond the immediate scene—and it's the gap between aspiration and reality that makes him both funny and believable. He pointed out that a metaphor family sometimes comes from a character's background, but it's often more interesting when it comes from their aspirations. What does your character want to be? What world do they fantasise about inhabiting? That's where their language should come from. In Star Wars, Obi-Wan Kenobi is a spiritual hermit, but his metaphor family is military. He uses the language of generals and commanders, and that ironic counterpoint is part of what makes him feel so rich. Actionable step: Assign each of your main characters a metaphor family. It could be based on their job, their background, or—more interestingly—their secret aspirations. Then go through your dialogue and make sure each character is consistently drawing from that well of language. If two characters sound the same when you strip away the dialogue tags, this is the fix. 6. Find the Diagnostic Detail: The Diagonal Toast Avoid clichéd character tags—the random scar, the eye patch, the mysterious limp—unless they serve a deep narrative purpose. Matt Bird on episode 624 was very funny about this: he pointed out that Nick Fury, Odin, and eventually Thor all have eye patches in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Eye patches are done, he said. You cannot do eye patches anymore. Instead, look for what I'm calling the “diagonal toast” detail, after a scene Matt described from Captain Marvel. In the film, Captain Marvel is trying to determine whether Nick Fury is who he says he is. She asks him to prove he isn't a shapeshifting alien. Fury shares biographical details—his history, his mother—but then she pushes further and says, name one more thing you couldn't possibly have made up about yourself. And Fury says: if toast is cut diagonally, I can't eat it. Matt said that detail is gold for a writer because it feels pulled from a real life. You can pull it from your own life and gift it to your characters, and the reader can tell it's not manufactured. He gave another example from The Sopranos: Tony Soprano's mother won't answer the phone after dark. The show's creator, David Chase, confirmed on the DVD commentary that this came from his own mother, who genuinely would not answer the phone after dark and couldn't explain why. Matt's practical advice was to keep a journal. Write down the strange, specific things that people do or say. Mine your own life for those hyper-specific details. You just need one per book. In my own writing, I've used this approach. In my ARKANE thrillers, my character Morgan Sierra has always been Angelina Jolie in my mind—specifically Jolie in Lara Croft or Mr and Mrs Smith. And Blake Daniel in my crime thriller series was based on Jesse Williams from Grey's Anatomy. I paste pictures of actors into my Scrivener projects. It helps with visuals, but also with the sense of the character, their energy and physicality. But visual details only take you so far. It's the behavioural quirks—the diagonal toast moments—that make a character feel genuinely alive. That said, physical character tags can work brilliantly when they serve the story. As I discuss in How to Write a Novel, Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike is an amputee, and his pain and the physical challenges of his prosthesis are a key part of every story—it's not a cosmetic detail, it's woven into the action and the character's psychology. My character Blake Daniel always wears gloves to cover the scars on his hands, which provides an angle into his wounded past as well as a visual cue for the reader. And of course, Harry Potter's lightning-shaped scar isn't just a mark—it's a direct connection to his nemesis and the mythology of the entire series. The rule of thumb is: if the tag tells us something about the character's interior life or connects to the plot, it's earning its place. If it's just there to make the character visually distinctive, it's probably a crutch. Game of Thrones takes character tags further with the family houses, each with their own mottos and sigils. The Starks say “Winter is coming” and their sigil is a dire wolf. Those aren't just labels—they're worldview made visible. Actionable step: Start a “diagonal toast” notebook. Every time you notice something strange and specific about someone's behaviour—something that feels too real to be made up—write it down. Then gift it to a character who needs more texture. 7. Displace Your Own Trauma into the Work Barbara Nickless shared something deeply personal on episode 732 that fundamentally changed how I think about putting pain onto the page. While starting At First Light, the first book in her Dr. Evan Wilding series, she lost her son to epilepsy—something called SUDEP, Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. One day he was there, and the next day he was gone. Barbara said that writing helped her cope with the trauma, that doing a deep dive into Old English literature and the Viking Age for the book's research became a lifeline. But here's what's important: she didn't give Dr. Evan Wilding her exact trauma. Evan Wilding is four feet five inches, and Barbara described how he has to walk through a world that won't adjust to him. That's its own form of learning to cope when circumstances are beyond your control. She displaced her genuine grief into the character's different but parallel struggle. When I asked her about the difference between writing for therapy and writing for an audience, she drew on her experience teaching creative writing to veterans through a collaboration between the US Department of Defense and the National Endowment for the Arts. She said she's found that she can pour her heartache into her characters and process it through them, even when writing professionally, and that the genuine emotion is what touches readers. We've all been through our own losses and griefs, so seeing how a character copes can be deeply meaningful. I've always found that putting my own pain onto the page is the most direct way to connect with a reader's soul. My character Morgan Sierra's musings on religion and the supernatural are often my own. Her restlessness, her fascination with the darker edges of faith—those come from me. But her Krav Maga fighting skills and her ability to kill the bad guys are definitely her own. That gap between what's mine and what's hers is where the fiction lives. Barbara also said something on that episode that I wrote down and stuck on my wall. She said the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul. I've been thinking about that ever since. On my own wall, I have “Measure your life by what you create.” Different words, same truth. Actionable step: If you're carrying something heavy—grief, anger, fear, regret—consider how you might displace it into a character's different but emotionally parallel struggle. Don't copy your exact situation; transform it. The emotion will be genuine, and the reader will feel it. 8. Write Diverse Characters as Real People When I spoke with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673—Sarah is Choctaw and a historical fiction author honoured by the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian—she offered a perspective that every fiction writer needs to hear. The key message was to move away from stereotypes. Don't write your American Indian character as the “Wise Guide” who exists solely to dispense mystic wisdom to the white protagonist. Don't limit diverse characters to historical settings, as though they only exist in the past. Place them in normal, contemporary roles. Your spaceship captain, your forensic scientist, your small-town baker—any of them can be American Indian, or Nigerian, or Japanese, and their heritage should be a lived-in part of their identity, not the sole reason they exist in the story. I write international thrillers and dark fantasy, and my fiction is populated with characters from all over the world. I have a multi-cultural family and I've lived in many places and travelled widely, so I've met, worked with, and had relationships with people from different cultures. I find story ideas through travel, and if I set my books in a certain place, then the story is naturally populated with the people who live there. As I discuss in my book, How to Write a Novel, the world is a diverse place, so your fiction needs to be populated with all kinds of people. If I only populated my fiction with characters like me, they would be boring novels. There are many dimensions of difference—race, nationality, sex, age, body type, ability, religion, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, class, culture, education level—and even then, don't assume that similar types of people think the same way. Some authors worry they will make mistakes. We live in a time of outrage, and some authors have been criticised for writing outside their own experience. So is it too dangerous to try? Of course not. The media amplifies outliers, and most authors include diverse characters in every book without causing offence because they work hard to get it right. It's about awareness, research, and intent. Actionable step: Audit the cast of your current work in progress. Have you written a mono-cultural perspective for all of them? If so, consider who could bring a different background, perspective, or set of cultural specifics to the story. Not as a token addition, but as a real person with a real life. 9. Respect Tribal and Cultural Specificity Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer on episode 673 was emphatic about one thing: never treat diverse groups as monolithic. If you're writing a Native American character, you must research the specific nation. Choctaw is not Navajo, just as British is not French. Sarah described the distinct cultural markers of the Choctaw people—the diamond pattern you'll see on traditional shirts and dresses, which represents the diamondback rattlesnake. They have distinct dances and songs. She said that if she saw someone in traditional dress at a distance, she would know whether they were Choctaw based on what they were wearing. She encouraged writers who want to write specifically about a nation to get to know those people. Go to events, go to a powwow, learn about the individual culture. She noted that a big misconception is that American Indians exist only in the past—she stressed that they are still here, still living their cultures, and fiction should reflect that present reality. I took a similar approach when writing Destroyer of Worlds, which is set mostly in India. I read books about Hindu myth, watched documentaries about the sadhus, and had one of my Indian readers from Mumbai check my cultural references. For Risen Gods, set in New Zealand with a young Maori protagonist, I studied books about Maori mythology and fiction by Maori authors, and had a male Maori reader check for cultural issues. Research is simply an act of empathy. The practical takeaway is this: if you're going to include a character from a specific cultural background, do the work. Use specific cultural details rather than generic signifiers. Sarah talked about how even she fell into stereotypes when she was first writing, until her mother pointed them out. If someone from within a culture can fall into those traps, the rest of us certainly can. Do the research, try your best, ask for help, and apologise if you need to. Actionable step: If you're writing a character from a specific culture, identify three to five sensory or behavioural details that are particular to that culture—not the generic version, but the real, researched, lived-in version. Consider hiring a sensitivity reader from that community to check your work. 10. Give Your Protagonist a Morally Neutral ‘Hero' Status Matt Bird was clear about this on episode 624: the word “hero” simply means the protagonist, the person we follow through the story. It's a functional role, not a moral label. We don't have to like them. We don't even have to root for their goals in a moral sense. We just have to find them compelling enough to invest our attention in their problem-solving. Think of Succession, where every member of the Roy family is varying degrees of awful, and yet the show was utterly compelling. Or WeCrashed, where Adam Neumann is a narcissistic con artist, but we can't look away because he's trying to solve the enormous problem of building an empire from nothing, and the tradecraft he employs is fascinating. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, readers must want to spend time with your characters. They don't have to be lovable or even likable—that will depend on your genre and story choices—but they have to be captivating enough that we want to spend time with them. A character who is trying to solve a massive problem will naturally draw investment from the audience, even if we wouldn't want to have tea with them. Will Storr extended this idea by pointing out that the audience will actually root for a character to solve their problem even if the audience doesn't actually want the character's goal to be achieved in the real world. We don't really want more billionaires, but we invested in Adam Neumann's rise because that was the problem the story posed, and our brains are wired to invest in problem-solving. This connects to something deeper: what does your character want, and why? As I explore in How to Write a Novel, desire operates on multiple levels. Take a character like Phil, who joins the military during wartime. On the surface, she wants to serve her country. But she also wants to escape her dead-end town and learn new skills. Deeper still, her father and grandfather served, and by joining up, she hopes to finally earn their respect. And perhaps deepest of all, her father died on a mission under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find out what happened from the inside. That layering of motivation is what turns a flat character into a three-dimensional one. The audience doesn't need to be told all of this explicitly. It can emerge through action, dialogue, and the choices the character makes under pressure. But you, the writer, need to know it. You need to know what your character really wants deep down, because that desire—more than any external plot device—is what drives the story forward. And your antagonist needs the same depth. They also want something, often diametrically opposed to your protagonist, and they need a reason that makes sense to them. In my ARKANE thriller Tree of Life, my antagonist is the heiress of a Brazilian mining empire who wants to restore the Earth to its original state to atone for the destruction caused by her father's company. She's part of a radical ecological group who believe the only way to restore Nature is to end all human life. It's extreme, but in an era of climate change, it's a motivation readers can understand—even if they disagree with the solution. Actionable step: If you're struggling to make a morally grey character work, make sure their problem is big enough and their methods are specific and interesting enough that we invest in the how, even if we're ambivalent about the what. 11. Build Vibrant Side Characters Gail Carriger made a point on episode 550 that was equal parts craft advice and business strategy. In a Heroine's Journey model, side characters aren't just fodder to be killed off to motivate the hero. They form a network. And because you don't have to kill them—unlike in a hero's journey, where allies are often betrayed or removed so the hero can be further isolated—you can pick up those side characters and give them their own books. Gail said this creates a really voracious reader base. You write one series with vivid side characters, and then readers fall in love with those side characters and want their stories. So you write spin-offs. The romance genre does this brilliantly—think of the Bridgerton books, where each sibling gets their own novel. The side character in one book becomes the protagonist in the next. Barbara Nickless experienced this firsthand with her Dr. Evan Wilding series. She has River Wilding, Evan's adventurous brother, and Diana, the axe-throwing research assistant, and her editor has already expressed interest in a spin-off series with those characters. Barbara described creating characters she wants to spend time with, or characters who give her nightmares but also intrigue her. That's the dual test: are they interesting enough for you to write, and interesting enough for readers to demand more? As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, characters that span series can deepen the reader's relationship with them as you expand their backstory into new plots. Readers will remember the character more than the plot or the book title, and look forward to the next instalment because they want more time with those people. British crime author Angela Marsons described it as readers feeling like returning to her characters is like putting on a pair of old slippers. Actionable step: Look at your supporting cast. Is there a side character who is vivid enough to carry their own story? If not, what could you add—a specific hobby, a distinct voice, a compelling backstory—that would make readers want more of them? 12. Use Voice as a Rhythmic Tool Voice is one of the most important elements of novel writing, and Matt Bird helped me think about it in a technical, mechanical way that I found really useful. He pointed out that the ratio of periods to commas defines a character's internal reality. A staccato rhythm—lots of periods, short sentences—suggests a character who is certain, grounded, or perhaps survivalist and traumatised. Katniss in The Hunger Games has a period-heavy voice. She's in survival mode. She doesn't have time for complexity or qualification. A flowing, comma-heavy style suggests someone more academic, more nuanced, or possibly more scattered and manipulative. The character who qualifies everything, who adds sub-clauses and digressions, is a different kind of person from the character who speaks in declarations. This is something you can actually measure. Pull up a passage of your character's dialogue or internal monologue and count the periods versus the commas. If the rhythm doesn't match who the character is supposed to be, you've found a mismatch you can fix. Sentence length is the heartbeat of your character's persona. And voice extends beyond rhythm to the words themselves. As I discussed in the metaphor families tip, each character should draw from a distinctive well of language. But voice also encompasses their relationship to silence. Some characters talk around the thing they mean; others say it straight. Some are self-deprecating; others are blunt to the point of rudeness. All of these choices are character choices, not just style choices. I find it useful to read my dialogue aloud—and not just to check for naturalness, but to hear whether each character sounds distinct. If you could swap dialogue lines between two characters and nobody would notice, you have a voice problem. One practical test: cover the dialogue tags and see if you can tell who's speaking from the words alone. Actionable step: Choose a key passage from your protagonist's point of view and read it aloud. Does the rhythm match the character? A soldier under fire should not sound like a philosophy professor at a wine tasting. Adjust the ratio of periods to commas until the voice feels right. 13. Link Character and Plot Until They're Inseparable Will Storr made the case on episode 490 that the number one problem he sees in the writing he encounters—in workshops, in submissions, even in published books—is that the characters and the plots are unconnected. There's a story happening, and there are people in it, but the story isn't a product of who those people are. He said a story should be like life. In our lives, the plots are intimately connected to who we are as characters. The goals we pursue, the obstacles we face, the same problems that keep recurring—these are products of our personalities, our flaws, our specific ways of being in the world. His framework is that your plot should be designed specifically to plot against your character. You've got a character with a particular flaw; the plot exists to test that flaw over and over until the character either transforms or doubles down and explodes. Jaws is the perfect example. Brody is afraid of water. A shark shows up in the coastal town he's responsible for protecting. The entire plot is engineered to force him to confront the one thing he cannot face. Will pointed out that the whole plot of Jaws is structured around Brody's flaw. It begins with the shark arriving, the midpoint is when Brody finally gets the courage to go into the water, and the very final scene isn't the shark blowing up—it's Brody swimming back through the water. Even a film that's ninety-eight percent action is, at its core, structured around a character with a character flaw. This is the standard I aspire to in my own work, even in my action-heavy thrillers. The external plot should be a mirror of the internal struggle. When those two are aligned, the story becomes irresistible. Will also made an important point about series fiction, which is where most commercial authors live. I asked him how this works when your character can't be transformed at the end of every book because there has to be a next book. His answer was elegant: you don't cure them. Episodic TV characters like Fleabag or David Brent or Basil Fawlty never truly change—and the fact that they don't change is actually the source of the comedy. But every episode throws a new story event at them that tests and exposes their flaw. You just keep throwing story events at them again and again. That's a soap opera, a sitcom, and a book series. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, character flaws are aspects of personality that affect the person so much that facing and overcoming them becomes central to the plot. In Jaws, the protagonist Brody is afraid of the water, but he has to overcome that flaw to destroy the killer shark and save the town. But remember, your characters should feel like real people, so never define them purely by their flaws. The character addicted to painkillers might also be a brilliant and successful female lawyer who gets up at four in the morning to work out at the gym, likes eighties music, and volunteers at the local dog shelter at weekends. Character wounds are different from flaws. They're formed from life experience and are part of your character's backstory—traumatic events that happened before the events of your novel but shape the character's reactions in the present. In my ARKANE thrillers, Morgan Sierra's husband Elian died in her arms during a military operation. This happened before the series begins, but her memories of it recur when she faces a firefight, and she struggles to find happiness again for fear of losing someone she loves once more. And then there's the perennial advice: show, don't tell. Most writers have heard this so many times that it's easy to nod and then promptly write scenes that tell rather than show. Basically, you need to reveal your character through action and dialogue, rather than explanation. In my thriller Day of the Vikings, Morgan Sierra fights a Neo-Viking in the halls of the British Museum and brings him down with Krav Maga. That fight scene isn't just about showing action. It opens up questions about her backstory, demonstrates character, and moves the plot forward. Telling would be something like: “Morgan was an expert in Krav Maga.” Showing is the reader discovering it through the scene itself. Actionable step: Look at the main plot events of your novel. For each major turning point, ask: does this scene specifically test my protagonist's flaw? If not, can you redesign the scene so that it does? The tighter the connection between character and plot, the more powerful the story. 14. The ‘Maestra' Approach: Write Out of Order If you're a discovery writer like me, you may feel like the deep character work I've been describing sounds more suited to plotters. But Barbara Nickless gave me a beautiful metaphor on episode 732 that reframes it entirely. Barbara described her evolving writing process as being like a maestra standing in front of an orchestra. Sometimes you bring in the horns—a certain theme—and sometimes you bring in the strings—a certain character—and sometimes you turn to the soloist. It's a more organic and jumping-around process than linear writing, and Barbara said she's only recently given herself permission to work this way. When I told her that I use Scrivener to write in scenes out of order and then drag and drop them into a structure later, she was genuinely intrigued. And this is how I've always worked. I'll see the story in my mind like a movie trailer—flashes of the big emotional scenes, the pivotal confrontations, the moments of revelation—and I write those first. I don't know how they hang together until quite late in the process. Then I'll move scenes around, print the whole thing out, and figure out the connective tissue. The point is that discovery writers can absolutely build deep characters. Sometimes writing the big emotional scenes first is how you discover who the character is before you fill in the rest. You don't need a twenty-page character worksheet or a 200-page outline like Jeffery Deaver. You need to be willing to follow the character into the unknown and trust that the structure will emerge. As Barbara said, she writes to know what she's thinking. That's the discovery writer's credo. And I would add: I write to know who my characters are. Actionable step: If you're stuck on your current chapter, skip it. Write the scene that's burning in your imagination, even if it's from the middle or the end. That scene might be the key to unlocking who your character really is. 15. Use Research to Help with Empathy Research shouldn't just be about factual accuracy—it's a tool for finding the sensory details that create empathy. Barbara Nickless described research as almost an excuse to explore things that fascinate her, and I feel exactly the same way. I would go so far as to say that writing is an excuse for me to explore the things that interest me. Barbara and I both travel for our stories. For her Dr. Evan Wilding books, she did deep research into Old English literature and the Viking Age. For my thriller End of Days, I transcribed hours of video from Appalachian snake-handling churches on YouTube to understand the worldview of the worshippers, because my antagonist was brought up in that tradition. I couldn't just make that up. I had to hear their language, feel their conviction, understand why they would hold venomous serpents as an act of faith. Barbara also mentioned getting to Israel and the West Bank for research, and I've been to both places too. Finding that one specific sensory detail—the smell of a particular location, the specific way an expert handles a tool, the sound of a particular kind of music—makes the character's life feel lived-in. It's the difference between a character who is described as living in a place and a character who inhabits it. As I wrote in How to Write a Novel, don't write what you know. Write what you want to learn about. I love research. It's part of why I'm an author in the first place. I take any excuse to dive into a world different from my own. Research using books, films, podcasts, and travel, and focus particularly on sources produced by people from the worldview you want to understand. Actionable step: For your next piece of character research, go beyond reading. Watch a documentary, visit a location, talk to someone who lives the experience. Find one sensory detail—a smell, a sound, a texture—that you couldn't have invented. That detail will make your character feel real. Bonus: Measure Your Life by What You Create In an age of AI and a tsunami of content, your ultimate brand protection is the quality of your human creation. Barbara Nickless said that the act of producing itself is a balm to the soul, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. Don't be afraid to take that step back, like I did with my deadlifting. Take the time to master these deeper craft skills. It might feel like you're slowing down or going backwards by not chasing the latest marketing trend, but it's the only way to step forward into a sustainable, high-quality career. Your characters are your signature. No AI can replicate the specificity of your lived experience, the emotional truth of your displaced trauma, or the sensory details you've gathered from a life of curiosity and travel. Those are yours. Pour them into your characters, and they will resonate for years to come. Actionable Takeaway: Identify the Dramatic Question for your current protagonist. Can you state it in a single sentence with the kind of specificity Will Storr described? Is it as clear as “Are you ordinary or extraordinary?” or “Are you the only adult in the room?” If you can't answer it with that kind of precision, your character might still be a sketch. Give them a diagonal toast moment today. Find the one hyper-specific detail that proves they are not an imitation of life. And then ask yourself: does your plot test your character's flaw in every major scene? If you can align those two things—a precisely defined character and a plot that exists to test them—you will have a story that readers cannot put down. References and Deep Dives The episodes I've referenced today are all available with full transcripts at TheCreativePenn.com: Episode 732 — Facing Fears, and Writing Unique Characters with Barbara Nickless Episode 673 — Writing Choctaw Characters and Diversity in Fiction with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer Episode 624 — Writing Characters with Matt Bird Episode 550 — The Heroine's Journey with Gail Carriger Episode 490 — How Character Flaws Shape Story with Will Storr Books mentioned: The Secrets of Character: Writing a Hero Anyone Will Love by Matt Bird The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr The Heroine's Journey by Gail Carriger How to Write a Novel: From Idea to Book by Joanna Penn You can find all my books for authors at CreativePennBooks.com and my fiction and memoir at JFPennBooks.com Happy writing! How was this episode created? This episode was initiated created by NotebookLM based on YouTube videos of the episodes linked above from YouTube/TheCreativePenn, plus my text chapters on character from How to Write a Novel. NotebookLM created a blog post from the material and then I expanded it and fact checked it with Claude.ai 4.6 Opus, and then I used my voice clone at ElevenLabs to narrate it. The post Writing Characters: 15 Actionable Tips For Writing Deep Character first appeared on The Creative Penn.

This episode of Northeast Delta Dental Radio features host Tom Raffio interviewing Kraig Emery, founder of the Kalahan K. Emery Memorial Fund and New Hampshire's SUDC ambassador. Kraig shares the heartbreaking story of losing his healthy 2.5-year-old son Kalahan to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) in March 2001. He emphasizes the importance of not withdrawing during grief, seeking counseling when ready, and allowing yourself to experience all emotions. The interview promotes an upcoming Run for Kalahan 5k on March 14th at Delta Dental to raise awareness and funds for SUDC research during SUDC Awareness Month. Race signups are linked here; https://runsignup.com/Race/NH/Concord/RunForKalihan5kMarchThAm    

In Day 2 of Brian Walshe's Trial jurors learn about the dark and disturbing google searches Brian Walshe made before his wife, Ana Walshe, went missing. Brian's attorneys say Ana Walshe was not murdered but that she died of a sudden unexplained death. The state is alleging Brian got rid of Ana and her body. What really happened to Ana and what has the state proven so far? Welcome to Surviving the Survivor, the show that brings you the #BestGuests in all of #truecrime. In this STS epsiode, Emmy Award-Winning Host Joel Waldman and Best Guests get us up to date on the Brian Walshe trial and Justice for Ana Walshe.Support the show & be a part of #STSNation:Donate to STS' Trial Travel: Https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/GJ...VENMO: @STSPodcast or Https://www.venmo.com/stspodcastCheck out STS Merch: Https://www.bonfire.com/store/sts-store/Joel's Book: Https://amzn.to/48GwbLxSupport the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SurvivingTheSurvivorEmail: SurvivingTheSurvivor@gmail.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Profiling Evil breaks down the opening statements in the Brian Walshe murder trial, a case as bizarre as it is heartbreaking. Prosecutors say Brian Walshe murdered his wife Ana on New Year's Day, dismembered her, and dumped her remains in trash transfer stations. The defense says Ana simply died in her sleep and that Brian Walshe panicked, dismembered her, and lied for three years because he “wanted to remain his children's caretaker.” Let's examine digital evidence, marital stressors, financial pressures, Walshe's three-year deception, his last-minute confession, and the strange introduction of “Sudden Unexplained Death.” Then we'll explore why the prosecution believes their case is airtight… and why the defense thinks they can unravel it.#AnaWalshe #BrianWalshe #TrueCrime #ProfilingEvil #SuddenUnexplainedDeath #OpeningStatements #CourtroomAnalysis #CriminalBehavior #DigitalForensics #JusticeForAna=======================================Email your questions to: ProfilingEvil@gmail.com========================================LOOKING FOR WAYS TO SUPPORT PROFILING EVIL?

Maeve was a little girl who was born to be a big sister. As soon as she was able to toddle around the house, Maeve was bringing the family dog her favorite books to read and making sure he had everything that he 'needed'. Shortly after Maeve's second birthday, her little brother was born, and Maeve was truly in her element. She adored Declan and wanted to share everything with him. Baby Declan loved being a part of the 'Maeve show' as her mama, Tarah, described it. Declan would grin as his big sister laughed and danced around him. Life was good. Then, one day, that perfect life was destroyed. The little family was on a flight to DC. The flight had been delayed, so by the time the plane landed, Maeve had fallen asleep on her dada's lap. Tarah's husband tried to rouse her, and could not. Maeve was no longer breathing. He let out a scream, and both parents immediately started CPR. Their perfectly healthy 3-year-old daughter had died for no apparent reason while sleeping on her father's lap. Her official cause of death was Sudden Unexplained Death of Childhood (SUDC). Their world was shattered. Tarah first wrote to me less than two months after Maeve's death. She shared her story and asked to be connected to another mom whose daughter died of SUDC. Over the almost two years since that first email, Tarah has continued to email with family updates, show ideas, and eventually, about Maeve's Foundation, the charity that Tarah and her husband started in Maeve's memory.  Initially, Tarah just wanted to collect enough money to buy a bench as a dedication to Maeve. Then, that idea grew into sponsoring a memorial garden in Maeve's memory. As more people contributed to the foundation, Tarah knew they needed to grow.  The organization now has a new mission - Maeve's Wish. Maeve's Wish is working to provide 'a truly magical respite for children battling a chronic or terminal illness - a trip to Walt Disney World.'  Just as Maeve wanted to make her family dog and baby brother happy, she will help make precious family memories for others. We're pretty sure she will be laughing and dancing as she watches from heaven.

I detta avsnitt möter vi Sixtens mamma, som delar med sig av sin sons liv och den chockartade förlusten de drabbades av. Sixten gick plötsligt bort i vad som kallas SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood) – ett tillstånd som fortfarande är relativt okänt.Vi pratar om sorgen, saknaden och alla frågor som lämnas obesvarade. Men också om hur man hanterar en förlust utan svar, och hur Sixtens föräldrar försöker hitta mening och en väg framåt i det ofattbara. Hjälp till att äga din sorg här: https://plus.acast.com/s/utan-dig-ag-din-sorg. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Health Correspondent Fergal Bowers speaks to Tina and Katie Young about the death of their daughter and sister Louise from Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy and Dr Yvonne Langan, Neurophysiologist at St James Hospital, discusses the findings of a new study into SUDEP.

Danielle is a mom of 4, but sadly her son Blake died of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) at 18 months of age about 8 years ago. Her living kids are now 5, 6, and 10 years old, and Danielle's husband is a farmer while she works at a university. Danielle shares about their daily routine, as well as how she processes her own grief and how the rest of her family grieves and keeps Blake's memory alive. Obviously this episode deals with heavy topics, though nothing graphic is discussed, so take care of yourself in deciding whether you should listen! Find Danielle on Instagram @danielleduffeyy Contact us: Everydayparentspod.com;  Patreon.com/everydayparentspod Instagram @everydayparentspod; facebook.com/everydayparentspod;  Podcast is hosted and produced by Jerome Kluck and Caitlin Kirby. Music is ‘Ukulele Fun Background' and ‘Funny Story' by Pavel Yudin.

Dealing with grief is hard enough. But going through it when you have to take responsibility for the running of a business could not be harder.  Today, we have Matt Mittman, a real estate business owner with over 20 years of experience, shares his heart-wrenching story of losing his 20-month-old son, Julian, and how he managed to navigate his grief while keeping his business afloat during the pandemic.  He discusses the importance of seeking help, building resilience, and finding support in unexpected places. In addition to the resources that helped him, he also shares the mindset makeup that made going back to run his business easier.  If you are experiencing grief right now, I hope that this episode reassures you that you are not alone.   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE: How Matt's athletic background helped him develop mental toughness to cope with grief. The value of therapy and group therapy in building mental and emotional strength. How he was able to re-engage back with business after being away Business systems in place that helped Matt during the grief period.   RESOURCES:   Matt Mittman's email: matt@therealestategps.com The Center for Loss and Bereavement: Nello's corner Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation website Join the Staging Business School Growth Track Waitlist: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/growth Enroll in Staging Business School Accelerate Track: www.rethinkhomeinteriors.com/accelerate Follow Lori on Instagram: www.instagram.com/rethinkhome Follow the Staging Business School on Instagram: www.instagram.com/stagingbusinessschool   If you want to learn how to market and grow your staging business, enrollment is open for Rethink You Accelerate. This is a year-long mentorship program, where I help you and other staging business owners plan, grow, flow, and thrive with the results that you've always wanted. The doors are open and I would love to see you in the classroom!   ENJOY THE SHOW? Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts so that more Staging CEOs find it. Also, include links to your socials so that more Staging CEOs can find you. Follow over on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Audible.

Welcome to this brand new, fact-revealing episode of Light ‘Em Up.We're actively being downloaded in 113 countries! Thank you!As promised, we'd be there when there was any update of significance in the 2023 case of the mysterious death of Crystal McCrory Jones in Oak Grove, Louisiana.We're very fortunate again to speak with Jana Guyewski Latigar (Crystal's sister).The fact pattern shows:

Aaron, a listener, got in touch with Lunchtime Live because of something he's going through and wanted to share. Aaron joined Andrea to discuss why he reached out to the programme?

Grief first entered Danielle's life when her dad was killed in a car accident when she was home from college for Easter. She had never experienced grief and said she felt paralyzed. Danielle went on and met and married her husband. When they decided to start a family, grief entered Danielle's life again when she suffered numerous miscarriages. She said it was a horrible and tumultuous time, but then Danielle and her husband had their daughter, Emily, followed 15 months later by their son, Blake. Grief seemed to have retreated for Danielle until Blake was 17 months old. Danielle remembers holding Blake as she was about to lay him down for his nap. She looked at herself in the mirror and thought, 'I am the luckiest mom in the world.' She laid Blake down for his nap and he never woke up. His heart simply stopped beating. His cause of death was listed as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. This time, the grief did not just feel paralyzing. It felt like the grief broke her completely, but Danielle did what she had always done and kept going. She was pregnant with her third child by then and even went on to have a fourth. Then, four years after Blake's death, something happened. Danielle realized that even though all of her adult life had been spent in grief, she did not really know how to grieve. She had never mourned her dad, her lost babies, or even Blake. She had tried to tuck the grief away and live with the pain in isolation, but she then realized that she had to actively experience the grief. She had to learn to love herself again. It was then that Danielle started journaling. Although difficult at first, Danielle began using journal prompts and eventually grew comfortable pouring her feelings out on paper. She sought out others on social media who had lost children so they could help support each other. She learned how precious it is to grieve with others in community. Now, eight years after Blake's death, Danielle has written her own grief journal, entitled, 'Gratitude Through Grief' (available on Amazon), and works to bring grieving parents together through her Instagram account @danielleduffeyy.  *Be sure to tune into this week's upcoming Livestream on Facebook and Instagram as Gwen and I discuss the importance of community in grief. Write to me about how you found your community of grievers and how they have helped you along your grief journey at marcy@andysmom.com or on social media.

Welcome to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. Tune in to hear leaders in neurology sound off on topics that impact your clinical practice. In this episode, Orrin Devinsky, MD, director of the NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, provided commentary on a recently published study assessing video evidence of sudden unexplained deaths in toddlers. Devinsky, who also serves as a professor of neurology, discussed the importance behind crib cams, the moments captured prior to the deaths assessed, and the involvement of seizure activity even with no prior history. In addition, he spoke on the abnormal sounds and movements of these children, the ways to advance SUDC research, and the next steps in understanding and relaying the data.  Looking for more epilepsy discussion? Check out the NeurologyLive® epilepsy clinical focus page. Episode Breakdown: 1:10 – Reasons behind studying sudden death in toddlers 3:55 – Notable takeaways from trial results 8:15 – Advancing ways to research SUDC/SUDEP 9:40 – Neurology News Minute 12:05 – Realistic ways to lower convulsive activity prior to sleep  15:05 – What abnormal movements/noises can ellucidate 15:55 – Ways to expand the research further This episode is brought to you by Medical World News, a streaming channel from MJH Life Sciences®. Check out new content and shows every day, only at medicalworldnews.com. The stories featured in this week's Neurology News Minute, which will give you quick updates on the following developments in neurology, are further detailed here: FDA Approves Takeda's Immune Globulin Infusion, Hyqvia, for Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy FDA Issues Complete Response Letter for Satsuma's DHE Nasal Powder STS101 to Treat Acute Migraine ALS Agent PrimeC to Advance to Phase 3 Study After Positive PARADIGM Trial Data Thanks for listening to the NeurologyLive® Mind Moments® podcast. To support the show, be sure to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. For more neurology news and expert-driven content, visit neurologylive.com.

Check out this 45th episode of BoomATX to hear Glenn sit down with long time Austin staple in the pest control and home services world, Bobby Jenkins!  Bobby is a proud Aggie, comes from and has continued on with a long lineage of Aggies and won the lottery by getting the Aggie territory in the friendly sibling rivalry that is the ABC Home & Commercial Services Texas empire!Bobby is a staple on the Austin airwaves for decades with as the owner and commercial spokesman for the ABC family business and continues to grow the company for the next generation of Aggies but Bobby doesn't stop there....Bobby help found and continues to play a big role at the Chamber of Commerce with Austin Gives which encourages corporate philanthropy and donation of 1% of company earnings thru time, talent and treasure donations.  Austin Gives is excited to partner with Silicon Valley based Pledge 1% as they look to encourage new tech companies in town to take the pledge!Bobby not only employs over 800 people offering a wide variety of services including pest and termite control, lawn care and mowing, landscaping and irrigation, tree trimming, air conditioning and heating, plumbing and electrical, pool cleaning and repair, handyman services, window cleaning and power washing, and appliance repair, but he is also incredibly active in so many aspects of the Austin community he calls home.Bobby was named the 2017 Austinite of the Year as well as served as past chair of the Austin Chamber of Commerce and past chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. He is a past president of both the Texas and National Pest Management Associations and a past chair of the Better Business Bureau, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse and the Alzheimer's Association. Bobby currently serves on the Agricultural Development Council and Mays Business School Development Council at Texas A&M University. He is a past chair for Caritas of Austin and has served as a tri-chair for the bond oversight committee with AISD. He the past chair and current board member of the American Heart Association and has served as the co-chair for the Heart Walk.  Bobby is a past co-chair for the United Way Annual Campaign and current United Way board member.  Bobby and his family created the Moss Pieratt Foundation after the tragic loss of their grandson, one-year-old John “Moss” Pieratt, Jr., from a condition known as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). During the summer of 2017, Bobby and his two brothers held a nationwide fundraiser and awareness builder by riding bikes over 52 days and 3,500 miles, from Seattle, Washington to New York City and are currently planning a similar ride again to raise funds and awareness for this issue so dear to their family.Give this episode a listen to learn more about this great Aggie Austinite, listen for his great jingle on the airwaves, give him a call whenever need some help around the house and plan on seeing him at his ABC Kite festival next summer in Zilker Park!BoomATX - Interesting Austinites Doing Interesting Things!

Megan is a grief coach that helps others learn how to navigate grief after pregnancy loss. Her daughter, Aria, died at 15 months old due to Sudden Unexplained Death in a Child (SUDC). --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/findinghopeafterloss/support

We welcome special guest Dr. Melissa Monroe to talk about her incredible pitbull, Lady--lover of naps and enemy to all squirrels—as well her very important book Mom's Search for Meaning;  the story of how Melissa moved through the unthinkable loss of her beloved younger daughter. On August 6, 2013, Alice, died of Sudden Unexplained Death in Children (SUDC) just days after her 2nd birthday. Melissa walks us through how Lady supported her and her older daughter, Grace,  and how EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a therapeutic modality Ali is trained in and uses in her practice as well, helped Melissa navigate the grief. Tune in for this very special episode.

Whatever you do, don't fall asleep! If you're a true horror fan like myself then I know you've seen our guy Freddy Krueger played by Robert Englund, who will keep you away for days for falling asleep doesn't mean this nightmare won't follow you! But did you know that Nightmare on Elm St was inspired by true events? Tune in on Thursday for a new All Things Murder to hear the chilling tale of the Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

October is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome awareness month. Dr. Richard Goldstein, director of the Robert's Program on Sudden Unexplained Death in Pediatrics, provides an overview of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), including historical perspectives, definitions, current understanding of potential etiologies, and emerging research. Additionally, Dr. Goldstein offers practical tips for speaking with caregivers about SIDS. After this podcast, listeners will be able to: -Learn the historical background of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) -Describe key terminology regarding SIDS and Sudden Unexplained Death in Pediatrics -Identify some of the proposed mechanisms related to SIDS -Present practical advice for speaking with families and caregivers Publication date: October 21, 2022. Articles referenced: • Goldstein RD, Kinney HC, Guttmacher AE. Only Halfway There with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2022;386(20):1873-1875. (0:44) • MacDorman MF, Rosenberg HM. Trends in infant mortality by cause of death and other characteristics, 1960-88. Vital Health Stat 20. 1993;(20):1-57. (2:40) • Mitchell EA, Thach BT, Thompson JMD, Williams S, for the New Zealand Cot Death Study. Changing Infants' Sleep Position Increases Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153(11):1136–1141. (2:48) • Haynes RL, Frelinger AL 3rd, Giles EK, et al. High serum serotonin in sudden infant death syndrome. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017;114(29):7695-7700. (17:20) • Kinney HC, Haynes RL, Armstrong DD, et. al. Abnormalities of the Hippocampus in Sudden and Unexpected Death in Early Life. In: Duncan JR, Byard RW, eds. SIDS Sudden Infant and Early Childhood Death: The Past, the Present and the Future. University of Adelaide Press; 2018. (19:09) • Koh HY, Haghighi A, Keywan C, et al. Genetic Determinants of Sudden Unexpected Death in Pediatrics. Genet Med. 2022;24(4):839-850. (22:50) • Miller MB, Huang AY, Kim J, et al. Somatic genomic changes in single Alzheimer's disease neurons. Nature. 2022;604(7907):714-722. (30:45) • Warland J, O'Leary J, McCutcheon H, Williamson V. Parenting paradox: parenting after infant loss. Midwifery. 2011;27(5):e163-e169. (36:10) • Kinney HC, Richerson GB, Dymecki SM, Darnall RA, Nattie EE. The brainstem and serotonin in the sudden infant death syndrome. Annu Rev Pathol. 2009;4:517-550. (42:01) Additional references: • Back to Sleep campaign: https://safetosleep.nichd.nih.gov/act... • https://www.childrenshospital.org/pro... • https://undiagnosed.hms.harvard.edu/ • https://www.broadinstitute.org/ • https://medicine.uiowa.edu/humangenet... • https://www.genomeweb.com/informatics... • https://med.nyu.edu/departments-insti... • https://www.australiangenomics.org.au.... • https://ojrd.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13023-021-02089-5 Citation: Goldstein R, Daniel D, Wolbrink T. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. 10/22. Online Podcast. OPENPediatrics. https://youtu.be/pu-gnSCHDhw. Please visit: www.openpediatrics.org OPENPediatrics™ is an interactive digital learning platform for healthcare clinicians sponsored by Boston Children's Hospital and in collaboration with the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. It is designed to promote the exchange of knowledge between healthcare providers around the world caring for critically ill children in all resource settings. The content includes internationally recognized experts teaching the full range of topics on the care of critically ill children. All content is peer-reviewed and open access-and thus at no expense to the user. For further information on how to enroll, please email: openpediatrics@childrens.harvard.edu

Marijuana Reform, Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, and Mass Shootings. Guests: Attorney Christopher Pieper Attorney Anthony Johnson Doctor Denise Wunderler --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thejamalshow/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thejamalshow/support

Eight months ago, today's guest, Erin, got an unthinkable call while she and her husband had gone away for a weekend getaway - their previously healthy 14 month old daughter hadn't woken up that morning. She remembers the day vividly, the thoughts, the feelings. 'I remember being in such disbelief. What happened? She's healthy. She's never been sick.' Erin was right. Stevie was completely healthy. Her autopsy results showed nothing. Her cause of death was officially termed, 'unexplained,' a condition also known as Sudden Unexplained Death of Childhood. Erin's life is now divided into the before and the after, before Stevie died and after Stevie died. Her mind is at war with itself, alternating between thinking that this cannot possibly be real and knowing that somehow, this actually is her life now. She now has one living child, not two. As the shock starts to wear off, there are times when the pain actually seems more acute instead of less. Erin says there are days when it feels like her very soul is on fire. The biggest source of comfort for this little family during all of this pain has been through Charlie, their 4 year old daughter. Erin has been simply blown away by her innocent heart and caring empathy. Charlie talks about her baby sister and will even carry her picture outside with her to play. She will blow kisses up to heaven. A few months ago, Erin and husband were crying together having a particularly difficult day. Charlie went to the kitchen, filled up bags of ice and handed it to them, saying, 'Here. This is for your heart. It is hurting.' What a lesson Charlie shows to all of us with her caring spirit. Unfortunately, our hurting hearts can't be made better by bags of ice, but little gestures do matter. Kind words matter. Helping each other one day at a time promotes gradual, but steady healing.

Each year, some 400 US children over age 1, most of them toddlers, die overnight for no known reason. Families, longing for answers, often find that their families, friends, and even pediatricians are unfamiliar with this classification of death, or that they even occur. Family members who have lost a child, a medical examiner, and a research expert who has lost a child discuss SUDC.

When today's guest, Riley, learned that she was pregnant with twins after a two year struggle with fertility, she felt incredibly blessed. She went through 11 weeks of bedrest and went on to deliver two perfect, near-term infants - a boy and a girl, Eli and Alice. Her happiness was complete, and she felt as if her future was bright. This happiness was short-lived, however, when seemingly healthy Eli died in his sleep at three weeks of age.  Suddenly, Riley was grieving her little boy while still trying to raise her newborn daughter, experiencing all that comes with being a new mom while trying to deal with tremendous grief. Friends gave amazing support to them, but often Riley felt that others wanted her to focus on Alice, and not Eli. They likely thought that trying to put all of the focus on Alice would lessen Riley's pain, but, in fact, Riley wanted to talk about Eli and not let him be forgotten. Now, three years later, Riley and her husband still don't know exactly what happened to their little boy. His cause of death is listed as Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy. Eli's autopsy showed abnormalities of both the heart and liver, but genetics have never been able to pinpoint a specific cause of death. That makes going on even more difficult, when you think that it could happen again to one of your other children.  Today, we talk about their loss and the unique struggles that arise when you have multiples and lose one or more of them. Riley reminds us to remember that each child is a unique, precious individual, and the death is not less difficult because their twin lives. Having a twin does not simply mean that you have a 'back-up' who is somehow expendable. In fact, the loss of a twin can actually make normally happy milestones feel painful. Every birthday is a day of celebration for one and mourning for the other. The first day of kindergarten is an exciting day certainly, but also a reminder that one is missing. It is a good lesson for all of us to remember.

What could be so warped and twisted to inspire the prolific horror movie A nightmare on Elm Street?The unexplained phenomenon referred to as SUNDS.Thank you so much for listening!!FOLLOW CCTTIME!IG:@conspiracycrimeteatimeFB: Conspiracy, Crime and Tea TimeTwitter: @ccttimeYOUTUBE: Conspiracy, Crime, Tea time PodcastTikTok: @conspiracycrimeteatimeCheck out our website!

Dr Martin Stiles has taken the lead in publishing an international and world-best practice blueprint for investigating Sudden Unexplained Death and Sudden Cardiac Arrest. He joins the show to discuss this ground-breaking research.

Dr Martin Stiles has taken the lead in publishing an international and world-best practice blueprint for investigating Sudden Unexplained Death and Sudden Cardiac Arrest. He joins the show to discuss this ground-breaking research.

Today on Always Andy's Mom, I talk with Shan, whose first-born son, Max, died at 15 months of age from Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. Max was a healthy, growing boy until having his first seizure at 8 months of age. Over the next few months, they adjusted medications and appeared to have his seizures under good control. Then, suddenly, Max did not wake up from his nap one day. Shan and her husband were devastated. Their perfect, newly formed little family was destroyed. Shan's story is especially unique because, like me, Shan is a physician. In fact, Shan is a psychiatrist completing her fellowship in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. You might think that a psychiatrist would have all the answers about grief, and would be better able to understand the grief process and what is going on more easily than the average parent. In some ways, I guess that is true. She does have more 'head knowledge' about therapy and different 'normal' thoughts than people experience with grief. On the other hand, she was just as completely devastated as any other grieving parent. She started crying when she woke up in the morning and cried herself to sleep each night. While dealing with her own grief, however, she also had to work on finishing her psychiatric training. Shan shares with us how much she has learned in the months since Max died and how it has affected the type of psychiatrist she has become.  

Megan shares about losing her daughter, Aria, to SUDC or Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood. Please explore all of Megan's amazing resources at https://www.meganhillukka.com/whoami

"How many children do you have?" This simple question turns treacherous for grieving parents. Megan Hillukka's daughter, Aria, died of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) when she was 15 months old. This devastating loss jettisoned Megan into a new world filled with grief, shock, and panic which eventually led to a diagnosis of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Needing support, Megan turned to therapy, writing, and connecting with other grieving parents.  Be sure to check out Megan's website, Instagram, and her podcast, The Cultivated Family, to learn more.

Grief is a difficult and uncomfortable subject to talk about, especially when it involves the loss of a child. In this episode, I am joined by Megan Hillukka, the founder of Grieving Moms Haven. Megan shares with us the interruption of her motherhood joy by her sudden and unexpected grief journey. Her healthy 15 month old daughter, Aria, died from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood while Megan was 8 months pregnant with her 4th child. The experience of finding her daughter dead left her with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that turned her world upside-down and she struggled to care for her older boys and her newly born daughter. Grief is a journey but there is help and hope and most importantly, joy after loss. To connect with Megan, you can visit her website www.meganhillukka.com and on her Instagram @cultivatedfamily To leave a comment or DM you can Connect with me on Instagram @Chaptersofmotherhood and on Twitter @motherpodcaster Be a fan on Facebook and like https://www.facebook.com/ChaptersofMotherhood/ You can leave a voice message on Anchor FM *(may be featured on a future podcast) Looking for an alternative way to ease pain? CBD oil is a simple solution. To learn more visit https://familyfriendlycbd.myctfo.com/ Learn more about Heilo Skin Care and their Nobel Prize winning ingredient, EGF, that will leave your skin glowing and cause cell turnover, resulting in plumper, softer and firmer skin with luster. Use promotional code podcast25 at check out for 25% off the entire purchase! www.heiloskincare.com/discount/podcast25 To be a supporter of the podcast for as little as $0.99 per month visit https://anchor.fm/chaptersofmotherhood/support --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/chaptersofmotherhood/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/chaptersofmotherhood/support

Jenni and Nick are joined by guests Nikki and Tom, the parents of 2-year-old Rosie, who talk about what happened when she died.They talk to Jenni about their grief and caring for their bereaved son, following the sudden and unexplained death of his younger sister.They discuss the value of the support they received professionally, from their family and about the charity that they have co-founded, SUDC.Angus Lawson Memorial Trust - http://www.almt.org/Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood - https://sudc.org.uk/Childhood Bereavement Network - http://www.childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk/Winston's Wish - https://www.winstonswish.org/The Compassionate Friends - https://www.tcf.org.uk/Cruse Bereavement Care - https://www.cruse.org.uk/Rosie’s Rainbow - https://www.rosiesrainbowfund.co.uk/Jenni Thomas website with further resources - http://www.jennithomas.com/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jamal talks a little politics and then, it's all about a dedication to all of our lost babies from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). Saturday, November 9, 2019. The special guest today was Dr. Denise Wunderler, a board-certified Primary Care Sports Medicine physician. She trained within the Cleveland Clinic Health System in Cleveland, Ohio, for her Family Medicine residency and Sports Medicine fellowship. Dr. Wunderler also serves as a USA Volleyball team physician. She travels internationally with Team USA. Dr. Wunderler is the Founder/President of their family's 501c3 nonprofit, "Team Vienna 4 SUDC Awareness Inc." Team Vienna raises awareness and research support for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC), while honoring her sweet daughter, Vienna. www.TeamViennaSUDC.org ----------------------------------------------- Thank you very much for your support. See you Jamal Show listeners next week! You're the best audience to ever have ears! Feel free to reach out: Jamalshowradio@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/thejamalshow/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thejamalshow/support

http://traffic.libsyn.com/radiohealthjournal/RHJ_19-35A.mp3 Each year, some 400 US children over age one, most of them toddlers, die for no known reason. Families, longing for answers, often find that their families, friends, and even pediatricians are unfamiliar with this classification of death, or that they even occur. Family members who have lost a child, a medical examiner, and a research expert who has lost a child discuss SUDC. Guests: Estuardo Torres, father of SUDC victim Dr. Eric Eason, Assistant Medical Examiner, Cook Country, IL Laura Gould Crandall, research scientist, Department of Neurology, NYU Langone Comprehensive Epilepsy Center and mother of SUDC victim Ron and Jordana Zachara, parents of SUDC victim. Links for more information: SUDC Foundation Cook County Medical Examiner Website Laura Gould Crandall profile at sudc.org

Listen in as I spend time with Megan Hillukka. She shares the story of her daughter Aria and the subsequent trauma she faced as a mother whose 15 month old daughter had died in her sleep. Megan shares her journey with PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder, and gives invaluable wisdom about getting help and the specific therapy that has brought her healing. We also spend some time talking about how you can love and support someone who is walking through trauma as well as what it practically looked like for Megan to help her older children work through the grief of losing their baby sister. Anyone who has suffered loss has experienced trauma and yet we rarely associate post traumatic stress disorder with the loss of a baby so I am incredibly grateful for Megan sharing her experience and wisdom with us in this episode. I pray this episode provides freedom in your grief journey as you are reminded that it is both helpful and important to get the help you need when you are grieving. -- Thank you to Cultivate What Matters for supporting The Joyful Mourning Podcast. Cultivate What Matters are the creators of the PowerSheets Intentional Goal Planner as well as the Write the Word Journals -- two of my most favorite tools for intentional, purposeful living. For the grieving mama who may find opening the Bible to be too difficult in this season, The Write the Word Journals are a perfect solution. This tool takes the overwhelm out of opening the Bible and provides a simple way to consistently spend time reading God’s Word -- where I believe true healing can be found. To check out all the details about the Write the Word Journals, as well as a generous 10% coupon code, head to www.themorning.com/cwm -- EPISODE 042 SHOW NOTES: www.themorning.com/episode042 THE JOYFUL MOURNING COMMUNITY: www.thejoyfulmourningcommunity.com GIFT SHOP FOR GRIEVING MOTHERS: www.themorning.com/giftshop THE JOYFUL MORNING INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/thejoyfulmorning

Red Nose Australia are well known for their work preventing Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy (SUDI), but having successfully reduced the rates of SUDI significantly they are turning their attention to the prevention of stillbirths. Recent international research that was co-funded by Red Nose Australia has found that sleeping on your side in the last trimester has a huge impact on the risk of stillbirth. Jane Wiggill, Chief Midwife at Red Nose Australia, explains why this finding is so important.

Lauren Farrell was immersed in design and entrepreneurship during her undergrad years at Lehigh University, but it was her experience as the men's lacrosse team manager that honed her prank call skills and helped her land a gig at Gucci. More importantly, this experience solidified Lauren's love of sports that would play such an important factor in her launch of Lauren Farrell NY. Despite working for one of the world's premier fashion lines, Lauren knew entrepreneurship was her calling, so she threw deuces at Gucci with a couple of her patented accessories on her wrists. Lauren hit her stride when she made game day more fashionable with stadium approved purses and innovative accessories for fashion loving fans. Lauren Farrell NY products are made in the USA and even customizable. Lauren gives back through a partnership with Deckers Dogs and the Eric and Jessie Decker Foundation. Lauren also launch the stylish and important and Vienna collection to honor the memory of Holmdel native Vienna Savino and raise awareness about Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC)which is a leading category of death in toddlers. You can find Lauren's pop up shop at Bell Works and bring the kids over for one of her weekend design workshops. It's clear from Lauren's ingenuity and passion that shine through this episode that big things are on the horizon for Lauren Farrell NY. PS, Lauren, owe me a pic in that sweet jacket! Check out , Lauren Farrell NY at www.laurenfarrellny.com and @laurenfarrellny.

The first genetic counselor to work within a Medical Examiner’s Office, Nori Williams, MS, CGC talks about how she works with families after the loss of a loved one from Sudden Unexplained Death that turns out to have an underlying cardiogenetic cause. She shares stories of grief, resiliency and hope from families she has worked with, helping them to understand what their loved one’s genetic testing results mean for other family members. Patient story reference points: Patient story #1 @ 10:10 Patient story #2 @ 14:55 Resources: postmortem@nsgc.org CredibleMeds - Up-to-date list of drugs to avoid for people with LQT Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation (SADS) Book a genetic counseling appointment with Nori! Check out other Patient Stories podcast episodes. Read other Patient Stories on the Grey Genetics Patient Stories Page Do you want to support Patient Stories? You can now make a donation online! Want to support Patient Stories in a non-monetary way? Leave us a review on iTunes, or share your favorite episodes on Social Media. Patient Stories on Twitter: @GreyGeneticsPod Patient Stories on Instagram: @patientstoriespodcast Are you looking for genetic counseling? Patient Stories is sponsored by Grey Genetics, an independent telehealth genetic counseling and consulting company. Book an appointment with a genetic counselor specialized in your area of concern. Choose from our growing Network of Genetic Counselors. All genetic counseling appointments take place over secure, HIPAA-compliant video-conferencing or by phone.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, FACP, FAAN Guest: Elizabeth Donner, MD Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) refers to the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy person with epilepsy where no cause of death can be found. What do doctors need to know about this mysterious and devastating phenomenon? Dr. Elizabeth Donner, Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto joins host Dr. Andrew Wilner to talk about the risks and investigated causes of SUDEP.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, Author of "The Locum Life: A Physician's Guide to Locum Tenens" Guest: Elizabeth Donner, MD Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) refers to the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy person with epilepsy where no cause of death can be found. What do doctors need to know about this mysterious and devastating phenomenon? Dr. Elizabeth Donner, Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto joins host Dr. Andrew Wilner to talk about the risks and investigated causes of SUDEP.

Host: Andrew Wilner, MD, Author of "The Locum Life: A Physician's Guide to Locum Tenens" Guest: Elizabeth Donner, MD Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) refers to the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy person with epilepsy where no cause of death can be found. What do doctors need to know about this mysterious and devastating phenomenon? Dr. Elizabeth Donner, Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto joins host Dr. Andrew Wilner to talk about the risks and investigated causes of SUDEP.

Dr. Alessi discusses Sudden Unexplained Death from Epilepsy with Dr. Cynthia Harden and future directions in neurology with Dr. Ralph Sacco.