20.22: The Lens of Time

In this episode, we explore what it really means to set reader expectations at the beginning of a story. We talk about how openings communicate the shape of what’s to come — from genre and tone to the kind of emotional ride we’re inviting our readers onto. We dig into practical t ...  Show more

To celebrate Mary Robinette’s birthday today (!!), she is taking us inside the craft (and emotional engine) of her short story “With Her Serpent Locks,” using it as a case study in beginnings, control, and creative “leveling up.” Our hosts dig into grounding the reader through my ...  Show more

Murderbot is a killing machine in the far future that would rather spend its time binging an intergalactic soap opera. Shooting bad guys with lasers is much less stressful than making eye contact or engaging in small talk with humans. Murderbot is also the main character of Marth ...  Show more

Sarah marks Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar known as the Day of Atonement, by watching the new ep of RHONY and immediately sending Erin a Paperless Post for shul. She realizes a true Scary Island would be not speaking about the new ep, and Zooms up one of he ...

In this episode the spotlight is on the unexpected exit of Cristobal Tapia de Vere, the brilliant mind behind the haunting score from the hit HBO series, The White Lotus. This episode examines the emotional and professional tensions that simmer beneath the surface of creative ...

This week, host Steve Taylor invites you to wade into waters best left untested. In our latest episode, faith and fear run together in dark currents, pulling you toward something ancient beneath the surface. When a forgotten journal resurfaces on the banks of an Ohio river, it wh ...  Show more