Episode Archive
226 episodes of Writing Tips and Writerly Musings since the first episode, which aired on August 20th, 2020.
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What Type of Writing Prepper Are You?
November 3rd, 2025 | Season 9 | 7 mins 30 secs
beta-reading, books, critique, writers, writing, writing tips
Some people start a novel with a blank page and an idea. Some people start with 30 pages of outlines. Others have maps and diagrams and books full of world building. What sort of prepper are you?
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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.
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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.
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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?
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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?
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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.