What’s that, you want to know how to tell jokes in fiction? I guess we could… humor you. Yeah, that’s about the level of comedy you should expect from this podcast, but on the bright side, we do have some actual insights into how humor works in fiction. We talk about why some jokes are […]

What’s that, you want to know how to tell jokes in fiction? I guess we could… humor you. Yeah, that’s about the level of comedy you should expect from this podcast, but on the bright side, we do have some actual insights into how humor […]

     

Water, earth, fire, Amelia Earhart. Wait, what? One of those things is not like the others. This is what happens when you don’t theme your world. What does theming your world mean? I’m glad you asked, because this week we have a podcast all about […]

     

Water, earth, fire, Amelia Earhart. Wait, what? One of those things is not like the others. This is what happens when you don’t theme your world. What does theming your world mean? I’m glad you asked, because this week we have a podcast all about it. This is our second time on the topic, but […]

First there’s a problem, then there’s a turning point, and then… darn it, what comes after the turning point? If everything’s working properly, that’s when it’s time for the resolution, but this is trickier than some writers think. You have to show things resolving, not introduce some new problem or cut immediately to credits! Fortunately, […]

First there’s a problem, then there’s a turning point, and then… darn it, what comes after the turning point? If everything’s working properly, that’s when it’s time for the resolution, but this is trickier than some writers think. You have to show things resolving, not […]

     

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone we’re recording a podcast about magic that no one knows about. We have to keep it hidden by putting on an elaborate deception to keep people from finding out. A masquerade, if you will. That’s right, in this episode, we’re talking about that urban fantasy (and sometimes scifi) trope that nearly […]

Shhhh, don’t tell anyone we’re recording a podcast about magic that no one knows about. We have to keep it hidden by putting on an elaborate deception to keep people from finding out. A masquerade, if you will. That’s right, in this episode, we’re talking […]

     

One big novel is great, but what if it was a bunch of tiny novels instead? Or one novel chopped into a bunch of tiny pieces? More than novels normally are, I mean. Today, we’re exploring the topic of episodic storytelling in prose: how it works, why it works, and what the common problems are. […]

One big novel is great, but what if it was a bunch of tiny novels instead? Or one novel chopped into a bunch of tiny pieces? More than novels normally are, I mean. Today, we’re exploring the topic of episodic storytelling in prose: how it […]