Today I have the pleasure of hosting novelist and screenwriter Augustus Rose on the show!

Augustus has a strong passion for numerous weird, esoteric, and fringe concepts, and found a way to thread them all together in his stunning debut novel, The Readymade Thief.

Listen in as we pick apart the many layers of Augustus’s strange yet relatable novel, and learn how weave together different points of view to create one compelling narrative.

In this episode Augustus and I discuss:

• How to transform high concept and strange ideas into a relatable story.
• Why starting with a prologue is necessary in certain situations.
• What narrative distance is, and how to manipulate it.
• When to break the “rules” intentionally so as to jar your in reader the right way.
• World building, and how to create a world based on different ideas instead of different landscapes.

Plus, Augustus’s #1 tip for writers.

About Augustus Rose

Augustus Rose is a novelist and screenwriter. He was born in the northern California coastal town of Bolinas, and grew up there and in San Francisco. He lives in Chicago with his wife and son, and teaches fiction writing at the University of Chicago. His debut novel, The Readymade Thief, is available now. To connect with Augustus check out his website at https://augustusrose.me/.

The Readymade Thief

Lee Cuddy is seventeen years old and on the run.

Betrayed by her family after taking the fall for a friend, Lee finds refuge in a cooperative of runaways holed up in an abandoned building they call the Crystal Castle. But the façade of the Castle conceals a far more sinister agenda, one hatched by a society of fanatical men set on decoding a series of powerful secrets hidden in plain sight. And they believe Lee holds the key to it all.

Aided by Tomi, a young hacker and artist with whom she has struck a wary alliance, Lee escapes into the unmapped corners of the city—empty aquariums, deserted motels, patrolled museums, and even the homes of vacationing families. But the deeper she goes underground, the more tightly she finds herself bound in the strange web she’s trying to elude. Desperate and out of options, Lee steps from the shadows to face who is after her—and why.

A novel of puzzles, conspiracies, secret societies, urban exploration, art history, and a singular, indomitable heroine, The Readymade Thief heralds the arrival of a spellbinding and original new talent in fiction.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase DIY MFA makes a small commission at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 168

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 168: The Art of Narrative Distance — Interview with Augustus Rose appeared first on DIY MFA.