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 Read more
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 Read more
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 Read more
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, Read more
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 Read more
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 Read more
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, Read more
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, Read more
Continuing the Story Beats replays from 2023. Doing their best to avoid strong act II vibes, Russ and Tim continue their deep dive into Save the Cat! Writes A Novel story beats with Act II.
Diving into the Writer Syndrome archive we’re revisiting our Story Beats episodes from 2023. Using Save the Cat! Writes A Novel as a jumping off point, Russ and Tim do a deep dive into the Act I story beats, and Read more