Can AI truly enhance your creativity without taking over? Our previous episodes left us wondering, but in this episode of "Words to Write by," we interview educator Kate Scott of the "AI for Squishy Humans" newsletter who offers some refreshing answers.

Kate reveals her practical framework for taming AI's "enthusiastic toddler" tendencies and transforming it into a genuine creative partner. Drawing from her own experience with her just-published indie fantasy novel, Kate demonstrates how she leverages AI for targeted marketing strategies and discovering innovative ways to connect with potential readers. She shares unexpected ways AI can serve writers beyond just generating content—from personalized writing coaches to creative problem-solving tools that actually strengthen your unique voice.

If you've been curious but cautious about AI in your creative process, this conversation with Kate on "Words to Write by" explores approachable methods for conquering blank page syndrome and organizational hurdles that might be exactly what you need to hear.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Submitting work to your first workshop or critique group is nerve-wracking - these aren't your supportive friends or family, but strangers with opinions. Yet honest feedback is the lifeblood of growth for writers. The problem? Workshops are expensive, inflexible, and the quality of feedback varies wildly.

What if you could get thoughtful critique on your terms, anytime day or night? 

That's the promise of AI writing assistants. In this episode, Renee is the guinea pig as she submits a chapter draft from her memoir to Claude and compares its insights against feedback she previously received from human critics.

The results? According to Claude, they are “Surprising, illuminating, and potentially game-changing for writers everywhere.” We’ll let you be the judge of that. 

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Can writers harness AI ethically without surrendering the soul of their craft? In our provocative new mini-series, we're not just theorizing about AI's role in creative writing—we're putting it to the test.

Picture this: You're staring at a blank page. Your protagonist is trapped, your love interests are stubbornly avoiding each other, or your climactic scene lacks the perfect setup. We've all been there. Could AI be the brainstorming partner that breaks through these creative walls?

To find out, we challenged Claude (our AI of choice) with a classic writing exercise from John Gardner's The Art of Fiction. The results? Let's just say they left us speechless—and not for the reasons you might expect.

Whether you're an AI skeptic, enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of storytelling, this episode is for you.

Tune in to discover if AI truly empowers the creative process—or if it's leading writers down a dangerous path.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

In this episode, we're finally putting the Hero's Journey to rest and bidding farewell to Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey." And by "putting to rest," we mean cramming the entire second half of this doorstop of a book into one episode. Renee takes one for the team by distilling each chapter down to its least painful bits. Then we'll zoom out to discuss what we actually found valuable in this tome and offer our candid recommendations on how to approach reading it.

For the second half, we're pivoting to something that won't collect dust on your shelf—our new mini-series on AI and its invasion of the writing world. Do chatbots mean the end of the craft of writing, or can we humans somehow incorporate the AI's as tools to improve our stories? Today, we're just examining how alarmingly far AI has advanced since our last tech episode two years ago (spoiler: it's terrifying).

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey insists all stories follow the Hero's Journey template—but does this actually work for romance novels? I mean, we know they have climaxes... just not necessarily the kind Vogler was talking about.

In this workshop, we corner romance author Lia Riley - creator of the time travel regency hockey romance Puck & Prejudice - who’s happy to geek out about the structure behind those steamy page-turners. Lia discusses the essential structure, beloved tropes, and what she playfully calls "the butter"—those deeper emotional truths that give romance its irresistible flavor.

We chat about the weird contradiction at the heart of romance: how do books where everyone knows the ending somehow dig deeper into who we really are? Lia breaks down how characters fumble through their emotional baggage to find real connection, basically becoming their best selves by falling in love.

And because we couldn't let her go without some fun talk, Lia tells us about her own podcast obsessions—Afternoona Delight, where she goes all-in on K-drama analysis, and Afternoona Army, her unapologetic haven for fellow BTS fans.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Just when you thought you had the Hero's Journey all figured out, we're back with a surprising twist! In our previous episode, we confidently declared that the "Road Back Home" stage was the climax of the journey. But according to Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey," we may have jumped the gun. It turns out that the true climax lies in the "Resurrection" stage.

Confused? Intrigued? You're not alone! Join us as we try to untangle the differences between the two stages. We'll explore what makes the "Resurrection" stage so pivotal and how it serves as the ultimate test for our hero.

But the journey doesn't end there. We'll also shed light on the final stage, the "Return with Elixir," where our hero comes full circle, bringing back the hard-earned wisdom and rewards to share with the world. 

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Think you know where your hero's journey is headed? Think again. We're diving into the Ordeal - that gut-punch moment some people still confuse with the Climax (spoiler alert: they're not the same thing, folks). This episode had us playing cartographer through the wonderfully labyrinthine (read: headache-inducing) chapters of Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey. Because apparently, writing about story structure needed its own plot twists. After untangling Vogler's literary maze, we tackle the burning questions: When should your protagonist's world implode in Act Two? How do you make readers lose sleep over your crisis scene? We put our hard-earned wisdom to work by dissecting John Scalzi's Kaiju Preservation Society, proving that even giant monster books need their big moment perfectly timed.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Remember family road trips? When you're finally past the halfway point and it's nothing but "Are we there yet?" from the backseat? That's where we are in Christopher Vogler's "The Writer's Journey" - six more stages to go on his Hero's Journey roadmap, and in this episode we're hitting two big ones. First up is "Rewards," where our hero catches their breath after surviving Act 2's major crisis. But don't get too comfortable, because "The Road Home" is anything but a peaceful cruise. Think less scenic route, more high-speed chase, as old enemies pop up in the rearview mirror. Some call this the climax - we sure do. Buckle up!

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

Horror stories and the hero's journey - a match made in hell? In this insightful workshop episode, we talk with award-winning horror writer Tim Waggoner to explore his plotting techniques. Tim shares strategies for keeping everyday protagonists actively engaged during the challenging Ordeal stage as they fight for survival. As a bonus, Tim discusses his other cool writing gig: adapting horror movie screenplays into page-turning novels. Whether you're a hardcore horror writer or looking to add more suspense to your next book, Tim has some great ideas and tricks to share. Tune in now and elevate your storytelling!

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.

How do you craft a journey worthy of an apocalyptic showdown? Epic Fantasy author Summer H. Hanford reveals the art of preparing characters for those fate-of-the-world battles that define the genre. Through insights from her Summer God Adventure series, Hanford uncovers the delicate balance of building tension, raising stakes, and keeping readers riveted as heroes ready themselves for their ultimate challenge. Plus, discover why choosing teenage protagonists isn't just a trope – it's a strategic storytelling decision that shapes these epic confrontations.

Remember, we have a Writers Process meetup every Wednesday. Check us out.