In this episode we share key the elements you need to develop to create a custom-made world for your story.

Highlights:

01:24 Why worldbuilding is essential

03:33 Character is King: World Builder Edition

07:00 Your story’s foundation (6 key elements)

07:31 Geography – Real world, New world, Authenticity

11:23 Make significant settings memorable (examples)

12:45 Physics – Rules of Nature, Magic, Technology

17:24 Climate – Seasons, Weather, Character Impact

20:40 Culture – Customs, Class, Politics, Occupations

24:25 History – Deep past, Major events, Need to Know

27:10 Religon – Poly/Mono, Influence on Society,

28:20 Things to keep in mind

In this episode we hail The Bard himself, William Shakespeare, and celebrate the enduring impact his writing has had on Western literature and entertainment for over 400 years.

Highlights:

01:30 The Titan of Western Literature

04:45 Character is King: Shakespeare Edition

12:03 Shakespeare in Led Zeppelin - Merchant of Venice (Act 2, Scene 7)

14:28 Shakespeare in Wonka - Romeo and Juliet (Act 2, Scene 2)

16:20 We happy few - Henry V (Act 4, Scene 3)

17:18 Something Good from Nothing - King Lear (Act 1, Scene 1)

20:53 Double Double - Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 1)

22:46 The Undiscovered Country - Henry V (Act 3, Scene 1)

26:48 To be, or not to be (performed poorly by J Ryan Fenzel)

In this episode we share a creative writing exercise that teaches authors how to avoid the predictable and unleash the vivid.

Episode Highlights:

01:27 The Goldberg Prompt

02:42 Setting up the exercise

03:30 An example run-through

04:23 Resulting verb-driven sentences

In this episode we take on writer’s block and share tried & true strategies to break through the wall and get those words flowing again.

Episode Highlights:

01:44 Character is King: Communication Problem Edition

08:45 The 4 types of Writer’s Block

12:42 Level 1 Treatment: Overcoming the variants

18:45 Level 2 Treatment: Manage the writing process

24:00 Set a clear intent for your writing session

26:23 Movement is medicine

30:51 Level 3 Treatment: Kickstarters

31:08 Develop a character

33:16 Start in the middle

36:22 Genre swapping

39:22 Caffeine

It's our annual Christmas Special! Join us as we unwrap a Yuletide edition of our Lyrically Speaking series to discuss the lyrics of classic Christmas songs and the stories behind the music.

Highlights:

01:38 What is the oldest Christmas Song?

05:35 Character is King: Yuletide Tradition Edition

11:40 Somewhere in My Memory

16:09 The Man with the Bag

21:04 ‘Zat You, Santa Claus?

25:14 The Snow Miser/Heat Miser Song

31:53 The Christmas Song

36:49 Underneath the Tree

In this episode we examine the key elements that make up a great short story, and we share a collection of classic tales to illustrate the power of the format.

Episode Highlights:

01:30 What a short story does best

03:27 Character is King: Short Story Edition

10:08 Six key literary elements of the short story

17:44 A training ground for the writer’s “long game”

22:10 Story Example 1: A Good Man is Hard to Find

26:45 Story Example 2: Trace

30:07 Story Example 3: The Telltale Heart

33:10 Story Example 4: The Star

35:40 Story Example 5: A Rose for Emily

40:20 Story Example 6: The Open Window

In this episode we expose weird and whacky conspiracy theories from the literary, film, and music worlds and reveal the secrets “they” don’t want you to know.

Episode Highlights:

02:55 “Paul is Dead” catches fire

06:47 Character is King: Conspiratorial Edition

12:45 Theory 1 - She doesn’t exist

15:12 Theory 2 - Witches Boo

18:10 Theory 3 - It’s not her, it’s him

21:26 Theory 4 - Who’s your daddy?

24:40 Theory 5 – Lennon and the King

28:18 Theory 6 – Back to the North Pole

In this episode we present a new collection of classic idioms and share the histories and origins that made them timeless expressions of speech.

Episode highlights:

03:00 Coffee badging and three sheets

06:15 Character is King: Idiomatic Expression Edition

12:03 A very southern idiom

14:40 Lost in translation

17:19 Born of a Scottish proverb

21:00 Benson Boone and Rick Springfield

23:25 The Thatched Roof Theory

26:20 Novel uses of a bullet

29:06 Honorable Mentions