The Writ Wit

Originally recorded: November 2018

In this episodes, the two Matts don't give a frick, discuss the value of certain countries' dances for fighting, keep going on about not giving a frick, and categorize the types of heroes like we did almost twenty episodes earlier about types of villains probably. What morality types define a heroic character? How many flaws can they have? Can they be perfect and still be interesting? How many different times can Matt Donald announce not giving a frick before it becomes clear he really DOES give a frick, and probably too much of one in fact? We discuss it all, without a single frick to give, and talk about Superman, Lord of the Rings, Pirates of the Caribbean, and VeggieTales for some reason.

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Originally recorded: October 2018

In this episode, the two Matts bring all their friends to a retreat in the woods before getting promptly picked off, reflect on each other's legal expertise, casually talk about how Matt Donald's third Megazoic book will be out soon like it's no big deal, and give advice on how to write darker stories. What themes and moods should darker stories go for? How much darkness is too much, if there is a limit? How much contrast should writers of dark stories strive for? What constitutes as a butt if it's on somebody's chin? We discuss it all, with our finest leather jackets and skull masks on while recording (it's audio format, so you can't tell) and talk about the works of Edgar Allen Poe, Don Bluth, the Princess Bride, and Deadpool.

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, one of the Matts (Matt Donald) edits together all the various skits and advertisements the Writ Wit has ever done throughout its long and illustrious run sorta. In the vain hopes of using this as some sort of portfolio that shows all his great work, Matt Donald presents to you all...the Writ Wit's Skits! Notice the possessive form of Wit? Yeah, that's to make it less awkward of a rhyme. Now you know the REAL secrets of an English major's work. You can thank me at [email protected]

NOTE: There's still a new episode coming out this month, don't worry. This is just bonus content (again).

Originally recorded: September 2018

In this episode, the two Matts celebrate the show's momentous episode count of 25 by not even mentioning it, appreciate how hardcore salamanders are, play a fun on-air game of Mad Libs, and talk about how to spice up one's vocabulary for areas where writers might be more droll. How many different variants are there for "said"? What are some more vibrant descriptors for color? How many different ways can a writer describe movement? How did Matt Donald forget what microphone he was using when he bought his new computer and compromised his audio quality? We discuss it all, with such time-stretching detail and jokes to further inflate the episode's length, and talk about Monster Hunter, Power Rangers, Harry Potter, and The Music Man for some reason.

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Helpful Links:

Speech verbs: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lYA0nh5JV1ZJSj-5KPFMSYMZmqAkKrrZEPQIZdFMfFU/edit?usp=sharing (our list)

https://www.nownovel.com/blog/dialogue-words-other-words-for-said/ 

https://owlcation.com/humanities/400-Alternative-words-for-said

Groups of animals: 

https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/99-strange-collective-animal-names

http://www.thealmightyguru.com/Pointless/AnimalGroups.html

Colors: 

https://louisem.com/29880/color-thesaurus-infographic

http://mentalfloss.com/article/53121/11-colors-youve-probably-never-heard

https://www.canva.com/learn/color-meanings-symbolism

Verbs: 

https://jerryjenkins.com/powerful-verbs/

https://www.nownovel.com/blog/descriptive-verb-list/

https://www.enchantingmarketing.com/strong-verbs/

Originally recorded: August 2018

In this episode, the two Matts invite one of Matt Donald's longtime college friends Lexi to the show, note the number of times characters Sean Bean portrays have died, offend each other multiple times about not watching/knowing certain specific nerdy works or references, and talk about super-popular works like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and how to emulate them. What makes them special compared to other, smaller works? What makes them click with so many people, and how can one emulate that? Why do so many others who try to imitate this success fail? How god-dang long will it take before Matt David gets over Matt Donald sending ONE missile over to his place in Japan?! (seriously, get it over it already! It was just ONE missile!!!) We discuss it all, with 33% more laughs and funny-ish comments due to the extra guest-host, and talk about Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Star Trek, and the aforementioned Star Wars and Lord of the Rings.

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Special thanks to Lexi Ryan for helping out with this episode.

Originally recorded: July 2018

In this episode, the two Matts visit a writing-themed amusement park, argue about who the monster is in Frankenstein, consider getting back into programming games (or guilt-trip themselves into it later) and talk about writing villainous characters after a 14-episode break. What ways can you make the reader root against them? How can they be potentially sympathetic? How far can they go before they become irredeemable? Why do people think Kylo Ren can turn back to the good side after wearing such high-waisted pants in The Last Jedi, the WORST crime humanly possible?! We discuss it all, with the exact amount of charm and wit you expect from us (whatever that entails) and talk about Avengers: Infinity War, Wicked, Black Panther, and a sneak peek into the third Megazoic book!

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Special thanks to Christina Eilert for helping out with this episode.

Originally recorded: June 2018

In this episode, the two Matts discuss dropping themselves in the Serengeti to strengthen their friendship, translate hundreds of Japanese letters, laugh/groan at Matt David's awesome pun, and bring in co-worker of Matt Donald and actual poet Sydney Chapin to discuss poetry. What is the best mood to write poetry in? Is it better to write in small sessions, or bigger ones? How wide is the definition of poetry? How long does Sydney silently listen to the two Matts' prolonged banter while inwardly groaning at our craziness? (spoiler: a long time) We discuss it all, with such rhyme and emotion that it could only come from true poets, and talk about the works of Homer, Dante's Inferno, Young Justice, and Jurassic World (PSA: The latter two are not poems)

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Special thanks to Sydney Chapin for helping out with this episode.

Originally recorded: May 2018

In this episode, the two Matts wonder about the concept of time, introduce a foghorn as a new sound effect for the show, groan at each other's jokes more than usual (if you can believe it) and talk about the different ways dialogue can work with the number of characters in a scene. How does one justify a character talking to himself? How much banter is too much? How do you make every character in a scene of over ten talk without forcing it? How will Matt David recover from seeing Matt Donald record this episode shirtless? We discuss it all, in our always-professional demeanor (David: "So professional...") and talk about Avatar: The Last Airbender, the Icarus Agenda, Buddy Thunderstruck, and Star Wars. No one can escape Star Wars. NO ONNNNNNNE...

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Originally recorded: April 2018

In this episode, the two Matts gush about tapestries and cat-shaped doorstoppers, wonder why certain co-hosts like Power Rangers more than others, spend way too long on an elaborate ruse that'll fool nobody, and talk about what it takes to write a good mystery. How rigid should your plot structure be in comparison to other genres? How many red herrings are too many? How elaborate can your mystery be without getting too complicated? How many references to Clue or Guess Who can we make in one episode? We discuss it all, with magnifying glasses zeroed in on all details, and talk about Sherlock Holmes, Encyclopedia Brown, the Time Machine, and Big Hero 6 for some reason.

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Heads up, "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" spoilers from 45:44 to 48:25.

Originally recorded: March 2018

In this episode, the two Matts use a more epic and serious intro song than usual, have the same work they want to rip off as each other, get incredibly eager and forced with their segues (even more so than usual) and talk about how to improve secondary characters as part of a writing workshop. What's the difference between a secondary character and a co-protagonist? What differences are there for improving one type of secondary character versus another? Does every individual character need to be fully three-dimensional to be useful? Will Matt David FINALLY get out of his damn writer's dry spell? (Seriously, Matt Donald is THIS close to firing him...totally serious...not joking...maybe) We discuss it all, flawlessly linking all our segments with a confident, non-forced "and SPEAKING of which..." and talk about Black Panther, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Lord of the Rings.

Have any feedback or questions for our hosts? Email us at [email protected]. Also you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, or its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.