Third Person POV: A Writing Group

Check out our latest author spotlight!

Author, editor, writing conference coordinator extraordinaire. Tristi Pinkston talks to JC Bybee about her publishing journey, the first story she ever wrote, and her time in "the finest writers' group on the planet." Maybe it was at the time, Tristi, but that spot is taken by us now!

Check out Tristi's many, many books at http://www.tristipinkston.com/

In this episode, our troupe learns a valuable lesson about giving critical feedback. 

Find the co-hosts on:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/

→And Kim Reid on Instagram @kimjoyreid

You know him, you love him, but did you know....

Get the greatest scoop on the internet, Grey Alder's interview with the one and only JC Bybee. 

Everything from his inspirations as a writer to what superpowers he'd choose. Enjoy the witty banter between two writers, and let us know who else we need to interview in the comments!

In this episode, we talk through the writing tools we use, how we give feedback, and how much structure actually helps when drafting a novel. Along the way, we critique chapters dealing with action scenes, character motivation, pacing, consequences, and the problem of a protagonist who may be too reactive.

Find the co-hosts on:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/

Our first-ever Author Spotlight is here! Tyler sits down with Keelin Shafer, author of the Magical Regency Romance series and the upcoming En Garde, to talk writing, creativity, publishing hopes, and the challenge of juggling all the roles an author has to play.

The current plan is for an Author Spotlight episode to come out every week. Let us know which authors you'd like to see!

Find Keelin at https://www.instagram.com/author_keelin_schafer/

And your usual co-hosts:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/

This week, Third Person POV gets into villain presence, divine intuition, Regency dialogue, hidden spellbooks, the Wild Hunt, and the eternal question of whether writers should outline or just let the chaos goblin drive!

Join us at Gem State Comic Con on May 15, 2026, at 4:00 PM for our community panel. We're excited to see you there! Get your tickets here https://sendfox.com/trk/click/096dgk4x/vkoppz6.

Find the co-hosts on:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/

In this episode, we welcome Kim Reid, author of an up-and-coming tale with ink-based magic and a vivid protagonist already embroiled in theater drama. The other guys' pieces are OK, as usual. Kim also talks to us about what it's like to work with a developmental editor. 

Join us at Gem State Comic Con on May 15, 2026, at 4:00 PM for our community panel. We're excited to see you there! Get your tickets here https://sendfox.com/trk/click/096dgk4x/vkoppz6.

Find the co-hosts on:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/

→And Kim Reid on Instagram @kimjoyreid

Episode 9 starts with news about our live Gem State Comic-Con panel, then gets straight into the pain: Jesse’s superhero procedural gets its long-awaited visceral fight scene, Gray’s fantasy chapter raises questions about intent, monsters, and emotional payoff, and Tyler’s submission brings cursed tomes, faerie intrigue, and a dream that may be more real than it seems. We close with one of our best questions yet: what would we tell our younger creative selves?

Find the co-hosts on:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/

Sink your teeth into this LIVE show we did to prepare for our panel at the Gem State Comic Con (Garden City, ID on May 15th, be there or be square). We talk a lot more about what it means to be in a writing group and do short critiques on some new pieces we each wrote for the occasion.

This week, we critique chapters, argue about half measures, talk ourselves into and out of bad metaphors, and somehow end up discussing print costs, fantasy word counts, and the books that made us writers in the first place. If you’ve ever wanted to sit in on a real writers group meeting, this is the chaos for you.

Find the co-hosts on:

→JC Bybee at https://jcbybee.com/

→Grey Alder at https://greyalderbooks.com/

→Tyler Hess on his blog: https://hesstylerblog.com/