You have an idea. It is beautiful and amazing and awesome. Now what? How do you take this idea and turn it into a story? That’s our topic for this week, and hopefully we can shed some light on this tricky situation. We talk about […]

Every story needs to be called something, but the title you choose shouldn’t be a last-minute afterthought. Titles are a vital tool for communicating with the audience well before they turn the first page. But how does that communication work? What makes some titles better […]

We’ve all heard how important it is for writers to “kill their darlings,” but what does that actually mean? How and when should you do it? Are there any other options? Why is this advice so common? We talk about all those questions and more […]

Why is your hero doing what they’re doing? Do you know? Do they know? If not, then you might have a problem with character motivation, but don’t worry, we’re here to help. This episode is all about figuring out what drives your character, what pushes […]

Can what your protagonist thinks and does really be that important? Can it actually have an impact on how readers understand the story? Yes, yes it can, and that’s what we’re talking about today. This episode is all about authorial endorsement: what it means and […]

What would you say your greatest weakness is? Are you too honest? Too hardworking? Too punctual? Sheesh, this character flaw stuff is harder than it looks. That’s why we’ve devoted an entire episode to talking about it. We discuss what character flaws are, how they […]

Behold, a podcast with emotions so deep you can feel them in your bones! No, not deep enough, your marrow! Or maybe your T-cells? That’s right, today we’re talking about melodrama, the thing that happens when authors try to make more emotional scenes by writing […]

With a snap of our fingers and an abracadabra, we summon this podcast to appear, as if by a system of magic. That’s right, it’s time to talk about magic systems, something your story has the moment you decide to include supernatural elements. Not all […]

Sometimes, characters die. In some stories, characters die a lot. But is this good for the story? Does it add gravitas and realism, or is it just a cheap way to ruin everyone’s day? We discussed this topic way back in the day, but we’ve […]