About the show

Welcome! If you want to hear writing tips from the big names, the medium names, and everyone else, look no further.

As a blogger, vlogger, and actively querying fantasy author, I am addicted to attending all the writing panels a person could possibly attend at a convention. We're talking about attending upwards of 25 hours of panels in 3 days.

Fortunately for you? I love sharing my copious notes.

But, I also get real. I share my writerly musings: my struggles, my failures, and... hopefully, my writing successes.

Thanks for listening.

  • Morgan Hazelwood

Writing Tips and Writerly Musings on social media

Episodes

  • Breaking a Story: Hollywood Style

    October 27th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  6 mins 42 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Scripts aren't novels, but they can teach us a lot about pacing.

  •

    Ask An Editor: Longform

    October 20th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  9 mins 37 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Editors were invited to an AMA, here are the answers to the most pressing questions from novelists.

  •

    The Nuts and Bolts of a Chapter

    October 13th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  6 mins 44 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Chapters are the building block of any novel. How can you get the most out of your chapters?

  •

    When Plot Twists Go Bad

    October 6th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  8 mins 16 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Some plot twists make us admire the clever creators, while others rub us the wrong way. What causes some unexpected plot developments to disappoint rather than delight -- and how do you craft a satisfying surprise?

  •

    From Grimm to Disney and Back Again: The Changing Fae

    September 29th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  7 mins 45 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Early fairytales were dark warnings, before they were 'sanitized' and evolved into their Disney versions. Now, all the fairytale inspired works are going dark again. What's motivated the changing ways we view the fae?

  •

    Creating New Mythology From Hidden History

    September 22nd, 2025  |  Season 9  |  10 mins 38 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    History can inspire new myths. How can you do this respectfully?

  •

    Short Stories Expanded

    September 15th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  7 mins 56 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Writing a short story is a very different thing than writing a novel. The pacing and characters and writing techniques required a drastically different. But, sometimes, you have a short story that won't let you go. Here's tips from the pros on how to turn that short story into something longer.

  •

    Manuscripts Need Breathing Room

    September 8th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  5 mins 26 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    After you finish drafting a new manuscript, there are some good reasons (other than just fatigue) to let the manuscript just breathe. No. Really!

  •

    Finding Your Authorial Voice

    September 1st, 2025  |  Season 9  |  11 mins 24 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    You always here how there are no new stories, just new storytellers. I'm sharing notes on how to make your authorial voice distinct!

  •

    Antici...pation

    August 25th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  2 mins 7 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    How do you cope when waiting for news?

  •

    Loglines Versus Queries

    August 18th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  3 mins 11 secs
    beta-reading, books, critique, publishing, query, writers, writing, writing tips

    The publishing industry uses a lot of terms, and none of them can quite agree on a definition. But, if you're trying to get published, you need to know the difference between a logline and a query letter.

  •

    Why I'm Trying To Get Traditionally Published Instead of Going Indie

    August 11th, 2025  |  Season 9  |  9 mins
    beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips

    Why would someone want to be traditionally published instead of dodging the massive gatekeepers and leaning into the supportive Small Press and Indie communities?

    (Of course, all this talk doesn't mean I'm not excited to work with small presses as well...)