67 – Deep Worldbuilding
Chris, Mike, and Oren get into the weeds of worldbuilding. How much culture is too much? What little details are distracting? And do you really need depth, or just an illusion of it? Read more »
Star Trek
65 – Antagonistic and Evil Organizations
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 »
Seven Bizarre Moral Implications From Popular Stories
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 »
63 – Favorite and Least Favorite Main Characters
Oren, Mike, and Rhys discuss what traits a main character should or shouldn’t have and contrast their favorite and least favorite heroes. While they’re at it, they ask who or what Hawkeye is, spout excessive train puns, and contemplate earlobe fixations. Read more »
62 – Transitions Great and Small
Chris, Ariel, and Oren discuss transitions in writing and other media. They describe what transitions need to accomplish and various techniques for transitioning between scenes. While they’re at it, they debate whether Harry Potter should have died … Read more »
61 – Stories That Do Diversity Right
Oren, Mike, and Rhys rave about stories that handle diversity well. They detail what’s refreshing about each story and how works benefit from incorporating greater diversity. As they highlight the good aspects of many stories, they also discuss where a few stories fall short. Read more »
60 – Making Your Villains Sympathetic
Chris, Oren, and Mike discuss how to craft villains that the audience can relate to. They describe different types of sympathetic villains, weigh the pros and cons of making villains relateable, and dissect examples of from popular media. Then they rejoice as Oren finally admits … read more »
Matriarchies, Patriarchies, and Beyond
Mythcreants hosted a panel at this year’s GeekGirlCon in Seattle. Chris, Oren, Rhys, and I discussed gender in spec fic and how you can create matriarchal, patriarchal, or egalitarian societies for your stories. It was a lively event with many challenging questions from the audience. … read more »
58 – What We Liked as Kids
Special guest Rhys joins Oren, Mike, and Chris for a question and answer session about the speculative fiction they loved as kids. They describe how they got into spec fic, what their favorite books and franchises were, and how their tastes changed as they got … read more »
Six Strange Stories From My Gaming Table
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 »