In the final part of our Fantasy Subgenre Series, we explore the soft side of the genre: Cozy Fantasy, Slice-of-Life Fantasy, Eco-Fantasy, Children’s Fantasy, YA Fantasy, Comical/Satirical Fantasy, Fairy-Tale Fantasy, and Fairy-Tale Retellings.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• Creating stillness and gentle magic
• Land-based storytelling
• Intensity and transformation in YA Fantasy
• Why some readers crave gentleness
• The paradox at the heart of enchantment

• "Take This Longing" by Leonard Cohen
• Writing Fantasy: Building Worlds That Breathe - Writing Break
• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

In Part II of our Fantasy Subgenre Series, we explore the darker and more modern branches of fantasy: Dark Fantasy, Grimdark, Urban Fantasy, Contemporary/Modern Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Romantasy, Progression Fantasy, LitRPG, and Gamelit.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• What defines each subgenre?
• Why do readers love them?
• How does magic, character, and structure shift across newer fantasy genres?
• Is your magic system essential, atmospheric, metaphorical, or structural?

• Writing Fantasy: Building Worlds That Breathe - Writing Break
• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

In Part I of this three-episode Fantasy Subgenre Series, we dive into the grand-scale branches of fantasy: Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Low Fantasy, Sword & Sorcery, Historical Fantasy, Alternate History, Mythic Fantasy, Indigenous/Mythic-Region Fantasy, Portal Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Steampunk, and Gaslamp Fantasy.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• What defines each subgenre?
• Why do readers love them?
• How can you use world-building, magic systems, and narrative scope to shape your own stories?
• Which element of your world is doing the most narrative heavy lifting?

If you love building worlds, bending history, or stepping through portals without warning, this episode is your map.

• Writing Fantasy: Building Worlds That Breathe - Writing Break
• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

Pour yourself something spiced and settle in as we revisit writing tips from this season’s genre deep dives.

• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• 7 Literary Conflicts Explained (Clip Show #11) - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

If your book is “for everyone,” it’s actually for no one. In this sharp yet encouraging episode, we tackle one of the biggest hurdles for new authors: not wanting to be boxed in by genre.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• Identify your book’s genre and emotional promise.
• Avoid the “genre blender” mistake that confuses readers.
• Use genre conventions as creative and marketing tools.
• Communicate your book’s identity in one professional sentence.
• Decide when and how to blend genres.

• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

Your life is a story, but not every moment needs to be shared.  In this episode of Writing Break, we’re exploring memoir and creative nonfiction, the genres where truth becomes art. Learn how to shape your real experiences into stories that captivate readers, how to handle the tricky business of writing about other people, and how to balance honesty with craft.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• The top 3 memoir pitfalls
• The difference between memoir and creative nonfiction
• How to identify the theme or central question behind your life story
• The role of voice, reflection, and scene in turning experience into narrative
• When memoir becomes autofiction

• Creative Nonfiction / True stories, well told.
• River Teeth | A Journal of Nonfiction Narrative
• Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction | Brevity: The journal devoted exclusively to the concise literary nonfiction.
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

#memoirwriting #creativenonfiction #writingpodcast #howtowritememoir #writingbreakpodcast #writerslife #writingtips #storytelling #nonfictionwriters #autofiction

In this episode, we’ll unravel what “literary fiction” actually means, what readers expect when they open a literary novel, and how you, as a writer, can approach it without falling into the trap of pretension. We'll also look at how to build your portfolio, no matter what genre you're writing.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• Why every sentence matters
• Balancing introspection with forward momentum in your writing
• The difference and similarities between literary fiction and genre fiction
• Giving short stories and contest entries new life

• Weekly Writing Contests - Reedsy Prompts
• » Calls for Submissions
• The Submission Grinder
• Duotrope: Find publishers and agents. Track submissions. Get published.
• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

Just in time for Halloween, this episode explores the expectations and pitfalls of writing horror and how to write fear in any genre.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• Fear in any genre
• The core of horror
• Tension as the backbone
• Themes and monsters
• Horror subgenres
• Global horror
• Pitfalls to avoid

Next week, we’ll leave the monsters behind and step into Literary Fiction, the genre that insists on finding truth in everyday life.

• Writing Thrillers and Suspense: Raising the Stakes - Writing Break
• These 7 Components Will Set the Perfect Pace for Your Story - Writing Break
• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

Gothic fiction is where beauty meets terror. In this episode, we explore how to write Gothic stories that grip readers with atmosphere, ambiguity, and desire:

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• Setting as character
• The uncanny and the supernatural
• Romance entwined with ruin
• Gothic subgenres and global traditions
• Pitfalls to avoid

• The Biggest Mistake Writers Make - Writing Break
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.

Good historical fiction makes the past feel as alive as the present. In this episode, we explore how to write immersive, character-driven stories that honor history without feeling like a textbook.

First, we talk about the importance of writing contests.

Overthinking Couch Topics:

• Research as foundation, story as focus
• Characters as people, not historical mannequins
• Balancing authenticity with modern readability
• Pitfalls to avoid, from info-dumps to anachronisms

• Big List of Writing Contests - NewPages.com
• The Best Free Literary Contests - Winning Writers
• The Ultimate List of Writing Contests in 2025 • Win Cash Prizes!
• Submittable Discover: Writing Contests
• Writing Contests, Grants & Awards | Poets & Writers
• Free Style Sheet Templates
• Free Writing Tips

Music licensed from Storyblocks.