The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

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The Nuts and Bolts of Writing episodes

  • EP 223: Dear Esther: A Study in Allegorical Dreamscape

    Co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games explore the themes explored in Dear Esther, a 2013 video game created by the acclaimed English video game company, The Chinese Room.

    Dear Esther explores the process of grief and emotional transcension through a vague character reflecting on the loss of his wife. 

    Throughout the game, as the character reveals through mystic soliloquies of science and religious reveries, that the accident is indirectly their own fault. This adds another weight of guilt into the mix of grief and loss. 

    The game lacks much interaction. Instead, the player is left with no choice, but whisked into the immersion of being drawn across the harsh landscape of a desolate, scrub-bush island. The lack of choice is fatalism played out, much like the character forced to process their own loss and realize, life, like death, is inevitable in its juggernaut of events. 

    Fortunus and Tete ask each other the following questions to discuss Dear Esther:

    1. What do you think the game’s story is?

    2. What do you think of the biblical references?

    3. Do you consider this a game, since it is just a walking simulator with no action or puzzles?

    4. What can this kind of game offer that other types of game cannot offer?

    5. What do we make of how the character processes grief?

    6. The ending is somewhat vague. Does the character kill themselves and ascend spiritually? Or somehow transcends beyond death? Is this a good ending? 

    7. What can we learn from Dear Esther? 

      8. 35 min
    8. EP 222: Book Review: Orhan Pamuk’s “Silent House”

      Host Fortunus Games reviews a book by one of her favorite authors, Orhan Pamuk - “Silent House.” Written in 1983, “Silent House” is Pamuk’s second novel. It tells the story of three siblings - Faruk, a historian, Nilgun, a sociology student who sympathizes with leftists, and Metin, a high school nerd - visiting their grandmother Fatma in a small town near Istanbul.

      Unfortunately, Fortunus Games didn't really enjoy this book and gave it 2/5 stars. Find out why.

      7 min
    9. EP 221: Movie Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

      Today, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, reviews the 2023 Spiderman movie, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse. 

      A colorful, bold, and heartfelt sequel to the innovative 2018’s Spiderman :Into the Spiderverse, Across the Spiderverse surpassed its predecessor in terms of pushing the boundaries with animation, sound design, and pacing. 

      Despite being an hour longer than its prequel, Across the Spiderverse excelled in its pacing. It covered a layered story, starting and concluding with a poignant yet satisfying arc with Spider-Gwen. 

      The movie also introduced, like Into the Spiderverse, several fascinating characters with striking personalities and unique animation designs. 

      But where the movie really made impact was its emotional clarity and ideological conflict.

      Listen to this episode to learn why Tete enjoyed this movie!



      24 min
    10. EP 220: Bioshocked: Part III, Bad Rep, No Depth: Exploring the subtle racism of the Bioshock Franchise

      Bioshock had many problems when it came to portraying several groups. Here’s what co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games both noticed when playing the games and watching others’ gameplay videos.

      • Many fans will argue that the racist depictions, such as the Rapture vending machines, like El Bandito, are products of their time. The disturbing caricatures featured heavily in Columbian propaganda are also attributed, sadly, to real-life media depictions throughout American art and entertainment. However, how can we explain the stereotypes of characters such as Grace Holloway? 
        • Why is Charles Milton Porter racist to you?
          • Why is Daisy Fitzroy from Bioshock Infinite problematic?
            • Why do you think a wildly outrageous and offensive racial caricature of “Yellow Peril” such Dr. Yi Suchong would be greenlighted in a work that came out in 2007? Even Burial at Sea, released in 2013, repeated this offensive depiction of the infamous Dr. Suchong. What does this say about the franchise’s treatment of characters who are Eastern Asian? 
              • Dealing with a more evasive topic- characters such Tennebaum and Dr. Steinman appears borderline anti-Semitic. Yet the franchise’s creator, Ken Levine, reportedly draws from his Jewish-American upbringing. Would these depictions of stereotypes be seen as inverted through a self-critique, or viewed, upon closer inspection, as internalized racism? 


                • 42 min
              • EP 219: Bioshocked: Part II, Hour of the Tower: Bioshock Infinite’s Elizabeth

                Co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games talk about Elizabeth Comstock from the 2013 game, "Bioshock Infinite." They explore the following questions:

                1. Elizabeth stands out from many female characters, especially in gaming. What do you think are the key traits that make her stand out?
                2. What makes her story and personality carry the story so well? Why is she so vivid? 
                3. So for Tete, a former homeschooler, Elizabeth’s own experiences and struggles resonate STRONGLY with Tete. What are some of the parallels between Elizabeth’s challenges and Tete’s/other homeschoolers? 
                4. How is Elizabeth’s isolation similar to extreme homeschooling? 
                5. Elizabeth struggles, too, with a toxic parent. What are the effects we can see manifest in Elizabeth’s life and mindset in Infinite?
                6. Although non-canonical, Burial at Sea gave us a glimpse into an alternate Elizabeth. Was she out of character? Or did we see the further “effects” of her past catch up with her? 
                7. What can we learn from the outcome of both Infinite and Burial at Sea? 
                  8. 34 min
                8. EP 218: Bioshocked: Part I, It’s All in the Book(er)

                  Watch the video version which shows scenes of the game.


                  In this episode, hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games discuss one of their favorite games, "Bioshock Infinite." We discuss the following questions:

                  1. Booker is actually Comstock in another universe. What do you think set the stage for an alternate Booker to become Comstock? 
                  2. Comstock himself is an unorthodox antagonist. Unlike most antagonists, he’s deluded that he’s really saving a chosen people and believes his own form of religion will save the Nation. But he’s turned to other means to make his reality come true.  What do we make of his religious extremism? 
                  3. Are we facing a similar trend of religious extremism today, especially in the US? 
                  4. Let’s talk about Columbia, the floating country of Comstock’s radical reality. (We can also talk about the theory that Columbia was originally DC.) What can creators learn about good worldbuilding from a world like Columbia? 
                  5. Despite the striking contrast in its ensemble, what makes the Infinite cast work? We have characters ranging from the powerhouse populist leader Daisy Fitzroy to the enigmatic but charming Luteces.  What makes this cast work? What can we learn about a character cast working together in a heavy story like Infinite? 
                    6. 32 min
                  6. EP 217: Interview with Crime-Thriller Author James Michels

                    In this episode, Tete DePunk (IG: @tete.depunk), one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews writer James Michels, author of novels such as “The Ballad of Johnny Carlo”,  “Ice Rising”, and its sequel, “Icebox”.  Prolific in the Crime-thriller genre, James michels has also recently released a crime fiction anthology, “Life’s Dark Corners”. 

                    As of 2015, he is an Officer with the Department of Corrections. Crime fiction explores the darker reality of life, often exposing social and personal issues in ways that other genres might not fully show. Its focus on the grittiness of ordinary reality for the individual facing an unfriendly world has made this particular genre a compelling one. 

                    Tete asks James the following questions:

                    • What got you into writing?

                    • You mentioned you always enjoyed the true crime and crime fiction genres. What drew you into these particular genres? 

                    • When you set out to write your works, there is certainly some research involved in the creation of these works. How do you go about the research process for your work? 

                    • How much fact do you incorporate in your fiction? 

                    • How do you know what is the right amount of fact to put in work? 

                    • In 2015, you joined the Department of Corrections as an officer - has this influenced your approach in writing your work? 

                    • Lastly, what is your goal in your writing work? What do you wish to impart to your readers? 

                      • Links:

                      • James’ website: https://jamesmichelsbooks.com/
                      • James’ books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/James-Edward-Michels/author/B08XN58X8R?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true 
                      • James’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesemichels/
                        • 38 min
                      • EP 216: Interview with Screenwriter and Podcaster Brock Swinson

                        Today, co-host Tete DePunk will be interviewing author and interviewer Brock Swinson, who reached out to our podcast. Brock Swinson is the author of Ink by the Barrel: Secrets from Prolific Writers.

                        He is also the interviewer for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, a publication dedicated since 1994 to educating and exploring the field of screenwriting and its creative minds at the helm. Additionally, Swinson hosts the podcast, Creative Principles, a podcast focused on discussion of the creative principle and key figures in the creative world today. 

                        I’ve provided links to the Creative Screenwriting Magazine and the Creative Principle Podcast in the description. Throughout his career, Brock Swinson has gained an impressively thorough knowledge of the screenwriting world. He has had the opportunity to discuss indepth the creative principles and know-how of the field with some of the best minds in the industry.

                        Tete asks Brock the following questions:

                        1. How did you get into the field of creative screenwriting? 

                        2. What challenges did you face in this particular industry? 

                        3. How has screenwriting changed throughout the past 10 years? 

                        4. Does AI, as some purport, threaten the agency and integrity of screenwriters today? 

                        5. In your view, what were the factors that have led to the recent strikes from the Writers Guild of America? Have these factors been present for a long time standing? 

                        6. Did you ever face set-backs in your career? If so, how did you overcome them?

                        7. How can aspiring screenwriters and writers get into the industry? 

                        8. What advice would you impart to yourself when you first began in this field? 

                          9. Links:

                          • Brock’s Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/brockswinson/⁠ 
                          • Creative Screenwriting Magazine: ⁠https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/author/Brock/2/⁠ 
                          • Creative Principles Podcast: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/creative-principles/id1292130289⁠
                            • 39 min
                          • EP 215: Interview with Author James Mitchell

                            Host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games) interviews author James Mitchell about his upcoming book, which will hit retail on September 19, 2023. His book is called “Musical Chairs: A 76-year-old’s quest to learn every instrument in the orchestra.” 

                            Find out more about it on James' website: https://jamesmitchellbooks.com/

                            James Mitchell was born in New York City, which nurtured his love of classical music from an early age. Professing little to no talent, however, he left the playing of music mostly to others until the writing of Musical Chairs.

                            For the 67 years that elapsed between music lessons, Mr. Mitchell was an actor, a Sales Manager for a ski company, President of a national advertising agency, a cowboy and wilderness outfitter, an educator, and co-founder of an NGO aiding women in Afghanistan.

                            Mr. Mitchell is working on two new books, and otherwise occupies his time going to concerts, playing music, tennis, cycling, and riding and driving horses. He lives in the country near Longmont, Colorado with his wife, some zebra finches, an old cat, and a few equines.

                            He is immensely proud and fond of his two grown offspring and has one very young grandson.

                            Imelda asks James the following questions (and more):

                            1. What prompted you to write this book? 

                            2. In your bio, you said you always loved classical music. Growing up, how were you exposed to this genre of music and what did you particularly like about it?

                            3. Which instruments do you enjoy the most and why?

                            4. You mentioned you were an actor. Since acting is a form of art, did it influence how you saw music? Did it also influence your interest in writing?

                            5. Why did you have five careers before writing “Musical Chairs?” Sounds like a drifter to me.

                            6. Not many people start on a three year project when they are 76. Especially when they know next to nothing about it. Were you trying to prove something? To yourself? To others?

                            7. How many times did you think of bagging the whole thing during those three plus years?

                            8. You could have tackled something else, like taking just 12 lessons in 11 different languages and then be able to order a meal in each language at an ethnic restaurant. Why music?

                            9. The subject is serious, but the book has a lot of humor in it, much of it self-deprecating. Why did you do that?

                            10. Playing a classical music excerpt in just 12 lessons is quite a challenge, made more so by the week after week, month after month nature of the book. How much pressure did you feel to do well?

                              11. James’ upcoming site: https://jamesmitchellbooks.com/  

                              37 min

                            About The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

                            From the publisher's feed

                            Hosts Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games), Teresa (Tete DePunk), and R.N. Roveleh interview a wide range of writers and creators about their creative process and approach to writing. They also…