Pub Crawl

Dan and Ezra discuss the apparent health benefits of reading and writing. Does that make reading and writing any more fun, though? Plus, Dan wonders about "main character energy."

Dan and Ezra consider the challenges of writing "as yourself," rather than as an invented character. Meanwhile, Ezra proves himself to be a thoughtful friend. Plus: Al Pacino and Keith Richards impressions.

Dan and Ezra discuss tips and tricks for writing compelling dialogue. It's not all he said/she said!

Oh, no! Are dads no longer reading dad books? Dan and Ezra check out the data on men's reading habits and reconsider their own bookshelves. What is the world coming to if dads aren't reading Civil War histories and biographies of Winston Churchill???

Dan and Ezra dig into two much-discussed novels: the word-of-mouth bestseller Theo of Golden, which famously began its life as a self-published book, and Transcription, a spikey metafiction sure to be shortlisted for major literary awards this year. Can our faithful hosts agree on anything about these two very different novels? And what, if anything, can writers and pubishers learn from their success?

Drawing on his secret identity as a prize-winning writer of promos for TV, Dan leads a conversation about crafting blurbs for book covers.

In the wake of their conversation about plot and story, Dan and Ezra consider the question of character -- how important is character in fiction? And how do you go about creating memorable characters? Plus: a foray into the topic of marine mammals.

Does plot matter? Ezra is skeptical but Dan argues that plot absulutely does matter, and sketches out key elements of storytelling.

Dan and Ezra try to wrap their heads around AI detectors: How they work… and sometimes don’t work. The guys run some of their own prose through detectors, with surprising results. 

Links:

Adobe: Three key AI detection techniques

https://www.adobe.com/acrobat/resources/how-do-ai-detectors-work.html

Jane Friedman: AI and Publishing: FAQ for Writers

https://janefriedman.com/ai-and-publishing-faq-for-writers

originality.ai

grammarly.com

scribbr.com

Does there come a time when a writer is just too old to create? Is it time for Dan and Ezra to hang up their writer's berets and retire to the nearest wine bar?

Links:

Keith Sawyer's essay about creatity and age

https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/is-creativity-a-young-persons-game/

Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton's articel in Scientific American on "creative trajectories"

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-creativity-decline-with-age/

"Crystallizec abilities" vs. "processing speed"

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4906299/