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While it might be fun to imagine a world where magic has no limits, it won’t work for your story. Without some sort of limit, magic will destroy all conflict and make a mockery of your setting. This week, we discuss how best to put … read more »
It’s a basic rule of storytelling: the stakes get higher as the story goes forward. But how do you do that? How do you know what’s good escalation and what’s just skipping all the necessary build up? What should you do when you’ve escalated as far as … read more »
These stories could take place on a volcanic iceberg and still be popular. But having devoted fans doesn’t mean their worlds couldn’t be better. Even when the premise relies on an unrealistic setting, unbelievable aspects can be cured with forethought. Just look at these popular … read more »
Mike brings Chris and Oren back for a deeper dive into the depths of deep worldbuilding. Did we mention this topic was deep? Tune in for further discussions of what aspects of worldbuilding are successful for long running stories and what stories are best suited … read more »
Mike, Chris, and Oren discuss what makes an antagonistic organization shine in fiction. They examine their favorites and describe villainous groups that failed to feel plausible or threatening. Listen in to find out how to make an evil organization a fan favorite. Read more »
Morality is weird and complex. If two people have an equal chance of dying, is it moral to save the one you like better? Philosophers are having drag-out fights about that question as I type this. However, despite morality’s frustrating ambiguity, we generally agree on … read more »
Sometimes technology is too good to be true. It might be so powerful that problems become trivial. Get into a jam? Just pull out that deus ex machina, it’ll clear it right up for you. Or the tech’s power level is fine, but taken to … read more »
Unless you’re in a roleplaying game, it’s unlikely that all of your characters will have the same level of capability, yet it’s easy to focus on characters who kick the most butt. Unfortunately, the most powerful characters aren’t always the best characters. So what’s a … read more »
Mike, Chris, and Oren discuss politics in modern genre settings. They question how Hogwarts is funded, debate government involvement in Buffy, and wonder about the jurisdiction of S.H.I.E.L.D. Read more »
Telling an egalitarian story means fighting back against a lifetime of cultural programming, not to mention systematic bias in production, publishing, and marketing. So even when we try to make our stories just, problems we haven’t noticed can sneak their way in. Graded on a … read more »