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It was a dark and stormy podcast. Suddenly, a host called out “what does weather mean in fiction?” So we decided to do that for a topic. That’s right, 30 minutes talking about the weather. Flee while you can! Or stay and discover what weather … read more »
Scifi, mystery, literary, these are all genres, and each of them means something different. But what does genre mean, exactly? How important is it to the writing process, or the publishing process for that matter? Listen in as we tackle those very questions this week. … read more »
Mages are difficult to oppress, what with how they can teleport and shoot fire out of their hands, but that doesn’t stop authors from trying. Some stories manage to get past the practical barriers of oppressing mages before running into the socio-political ones, but we’re … read more »
Everyone loves using their cultural heritage for spec fic inspiration, but what happens when Americans look to their own folklore for ideas? They find out that most American folklore is terrible, that’s what. But do not despair, for in among the bigoted mess, there are … read more »
It’s a podcast topic so nice we recorded it twice! But seriously, there are so many of these sayings, we just had to extend it into a two-parter. Heck, we could probably have done a third episode, but that would be a little much. Listen … read more »
We’ve all heard the sayings and truisms about writing: “Write what you know,” “show don’t tell,” and the like. They come in different forms, but they’re remarkably consistent all the same. What do these sayings actually mean? What value do they have, and how can … read more »
In this final week of Spook Month, it’s time to talk about our favorite spooky stories. Gather round the fire and don’t let your eyes stray to what moves in the shadows, lest you become its next victim. Listen as we describe stories where nature … read more »
Halloween approaches – time for spooks! What’s really spooky? A monster. And what’s spookier than a conventional monster? An unconventional monster! That’s why today we’re talking about all the great monsters out there that break the mold and scare us in brand new ways. Okay … read more »
We all have our favorite characters who we hate to see go, but sometimes killing a character is actually bad for the story. That’s what we’re talking about today, and we promise it’s not just an excuse to complain about deaths that made us sad. … read more »
Is something bad going to happen? Will the hero make that jump? Will the villain foreclose on the orphanage? That tight feeling you get thinking about those questions is called tension, and it’s a critical element of storytelling. So critical, we’re devoting an entire episode … read more »