A podcast about writing - from start to finish

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

A replay of an episode recorded in 2023. Story archetypes are a great starting point for building your narrative. In this episode Russ and Tim discuss the seven core story archetypes that can be found in most fiction, how they Read more

If you’ve survived the second draft, congrats! But you still have quite a way to go on your journey, which brings us to the third draft and beyond. Refining sentence structure and word choice, incorporating beta reader feedback, eliminating crunch Read more

So you’ve completed a first draft of your manuscript. Now what? The real work begins. Writing is re-writing and the second draft is a heavy lift of fixing those major character and plot issues that creep in during that first Read more

The first draft, often called the “vomit draft,” is one of the most important parts of the writing process. Once you type “the end,” you can truly begin. In this episode, Russ and Tim revisit their first drafts and discuss Read more

The battle is on! Pens vs swords! In this episode, we explore the variations of the classic idiom “the pen is mightier than the sword.” We discuss its fascinating history, discover who made it what it is today, and why Read more

Research is a key part of the writing process. Without proper research, building credible worlds, intriguing plots, and relatable characters is impossible. But how much is too much? In this episode, Russ and Tim discuss how their research methods have Read more

A replay of an earlier episode on Themes in storytelling. It’s a timely topic for us as we’re exploring themes in our new projects. A good theme can provide the heart and glue that binds your story together. Characters, dialogue, Read more

Nothing slows a story like an Act II info dump or an author cramming all their research during the climax. Deliberate pacing is an essential tool in the writer’s toolbox to keep readers engaged. Dialogue, description, and even white space Read more