Swashbuckling adventure author Nicholas Atwater joins us to share hard-earned insights learned from writing his book, Echoes of the Imperium. We discuss how to make your protagonist interesting in more than one way, and also how most great things come from spite. Well… most of our great things. You be the judge? 

00:00 Introductions

02:32 Reading from Echoes of the Imperium, Chapter 1

09:02 Why a Goblin Captain?

15:54 How to Write Big Ensembles? 

23:06 Protagonists Worth Rooting For

32:06 Managing Reader Bandwidth, and Understanding What You're Asking

42:17 The Evolution of the Mission

50:04 Characters as Investment Opportunities

59:19 Conclusions

Grab your copy of Echoes of the Imperium: https://www.nicholasatwater.com/ 

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Nicholas Atwater: https://www.nicholasatwater.com/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InkingNeon

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Cullen McHael: https://cullenmchael.com 

Stuart J. Tanner: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XW3G4WG/ https://www.amazon.com.au/Art-of-Story/dp/B08JL6GJBR/

Stuart says you’ve got to plot your stories. Cullen isn’t so sure! Maybe you can just fly by the seat of your pants? We lay out our arguments in the (timeless?) Pants vs Plot debate. Also featured: Joseph Cambell was a moron; is Save the Cat worthless?; the creativity of David Lynch; and examples of stirring scenes from Dune Part II and The Fellowship of the Ring.

00:00 The Plotter vs. Pantser Debate

02:15 The Plotter Opening Statement: The Importance of Plotting in Speculative Fiction

05:29 The Pantser Opening Statement: The Joy of Discovery in Writing

10:56 The Utility of Knowing Your Story's Themes

14:59 The Simplicity at the Heart of Complex Stories

20:40 Navigating Plot Structures

28:41 Exploring the Themes of 'The Lord of the Rings'

40:29 Exploring David Lynch's Creative Process

45:30 Dune: Themes of Power and Revenge

52:27 Stuart's Pathos, Ethos, and Logos Toolkit

57:16 Closing statements: The Balance of Plotting and Discovery in Writing

Stuart’s Examples:

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Interpreted by Peter Jackson, screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Stephen Sinclair

DUNE by Frank Herbert Interpreted by Dennis Villanueva, Screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Dennis Villanueva, Eric Roth.

Referenced in this conversation:

The Hero With A Thousand Faces, Joseph Cambell

Seven Basic Plots, by Christopher Booker

Save the Cat, by ​​Blake Snyder

The Writer’s Journey, Christopher Vogler

The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness by Maureen Murdock

Romancing the Beat by Gwen Hayes

Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting

Date Record: Oct 14, 2025

Date Publish: Oct 15, 2025

Music by Cullen McHael

Edited by Cullen McHael

Produced by Cullen McHael

Hosts: Stuart J. Tanner, Cullen McHael

Follow us!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InkingNeon

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories/id1838329557

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qSplbBX4oYmd2pYoSAzOF

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c7826f91-085a-4509-9c69-d90fef1bdb5b/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories

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Cullen McHael: https://cullenmchael.com 

Stuart J. Tanner: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XW3G4WG/ https://www.amazon.com.au/Art-of-Story/dp/B08JL6GJBR/

Stuart J. Tanner and Cullen McHael trade examples of compelling antagonists in speculative fiction from Sci-Fi to Fantasy, deconstruct the role of the antagonist, and offer advice from hard earned lessons about how and when to consider your antagonist in your writing process. Cullen lists nine kinds of antagonist, which one are you?  

0:00 Intro

Follow us!

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InkingNeon

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories/id1838329557

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1qSplbBX4oYmd2pYoSAzOF

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/c7826f91-085a-4509-9c69-d90fef1bdb5b/inking-neon-light-up-your-stories

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Cullen McHael: https://cullenmchael.com 

Stuart J. Tanner: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B08XW3G4WG/ https://www.amazon.com.au/Art-of-Story/dp/B08JL6GJBR/

Music by Cullen McHael

Edited by Cullen McHael

Produced by Cullen McHael

Hosts: Stuart J. Tanner, Cullen McHael

Stuart J. Tanner and Cullen McHael share hard-earned lessons about getting your fight scenes right.

0:00 Intro

Edited by Cullen McHael

Questions of the Day:

Book Recommendations

On this first episode of Inking Neon, journalist, author, and teacher Stuart J. Tanner is sent to Baghdad at the height of the Iraq occupation and discovers that and other strange worlds. We discuss what makes for compelling characters, the process of investigation in writing, and read from Stuart's book Devas: A Sci-Fi adventure in which a serial murder case spirals out of control when a detective discovers an alien civilization.

0:00 Intro

Buy Devas, by Stuart J. Tanner: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XWSCFP9