When writing feels harder than it should, the problem might not be the story— it might be the room. In this episode, our hosts explore how environment shapes process, from desks and chairs to light, sound, and visual clutter. We talk about running through your senses to troublesh ...Show more
21.11: The Cold Open- Action
Sometimes the fastest way to hook a reader is to start with something exploding. In this episode, our hosts dig into the promise — and the pitfalls — of opening with action, and why survival alone is rarely enough to make us care. We explore how voice, worldbuilding, and characte ...Show more
21.10: The Cold Open- Voice
A cold open can hook a reader with nothing more than voice. In this episode, our hosts explore what makes a voice-driven opening work — cadence, rhythm, authority, and a clear reason to care. We break down how aesthetic voice differs from mechanical POV, how to avoid purple prose ...Show more
21.09: Grounding The Reader
Grounding a reader starts in the very first lines of a story. Where are we? Who are we with? What kind of story are we in? Our hosts explore how emotion, context, and sensory detail work together to create immersion, and why action alone isn’t enough without an emotional lens. Fr ...Show more
21.08: Setting Expectations
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