The Writ Wit

In this episode, Matt David is still dealing with moving shenanigans from a foreign country in the middle of a global pandemic, so Matt Donald brings back recurring guest co-host Christina Eilert and her obnoxious pets at the place she's house-sitting at, and we talk about all the different creative works we've consumed and will somehow rip off for our writing during quarantine. What are the movies and TV shows we've watched? What about games we've played? What about books we've read, if any? (Of course not; what do you think we are, professionals?!) We discuss it all, while social distancing during quarantine by staying more than six feet away from each other making our voices really echo-y, and talk about Community, Shaun the Sheep, Metal Gear Solid, and Spider-Man PS4.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

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

In this episode, one of the Matts (Matt David, who else would it be?) is taking a break due to preparing to move back from overseas, so Matt Donald wrangles in frequent guest co-host Christina Eilert. We deal with an overly excited dog, edit out a lot more noise and commotion than usual, bring up details about teenagers that some people would rather not know, and talk about the what writers wear while writing in our most alliterative episode title ever. What types of "uniforms" help writers get in the mood? What types of writing work best with what types of outfits? What are some examples of famous creators' outfits? How terrible was the stuff with the dog Matt Donald edited out considering the stuff that was left IN? We discuss it all, wearing our finest workplace pajamas while recording, and talk about Christopher Nolan (yay), Taika Watiti (yay), J.K. Rowling (boo), and Drew Barrymore's character in Music and Lyrics for some reason.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

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

In this episode, the two Matts do a skit about Haikus that goes from goofy to creepy surprisingly quickly, remember the old classes we took in high school English, compare the conclusions of two big Disney-owned properties that are the exact opposites in quality, and talk about satisfying readers at the ending of stories in the last of our set about keeping readers' interest. What kinds of endings work best for certain kinds of stories? Does everything have to be completely resolved? Does the ending have to be satisfying for the story as a whole to be satisfying? When will Matt David stop talking about The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and treating it like it's a movie ever worth discussing ever? We discuss it all, putting a cherry on top like the writing culinary professionals we are, and talk about The Chronicles of Narnia, Avengers: Endgame, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and BIONICLE. 

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

Also, the music at the beginning is "Valley of the Springs" by Derek and Brandon Fietcher.

In this episode, the two Matts showcase a clip from the highest-rated writing sitcom on television, switch the normal positions of whose written the most out of the two of us, keep forcing a metaphor about roller coasters or some junk, and talk about keeping readers' interest in the climax of a story. What are some ways you could potentially lose your reader during such a pivotal moment in your narrative? What are some things the characters can do to keep them active? What about stories with or without big battles? What kind of liver does Matt Donald have that makes him tipsy after just a few sips of hard lemonade? We discuss it all, reaching the peak of perfection in such a climactic moment, and talk about The Lord of the Rings, Stephen King's It, The Andromeda Strain, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for some reason.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, the two Matts sell a special, highly unstable formula that will turn people into writing MONSTERS, talk about the value of excerpts, mention how little we actually edit out of these podcast episodes, and talk about keeping readers hooked throughout the middle of the book now that you've kept them after the first five pages. What are ways to keep reader's interest? What can draw people away? How quick does the pacing need to be? What did Matt David mean by that joke of "half-asking" something? We discuss it all, keeping listeners' interest with our endearing and cringey senses of humor, and talk about Harry Potter, Titanic, Hadestown, and those annoying but effective "will they or won't they" moments in television shows.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, the two Matts play an exciting match of Writer's Chess, try to one-up each other on segues, call out a certain director for trying to release their movie during a pandemic, and talk about hooking readers in the first five pages in the first of our set about keeping readers' interest throughout a book. What are things that turn off readers right away? What can you do to intrigue them? What are some good examples of books with great openings? Why is Matt Donald so bad at holding his liquor? We discuss it all, with such captivating voices we pique listeners' interests right away, and talk about the works of Clive Cussler, Michael Crichton, Dean Koontz, and Christopher Nolan.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, the two Matts threaten to do an intro that'll ruin the intro skits/fake ads forever, go four-for-four on seamless segues into the topic, let one of the co-hosts dabble on way too much and practically take over the episode, and talk about drama in a contemporary setting in the last of our set on stories in the real, contemporary world. What kind of real world drama can work great for a story? How much can you pull from your own life experiences? Are there any topics you should avoid, or should you brave the fires? How much does Matt David talk compared to Matt Donald who is clearly tired during recording and lets Matt David do all the work? We discuss it all, with all the high-stakes drama expected of this show, and talk about Remember Me for some reason. Remember Remember Me? No one remembers Remember Me.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, the two Matts sell a retreat themed around the Bechdel test and making sure your story passes it, remember writing school papers longer than the short stories they were about, think of a modern day Robin Hood armed with creative accounting instead of a bow and arrow, and talk about crime fiction in a contemporary setting. What kind of crimes could characters commit? Where should the readers' sympathy lie? How morally gray can you make your police or criminals? How long will Matt Donald go between the segments of his favorite Heroes quote "You both....have power!" to torment his fellow co-host? We discuss it all, over a completely legal server to not arouse any suspicion, and talk about Gotham, Brooklyn Nine Nine, Watchmen, and the aforementioned Robin Hood, the O.G. crime fiction!

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, the two Matts take part in a WW2-style battlefield to fight the Trendy Young Adult Genre Command, go on many a tangent despite us trying expressly to do less of them, mention reactions to internet memes that make us laugh our butts off, and talk about contemporary romance stories in the next of our set about stories set in the modern-day, non-sci-fi-or-fantasy world. What makes a good contemporary romance compared to in more fantastical settings? How can you keep it current to modern day trends? What about romances beyond the straight ones, like gay, bi, or polyamorous? Why does Matt David mention Harry Potter as his favorite contemporary romance even though that's clearly in a magical, non-contemporary world? We discuss it all, with hearts in our eyeballs and love in our souls, and talk about Music and Lyrics, You've Got Mail, Matt David's story Shattered Creek, and VeggieTales for some reason.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.

In this episode, the two Matts sell a high-tech device that manipulates space-time beyond anything a writer should be allowed to handle, deal with one of our co-hosts' tipsy state, woe about technical difficulties with one of our video game consoles, and talk about comedy in a contemporary setting in the first of our set about stories said in the modern, real-life, non-magical-or-sci-fi world. What makes stories "contemporary" anyway? What works in contemporary comedy? How can one avoid making the comedy seem dated? How cute is Matt David's bearded baby face? We discuss it all, with the sharpest wit expected for a show with "wit" in the title, and talk about Friends, Modern Family, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and Heroes for some reason.

Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. If you have any feedback or questions for our hosts, you can email us at [email protected]. Also, you can purchase Matt Donald's book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. If you'd like, of course.