Prose and Cons

Why can't I just give my character a magic wand and be done with it? Nothing says you can't, but will it be good? Or will it completely ruin the story? In this episode, Ally, Matan, Phoenix, Paddy, and James look at all the ways to rip, tear, break, and shatter a story. We get into all sorts of stuff, such as:
- Shock factor done well vs. done not so well.
- How to create meaning and avoid making things feel meaningless.
- James's tenuous relationship with vomit zombies.

A special shout-out to "Cardinal West" on YouTube for his amazing analysis of Zuko's story from Avatar the Last Airbender.

Patrick Rothfuss, if you're listening, small trigger warning for you on this one. You're great, but a little bit of blood was drawn.

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 1 TODAY, 41 OVERALL

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Does editing count as real writing? We all have those days where we fill up a blank page with 2000 words of new material and that feels bloody great. But what about editing, sculpting those words so they're good and they flow? The gang talks about it today as well as

- The Differing editing styles: layering vs sculpting

- Different editing passes

- Why Mark Twain was a very sneaky man regarding his editors

- Why it can sometimes be best to finish a work before starting to edit it

- and why Matan will be greeted in limbo when he dies  by the unbaptised children of his deleted manuscripts.

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 5 TODAY, 40 OVERALL

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

In a special episode, Alex sits down with Bram Stoker Award winner Kealan Patrick Burke for a little chat about all things ghostly and ghoulish including

• Winning the Bram and the Horror Writer’s association
• Why there's no dichotomy between self-publishing versus trad
• The value of novellas
• Getting your book made into a movie
• Selling yourself to agents

and much more.  Enjoy!

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 5 TODAY, 37 OVERALL

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Are you ready to RUMMBBLLLEEE!
With WrestleMania 39 on the horizon, the producers here at Precipice Fiction Inc. felt it was time to unleash Ally's true form on the world. A writer behind the keyboard, a slayer in the analysis of storytelling tools used in the WWE, Ally leads a willing, yet maybe slightly nervous, team into the unknown world of wrestling in this special extended episode—Ally had a lot to say, Phoenix took notes.

We'll go over:
- The storytelling structure of a fight.

- How far back does Ally's obsession go? (far ...)

- Is WWE wrestling real? (No it is not, but the storytelling devices are as real as real gets).

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 0 TODAY, 32 OVERALL

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Well isn't that just CLICHE?! Well ... is it?
Join us in today's discussion, where Paddy, James, and Alex explore the gray area and fine lines between archetypes, cliches, and stereotypes. Were Gandalf and Obi Wan trendsetters? Or do they fall into the bucket of old, wise men? 

- How can we use cliches as a tool and avoid them as a trap?

- Can Alex do a Russian accent? (the answer is yes.)

- Is it Robert Green or Richard Green? (It's neither. Robert Harris, we apologise for getting your name wrong a few times—we love your work.)

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 1 TODAY, 32 OVERALL
This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Fresh from not one but TWO shortlistings for the Aurealis Competition, this week we’re getting into the weeds about writing competitions exploring the following topics: 

-Are they worth it? 

-Can you use old work? 

-What sort of research do you need to do?

-How do you maintain your confidence in the face of rejection?

-A checklist of what judges are looking for

-How do you avoid predatory competitions?

Let the Precipice team give you their experience of competitions with a list of do’s a don’t’s. 

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Get your ears ready for some mild ASMR. That's right! This week we're diving into all things munchy, crunchy, and delectable—it's time to talk about food in literature! What are the different ways you can utilize food to expand your writing palette (food pun intended)? Do you have to love food to write about it well? Join the conversation, and the fun and games, as we go! Get ready for:

- The birth of "Spirit Cast"—our Spirited Away themed podcast within a podcast

- The revealing of "the forbidden meat"

- Tips on how to write about food when you yourself hate cooking

- Voldemort cooking impressions

- Denethor being an animal
and plenty more!

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 0 TODAY, 31 OVERALL
This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: https://mybook.to/TheNewMythic

•Website: https://www.precipicefiction.com
•YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
•Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/precipicefiction/
•Twitter: https://twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

This week we're getting into it and sniffing around where characters come from. From our own twisted psyches? From people we know? What are the parameters you need to get right to create good characters? Should they be plot-agnostic or have baked in conflicts? We do our best to answer these, plus:
- Harry Potter spoilers
- character archetypes 
- wild card characters who willfully insert themselves into our stories WITHOUT CONSENT
- bipolar Gandalf
and plenty more!

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 1 TODAY, 31 OVERALL

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

Does every story have a message? Does every story NEED a message? Is a story better off if it's making a point, or are some stories better off pointless? This week, we explore messages in stories, from didactic parables to pure, simple entertainment.

STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 0 TODAY, 30 OVERALL

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction

*SPOILER ALERT FOR THE FIRST 5 EPISODES OF 'THE LAST OF US'* The Precipice gang go off on a critique tangent today, comparing ‘The Last of Us’ in both its TV and video game iterations. There’s a lot of talk about zombies, storytelling devices and the validity of changing up a story’s medium. Is the new series an artistic triumph or a hacky cash-grab? We dig in to find out.

Send us a message!

Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/

=============================================

This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.

Brought to you by Precipice Fiction. Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy.

The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection - Available now in ebook or paperback: mybook.to/TheNewMythic

• Website: precipicefiction.com
• YouTube: youtube.com/@PrecipiceFiction
• Instagram: instagram.com/precipicefiction/
• Twitter: twitter.com/PrecipiceFic
• Facebook: facebook.com/PrecipiceFiction