To have a great hero, you need a great villain. In this episode, Russ and Tim dig into what makes an effective antagonist. Whether they’re an equal, an opposite, or a force more powerful than the hero. They dig into why villains get a bad rap, why they deserve as much care as your protagonist, and how to sidestep the tired tropes that flatten them out. If you want your hero to grow, it starts with writing a villain worth facing.

Tropes can be useful building blocks of storytelling. They're familiar patterns that help audiences quickly understand the parts of a story. In this episode, Russ and Tim explore why tropes aren’t inherently bad, how they support story structure, and what actually counts as a trope. From character types to plot beats. The key isn’t avoiding tropes, but using them in smart, fresh ways.

That's a wrap on 2025! In this episode, Russ and Tim close out the year with a book swap discussion of Annihilation (Jeff VanderMeer) and Parable of the Sower (Octavia E. Butler), exploring themes, writing styles, and why these haunting stories feel especially resonant today. Happy New Year!

A reflective journey about finding your way back to the page after doubt, distraction, or burnout. This episode Russ and Tim talk about what it means to rediscover the path of writing, how creativity drifts and returns, and why the act of writing itself can feel like coming home again.

Who wrote "Not Worth The Paper It's Written On?" Was it film producer Samuel Goldwyn or an Irish Politician who coined this famous idiom? In this episode, Russ and Tim delve into the past to uncover the origins of this well-known phrase and how it went "viral" in the late 1800s, becoming what it is today.

How factual should fiction be? What level of real-world detail is necessary for a story, its plot, and characters to feel authentic? In this episode, Russ and Tim explore the role of facts in fiction, reflect on their own manuscripts, and debate when facts enhance a story and when they get in the way of good storytelling.

Foreshadowing is another tool in the writer's toolkit that can enhance a reader's story experience. Early hints that can pay off later to build suspense, tension, and make that climax that much better. This episode, Russ and Tim get into what foreshadowing is, what it isn't, and how they used it in their stories. As a bonus, they work through what exactly Chekov's gun actually is.

It's what the entire story has been building toward. The climax! The promise set at the beginning of your story comes to a breaking point, all is revealed, and your characters' flaws are resolved (maybe). In this episode, Russ and Tim chat about getting to the climax of a story, what it is, and how it should satisfy your readers.

With their popularity increasing year after year Audiobooks are a massive business. Making it a must have in your distribution arsenal as an author. Using Russ' recently launched audiobook for HOST as an example. Russ and Tim discuss the production, distribution, and goals of having an audiobook and why people love them.

Wrapping up our replay series on Story Beats from 2023 with Act III. It all comes down to this...Act III. Our heroes have been removed from their normal world, thrust into a chaotic Act II world, been through the ringer, hit the bottom of the barrel, now it's time for them to shine (or maybe not?) and finish their journey. Join Russ and Tim as they wrap-up their deep dive into the Save the Cat! Act III story beats.