For the first half hour, Alex and Chris spend some quality time talking about bringing their work to the next level and Chris discusses the Deadly Ink Mystery Conference, he attended two weeks ago, in all it's glory.   From cat cozies to pulp to the traditional mystery, there's a little something for everybody, Including Dimesleuth, a creative Instagram and Twitter page celebrating the noir crime genre.  And in the second half of the show, we  share Chris' interview with the man behind, DimeSleuth, who comes at the topic of story-telling from a slightly different angle. 

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Chris is on a solo mission at the DEADLY INK WRITERS' CONFERENCE meeting and learning from writers of many genres.  And of course Chris is also interviewing as many of these creatives as he can. 

So in this episode Chris sits with Carol Gyzander (sci-fi, mystery, etc.), Joe Kennedy (fiction author), Teel James Glenn (writer of pulp, adventures, etc.), as they discuss the pros and cons of finding and being part of a writers' group.

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Chris is back from the wilds of creative career contemplation, and Alex has returned from panels and presentations at the San Diego Comic Con!  They're here to share some insight on the challenges of pursuing your goals and dreams. and they're not alone. They've brought with them Michael Uslan, the executive producer of every Batman movie since 1989.  

Actually, it's a recording of his presentation to a packed auditorium at Comic Con International. Micheal's pursuit of his goals and dreams will resonate with anyone who has ever imagined achieving what seemed to be impossible. 

(*Because the recording was on a small handheld device, the sound is not at the quality we would prefer. But the message is well worth the occasional bleeps, or peaks.)

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With Alex attending the the biggest comic con on the west coast, and Chris watching social media report and respond to it from the east coast, the boys offer their own insight into the verbiage and views of commentators, comics and crowds.

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[*Sorry we were late with this one. Sometimes globe-hopping and tech can be a serious challenge.]

Many, many students ask the same question, sometimes with subtle variations.  How can I come up with a new idea?  Why bother, mine won't be as good? Will anybody even read my story? How can I make mine better? And so it goes on.

In this episode, Alex Simmons explores 5 ways to address these questions and the process.

Click here for a Story Pool List Guide.

Click here to get a list of 20 Character Bio Questions to help you create yours.

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Writers often talk about character motivations. Basically why do they do what they do? Though that is a major question, another equally important one is, Why Do We, the Writers Do What We Do?  Alex explores that question because the answer often impacts and empowers our choices for topics, plots, characters, genres, and audience. 

Sometimes, more than we suspect.

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There are so many things that influence our storytelling. If we only scratch the surface we wind up repeating what's gone before, in almost the same "voice." But diving deeper into our own thoughts, feelings, and experiences helps separate imitation from innovation. In this episode, Alex shares the  process that's lead to him writing some of the most iconic characters in fiction.

Click here for a Story Pool List Guide.

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In this episode Alex identifies and underlines the 7 important sources writers explore for stories. From an item on your desk to a tragic moment in life, artist must look to the inner and outer world, in order to reflect it. 

Click here for a free lis of these 7 Top Sources.

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Alex and Chris celebrate Father's Day talking about the influence of fathers (and mothers!) present or not, being fathers, and the impact of fictional fathers on us, as well as infamous fictional sons and daughters, including Batman, 4 Robins, Batgirl, Spider-Man, This Is Us (yep!), Odin, Blackjack, Captain America, Raven, and Black Panther. Whew! 

Happy Father's Day, everybody.

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Alex and Chris discuss what Chris calls the "come down" from being heavily engaged in the creative process; the time when we're not quite out of our creative world and not quite in our every day world. The results can be challenging, hilarious, and sometimes a little confusing. Alex recorded this episode during his own come down from his latest creative efforts, adding an interesting twist to this episode. 

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