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In this special update, Matt and Christina share that Write Out Loud will be taking a short, mid-season pause to recalibrate and focus on personal challenges and commitments. The hosts emphasize their dedication to delivering high-quality storytelling content and their desire to be fully present for every conversation. They also include a rallying cry for creatives who find themselves in similar circumstances.

Key Highlights

The "Spring Break" Pause: The team is taking a temporary break to handle family health issues and general life complexities, ensuring they don't "show up distracted" or rush the creative process.

Commitment to Authors: For authors currently scheduled or in conversation with the show, the hosts assure you that your episodes are still coming; they are simply being reshuffled to a later date.

Grace for Creatives: Christina encourages fellow writers and artists to give themselves the same "grace" to pause when life feels overwhelming, noting that it is okay to step back when you can't get your "head in the game".

Looking Ahead: This is not the end of the season. The show will return soon with more discussions on the craft, culture, and artistry of storytelling.

 Hey, thanks so much for listening to the podcast. We really hope that you're enjoying every bit of it, but we would love to hear your feedback. Drop us an email either to Matt@writeoutloudpod.com or christina@bookmatchmaker.com. We would love to hear your thoughts. What's working, what's not working. And what do you want to hear more of? Thanks so much. We really appreciate it.

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This week, Matt and Christina dive into the phenomenon of the "will not read" list. They explore why readers blackball certain authors, noting that these refusals usually transcend simple critiques of writing style and fall into three distinct categories:

• Moral Objections: The duo discusses personal bans based on an author’s real-world actions. They both refuse to read J.K. Rowling due to her public anti-trans activism, and they examine how allegations against Neil Gaiman—even when unadjudicated—can fundamentally shift a reader's willingness to offer support.
• The "Industrial Complex" & Market Fatigue: This category focuses on the exhaustion caused by hyper-prolific "brand" authors. They use James Patterson as a primary example, questioning the ethics of his massive co-authoring machine. They also touch on Nora Roberts, discussing how her relentless output of reprints and pseudonyms can lead to reader burnout.
• The Popularity Backlash: Finally, they analyze "80–20" hate—the visceral rejection of authors like Colleen Hoover, Sarah J. Maas, and Stephenie Meyer simply because of their success. This section breaks down the psychology of "bandwagon resistance" and how being a contrarian often becomes a core part of a reader’s identity.

They note writers should still read popular authors to learn why the storytelling connects, and conclude that choices reflect values, identity, and which stories shape us.

 Hey, thanks so much for listening to the podcast. We really hope that you're enjoying every bit of it, but we would love to hear your feedback. Drop us an email either to Matt@writeoutloudpod.com or christina@bookmatchmaker.com. We would love to hear your thoughts. What's working, what's not working. And what do you want to hear more of? Thanks so much. We really appreciate it.

Support the show

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Matt and Christina discuss whether spoilers and predictable endings ruin stories, arguing that mystery isn’t dead but often misunderstood. Using examples like Titanic, Pride and Prejudice, superhero and historical films, It Ends With Us, a 60 Minutes Holocaust survivor segment, John Wick, and the musical & Juliet, they emphasize that audiences stay invested because of character journey, growth, emotional impact, and the cost of getting to a known outcome.

They frame genre and history as useful storytelling frameworks that reduce pressure on the ending and instead highlight what characters want, what they sacrifice, and how writers can shape audience feeling, which they say is key to compelling work and audience connection.

 Hey, thanks so much for listening to the podcast. We really hope that you're enjoying every bit of it, but we would love to hear your feedback. Drop us an email either to Matt@writeoutloudpod.com or christina@bookmatchmaker.com. We would love to hear your thoughts. What's working, what's not working. And what do you want to hear more of? Thanks so much. We really appreciate it.

Support the show

Find out more at our website.