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Guest host Ari joins us once again for the second half of our talk on long series. With such a big topic, even fitting it into a two parter was hard. This week we discuss that bogeyman of long narratives: series bloat. What is it? … read more »
Speculative fiction readers gobble up books like they’re going out of style, so this week we set our sights on what we’ve learned from these extra long sagas. Joining us is guest host Ari, who’s read these books about a million times. Listen as we … read more »
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 »
Can you trust everything you’re told? How about the sights and sounds of a viewpoint character? Mike, Oren, and Chris discuss the use of unreliable narrators. They sort out the liars, the delusional, and the ill-informed whose voices we hear our stories through. Read more »
Roleplaying games never go the way you expect, which is the entire point. Predictable campaigns are boring campaigns. Players are smart, and they need room to experiment. When things veer into strange territory, you get the best stories, tales you’ll still be talking about years … 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 »
Main characters are great. Without them, we’d have no one to project ourselves onto. But have you ever read/watched/listened to/smelled a story and been more interested in one of the side characters? Maybe they’ve got a good sense of humor. Maybe their backstory really speaks … read more »
Chris, Oren and Mike discuss the unique challenges urban fantasy writers face when worldbuilding, and their share favorite solutions from books, shows and movies. They dissect tropes that are common in urban fantasy worlds and compare them from one world to the next. Read more »