Podcasts about povs

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4043: Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus explore the difference between merely thinking you should change and emotionally deciding you must change. They also examine how seeking other perspectives can either reinforce existing beliefs or spark meaningful personal growth by challenging your assumptions and encouraging independent thought. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://www.theminimalists.com/deciding/  &  http://www.theminimalists.com/pov/ Quotes to ponder: "You can't have it both ways: you can't want it to be one way when your actions are the other way." "Once you understand the necessity for change on an emotional level, you're able to turn your shoulds into musts." "This is where real growth happens: when we're willing to step away from dogma, to step back from our own opinions, and examine the world through a different pair of eyes." Episode references: Stephen Fry: https://www.stephenfry.com/ Cal Newport: https://calnewport.com/ Sam Harris: https://www.samharris.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4043: Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus explore the difference between merely thinking you should change and emotionally deciding you must change. They also examine how seeking other perspectives can either reinforce existing beliefs or spark meaningful personal growth by challenging your assumptions and encouraging independent thought. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://www.theminimalists.com/deciding/  &  http://www.theminimalists.com/pov/ Quotes to ponder: "You can't have it both ways: you can't want it to be one way when your actions are the other way." "Once you understand the necessity for change on an emotional level, you're able to turn your shoulds into musts." "This is where real growth happens: when we're willing to step away from dogma, to step back from our own opinions, and examine the world through a different pair of eyes." Episode references: Stephen Fry: https://www.stephenfry.com/ Cal Newport: https://calnewport.com/ Sam Harris: https://www.samharris.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Discover all of the podcasts in our network, search for specific episodes, get the Optimal Living Daily workbook, and learn more at: OLDPodcast.com. Episode 4043: Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus explore the difference between merely thinking you should change and emotionally deciding you must change. They also examine how seeking other perspectives can either reinforce existing beliefs or spark meaningful personal growth by challenging your assumptions and encouraging independent thought. Read along with the original article(s) here: http://www.theminimalists.com/deciding/  &  http://www.theminimalists.com/pov/ Quotes to ponder: "You can't have it both ways: you can't want it to be one way when your actions are the other way." "Once you understand the necessity for change on an emotional level, you're able to turn your shoulds into musts." "This is where real growth happens: when we're willing to step away from dogma, to step back from our own opinions, and examine the world through a different pair of eyes." Episode references: Stephen Fry: https://www.stephenfry.com/ Cal Newport: https://calnewport.com/ Sam Harris: https://www.samharris.org/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you write when your heart is broken? How do you go back into the publishing business after years away, knowing it's a very different industry to the one you left? With Jami Albright. In the intro, InAudio is now distributing audiobooks to BookShop.org; The Feedback Loop that Makes Better Writers [Author Nation Podcast]; Bones of the Deep on Goodreads. This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Jami Albright is the bestselling author of the Brides on the Run romances and the co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast. Today we're talking about her new novel, The Summer That Changed Us. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How Jami started writing fiction at 47 and waited a year before publishing her first book Why she fictionalised her sister's terminal cancer story rather than writing a memoir The difference between writing as therapy and writing for the reader Reactivating an email newsletter after almost two years of silence Going wide with a standalone women's fiction novel after years in KU and rom-com Letting go of the frantic hustle of indie publishing and redefining what success looks like You can find Jami at JamiAlbright.com. Transcript of the interview with Jami Albright Jo: Jami Albright is the bestselling author of the Brides on the Run romances and the co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast. Today we're talking about her new novel, The Summer That Changed Us. So, welcome to the show, Jami. Jami: Thank you, Joanna. I've made it. This is my first time on The Creative Penn, so I can retire tomorrow. Jo: And we were saying before the show, I really thought you had been on the show before, because over the years we've connected a lot. We met over a decade ago, didn't we? At the Smarter Artist Summit. I was like, “I'm sure you've been on the show,” and you haven't. So, yes, welcome. Jami: Thank you. You've been on our show, though. We did an interview with you a few years ago. Jo: Yes. Well, anyway, for anyone who doesn't follow your show— Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and publishing. Jami: Okay. So I am the co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast for Writers. Sara Rosett and I have been doing that podcast since January 2020. Little did we know what was coming, and it really saved me, just mentally, being able to talk to people every week. I never wrote a word of fiction until I was 47. I'd never really written anything. I have really bad grammar. I tell a lot of stories, and I would make up stories, but I'd never write them down because of the grammar thing. But my reading buddy had her birthday coming up in about three months, and I thought, “You know what? I'm going to write Jennifer a book for her birthday. She doesn't care if I have bad grammar.” I just thought it would be on brand. It was so hard. I wrote myself into a corner very fast. When I told her, she said, “Well, now you have to.” So I got Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, I read that, and I started writing what is now Running from a Rock Star. But then my computer crashed and I lost it, and I was like, “Well, I'm not a writer.” So that was fine. Then I turned 50, and I told my family, “I think the only thing I regret is not finishing that book.” Of course they were like, “Well, you need to just do it again.” I was like, “No, I had 30,000 words.” A few weeks later my daughter came in and said, “Mom, I found this flash drive in my car. I think it has your book on it.” And it was 20,000 of the 30,000 words. So I was like, “Well, it's now or never.” So I joined Romance Writers of America and got involved in a critique group, and they absolutely kicked my butt for a good six months. I think every week they were surprised I came back, because it was so brutal. I knew I didn't know anything, and they taught me to write. Six months after I joined that first critique group, I won my first contest with the first 10 pages of that book. Then I just continued on. Three years later, I published Rock Star. I was going to publish it two years later, but I went to the Smarter Artist Summit, where I met you. I was advised by Julia Cant and Sean Platt and some other people to wait—preferably to have more books written. I had the second book written when the first one came out, but it still needed to be edited. So I waited a year, learned this business, and sold plasma to pay for my edits because I was poor. It was the best decision I ever made. Going to that conference, first of all, was the best $500 I've ever spent, and waiting that year really helped me learn this business. When I published the book, I had an email list of 1,200 people before the book ever came out. None of those things would have been set up had I published right after the Smarter Artist Summit, which is what I'd thought I would do, in the summer. So waiting gave me time to get everything set up so that when I published that book, it really took off from day one. I had 1,200 people on that newsletter list who wanted that book, because I had done a preview promo. Instead of putting out the whole book, I think I put out four chapters, and then people signed up. I don't know that that works anymore. Jo: I was going to say that. We should say to people, what was that, around 2016? Jami: 2017. Things have changed. Jo: Yes, things have changed, and I think this is so important. I had a question about this, and what they were implying was things that, like you said, we learned a decade ago. Things have changed. We'll come back to how you're doing it now, but just in terms of finishing off how you got started—those books did really well, didn't they? You had a couple of years there. How many books did you do? How did that go? Because you did have real success. Jami: Yes. From 2017 until really the beginning of 2021, if you look at my sales graph and my income, it just increased, increased, increased. 2019 was my very best year, but 2020 was only slightly lower as far as book sales and income. I only put out a book a year after the second book. The second book came out about six months after the first one, and after that it was about every nine months to a year that I put a book out. Everyone said you can't make money doing that, but I did. I think those books are very tropey. They're very hooky. That helped. I also think the timing of those books was really good. Rom-com was really coming up, and my rom-com is pretty wacky, but it's also really emotional too. If I get any critiques about them it's usually that “this book was way more emotional than I expected, and I was looking for something a little lighter.” They're just really wacky. They're rom-coms. Wacky circumstances. Small town, so there's all these small-town people. I just think it was a good time to release those. Those were good years. I miss those years. Jo: It's a good lesson, because it's not always up and to the right, is it? We're going to come back and revisit that. So then the pandemic hit, and on a more personal level, over the last few years, you've had a deeply difficult time that has led to The Summer That Changed Us, your latest book. So talk a bit about what's happened, why this book, and also why fictionalise it rather than write a memoir? I had that question. Jami: Okay. So 2021, my income was dropping, but it was still okay. I was still making more than enough that—thank God I don't have to make all the money in our household—but there was a level that I wanted to. At the end of 2021, my sister, who was the fourth of five sisters, had lived with cancer—non-smoker's lung cancer—for 10 years. She had the kind that, if you had a certain mutation, there were medications that worked amazingly well. Until they didn't, and then they put you on another class of that medication. So for 10 years, that's what she did. She missed work maybe three times in 10 years. People who met her never knew she had cancer unless they knew us. She just never acted like she had cancer. We would have to say, “Remember, you have cancer.” At the end of 2021, they ran out of that class of drugs. There were some being tested, but none had been approved. When she was diagnosed, she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. You don't survive very long having stage four lung cancer with no medication. So I saw the writing on the wall pretty much at the end of 2021, but of course I was very hopeful that they could do something. By May of 2022, it was clear things were not going well. In July of 2022, she got a six-to-twelve-week diagnosis. She just went in one day thinking she was about to get radiation, not knowing anything, and they were like, “No, we can't do radiation, and you should get your affairs in order because you have six to twelve weeks to live.” Jo: Oh. Jami: People who've been through it know this feeling. It's like being hit by a wrecking ball. It just knocks everything off your axis. Your whole world implodes into this one moment, this person that you love. I live four hours away from my family. They all still live in the same small town. I was in Dallas at my daughter's at the time, and they live about 30 miles outside of Dallas. So I went to my mom's, and I stayed there. I was there for almost six months, if you count the time I was back and forth, because she was not doing great but she was still okay. She had always rallied and come back. But once she got the diagnosis, I stayed. She would go home, but she would come back to my mom's during the day, because her husband worked. She was a teacher, so she was off during the summer. I was just there, and we all just took care of her. When she decided to go on hospice, she wanted to be at my mom's. She didn't want to be at home—they lived out in the country. She wanted to be at my mom's, so we set her up in the living room. We're redneck country people. We bring our crazy people in, our sick people, just out for everybody to see. She was just in the middle of the living room in her hospital bed, and the world just revolved around that hospital bed. Once that happened, once I knew at the end of 2021 that things were not going to go well—I really did not believe she would die. But she died a month after she went on hospice in October of 2022. That whole year, I was useless. I could not write. I couldn't think of anything to write. I write funny. How do you write funny when your heart's broken? I couldn't do it. After she died, I knew it would take a while. I knew it would maybe even be a year. But as the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years, I haven't written—except for her obituary—I've not written a word since she died until I started writing this book a year ago. I started it on April 19th. Jo: I mean, the stories of grief—there seems to be no way of escaping whatever it ends up being. You didn't choose your response. Your deep grief was just there, and you couldn't write. I feel like sometimes people just try and force it. It sounds like that's what you needed, and you have done that. So what then gave you the impetus to finally write—and to choose fiction? Jami: I didn't write memoir. I did think about doing a memoir, but I don't read memoir, and I don't know how to write it. I was already behind the eight ball, trying to write a book at all because it had been forever. I don't need to learn how to write something completely different. Plus, it just felt too close to write the memoir. I had been in Mexico City with my daughter, who has an event planning company, and we were there scouting locations for one of her events. Janet Margot lives in Mexico City, so I reached out, and we had dinner. We were talking, and she had had two big losses about the same time that my sister passed away. So we were talking about how difficult it is afterwards, just getting your head back into a space of being creative at all. She said, “You really should write this book. You should tell this story. It hits everything: middle-aged women dealing with middle-age things. You've got your parents that you were dealing with, and then your sister. You should write this story.” I said, “No, thank you. I lived it. I don't want to write it.” But it just wouldn't go away. I couldn't figure out how I would tell it. Whose point of view? I couldn't do it from the dying sister's point of view because I didn't think I could be authentic. I was afraid to tell it from multiple POVs because the book has a lot of characters in it. My family is gigantic—my immediate family, my sisters, husbands, nieces and nephews, my kids, my mom and dad—there are 35 of us. Almost all of those are in and out of my mom's house all the time. So I knew I couldn't do multiple point of view. One day, I was driving home to my mom's house, and it just hit me. The whole story laid out in front of me, and that's what I did. The first draft was pretty much just a retelling of what happened to us. I added some fictional elements, but I just wanted to get the story out. It was hard. I started Adderall on April 19th of 2025—I know that, because that's the day I started this book. I do call this the book that Adderall wrote, because I could sit and focus for three or four hours, which I'd never really been able to do. I would come to Starbucks and I would sit and write this book, and I would cry sitting in Starbucks, like a crazy person. People would walk by and slide a napkin onto the table and just keep walking, because I'm sitting there crying like crazy. I was so superstitious, and things were working so well, that I was afraid not to come and write at Starbucks. Staying at home, I think, would have been really hard. I would maybe have sunk into a depression had I done this at home. So I just wrote the whole book at Starbucks. After I wrote the first draft, I went back in and made it more fictional. But a lot of the book—especially her stuff—is a lot of what happened. She was just crazy. I tell a story in the book that, this is the absolute truth, this happened. She was in college, and she had convinced my younger sister to go to a honky-tonk club because they were having a Miss Honky-Tonk contest. Before she could get up on stage to compete as Miss Honky-Tonk, she got in a fight with some girl, and the girl hit her in the head with a bottle and split her head open. She was bleeding. My youngest sister was like, “We've got to go to the ER.” And she just refused, because there was a $300 cash prize for winning, and she needed it to make rent. So she borrowed a towel from the bartender, wrapped it around her head, competed with that bloody towel on her head, and won that stupid contest. That story in and of itself was my sister. Everything about her is in that story. So a lot of the stories in there happened to her in one way or another. What happens to June in the book happened to my sister. Jo: This is interesting, because the same thing memoir writers face is something perhaps you face: how much of the writing is therapy and how much is for the reader? You said you sat there crying. Absolutely, writing for therapy is very important—but when you come to edit, there might be things that your therapy side of you is like, “That's so important to me.” How do you kill your darlings when you're editing your sister's life? Jami: That was hard. I had to take out a lot of what was in the first draft, mostly the stories. Once she came home on hospice, it was just a steady stream of people coming in, and everybody had a story about her. What I found in editing was that Hope, the main character, was mostly a spectator in those scenes instead of being actively part of them. So I had to take those out, because they didn't serve the purpose of the book. I committed early on to: while I wanted to tell the story, I did not want it to be self-indulgent. I did not want it to be a therapy session that I sold to people as a story. Because of that, I think that really helped. I really did think about that as I was revising. I sent it to a developmental editor, and I don't know how great she was, but she gave me some really good advice about a couple of things. One was, “There's just not enough conflict in this book. You say that Hope and the father have this really contentious relationship, yet we don't see it. There's a little bit of it here and there, but you're not really digging into that.” It's hard, because while the rest of the world doesn't know, my family knows that this is a lot of our story. I just had to let that go and not worry about what my family thought. They had all given me permission. I'd sort of said, “I want to do this. Are you guys okay with that?” I talked to her husband, and everybody was okay with me doing it. But I couldn't worry about what they were going to think. I would repeat to myself: if they want to tell this story, they can write their own book. I'm writing what I saw and telling a fictionalised story that will hopefully honour her, but also help other people feel like they're being seen, and also be entertaining. If you're going to write a book, it needs to be somewhat entertaining. Jo: I don't think you can help yourself. You're funny. Jami: Yes. The book is really funny. I tell people that and they're like, “Hmm, really?” And I'm like, “It is really funny.” But it's also really sad. Jo: Well, I think that's the truth—to defend myself. There is a lot of humour in grief. There is death and dying, and it's a human condition. Jami: It is a human condition, yep. Jo: There's comedy in all of the human condition. That's just the way it is, right? I heard you mention on an interview, I can't remember where it was, that you feel very connected to this book, and you're worried that people judging it or giving it a bad review might feel like an insult to your sister. How are you dealing with these kinds of fears about how to separate ourselves from our books? Jami: I've been in therapy—like, literal therapy—for that, because I felt like that would be hard. So far, I've only gotten a few reviews back. They've all been good reviews. I haven't had anyone say they hate it. I just have had to separate myself. It's not personal. Reviews are never personal. People not liking your book is never personal. That's just a mindset. I've had to change my mind about that. Knowing that's a pitfall I could fall into, I really keep it top of mind. My family knows that's an issue, so they know they have to pull me out of that hole if I drop in. So that's really how I've handled it so far. We'll see. Jo: Maybe it's time as well. You're almost back to the “book is your baby” situation. As the years pass, the book almost becomes separate, doesn't it? How you feel about your first bride book is probably like, “It's not even me anymore.” Jami: Right. I learned early that your book isn't really your baby. Once you publish it, it's your product. So that has never been very hard for me. I still hate bad reviews, and I take them personally like everybody else does, if I let myself. But ultimately, this is a book that I'm putting out for entertainment. Yes, it's very personal. Yes, it means a lot to me. But if people don't like it, it isn't because they don't like my dead sister. They just don't like my writing. Jo: It's tough, but it's good to talk about, because this is something many people feel. My memoir Pilgrimage—it's not the same at all—but I was just so scared of judgment. The fear of judgment. What people would think of me. That's kind of different, but— It's this question of how it'll land. The reality is, not many people read these books anyway. Jami: Well, I have worried about how it would land, but mostly I worry about how it would land with the people I love. My mom read it last week. I was there while she was reading it. That was no fun. She laughed, but it was devastating to her. She's like, “It's great, and I hate it.” Because it is so raw and real to her still—well, to all of us. That's where I worry, how it's going to land with them. But again, I've had to let that go. I had to let it go during the writing, because if I worried about that, then I would not have told an honest story. That was another thing—I didn't want it to be self-indulgent, and I wanted it to be honest. As honest as I could make it, even to the point of making people uncomfortable. There's a line. Once you cross it, there's no getting you back after that. So I walked that line really carefully, because I did want it to be honest about how I felt, how other people I know who've been through something like this feel. Also, just relationships. Because when you're in a big family like my sisters and I—we adore each other, but we can also go toe-to-toe real fast. It can get ugly, because we know each other really well. We're also a little bit redneck, so we don't pull any punches. Your sisters are always the most honest people in your life. I wanted that to be true in this book too—both sides of that story. Jo: Let's circle back to the business stuff and some of the things we talked about, because obviously this has been a really difficult time. There was no way to deal with it in any other way, but your business has changed. You had these great few years, good sales, and then you had other priorities. So how are you rebooting the business? Lots of people end up taking a few years out for whatever reason. How are you rebooting the business to try and sell some books? Jami: To be honest, I have the remnants of a business. I have tried over the last four years to run some ads to get the Bride's books going, but here's something that's very interesting, and if somebody can tell me why this happened, I would love to hear it. These books that have sold so many books—I mean, so many books—I could not give them away. It didn't matter what I did. I changed covers, I changed blurbs, I put them on sale, I took them off sale, I ran ads. Ads wouldn't really move the needle. I know that at a certain point, when you haven't published and your books get pushed down in the algorithm, that is an uphill battle. But it was almost like, one day they just fell off, and once they started falling, I could not get them back. I just couldn't. So that I didn't make myself crazy—because also during this time, I was just trying to keep my head above water—when I would deal with my books or go into my dashboard, I would feel horrible. I was already feeling horrible, so I didn't need to feel more horrible. So I just sort of let them go after a certain point. I've now started running some Facebook ads. I have one Facebook ad that's working really well, knock on wood, right now for my first Bride's book. The problem is, this book and my Bride's books are different. The voice and the tone are the same, but they're really different in a lot of ways. They're the same in a lot of ways. This book doesn't have any sex; the other books don't have anybody dying. But some of the things are really similar. So I may have some crossover. For whatever reason, this ad is working. My book one is ranked better than it's been ranked in forever—really good. I'm not spending a ton of money to do it. So I don't know what changed. I don't know if I'll ever know. I've revised my newsletter, and that's worked well. I still have around a 35 to 40% open rate on a newsletter that I didn't send out for almost two years. I was sending it out, but then I kind of stopped, and then I started again. Jo: I was going to ask you about that, because I often get people emailing me. They're like, “I have a really old newsletter from several years ago. I haven't emailed them for years.” So what did you say in that first email? Like, “Hey, I'm back”? Jami: I mean, I'm just like, “Remember me?” It really was kind of like that. Just, “I'm back. You guys know life has happened. I'm sure you understand. If you're still here, thank you so much. I have been writing. I have this book that I think some of you will really love.” That's really how it was. From the first email, even that first email had a higher open rate. I think it was close to 45%. I had not sent out a newsletter in two years literally. Jo: People were like, “What happened?” Jami: They're like, “Oh, she didn't die. That was her sister, not her.” But I've just been really fortunate. They've been really encouraging. Every time I send one out, I get really encouraging emails back. So I've sent out about the book. The majority of my readers are KU readers because my books are in KU. But this book is going wide. One of the things I'm doing because I have been a little concerned about… Janet Margot does a lot of Amazon ads stuff and she knows a lot about Amazon. We've talked a lot about whether I should use my real name, my pen name, or come up with another name. Should I worry about my readers buying the book and messing up my Also Boughts? All of those things, because my readers are romance readers. Some of them read women's fiction, but for the most part, they're romance readers. I've decided to stick with Jami Albright and not worry about it. There are just things you can't control, so I've had to hold everything with a really open hand with this book. I am offering the book on my website. I'm selling it at $7.99—I chose a high price point, because I just feel like, to sit with the other books that I want it to sit with, I need that price point. So I'm offering it on my website, starting at the end of this week, for $5. If they're KU readers and they don't buy books, but they want the book, they can get it for $5 on my website, which I think is reasonable. Jo: Mm. Absolutely. Jami: If that's too much for them, I understand and I get it. Time, things are hard right now, and if they can't do that, it's going to be in libraries, so they can request it at their library. But right now that's the plan. Hopefully that helps with the Also Boughts a little bit too. Even though, again, I just can't worry about those things. As a gift to my readers, I want to do this for them as well—give them a discount. Jo: And obviously this is a standalone, right? This is not— Jami: Yes, it is. Jo: Again, a bit like memoir, all the book marketing we talk about in fiction is “write a series.” It's much easier. So it is difficult to market a standalone in general. And this is something that happened, so it is a standalone situation. So do you feel like you're back in terms of writing? Have you got plans for more books, or is this a business for you going forward? Do you feel like you want to re-enter this whole world? Jami: I do. I have an idea for a book similar to this one—not in the same kind of genre, I mean, of women's fiction, kind of midlife fiction stuff. I have an idea. I had nothing for months and months and months, and a couple of months ago, this idea kind of came to me. I was like, “Oh, that's not bad.” So I'm mulling it over—I do a lot of mulling—and that's the next book I think I will write. I don't know that I'll write rom-coms again. Not because I don't love them. I do, and I love my rom-coms. But I'm just different. You do not go through something like this and come out on the other side the same. I don't know that I could carry an entire rom-com through without it being even more emotional than mine are now. So for right now, I'm going to write another one of these kinds of books where it's got a lot of emotion, family dynamic, tension and dynamics. Jo: That's great. I do feel like once you've written the book that was waiting—your sister's book—then more things arrive, and it's great to hear that that is arriving for you. And of course, we change. One of the nice things about writing for the long term and building more of a name brand is that you change, and your readers either follow you or they don't, but it's your life. So I think that's a good reason to have one pen name. I obviously have two, but my fiction pen name I've written all kinds of genres under. Why else would we keep doing this? I don't want to write the same book over and over again. Jami: Right. Believe me, I've had to eat a lot of crow over the last four years, and it's tasty with ketchup. I have decided that a lot of the stuff I said is true: about you write in one genre, you give the people exactly what they want, and you give it to them over and over again. I believe all of that. I still believe those things. It's just that I don't know that I'm capable of doing that right now. Also, I'm older. I am about doing the things that bring me joy and are not a drudgery. I want to say this, because I miss the success. I miss who I thought I was during that time. I miss the recognition. I'll freely admit it. I miss being the person doing the thing that everybody said couldn't be done. “You can't make money with one book a year.” Well, watch me. And I did. I miss that. What I don't miss, and I've had to be really, really honest with myself, which has been difficult—I don't miss the anxiety that came with that. There was a lot of franticness. I think that if you are in a lot of groups, you see that franticness. I've had to step back, like I've had to step back, and then go back into these groups, you hear authors and see authors, and there's just this frantic sense that we're losing everything, and we have to hold on so tight to everything. I was like that. I checked my ads constantly. I checked my dashboard constantly. My mom used to say, “This should be fun.” I'm like, “Mom, it's a business. It's not fun.” But I recognise that I loved that so much that I held onto it so tight. I don't want to go back to that. I don't have the energy for that. Since this all happened, I've gained four more grandchildren than I had. I have six grandchildren now. I want to spend time with them. I want to spend time with my adult children. I want to spend time with my mom and dad. So I can't be frantic about my sales—are they going up, are they dropping?—and give emotionally to the people I love in my life. If the last four years have taught me anything, it is that the one thing you can never get back is time. You can never get it back, and that is so important to me right now. With this book—and one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you when we were talking about when I would do it—I wanted to do it before it came out, because I've already won. Writing this book, writing a book that honours the bravest person I've ever known and doing the second-hardest thing that I've ever had to do, is the win. That's the win. Whatever happens with this book afterwards is just what happens with this book afterwards. It doesn't change who I am, and you told me that when we were in Vegas two years ago. That conversation really changed a lot for me, because you said, “You are a successful author.” I was still trying to come up with a plan to be a successful author again, and you were like, “You are a successful author. You've had success. That makes you a successful author. You don't have to chase that.” That changed so much of my thinking. If I could leave listeners with anything, it is that we need to recognise the things we can't control and just deal with the things we can control. That's kind of how my sister lived. She could not control her cancer, but she could control how she responded to it and how she went forward. I think a lot of times, when bad things happen, we want to make sense of them. We want a reason for them. And a lot of times there's just no reason. There's no reason my sister died. There's no reason she left two kids and a husband devastated and a family that just has a giant hole in it. There's no reason for that. What defines us is not figuring out why that happened. It's what we do with that going forward. I think that's important for me to remember when I start getting caught up in all the franticness of this business. Jo: Yes. Or not, as the case may be. You can just let the book be what it is. And I do feel like these deeper books, they're more slow burn. You wrote books that ran, ran like the bride. Now we're not running like the bride. Jami: I'm tired. I don't run unless a wild animal's chasing me. Jo: Exactly. Look, we're out of time, but just tell people, if they haven't listened, a bit about your podcast, Wish I'd Known Then with Sara Rosett. Tell people what they can find over on that podcast and why you're still doing it. You've been doing it throughout the whole time. While not writing, you've still been podcasting. Jami: It absolutely saved my life. It's kept me in this business. While I haven't been publishing, I still know what's going on. I know about direct sales, I know about what's happening behind the scenes, with Facebook ads. I've kept in touch with those things because of our podcast. It's an interview podcast like yours, but we talk to people about what they wish they'd known about indie publishing. Most people have some certain thing that they've been working on or doing, and we talk to them a little bit about that too. We ask the same questions every week to every guest, and it's so interesting how different the answers are, and yet how similar they are. I think that helps when you're going through it and you're like, “God, I must be the only one feeling this way.” But you tune into a podcast, and you hear week after week, “Oh, no, there are other people feeling the same way I'm feeling, or struggling with the same things I'm struggling with.” Hopefully we give people things to shoot for and to aspire to. We have some amazing guests. They've all been really gracious and really honest. I don't know if it's the questions, or just because Sara and I are our style, but they're really honest with us when they answer the questions. Jo: It's a great show. I recommend it a lot. Jami: Thank you. Jo: Where can people find you and your books online? Jami: You can find me at JamiAlbright.com—that's J-A-M-I-Albright.com. I'm on all the socials as Jami Albright Author. My books are on Amazon right now, but this book is actually now on all the retailers. So that's where you can find me. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Jami. That was great. Jami: It was an honour. Thank you so much.The post Writing Through Grief And Rebooting an Indie Author Business With Jami Albright first appeared on The Creative Penn.

If you love classic-feeling epic fantasy filled with ancient evil, dangerous magic, deep worldbuilding, quests, mentors, prophecy, and genuinely thoughtful themes of faith and purpose… then Damien Black's Devil's Night Dawning may be exactly the hidden gem you've been looking for.In this spoiler-lite review, Jim dives into this self-published fantasy novel that impressed readers during Mark Lawrence's SPFBO competition and explores why it worked SO well for those judges/readers. From its fascinating analog to Christianity and the Church, to its rich mythology, multiple POVs, compelling young characters, and unapologetic embrace of classic fantasy tropes, this is one of those books that feels both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly sincere.And perhaps most impressive of all? The way faith is handled here — not as parody, propaganda, or simplistic moralizing, but as something meaningful, powerful, and deeply authentic.Whether you're a longtime fan of epic fantasy or someone looking for fantasy stories that treat faith with nuance and respect, this discussion may point you toward your next great read.Have you read Devil's Night Dawning? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!If you enjoy fantasy reviews, book discussions, lists, rankings, and all kinds of nerdy content, be sure to Like this video, Subscribe to the channel, and Ring the Notification Bell so you never miss an episode from Fantasy for the Ages!A huge thank you as well to all of our Patreon community for helping support the channel!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#Fantasy #EpicFantasy #BookReview #FantasyBooks #DamienBlack #DevilsNightDawning #SPFBO #FantasyForTheAges #IndieFantasy #SelfPublishedFantasy #ChristianFantasy #BookTube #FantasyReader #EpicFantasyBooks #FantasyBookReviewWant to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?Devil's Night Dawning: https://t.ly/L2oDWWays to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening2:11 - Book Details4:07 - Why Jim Read This5:38 - Spoiler-Lite Synopsis7:20 - Eight Reasons Someone May Enjoy This Book13:00 - Three Reasons It May Not Be for You14:18 - Jim's Final Thoughts16:27 - Closing & Wrap-Up————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Welcome to the The Achievers Podcast. I'm your host, Amber Deibert, Performance Coach. I help enterprise sellers unlock their full potential by aligning their work with how they workout and cleaning up mindset trash, so they can sell more, stress less, and take back control of their time and success.   You spend hours polishing a deliverable nobody notices. You build a beautiful AI-powered strategy and never implement a single piece of it. You refuse to start because you can't do it "right." In this episode, I break down how perfectionism quietly steals your time, masks deeper fears, and keeps your best work trapped in draft mode, plus the exact tools I use to release the pressure and start shipping work that actually moves deals forward.  

The follow-up to Barbarian is here! Join Cocktails & Classics as we break down one of Dylan's most anticipated movies of last year, Zach Cregger's "Weapons" (2025). We're diving into that wild 2:17 AM mystery, Amy Madigan's award-winning performance as the creepy and manipulative Aunt Gladys, and the most unsettling hair-cutting scene in horror history. From witchcraft to potato peelers, we dissect each twist, turn, and gory detail. Shake up a drink and join us—if you've got the stomach for it!2:17 AM: We take a look at how the mystery and investigative elements of the first third of the film really pulled us in. Magnolia Inspired Storytelling: We discuss how Zach Cregger took some inspiration from Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia to weave his connected storylines, and whether that type of narrative really works here. Aunt Gladys Steals the Show: We analyze Amy Madigan's dynamic, Best Supporting Actress-winning performance. She brings so many elements to this crazy character. Visual Nightmares: We talk about that car scene with Justine, the heavy use of character POVs, and the visceral practical effects.The Wild Finale: We react to the crazy climax of the film that blends horror, gore, and comedy to craft a truly original ending.

This week we're hanging out with Scott Schaffer—the guy behind a ton of the POVs you've probably watched over the years.We get into how he ended up filming roller coasters for a living, what actually goes into those camera setups, and some of the chaos that comes with media days. There's a lot of random stories in here too… road trips, park ops, hot takes, and just how the coaster scene has changed over time.It's a fun one.

Join Brian, Dave, and Paul as they continue their coverage of the finale season of The Boys! Episode 5 is structured a little bit differently than the norm with some new POVs of some old and new characters. Join Binge Empire in discussing each one! More BingetownTV Content!  ⁠Check Out Our Podcast on Youtube! ⁠ ⁠Check Out Our Youtube Entertainment Channel! ⁠ ⁠Join the BingetownTV Community Discord (FREE)⁠ Follow us on Socials!  Instagram- ⁠https://www.instagram.com/bingetowntv/⁠ Twitter/X - ⁠https://twitter.com/bingetowntvpod⁠ TikTok- ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@bingetowntv?_t=8gdE279ReTm&_r=1⁠ Support the Pod! Patreon- ⁠www.patreon.com/bingetowntv Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So excited to dive deep into our April Book Club Pick: Good People by Patmeena Sabit! We chat about the news story that inspired this novel, its inventive structure, the POVs we connected to the most, the book's (intentionally) vague marketing package, and what we think happened at the end!    For more references for the content in this episode, read more here and here.    May's Book Club Pick - Into the Blue by Emma Brodie   What we read this week Becca - The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson (out June 30) Olivia - Bad Words by Rioghnach Robinson (out October 6) Obsession Olivia - Ladies of London Becca - Real Housewives of Rhode Island Sponsors Cozy Earth - Head to cozyearth.com and use my code BOP for an exclusive 20% off BetterHelp - get 10% off at BetterHelp.com/BADONPAPER Additional resources Join our Facebook group for amazing book recs & more!  Buy our Merch! Join our BFF Group! Order Olivia's Books, Little One, and Such a Bad Influence! Subscribe to Olivia's Newsletter! Order Becca's Book, The Christmas Orphans Club, and preorder Back Where We Started!   Subscribe to Becca's Newsletter!  Follow us on Instagram @badonpaperpodcast. Follow Olivia on Instagram @oliviamuenter and Becca @beccamfreeman.  

Andrew Lands on a Single POV—and Must Choose an EndingJennie Nash coaches podcast producer Andrew Parella through the third “hot seat” session of his Blueprint revision, where he gains clarity that his protagonist should be the sole point-of-view character, with other perspectives delivered through discovered diaries, letters, and papers from her mother Mina and her uncle Van Helsing. After completing a stronger Inside Outline, Andrew understands that each scene's “point” must be expressed through his protagonist's meaning-making, which makes the story feel more alive but reveals key issues: an ending that doesn't yet pay off and several underused setups. Jennie urges Andrew to leverage Mina's influence earlier, make vampires more present in the world, and more. They focus on raising stakes, making the “all is lost” moment harder, and forcing a decisive, morally resonant ending beyond simply solving the murders.Visit Andrew's website: https://www.andrewparrella.com#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Need to play catch-up?Check out Andrew's first hot seat coaching session with Jennie: Check out Andrew's second hot seat coaching session with Jennie: TranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jenny Nash and you're listening to the hashtag am Writing podcast. The place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. This is a hot seat coaching episode where we work through a real writing challenge in real time.Jennie: Today I am joined again by Andrew Perella, who is the podcast producer stepping out from Behind the Mic, and this is the third time we've been talking about his blueprint revision. So if you haven't heard episodes. One and two focused on this. You should definitely go catch up on them. I'll link to those in the show notes and where we left Andrew, I feel like this is a, um, a soap opera or something.Jennie: Um. You were going to go off and do some exploration in order to decide on your point of view, uh, narrator, [00:01:00] and you were debating lots, lots of different ideas. So let's just start by asking how that went.Andrew: Uh, it went well. I mean, it was, uh, it was really productive too. Go through the exercise that you played, that you, uh, that you, uh, put to me.Andrew: So the, uh, you had left it to. So to help me identify which POVs were gonna be most important to take the three characters that I had been identifying and kind of draw out an, an outline for each of them. I didn't do a full inside out, inside outline for, for each character. I just kinda did. Sure, sure. A bunch of bullets.Andrew: Here's the, here's the story through this person's, uh, through this person's perspective, through this person's perspective. And as I did that it became very clear that two of the characters, while very important to the story, I think will ultimately Billy Ancillary and the primary. Protagonist Abriana, I think [00:02:00] is going to be, uh, the sole POV for the book.Andrew: Um, so that was kind of exciting to. Get some clarity on that. And now that I know that a lot of other things come in, come into focus a little bit, it's like, okay, I can spend a little bit less time, you know, developing this scene. That's something we could do with a letter or a diary entry that she reads or some, or something to that effect.Andrew: And so, as I was listening back to our last session, I was thinking about, you had talked about other devices, um, that we can use to incorporate. Other POVs. Um, and so I think there can be diaries and letters and papers from, um, from the other, from the other characters. A Brianna's mother, Mina, and uh, and uh, uh, van Helsing, her uncle, her, um.Andrew: And I think that she can discover these papers, these letters, these diaries over the course, uh, [00:03:00] of the story to learn more information, to help her clear certain hurdles, um, that will, uh, that will present themselves to her. Um,Jennie: so, um, I was really curious because. In my mind, I thought one of the people you were considering as the narrator of the story was a Adrianna's brother.Jennie: And so when I went to review your notes, you know, you'd sketched out these, uh, mini, mini outlines for what, what the scenes or the, you know, story would look like from that. And, and it wasn't the brother, so that was interesting to me. It was like, okay, so you really were considering a lot of different.Jennie: Characters to tell the story. And the other thing that struck me was, well, I could immediately tell which one had the most heat. That's the best way I can describe it. Right? Yeah. It's like there's an energy or a a, a vibrancy [00:04:00] or the other ones were good, but there was a flatness to them. Did Is that what you felt?Andrew: Yeah, I felt like. There wasn't enough there it felt like. It felt like there were other stories that I could create that I could invent for these characters, but they were less. Were less relevant to my protagonist.Jennie: Yeah. Yeah.Andrew: And so I felt like that helped me kinda, kinda focus in on her a little bit.Jennie: The other thing that struck me was, um, Mina, who's a Brianna's mom.Jennie: Um, hers was really, it felt really whole to me. It, it was like, oh, she's got a whole story, a whole backstory. Well, it would be a backstory now, um, but. You know, she felt like a really 3D character with Okay. A a lot of, um, like I liked her and I was interested in her and I could [00:05:00] see a lot of places where her story would intersect with Aub Brianna's that you could use.Jennie: So it felt to me like that was a really useful exercise for you to do. Is that where you landed?Andrew: Absolutely. Yeah, no, it really helped me explore who these characters are, because these characters are gonna be, as I say, integral to the protagonist, integral to the story and to the novel, but they're just not going to be carrying the weight of, of, of primary POV.Andrew: And so I think it, but it was really helpful to flesh those out, flesh those characters out a little bit more. And I did have a lot of fun. Building out Mina's timeline, Mina's outline as it related to the, to the primary events of the novel. So that, so that was, that was a lot of fun. And I'm, I, I think, I think the outlines might have betrayed the fact that I'm still trying to figure out how Van Helsing, what Van Sing's relation.Andrew: Is to the events of the story.Jennie: Yeah, maybe that, because that one [00:06:00] definitely felt the, the most flat of all of them. Which is interesting because he's a, an existing character and an existing story in a way. So he's kind of already been fleshed out a bit. But, um, so it sounded when you reported. The outcome to me, it sounded like you were quite sure that there was no more debate.Jennie: You really felt like this is it, is that true? AreAndrew: you, I am sure there is no more debate this week, uh, about that.Jennie: I was gonna sayAndrew: that question.Jennie: Um, okay. So what you did next was, the next bit of homework was. If you can land on that to flesh out the whole inside outline, which you did. Um, and I was really struck Andrew by how different this was from your first iteration were.Jennie: Do you feel that?Andrew: Yes, yes. Um, and I think part of that is I, I [00:07:00] had an incomplete understanding of. Of the inside outline when I was first rolling through it, and I, I was, I was struggling a little bit, but I also have a much better idea of what the story is now than I did a couple weeks ago when I did, when I, when I, when I wrote that initial, uh, inside outline.Andrew: SoJennie: what did you not understand about it? I'm curious.Andrew: I think, I think some of, like some of the notes you and KJ gave me after that first one kind of, uh, were about the point. So there's the, there's the, the, the, the scene or the plot and what is the point of this scene or plot. And I, I had difficulty, I think, expressing what the, what the importance of these, of these plot moments were.Andrew: Um, and I think it was a note that KJ gave me. It's like, try, try writing the point of the plot. Through the eyes of your protagonist, how does this affect me as the protagonist? How, how [00:08:00] does this affect me? And so I was looking at kind of like, so I think I had a, a more full outline in that regard because I did try and.Andrew: Internalized for Abriana what these po plot points meant for her and how they would change or affect the decision she made next.Jennie: Yeah, I'm glad you mentioned that. Um, because what a lot of people get wrong is they think the point is another chance to explain why they're writing that scene, why they, the author, um, are writing that scene and it the point.Jennie: Of it is what meaning is this character making of what they're experiencing in the plot. So, um, you're having understood that and understood your story. When I say it was so different, the, I mean, this is the progression. The, the first iteration was, okay, this is an interesting plot. These are interesting characters, but they're not.Jennie: They're not, there's no [00:09:00] there, there in a way. Right. And this one I read and I, I was like, oh, there's, you know, this is good. You're starting to, to really weave, um, uh, a tail. And, um, it feels weighty. And I was really excited. It felt. Alive to me. Is that, did you have that sense?Andrew: I, I'm really glad to hear you say that.Andrew: ‘cause Yeah, it's feeling much more alive to me as well. And seeing, and seeing all of these points, seeing, seeing this outline put together, it's like, oh, this isn't, this isn't a gimmick anymore. This isn't just an idea. This is a real thing that I can, I can turn into a novel that I can turn into a manuscript.Andrew: So, yeah. Yeah. It's feeling, it's feeling much more real now.Jennie: So there's two things that I saw in reading it through, and these are the type of things that will be revealed when you have something solid. One is the ending isn't [00:10:00] paying off yet, and you know that like you, you said, you know. Some ending scene here or something, you know?Jennie: Yeah. Ending tk. Yeah. And then, um, so that, that ending isn't landing. And then, um, there's a under utilization. Of the character setup that you, you've, you've set something up that you're then not using, you're not leveraging, and there's three places where that's happening. So I wanna talk about those three places and then we'll talk about the ending.Jennie: ‘cause those three places are going to inform your ending. Um, so the first one is in fact the mom. Aub Brianna's mom. Mm-hmm. So now that we know her whole backstory and her unde deadness and, um, that she may in fact be manipulating events in [00:11:00] real time, uh, for Aubrianna in story time, um. She's got strong opinions, she's got enemies, she's got people defending her, she's got secrets.Jennie: Like she's got a whole deal going on, and it feels as though she only really enters the story very, very late and, and at a moment when Mina really needs her to enter the story. So it feels a little under earned when that hap when that happens. Mm-hmm. Does that make sense?Andrew: Yeah. I agree. Yeah.Jennie: What's interesting to me is it's, it's all there.Jennie: You have everything there to use. So now it's just a question of looking at your outline and saying, okay, where earlier can this mom, she's not gonna appear, but can she have influence? Can she have impact? Even just Mina's relationship with her absence is not there.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And it [00:12:00] strikes me well, I'll let you respond.Andrew: Um, no, I was noticing that like, Mina wasn't terribly present in, in the outline that I, that I drafted. There were just a couple of scenes that, uh, included or, um, alluded to her. Um, before, before the end and, and to really build that relationship up, I'm like, I need to find other places, as you say, to, to bring her in, to have abriana reflect on her.Andrew: Maybe she finds, maybe she finds the diary earlier in, in the story and learns a little bit more about her over the course of the story. So I think, I think that relationship, um, um, needs to be. Be a little bit more developed, as you say. Yeah.Jennie: Yeah. And, and does Mina Pine for her? She's not allowed to speak of her in her father's house.Jennie: Um, but it, the thing that struck me particularly was you have this [00:13:00] fantastic new place, at least new to me, um, to open the story, which is Van ING's funeral. Do I have that right? Yeah.Andrew: Yes.Jennie: Um, so this, the book opens with this young woman protagonist going to this funeral of someone who she admired and who understood her and who, um, wanted for her, what she wanted for herself.Jennie: So it's, it's a really emotional moment. For her, and it strikes me that she would be thinking about her dead mother at a funeral. Yeah. Right. Especially a funeral of this guyOutro: mm-hmm.Jennie: Who played a role in her mother's life and death.Andrew: Yep.Jennie: Um, and it, so it's, when I say underutilized and everything's already there, it's like you've got, you've got the opportunity.Jennie: Right. So Right to let us, that's a [00:14:00] moment we can. Feel Mina's absence, we can feel a Brianna's response to that absence. Um, maybe the impact of the, the mom and the situation on her. Mm-hmm. Um, that's just one example.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um. That was kind of really, uh, neon lights for me. Um, and obviously the inside outline is three sentences about a scene, right?Jennie: It's not the whole scene. Right. But, um, uh, so do you, do you see. How, what you could do there if you did a pass through the inside outline, just thinking, how can I better use Mina?Andrew: Yes. Yeah, no, absolutely. I think, uh, I think you're spot on there. ‘cause I really wanna, I really wanna open the, the book with, with a, with the funeral.Andrew: Um, and of course that would bring up. Thoughts, um, of, of, of a deceased [00:15:00] parent to, to anyone. Um, so yeah, I think there's a lot, a lot to be had there. And maybe there's even, maybe she even like catches sight of a mysterious, uh, a mysterious veiled woman at the back of the church who is also there to, uh, pay her respects and, you know, maybe.Andrew: Maybe this mysterious, this mysterious figure appears in other places over the course of, uh, over the course of the events, um, and ca and kind of catches, uh, a adrianna's attention. I think there are, there are a lot of ways to, to, to, to, to manage that.Jennie: Yeah. Or even just a feeling that something is there.Jennie: That you can't see.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, you know, uh, that's a, well, we'll get to the connection to that other piece in a minute. But the, um, the, the bigger point here is the, the role of anything in a story, an antagonist, a, a character, a situation is [00:16:00] to put pressure on the protagonist. For her to make choices she either doesn't wanna make or can't make, right?Jennie: Like stories about choice. So what makes the choice harder? What makes it, um, more potent for that person? What raises the stakes on that choice? So when I say do a pass through the inside outline, just thinking about Mina, it's like, how can you use Mina to pressure, uh, aubriana and, and pressure can be. My mother would be so disappointed in me, or mm-hmm.Jennie: I, I can't let my mother down again. Or, um, I'm so pissed she's not here that I'm gonna do this reckless thing. Like, there's lots of ways that that can manifest. Um, it doesn't have pressure to do the right thing. It can be oppositional pressure. Yeah. Yeah. Um, but you know, she's got, it can't just be. [00:17:00] The way you have it set up, I think you would be really missing an opportunity if you didn't use that more.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um, so that's super connected to the second I said there were three kind of underutilized things and the second is the vampires. So you've made a decision about do they exist, um, and. They appear now almost nowhere in the story.Andrew: Yeah, I think only, only in a couple of points. Um,Jennie: yeah. Um, and, and by appear, I don't mean literally, here are the vampires.Jennie: It, it could be at the suffragette meeting, they're arguing about the vampires or there's, um, you know, uh, newspaper article everybody's talking about, or there's gonna be a talk. That they have to, you know, uh, disperse early ‘cause there's gonna be a talk about the vampires [00:18:00] or, you know, like mm-hmm. Just a pres, the presence or the sense of them.Jennie: What are people doing saying, worried about, um, their, that needs to be amped up.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And when I say that needs to be amped up, that's not, that's not my opinion about your story. It's the story about vampires. Yes. So, uh, I mean actually it's not really a story about vampires. I that's not true. It's not, but it's a story with vampires.Jennie: So therefore, story ofvampires.Andrew: Yeah, yeah.Jennie: We gotta have the vampires, right?Andrew: Yes. It's a primary component of the story. Um, and, and there needs to be more of it. And I, and like, I think. There are a lot of opportunities, as you say, sitting down at breakfast and opening the newspaper. There, there could be articles about, about vampires in the suffragette meetings, there'll be things about, there'll be talk about vampires in, in class among her classmates.Andrew: Um, there'll be, there'll be gossiping, uh, there'll be [00:19:00] gossip about vampires, um, and the merits of this community. Um, and so I think, yes, there are a lot of ways that we, I can bring, I can make the vampires more present, um, and. The nuanced conversation happening around the community. Um. To, to, to kind of draw, draw some, and, and help draw some parallels to, to, to modern events as well.Jennie: Well, and that's why I say underutilized. Yeah. That's what these topics are because there is such richness there and that your villain is, um, using fear of one to, um, terrorize another. Mm-hmm. Fear of one group to terrorize another group. He, he's playing these two, um. Um, misunderstood or, um, marginalized groups against each other.Jennie: Mm-hmm. So it, it feels like it's right. Should be right there, but it's, yeah, but it's not.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: And then s [00:20:00] same topic. Um, my deeper understanding of Mina, which I got through the, your test outline showed me that the undead are, um, have a agency in this world that I was not. I understood better, and so it made me wonder, are there other vampires doing things, appearing trying to influence?Jennie: Are they rising up in any way? Are any of the murdered people connected? Are there rumors? Are there, you know, did any other person around say my. Uh, I don't know. Mother was a vampire too, or like, I dunno, like is it, is Mina's role as an intermediary? I mean, she's in a special situation, but I was just trying to like, is there a hierarchy [00:21:00] of impact that different vampire beings can make?Jennie: Am I, am I asking that?Andrew: Yeah, no, I, I hear what, I hear what you're saying and you're, you're right. I mean, I have been thinking about, um, vampires within the suffragette movement, you know, helping the cause, um. I've been playing with the idea of whether, whether there should be a vampire in the school that she's attending as well, and maybe she, maybe that vampire is trying to keep their identity, her identity hidden.Andrew: Um, but I like your idea about like, how are the victims related to. Vampires. I think I've, I think I've been, I've taken pains to relate them all to the suffragette movement.Jennie: Yeah.Andrew: But I think what would make them really appetizing victims for the murderer [00:22:00] would be for them to have some relation to vampires as well.Jennie: Right. And it doesn't have to be so on the nose, like I just said, oh, I'm my mother too. It could be,Outro: right? Yeah, yeah, yeah.Jennie: Oh, my, my father's obsessed with them, or, um, right. My father says, don't talk about them, or, you know. Mm-hmm. Relationship to the idea of them. That's something I wanna reflect back to, that I noticed that I thought was really cool.Jennie: And I don't know how intentional you were about this, but you've got this. Medical school, a Brianna's going to this school for women and the suffragette movement. And there's an overlap of those two communities. So a lot of the suffragettes are connected to the medical world. And you have a lot of the young women in [00:23:00] medical spaces.Jennie: So there's, there's the asylum. There's, it's the places people are having internships or being hired to be the receptionist or right, like the people are, which makes total sense. If you have a medical school for women and you're trying to get them out into the world, they're gonna be in those roles at all these different spaces and they're, that was what was interesting to me is that you have a, um, very organic.Jennie: Reason why these young women are brushing up against vampire spaces,Andrew: and I don't know how intentional that was, but I, I needed them to brush up against the murderer.Jennie: And, and he's in vampire spacesAndrew: and he's in vampire and medical spaces.Jennie: Yes.Andrew: And so that, that was my primary rationale, but, um, uh, but [00:24:00] I I, I, I like what you're saying as well.Andrew: Um,Jennie: I just noticed it, and it also occurred to me that Aubriana could notice it,Andrew: that the victims have, uh, are, are showing up in vampire spaces.Jennie: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Because the way that you have it right now. I actually didn't write this in my notes, it's just coming to me while we're talking. Mm-hmm. Um, her solving of this crime is a little bit, um, circumstantial and physical.Jennie: Yeah. She's in the right place or she puts herself in the right place, or she gets an object or she sees. See something. Mm-hmm. But I think that there could also be two other drivers of her being the one to solve the problem, uh, which would be intellectual. She's putting things together that other people are not.Jennie: Yeah. Putting together. And [00:25:00] you, you have her as she's the top student in this class who's failing now because she's so obsessed with this. So she could be putting her intellect. It that would be really natural, but also this other sense connected to her mother, this six sixth sense, if you will, you know, understanding of other worlds, other creatures, other forces that could inform her, um, understanding of the crimes as well.Jennie: So. Now that I'm saying this out loud, I feel like this is a really important part of, um, making the, you know, we want the person to solve this crime to be uniquely qualified to solve this crime. Mm-hmm. So, not to, well, anyone in her position would've figured it out. Um, it's because of her background, ‘cause of her connection to her mom, ‘cause of her dad and [00:26:00] her brother, you know, because of her aptitudes, you know, because of all these things she solves.Jennie: Yeah, the crime. Um, and so that goes back to both her connection to, well, well, amplifying the mother in the story and amplifying the vampires in the story. Um, so, and that actually goes to then one of my other points, and I'm jumping over. Well, I'll jump over. Okay. So the, the last underutilized. Element is the brother.Jennie: So the brother got seriously demoted from possibly narrating the whole story to sort of being this loser, like spineless, you know, whatever. Which I love because it's just such a great con. He's like, oh no, don't, don't upset father. And, and you know, she is like, get outta my way. Like, it's [00:27:00] great. It's a great um, contrast.Jennie: But I feel like you've, you've got him positioned to do something really stupid, um, right. Or to do something really insensitive. Um, he can, at the moment, he just reacts, he could make a choice that really impacts her, that really changes the story.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Like, does he stand? With Adrianna or their father when it really counts.Jennie: Mm-hmm. That's, that's kind of the choice. Yeah. That he's, you've got him, and so I feel like, again, underutilized, where can the brother really throw a wrench into what a adrianna's trying to do for herself, where he maybe thinks he's helping, or either that, or he is unable to rise to the occasion and therefore hurts her, but mm-hmm.Jennie: There gonna be a million ways to do that. But you've [00:28:00] got, so just like with the mother and the vampires or the brother, you've got a set up that you could have a huge payoff from that you, that you've sort of just left there. Do you see that?Andrew: Yes. Yeah. No, absolutely. Quince definitely took a back seat from when we were last, when we were last discussing him.Andrew: Um. Yeah. But I feel like there there is more. He can take more weight. He, there is much more, much more we I could do with him. Um, and like I think, I think I definitely see him as letting Aubrianna down at some point and like siding with their father at it at some crucial point instead of with her. Um, I also see him being kind of ultimately the collateral damage.Andrew: From the final decision that Aubriana makes, um, if she chooses to be with her mother at the end, she, [00:29:00] um, is, uh, then choosing, um, to never have contact with her father who has made that ultimatum clear. And Quince is not ready to make that decision. And so. You know, kind of falls in line with, with his, with his father.Andrew: With their father. So I see, I see him playing at this point, he's playing a small role, but I think he could play a larger role. Um, yeah, yeah. As you say, presenting challenges or trying to help, but actually, actually making things worse or something like that.Jennie: So when you go back through the inside outline.Jennie: So we're just continuing to tighten the screws and shore up all the holes. Mm-hmm. So for those listening who may be revising their own outlines or their books, um. You wanna think, what do I, what do I have that I'm not using? What thread do I, well, maybe that's not the right metaphor. It's like, what seed did I plant that I didn't harvest?Jennie: Right? Like, what, [00:30:00] what do I have here? What opportunities for tension? Opportunities for, again, pressure on the protagonist, opportunities to make things bad for them, um, and. You know, that, that sense of her, like she doesn't really suffer very much in this story. Mm-hmm. She doesn't really, um, lose a lot. Um, and that brings me now finally to, um, the ending.Jennie: So the, the question is, how do you. How do you land on an ending? Um, and, and oftentimes the work that you did before this, the, the sense of, well, where does the story start and where does this end that bookend sense of we're, we're trying to, it's solve a, a murder in this story, but more than that, we're trying to, there's a young woman who's going through a massive [00:31:00] transformation and becoming something that, um.Jennie: She desperately wants to be that everything is keeping her from being. But the choice that you have right now, the story is leading to is to be with her mom or not. And in some ways, that's a perfect bookend with a story that starts with a funeral. The choice to basically. Live or die, right?Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: But it, um, it struck me as that that's not the story you're writing, that that's, that's never been the story you're writing.Jennie: She's, it's not a story about, like, this could easily, you could just easily decide to make this a story about a young woman who. The absence of the mom is so profound in their life that they can't function or, [00:32:00] um, you know, uh, live or love or all the things that one would want to do in life. Um, you know, sort of a yearning to be gone, or a yearning to be with that absent person.Jennie: This could be that story, um, where mm-hmm. You know, it starts with this funeral and maybe there's a, a yearning there. Like, everybody I love is dead. Everybody who got me is dead. The only way that I'm gonna be with the people who understand me is, is also to to die. You know, like, it, it really obviously would change the texture and shape and everything, the story.Jennie: And I know that's not the story you wanna write ‘cause it's. Nothing about your why or your point or, right. So when you're struggling with the ending, I always go back to those things. To the point. Yeah. And, and re reread them. Why are you doing this? Mm-hmm. What do you wanna say? Why does this matter to you?Jennie: [00:33:00] Mm-hmm. And, you know, it really is a question about, um. Uh, a monster is a person who doesn't change when the times change or when change is the right thing to do. Um, so it feels to me like the ending still needs to be the choice of who's, who becomes a monster or right. Or, um, is that the question?Jennie: She's not in danger of becoming a monster, is she? She'sAndrew: not, I don't think. Not as, not as the, the story currently stands, but obviously she, she, she goes through change and she can accept or resist that change. Um, obviously to do the change takes, requires a lot of work.Jennie: But [00:34:00] I think you would be short changing what you've set up.Jennie: If the change is simply, I wanna be a doctor. Yeah. And Yay, I became a doctor. Doctor and I got the bad guy. Mm-hmm. Right. There's something thin about that. Yeah. Because at the root of your story are some moral choices,Andrew: right.Jennie: That other people are not making.Andrew: Right.Jennie: Uh, so it feels like something bigger has to be at risk for her.Jennie: So I wanna become a doctor, is the plot level, you know, and my dad doesn't want to, and, and now all these things are preventing me from doing well in school. And, um, you know, all of that, the. The real story point, the emotional point, the, the thing we're gonna read [00:35:00] for is, uh, you know, that, um, that moral choice,Andrew: right?Jennie: What am I gonna risk to become the thing that I want? You know what?Andrew: Yeah,Jennie: what, what, um, what do I lose if I become the thing I want?Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: And, and you could lose, um, people you love, you could lose. Um, I mean, there's so many things that you could lose. You could lose your integrity. You could lose, um, your, uh, innocence.Jennie: You could lose. Um, but I think that, that it shouldn't be quite so easy for her. Mm-hmm.Jennie: Does that, does that resonate with you?Andrew: Yeah, no, I absolutely hear what you're saying. I absolutely hear what you're saying. Uh, and as you, as you're speaking, I'm trying to think through what some of her other motivations are. And while [00:36:00] yes, she's motivated to become a doctor, she's also just motivated to be an independent womanJennie: independent.Jennie: So what does that, that's, what does that mean?Andrew: I think in her world it means independent of. The choices the men around her are making for her on her behalf and being able to, uh, and being able to embrace her full agency.Jennie: So there's a moment in this story when she's lost complete agency. She's literally locked up.Jennie: She can't. She cannot do anything.Outro: Yeah.Jennie: Um, and it, and it struck me in that moment. You gave her a super easy out. Did you notice that?Andrew: I, yeah, I think, I think, I think it was a fairly, a fairly easy out, um, I don't remember exactly what it was.Jennie: Yeah. She contacts her brother and her brother.Andrew: Yeah, that's right.Jennie: Whatever. And it's like, okay. But that struck me as the [00:37:00] moment, the all is lost moment. You know? Like, okay, literally this is a young woman who seeks to be independent and have agency, and she's, yes, her actions have caused her to be in a place where she's locked, locked up. She cannot leave, she cannot do anything.Jennie: She can't use her brain. Well, she can use her brain. She can't. Well, like I was saying before, she can't put herself in the physical place to solve the. The murders were to now protect herself. So what does she have left? She has her intellect and that other sense. Spiritual, if you, whatever. I'm just calling it spiritual as shorthand.Jennie: Sure. Connection to what, what we can't, yeah. See or know.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, and what hap what is, what happens in that moment. That's really, I think that's where you get your ending.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: BecauseAndrew: I, I feel like that, yeah, you put your finger out. That is a pivotal scene. Where she's at her lowest point. And how does she get, and you're right, I I, I took the easy [00:38:00] way out there.Andrew: I think there needs to be a more difficult way for her to get herself out of there or find some other form of assistance to help her, to help her out of that. And I don't know what that is yet.Jennie: Yeah. And it, it's a really typical thing that happens, which is. You created this character and you love her and you don't want harm to come to her.Jennie: Yeah. And you don't, you want her to get everything that she wants, you know, you're fighting for her as you create her. Yeah. But she's gotta suffer. Mm-hmm. Um, and the, and the more that suffering resonates with, you know, what is at stake here, um, the better. The better it's gonna be the be the bigger pay emotional payoff it's gonna be for the reader because the reader, you know, is thinking I too am in a certain [00:39:00] cage.Jennie: You know, I too, uh, you know, am making certain decisions. And if I, if I make these choices and lose these things, like, I don't know if I can tolerate that, um, or I've been tolerating that my whole life. What would it mean to tolerate. Less or um. Right. Right. You know, so if that's the place where you really, the resonance of your story has to come is what, what is she gonna give up or lose or risk to get what she wants?Jennie: Mm-hmm. And, and if she, if that trade off happens. What sort of peace or not peace does she, does she land in? Mm-hmm. Um, right. So, yeah. Um, you have the plot of level of this story really in good shape. I know. We can make it [00:40:00] much better. The twists can get twist. Sure. And, uh, cl more, is cleverer a word? Maybe clever.Jennie: Like, you know, they're a little crude right now. Yeah. Um, so they can get, when I being twister, just like, Ooh, I didn't see that coming. Or, you know, um, and right. Right now it's little Mina swoops in at the right minute. Mm-hmm. The brother swoops in at the right minute. So when you go back through. So here's the work.Jennie: Yeah. Ask yourself, how can I use the mother more? How can I use the brother more to put pressure on the protagonist?Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: To make her choice harder, not easier. Um, and how can I use the vampire existence of the vampires and who believes in them? Who's fighting for them? Who, who gets them? Who doesn't?Jennie: What does Mina's relationship to? To those three [00:41:00] entities?Andrew: Yep.Jennie: And then given all that, how can I make the ending be a choice for what the story's really about and what I really care to convey, and not just a resolution of the murders?Andrew: Yep. That makes sense.Jennie: Um,Andrew: just making some notesJennie: here. There's so many cheesy ways this story could end.Andrew: Yeah. And obvi. Yeah. I obviously wanna avoid all of those, but, um, yeah.Jennie: So these are, but you might have to, you might have to run through a bunch of cheesy endings Yeah. And reject them. And like, and you know, that's not a bad exercise to do. Like, okay. Cheesy ending. What number one? You know, she graduates at the top of her class.Jennie: She finds the murderer, um, you know, some handsome, smart, you know, man who thinks she's awesome, swoops in and marries her instead of her father's [00:42:00] clerk. LikeAndrew: Right.Jennie: You know, all the things. Yeah. And. She has a portal in her house to connect with her mother all the time. You know, like you could like name every cheesy ending possible and but then de define why that wouldn't be satisfying.Jennie: Right. OrOutro: Yeah.Jennie: Why you would neverOutro: mm-hmm.Jennie: That's not a bad way to, to land on an ending. Yeah. Um, ‘cause the satAndrew: iden identify what? I don't want to help me identify what I do want.Jennie: Yeah. Yeah. And, and to think about this is also where genre comes into it. What is the expectation, right, of a story like this?Jennie: What do you want the reader to feel mm-hmm. At the end? And, um, you know, if you want the reader to feel inspired and uplifted, like, I'm not, I'm just making that up. That doesn't necessarily mean the ending is. Uplifting. Right. You know, [00:43:00] it, it has to do with the, the choices that character makes. So.Outro: Mm-hmm.Jennie: I mean, it's a big question of how, of how, how does it end?Jennie: Um, you might, you may, you may or may not get there this time, butAndrew: mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, I would force yourselfOutro: Yeah.Jennie: To put an ending on the outline, even if you don't like it, even if you know it's not right. So that, um. You can see the ripples through the whole thing and And that'll help you make that decision like, yeah, no, that can't be the ending.Jennie: ‘cause then this cool thing I have set up comes to nothing or Right. What's the point of having her had to struggle with this thing if she just gets it at the end?Andrew: Mm-hmm. Yep. That makes sense. That makes a lot of sense.Jennie: So what I love about where you are right now is you've answered. All the fundamental questions about [00:44:00] the the murder plot.Andrew: Right?Jennie: You know, we, we know who the antagonist is. We know his motivations, we know his, what he does. We know his mo, we know, you know, all of those things. Um, we understand. The physical, like I feel like you've done a really good job of almost blocking like a play, like blocking on a stage. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, like, okay, this woman and I could really feel that like she left her purse and then the thing, you know, like you've got the who's standing where, when all of that's in place.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: So now it's really, um, um. Tightening these threads. Mm-hmm. Putting the pressure on her. Mm-hmm. So that there's a gut wrenching choice at the end about, uh, the moral center of, of the story. Yep. [00:45:00] That's, that's what the work is. Easy.Andrew: Piece of cake. Piece of cake. I'll have it on your desk tomorrow morning. Oh myJennie: gosh. Um, I mean, another thing that I would suggest is. Going to look at the books you love.Andrew: Mm.Jennie: And just read through the endings, you know, like books, you know well and love and mm-hmm. Read through the endings and remind yourself why, why was the emotional payoff so big there?Jennie: Why did I love that book? Why did I, you know, just to marinate in, in the, um, in a good ending, how a good ending plays. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Um, it'll be fun.Andrew: Can I have more than three pages for my next insight? My next version of the outline?Jennie: Um, I thought you were gonna say, can I have more than three weeks? Um, [00:46:00] so I think the way we have it set up, you've got a, a little more than three weeks for this work. Okay. Um, to, to really dig in and do this work. And I'm gonna, I'm gonna go with, um. No. No.Andrew: Oh. Oh, man. That's cruel. That isJennie: cruel,Andrew: Diddy. I know,Jennie: I know.Jennie: And the reason that I'm gonna go with no is that you don't have your ending yet. And what's the point of my saying? Yeah, Andrew, write nine pages. In fact, make your, make your outline. You know, go to 30 pages. Why don't you just because this, you haven't solved. Solved it.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: But here's, here's what I'm gonna say.Jennie: Okay? If you can email me and say, this is where I have all the power, I have so much power. If you can email me and say, this is the ending. [00:47:00]Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Then I will give you permission mission to, and it doesn't actually even matter what it is. You just have to choose, choose something, because it could change, butAndrew: yeah.Andrew: Yeah. Yeah.Jennie: Something that you feel like obscene in a point. So the point is why it matters to Abriana.Andrew: Mm-hmm.Jennie: That feels like a logical, solid ending then. You could take it, I would say up to 10 pages and you're gonna love it. It's gonna be so fun. It's such a fun moment. You feel so free. You're like, wait, look, now I can put in all this stuff.Jennie: Um, everybody asks the same question, it's hilarious. Um, but the point I'll just for our listeners, the point of this particular tool is to keep it small so you can solve the big building block problems. Before you bake them into something bigger, because [00:48:00] just going bigger with the problems baked in doesn't solve the problems.Jennie: Having more room to figure out your ending doesn't help you figure out your ending. ‘cause the work you have to do is in your brain and your heart. It's not actually on the page. So it's really a decision you have to make and the failure of many, um, many stories is that the writer didn't, no, they didn't decide, they didn't make a choice.Jennie: They didn't want their character to suffer. They didn't wanna, um, put that point so boldly there that some people would despise them for it. Or argue with them or throw the book across the room. Like they don't wanna, that's the whole write big thing. They don't mm-hmm. The writer doesn't wanna choose. And so therefore they don't allow their character to choose.Jennie: And, and we don't wanna choose [00:49:00] because it's, it's actually really hard that, and that's the reason why we love. Novels because they give us the experience of what it would be like to be so decisive in what we believe or think or know or value that we live our lives with that kind of integrity or you know, we don't have to.Jennie: It's like we get to sit in an armchair and watch other people suffer to learn about the world and ourselves, and we don't have to actually really do it. And, and then when it comes down in our lives to our actually really doing it, we realize how very difficult it is to, to choose and to sacrifice. And so that the work is, that's why I say it's in your head and your heart.Jennie: It's, it's not, um, it's not just, it's not the plot. It's not strategic, it's not intellectual. It's really, it's really what do I, what do I believe? Um. [00:50:00] How, how, how far am I willing to go to stand by this point that I've said matters so much to me. So, um, you could send me that email this afternoon. You could send it to me in two days.Jennie: You'll notbeAndrew: ready this afternoon.Jennie: Uh, you, you should do it, um, soon though, because. My daughter's about to have a baby, and, and I might not see it then, and you'll be stuck in purgatory. So I'm putting, so this is the plot, putting pressure on, on you. I, I would say you got about five days.Andrew: Five days. Okay.Andrew: Come up with the ending.Jennie: Come up with the ending and, and like I said, it, it doesn't, you're not locked in for all eternity. Yeah. But, um. You gotta put a stake in the ground in order to make it work. Mm-hmm. You can put another stake in the ground later, you can unwind it later.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Um, that's obviously [00:51:00] the work of creativity.Jennie: You know, you might write this entire manuscript and change your mind again. That's all fine, but you do have to choose, um, because it's not gonna hold together if you don't choose. Mm-hmm. All right.Andrew: Okay.Jennie: Sorry.Andrew: That's alright.Andrew: I knew this wasn't gonna be easy. I knew this wasn't gonna be easy.Jennie: If it was easy, I mean.Andrew: What's, what's the point? What's the point of doing it if it's easy?Jennie: Totally. You're doing a great job, Andrew. ReallyAndrew: thank you.Jennie: Such a good job. The reason we are able to have such a rich conversation about these characters, this set up this world, is because you're creating a really rich and nuanced and interesting world.Jennie: I think it's fantastic. It just keeps getting better and better and better and, um, it's exciting. It's alive. It's great. So you're not that far. You're really not that far from being [00:52:00] done and being unleashed to like start writing, which is gonna be so fun. So,Outro: yeah.Jennie: Um, I mean, maybe you're secretly doing it anyway, and I'm just imagining that I have, I'm the puppet master.Jennie: We will, um, continue to bring our listeners along on this journey. Um. To see what happens, and it'll be really fun, uh, to, uh, to meet next and, um. And check it out. Um, all right, so for everybody listening, thanks for being here. Now let's get back to work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode of The Writing Community Chat Show, Chris sits down with UK-based television producer, script editor, and debut author, Charlotte Robinson!Charlotte brings an incredible wealth of storytelling knowledge from the screen to the page. After working her way up from an on-set runner (mastering the art of making the perfect cup of tea), she became a driving creative force behind major TV hits like Sky's Fortitude, Amazon Prime's adaptation of The Power, and Steven Knight's A Thousand Blows for Disney+.Now, she's translating that high-stakes, binge-worthy pacing into her highly anticipated debut sci-fi thriller, MARS ONE( publishing May 23rd with Transworld).If you have ever struggled with pacing, character depth, or bloated first drafts, this episode is an absolute masterclass. Grab a pint or a perfectly brewed tea, and get ready to take notes!In this episode, we dive into:The "Ruthless TV Editor" Mindset: How Charlotte applied TV production rules to cut a staggering 80,000 words from her first draft.The Margaret Atwood Timeline: A brilliant character-building exercise to give your protagonists deep psychological context.Writers' Room Secrets: How to use the "Post-It Note" method and Scrivener to weave together multiple POVs without losing the emotional thread.The Billionaire Space Race: A fascinating debate into the real-world inspirations behind Mars One and the geopolitical dangers of handing space exploration over to private companies.The Geek Vault: How a professional script editor would fix the controversial ending of Game of Thrones, and the fictional characters Charlotte would take on a one-way trip to Mars!About Charlotte Robinson: Charlotte is a writer, TV producer, and die-hard sci-fi & fantasy fan living in Essex. Her debut novel, MARS ONE, is a fast-paced thriller about a reality TV-funded colonization mission to Mars where a saboteur strikes in the dark vacuum of space.Pre-order MARS ONE: https://amzn.to/4e1G9NMShow Notes & Resources:

In this episode of Two and a Half Gamers, we break down over 120 AI-powered creatives and uncover what's actually working in 2026.From Golden Goblins physics hooks to Last Asylum's 70% AI-assisted pipeline, the scale is insane — with some games launching thousands of creatives and iterating faster than ever.We dive into:

We recap the DTF St. Louis season finale "No One's Normal. It Just Looks That Way from Across the Street" and agree it's strikingly bleak, debating whether the show was ever truly a mystery and whether the finale spends too long on last-minute suspects before revealing Floyd's death as suicide/self-neglect. We discuss how the ending impacts Carol, Clark, and their families, the show's underdeveloped female perspectives (especially Emmy), and moments that both humanize Carol and feel like plot devices. We also talk about how true-crime narratives can distort investigations, drawing on Sona's experience with wrongful-conviction compensation and law-enforcement tunnel vision. Finally, we share the loose real-world inspiration from the New Yorker article “My Dentist's Murder Trial,” involving a bizarre Planet Fitness meeting, a dental sedative, staging details, and unresolved coincidences. We close with upcoming podcast plans, a Patreon launch, and other shows we're covering. mailto:needssomeintroduction@gmail.com 00:00 Welcome and Finale Setup 01:31 Florida Trip and Theme Parks 02:59 Harry Potter Talk 04:26 Rowling Debate and Social Media 09:34 Vacation Recap and ER Scare 12:45 DTF Finale First Reactions 18:43 Suicide Reveal and Emotional Fallout 22:57 Suspects and Loose Threads 28:19 True Crime Narratives and Wrongful Convictions 33:41 Undercut Queer Arc 36:09 Underwear Dance Setup 37:11 Carol Gets Humanized 40:21 Women In The Story 46:36 Finale Disappointment 47:48 Floyd Suicide Logic 52:19 Real Case Inspiration 55:52 Bizarre Evidence Details 59:37 Hookup Site Twist 01:02:38 Wrap Up And Plugs

This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.A chaotic wedding, secret crushes, and one very inconvenient almost-divorce—this episode is for rom-com lovers who live for messy, multi-POV drama.In today's episode, I chat with Mallory Kass (also known as Kass Morgan) about her transition from YA to adult romance, her new book Save the Date, and why writing adult relationships hits differently than coming-of-age stories. We also get into rom-com tropes, ensemble casts, and even the possibility of adding a murder subplot (yes, really).If you love layered romantic stories, dreamy settings, and a little emotional chaos, this one's for you.

For reflective self-leaders who use mindset and journaling to grow—and lead with love, integrity, depth, and intelligence.Leadership is revealed under pressure.Do you stay true to yourself when activated?Do you want to?---------✨Featured BundleBe Yourself Under Activation — Move from Uncertainty to SteadinessFor self-leaders building emotional steadiness in moments of uncertainty—without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity.

For reflective self-leaders who use mindset and journaling to grow—and lead with love, integrity, depth, and intelligence.Leadership is revealed under pressure.Do you stay true to yourself when activated?Do you want to?---------✨Featured BundleBe Yourself Under Activation — Move from Uncertainty to SteadinessFor self-leaders building emotional steadiness in moments of uncertainty—without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity.

For reflective self-leaders who use mindset and journaling to grow—and lead with love, integrity, depth, and intelligence.Leadership is revealed under pressure.Do you stay true to yourself when activated?Do you want to?---------✨Featured BundleBe Yourself Under Activation — Move from Uncertainty to SteadinessFor self-leaders building emotional steadiness in moments of uncertainty—without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity.

For reflective self-leaders who use mindset and journaling to grow—and lead with love, integrity, depth, and intelligence.Leadership is revealed under pressure.Do you stay true to yourself when activated?Do you want to?---------✨Featured BundleBe Yourself Under Activation — Move from Uncertainty to SteadinessFor self-leaders building emotional steadiness in moments of uncertainty—without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity.

In this week's episode of RuPaul's Drag Race, the queens take on a chaotic comedy challenge that proves just how tricky improv can be. After a drama-free but telling elimination, the top five head into a Puppet Mini Challenge that completely flops—earning no winner and a rare crew tip-out from RuPaul. From there, things only get messier. For the maxi challenge, the queens must embody viral “Karens” in an improv sketch alongside RuPaul. What should have been a high-energy, character-driven challenge instead becomes a test of who can survive the awkwardness, unclear direction, and wildly uneven performances. On the runway, the category From Wholesome to Folsom delivers some of the episode's strongest moments, offering a much-needed visual payoff after a shaky challenge. By the end, one queen rises by default, while the rest struggle to justify their placements—leading to a controversial bottom two and an elimination that's sure to spark debate. Highlights from Joe & Nathan: The Puppet Mini Challenge may have officially lost its magic—was this the worst one yet? A discussion on whether modern Drag Race production (the “commune era”) is killing preparation and on-screen dynamics Why the improv challenge felt more like “RuPaul improv” than actual improv—and why that matters The queens' lack of defined character POVs becoming a major issue this late in the season Debate over whether NeNe Coco's villain edit is real—or completely fabricated The growing frustration with safe, conflict-free workroom dynamics (“bring back the fights!”) A breakdown of each queen's improv performance and where things went wrong The runway delivers—even when the challenge does not Runway Category: From Wholesome to Folsom A standout category that asked queens to transform from sweet to subversive. While the challenge faltered, the runway gave several queens a chance to shine with clear visual storytelling and strong reveals. Final Results: WIN: Mikey Meeks BOTTOM 2: Jane Don't & NeNe Coco ELIMINATED: Jane Don't Final Thoughts: This episode highlights a growing issue late in the season: when strong personalities are eliminated early, what's left can feel competent—but not compelling. Without clear character identities or conflict, even traditionally fun challenges like puppets and improv fall flat. Still, the unpredictability of the elimination—and the continued dismantling of “track record logic”—keeps the season from becoming too predictable. Subscribe & Support the Show: Full episodes, bonus content, and early releases available at Patreon.com/AfterthoughtMedia Ad-free and extended content available on Apple Podcasts subscriptions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Producer Andrew Parrella Claims His Own Gothic WorldIn this follow-up session, Jennie Nash checks in with producer-turned-novelist Andrew Parrella, who returns to the “hot seat” with a major breakthrough. After a week of “staring at the screen and walking the dog,” Andrew realizes he has been “writing small” to keep the project manageable. By leaning too heavily on the existing framework of Bram Stoker's Dracula, he was inadvertently stifling his own creativity. He decides to “embrace the big,” shifting the story from a cautious tribute into a standalone Historical Gothic Mystery. This evolution includes a high-stakes world-building choice: making vampires a known, though unaccepted, part of the public consciousness in 1920s London, adding a layer of modern resonance and social tension to the atmosphere of dread.The duo also digs into the “glaring holes” that surface when a writer decides to expand their narrative scope. Andrew identifies a need for deeper research into the Suffragette movement to ensure his protagonist's familial history feels integrated rather than “tacked on.” By connecting the mystery of the protagonist's mother to historical activism, Andrew finds a way to ground the supernatural elements in a more 3D reality. As they grapple with the structural puzzle of Point of View—weighing the benefits of including voices from the past versus staying close to the present—Jennie challenges Andrew to choose the perspective that best amplifies the protagonist's transformation and the secrets hidden within a mysterious Gladstone bag.Visit Andrew on the web: https://www.andrewparrella.comListen to the first session with Andrew:#AmWriting is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.TranscriptJennie: [00:00:00] Hi, I'm Jennie Nash and you're listening to the hashtag am Writing podcast, the place where we help writers of all kinds play big in your writing life, love the process, and stick with it long enough to finish what matters most. This is a hot seat coaching episode where we work through a real writing challenge in real time.Today I'm talking again with Andrew Perella, the hashtag am writing podcast producer who stepped out from behind the mic to work on his novel. He completed our winter blueprint challenge and is now working on blueprint revisions, which is such an important stage in the writing process, digging into what you really want the book to be, what you really wanna say.And Andrew's told me he just had a revelation, which I'm dying to hear about. But um, before we get to that. Um, when we're talking here today, the first episode where we did hot seat coaching launched out into the world, and I wanted to ask how [00:01:00] you're feeling about that.Andrew: Um, it feels a little weird. Um, you know, I'm used to being behind the mic.I'm used to, um, helping obviously produce a lot of audio over the years and, and, and helped get a lot of podcast episodes out into the world. It's strange to. Kind of be featured in a podcast episode. Um, that is a new experience for me. Um, uh, you know, when we recorded it, it was just you and I talking, but now it's like out in the world and, uh, and, and people can listen, um, and, uh, and, and, and judge, um, which of course they're welcome to do.Uh, but uh, but yeah, so it's a little, it's a little weird, but it's fun. It's fun.Jennie: Yeah, that's, that's you, you hit the nail on the head, the, the judge part. As soon as you put anything into the world, you put yourself up for judgment. And what we're doing here in these sessions is, is really, in some ways so intimate because we're getting to watch [00:02:00] somebody's thinking as it's unfolding, as it's progressing before they know what they want it to be.And we're watching someone hopefully, um. You know, hone in on their, their voice, their story, their point, their whole thing. And it's, um, it's really special to get to see it unfold, I think. Um, so thank you for. Putting yourself out there.Andrew: I'm, I'm happy to do it. This is, this has been a really value, this is a really valuable exercise for me personally.So, uh, happy to, happy to share that with folks.Jennie: So what happened last time was you left with some, uh, homework, which you did. Mm-hmm. And what was interesting from my point of view was when I. Looked at what you did. My first thought was, well, he didn't do very much. And I, I sort of thought, uh, okay, that's funny.Andrew: I kind of felt the same way.Jennie: Oh, that's really funny. But then when I read it, it was like, oh no, you worked out a [00:03:00] lot of things that we had been circling around. And primarily the, um, I would say the. Personal familial history of abriana and her connection to this famous vampire hunter. So that all got really sorted.Um, but the, the one that really made me chuckle was you have this beautiful description of your ideal reader in the blueprint, and it, it's probably. I don't know, it might be 500 words. It's, it's like, you know, this ideal reader really well, and I can tell that you actually really love this ideal reader and want to I do, I do.Yeah. It's really sort of beautiful, um, the specificity of, of who she is, but you added like three lines to the end of that. That was part of what you, what you did. And, um, [00:04:00] one of those lines was. In response to something we talked about, which was, does your ideal reader, are they familiar with Dracula? And you said, now, no.So that was really interesting to me. Do you wanna talk a little bit how you landed on that? Because I, I do think it might impact the genre.Andrew: Uh, yeah, I agree. And I, I saw your note about the genre too, which, which, um, I'm, I'd be eager to talk more about, but yeah, I mean, as, as I was thinking about this, I say I feel like I didn't do much.I spend a lot of time staring at the screen, uh, over the last couple of weeks and like. Walking my dog and thinking about these questions that you were posing. I feel like I spent hours doing it and like it, like, and, and like the words on the page since we last spoke, don't, I don't know, have reflect like the number of, the number of new words on the page.Don't reflect that. But I spent, I spent a lot of time thinking about, about that question and [00:05:00] some of the other questions that, that you posed. And I think for a long time I wanted to presume a familiarity with Stoker's Dracula, um, because it made my job easier. And, and so I think I, I kind of had to come to terms with the fact that though it is a popular book, not everybody has read it.And while many people, because it's a popular book, many people have some. Passing knowledge about the structure, about the plot, about some of the characters maybe, but they won't know. They won't know the level of detail that I do having read it many times. And so I need to create, I need to expand the world.I need to create my own world. I can't just live in Stoker's world. I need to create my own world. These characters, while they have the same names as the characters in in Stoker's novel. They are, they become different characters in my world, the [00:06:00] world I'm creating. And so I need to, I need to kind of accept that.And so it doesn't matter if you've read Dracula before you pick up this book, and these, these characters have a rich backstory that I will allude to. And if you've read Dracula, you might pick up on some extra, some extra bits, but this is still going to be a cohesive, discreet novel that you'll be able to enjoy.Regardless of, uh, whether you've read the, the, the original or not.Jennie: Okay. That's huge. Is that the revelation or is there something else?Andrew: No, that is notJennie: theAndrew: revelation.Jennie: Okay. So we'll get, wow, okay. We'll get to that in a minute. But that, the reason I said it impacts the genre is that you said your ideal right reader wouldn't describe herself as a horror fan and that her.Most, she's, she loves this, um, period of time. She loves London. Um, you know, there's a lot of things that [00:07:00] connect her to this story, but not horror. And so my thought was, should, should it still be classified as horror? Uh, there are lots of other ways to classify it, you know, historic, um, a historic thriller, a historic mystery.You know, gothic could be in there, but what, what are your thoughts at this point about that?Andrew: Yeah, and I, I, I think we've, we've, we've used the term horror when we talk about it, but when I, when I, when I did the blueprint challenge, I think I did kind of identify more like historical gothic as the genre.And, and, and as, as you say in one of your notes, this is feeling more like a mystery, a murder mystery than it is horror. Like, I feel like the horror genre leans into the gore, and I don't know that that's where. My book lives, I think, I think the gothic kind of sense of imminent doom, pervading, you know, every page is definitely something I wanna lead into.So, so I think gothic is, is [00:08:00] relevant, historic, gothic, and ultimately it is a murder mystery. And so who, and so, and so solving that mystery is the protagonist's kind of ultimate mission.Jennie: Right. So the, the sort of moodiness of the world and, and something, yeah. The dread, uh, that's out there. Right. Um, which fits really nicely, uh, with what you're doing.Okay. So what's the revelation?Andrew: So it came from the question that you asked me last or two weeks ago now. Um, and one that I've been asking myself, which is. Are vampires part of the public consciousness in this world that I'm building. And for a long time I've been saying, no, no, no, no. They're not part, they're still, they're still a secret society.They're still a secret community. They're still a secret species. They're, they're, and nobody knows about them. And, and anyone who talks about vampires is seen as being a [00:09:00] lunatic. Um. And I was realizing, and, and as you probably saw in the, in, in the, in the document, I was, I, I was trying to explore both, both possibilities.There's a possibility where, where the public understands vampire exists and then there's a, a, a possibility where that it doesn't, where they don't understand they exist. And I've been leaning towards maintaining the secrecy of vampires among the public. And I think the reason I've been doing that, it ties back, ties into what we were just talking about in that I was, I saw that creating like a whole vampire society that, uh, that human, that human society has been interacting with for a number of years, it felt like a distraction from the primary.From the primary plot, but I've been struggling because it does offer some really nice motivation for my murderer.Jennie: Yeah. [00:10:00]Andrew: SoJennie: you've been flip flopping back and forth in your mind.Andrew: I've been flip flopping back and forth in my mind until last night. And I was, I was reading, I was reading some of your comments, uh, on my document and I was like, why am I stuck on this?Why am I hung up on this? Why can't I make a decision about this? Um, and it's because. I was writing small, I was trying to keep it, you know, this is something I could manage. Like I was trying to keep it, I was trying to keep it like manageable. I was trying to keep it, I, I don't know. I was trying to give my, I was trying to like pen myself in, I guess, and lean.More heavily on the work of Stoker. And it's like he's already done his work. He's already So the, so the, the, the, the revelation I said he's already done his work. He's already created his book. Mine is a different book. Mine is, is, uh, a different [00:11:00] world and like. As we have been saying, I need to write big, so I need to embrace the big.And so that gonna, that's gonna mean creating more characters. That's going to mean creating, uh, more exposition. That's going to mean creating, um, more interactions between these communities. Creating a lot more than I had initially been thinking about. I feel like my original idea was a nice idea. You know, I'm, and I'm using air quotes with a nice idea, but like, I feel like this is now.Becoming a novel by, by choosing to, by choosing to go big here.Jennie: Well, you're, you make me like actually wanna cry because of happiness, because you've obviously been listening to the right. Big episodes and Yes. That whole um, thing and winter blueprint, um, listening to me hammer away at. Uh, [00:12:00] that this is all we have.This is all a writer has, is what is in their heart and mind mm-hmm. And comes from their experiences and interests. And it is so crazy how we shy away from that. We tamp it down, we hide from it, all the things because it's, it's terrifying in many ways. And for you to just get that and in both. The conversations we've had this morning already, like, like the, um, you were afraid.Yeah. Afraid of your own creation, which is actually very sort of, I guess that's more, um, well, more Frankenstein, more Frankenstein than Dracula, but, but you know, it is like the monster of our own creation. Mm-hmm. You know, like, oh, I wanna write this book. There's a kind of dread in just even saying that.Yeah. And then, oh, I [00:13:00] wanna write this book andRight.Jennie: And that question of am I up to it? Am I capable of, it lies at the heart of. So many problems that we make for ourselves because, you know, we tell ourselves, no, I couldn't do that or that Yeah, that's too, I just, I, you know, that's for somebody else, or I, I'll keep it small, I'll keep it mm-hmm.Attached to this other, I'll keep it easy. That was what mm-hmm. You know, and, and what you're saying is, okay, now I'm gonna. I'm gonna write the book I wanna write.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Oh man, that's so big. So that,Andrew: yeah, that was my, that was my big revelation last night as I was, ‘cause I still didn't have an answer for you on that question as late as last night.And I was like, I don't know what to say. And then I was like, why is this heart so hard for me? And so that was, that was, that was really nice to kind of make that, find that understanding and that gave me peace and like. I started, I started just throwing words on the page [00:14:00] last night about what that meant.Um, what that will mean for the story, what that will mean for the, for the characters. So,Jennie: well, I'm gonna write down this question ‘cause I wanna, I wanna explore that more. Why is this so hard for me? That's such a good question because what I was doing last night after I wrote that note to you was I did a whole pro con thing.You know, pro, um, the vampires are here and present and known, or, you know, be, they're not like, you know? Mm-hmm. Or even c nobody knows if they're real or, you know, like I was trying to parse out what do I have to do to guide Andrew toward. A decision. So I was thinking more what's gonna prompt your brain to decide, and your question, why is this so hard for [00:15:00] me is really what the right question is instead of the pro con list.So that is brilliant. Um, I'm, I'm writing down so good. Um.Andrew: Well, thank you for pushing me.Jennie: Oh, well that's my job. So, um, it's fun. I mean, it's fun. And what's interesting, particularly with this project is as we know, I don't know Dracula, I don't read a lot of horror. And so I'm, I am, I am reacting to you more than this story, you know?So that was, that was why, how am I gonna get Andrew to. Figure this out. I have absolutely no, you know, opinion or, or you know, um, any reason why we choose one or the other. Uh, sure. You know, it's really what you want. So once you decide that, then does that help with. Other open questions? [00:16:00] Does it sort of have a domino effect in your mind on some of the other things?Andrew: I think it, yeah, it, yeah, I think it's gonna affect, I mean, it's gonna affect, so it's gonna affect the whole tenor of the book. Um, I think it, it's, it's going to change the motivations of so many other characters. It's going to change. The relationship between, um, uh, between all of the characters. Um, it's going to change the politics of the moment inside this world.Um, and it's going to kind of raise the stakes, uh, a little bit more. And I think in, in, in another way, it's going to make it resonate more with a modern audience. Um,Jennie: Ooh. Say more. Why do you think that?Andrew: Well, I think, uh, I think. Just because the vampires are no longer a secret, uh, society, just because they are, um, part of the public zeitgeist, that doesn't mean they are accepted by the public.Um, and so there's going to be [00:17:00] misunderstanding and fear, um, and uh, and violence all around this, uh, group of individuals, which I think. Again, as I, as I said, resonates with, with, with modern, with a modern audience.Jennie: Wow. That's, that's awesome. Um, so I'm also curious, one of the questions I had, you did some work around a Brianna's mother whomm-hmm.Jennie: Died in childbirth, giving birth to her. Mm-hmm. And, um. She was involved in this whole previous generation's relationship to the vampire hunting andmm-hmm.Jennie: Um, all of that. And it, it's been a little vague. Um, we've talked about it a little, but it sounds like that is becoming more of a connection for, for two things, both for a [00:18:00] Adrianna's motivation, um.To, to solve these murders, but also her connection to the suffragette movement, which prior to this draft, I kept feeling a little bit like it was shoehorned in there, likemm-hmm.Jennie: Oh, there's this vampire story and it's London and it's at this time, and there's this young woman in suffragette. You know, and, and now that small change really locks the, the suffragette movement into Aub Brianna's world and life.Um, so what do you now know about the mother that feels new or, um, that you've pinned down more because of these thoughts?Andrew: I'm still fleshing that out. But let me, let me say, one of the reasons I think that the suffragette movement element of the book feels a little tacked on is I have not [00:19:00] yet done my research there.And so it's like, that's a really, that's a, that's a glaring, that's a glaring hole right now that I need to fill with more research. I've been doing a lot of vampire research now. Um, and, but I need to switch. I need to switch tax and start and start doing more, uh, suffrage, uh, research. Um, but that said, yeah, I think.A Brianna's mother, Mina, um, was involved briefly in the suffrage movement because she dies or does she? And um, and, and I think she continues, she continues to play a role in the suffrage suffrage movement. What. What I've been grappling with now is how much of that does abriana know how much of that has her father told her?And I could see that being another point of contention between the two of them. If she discovers later that this was [00:20:00] another, another piece of information that was, that was hidden from her. And so,Jennie: Ooh, that's so good. It's so good. This, this young, yeah, this young woman. All these things stacked up against her that she, yeah.Sort of knows about or maybe suspects. Um, right. So you're right. The work is, there's always in any story who, the question of who knows what, when. Mm-hmm. I mean, particularly in a mystery or thriller, obviously.Andrew: Right.Jennie: Yeah. But who knows what, when, you know, can. Change who you choose to be your narrator. Who, who has right point of view, um, who gets point of view in the story.Uh, you know, do we go to a chapter in somebody's point of view? You know, all of those, all of those questions hang on. This idea of who knows what went. So, you as the author, are the first person that has to know. Everything. Right. And [00:21:00] then choose to, you know, how like, like putting little breadcrumbs or, you know, planting little seeds, ummm-hmm.Jennie: That you have to manage that material. Um, so that's a big question. And here's a question. Do you think you need those answers before you can pin the whole story down, or do you feel like. You can pin the plot down and that that is, gives more texture, more, more to a Adriana's motivation. Maybe it'll move certain scenes about her discovery of certain things, but do you, what do you feel about that research?Andrew: About the suffrage research they needJennie: to do? Yeah, yeah,Andrew: yeah. I think it's going to get, I think it's gonna open avenues for me. To identify what Mina's role was, what her mother, what, what breanna's mother's role was in the suffrage suffragette movement. [00:22:00] Who some of the players were, who some of the, some of the larger names, the, some of the larger, um, protesters and advocates for it were.Because the, you know, being a historical novel, I do want to incorporate some historical figures, which I, I think, um, is always a kind of a fun element of, of, of a novel. And so being able to incorporate some of that, I think will lay out a lot of avenues for a Brianna's story arc.Jennie: So I just wanna point out for our listeners that what is happening here, um, is that every question we ask or we pose.Is work, right? So some of it is, you know, work of walking the dog and thinking and saying, well, I don't know. Or Why don't I now? Or why is this hard for me? Or, uh, or, you know, all of that. And then now we're talking about. This question is work, um, figuring out research and, you know, at every turn it's, [00:23:00] when you do the thing that you wanna do, when you really lean into that, it, it gets harder.I mean, you're making it harder for yourself. So,yeah,Jennie: I just wanna point that out. ‘cause it, it's so interesting here as this is unfolding, um, that, that, that is just a, a truth. And the other thing I wanna point out is. Where this story started is where every story starts, which is you have this idea, it's a really cool idea.You have this sense of a plot. And, and in some ways, that very central idea of the plot is never gonna change. No matter what you do to this book, it's, it's a, mm-hmm. It's a murder, you know, there's murders and this young woman's gonna solve it, so. Mm-hmm. Like, that plot's not changing, but the, where it started was.These kind of card work cutout characters, kind of placeholder characters. And if you leave it at that, you can see where that would go, you know? Mm-hmm. It's like, [00:24:00] oh, mother died in childbirth. Of course child's motivated to, you know, something. Um, or Oh, distant and emotional dad, you know, you sort of start, start there.But now by understanding. The whole life that her mother lived and the whole role that she played, and is she even dead or not? You know, like huge, huge questions. Yeah. Make the mother a fully fleshed out 3D character. You know, that's where you're gonna go. And then you can see how that will make a Brianna.A more fully fleshed out 3D character. So instead of, instead of the tropes or the expected things, there's gonna be these nuances to it andmm-hmm.Jennie: Um, specific things. And then your question of what, how much does she know and, and what does she find out? [00:25:00] Um, there's gonna be plot points that come from that.Right. You know? Uh, do you have a sense. At this point, are there letters, are there diaries? Is there a friend who hasn't spoken? Like is there some source of information in your mind that Abriana might encounter?Andrew: Yes. And I think, and, and I think there are a couple of different sources. I think, I think her mother Mina will have had diaries, um, and potentially letters.I think also Van Helsing will also certainly have papers. Um. And letters. Um, and, uh, there's a, there's a, there's a prop. He, when he dies, he bequeaths to abriana his Gladstone bag. Um, and I think there's going to be some sort of revelatory piece of information in the Gladstone bag, and I haven't figured [00:26:00] out what that piece of information is.So,Jennie: is that black bag that doctors hadAndrew: that doctors carry around? Yeah. That the old time, that old, that old timey doctors carry?Jennie: Yeah. Why was it ca called that?Andrew: You know, that's a good, that's a good question. I don't know where, uh, what the etymology for, for, for the Gladstone bag is. I don't know why that is.Jennie: Interesting. So that's like a toolbox basically. Yeah. It's filled, filled with things and,Outro: yeah. Yeah.Jennie: Uh, that's cool. That's cool. Um, that, I love that. So this is a silly thing. I was so confused. And I know you told me this, um, but that there's a character, John Seward, who's a character from Dracula. Mm-hmm.And Abriana refers to him as her uncle, but he's not her uncle. Correct. But the reason I continue to be confused is that her dad's name is also JohnAndrew: Jonathan. Yeah.Jennie: Jonathan.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: Does it have to [00:27:00] be or is that just like, oh, Jennie, come on. Surely the reader can handle a John and a Jonathan.Andrew: Well, I mean, no, that's a legitimate question because, um, can they, um, especially if we've got two characters named Abraham and Abriana, right?And so like, and so now I, I, I've been struggling with that too. I think I've been, I've been trying to carry forward some of, some of the characters from Dracula. I think I like the character of Seward because he is a protege of Van Helsing, but perhaps the protege bit is important and not the actual name of the person.So maybe it's another character that I've, that I'm introducing here who was a protege of Van Helsing.Jennie: Oh. But see, I think that's where you get into. So your ideal reader you've established may not know Dracula right. Inside and out. Right. But you will have a lot [00:28:00] of readers who do.Yes.Jennie: And there is a world of people who really love this stuff and who really.Right. You know, and if you were to change an actual charactermm-hmm.Jennie: And give it, give him a different name or a different whatever, people will come after you.Yeah. People will be obsessed.Jennie: And that's fine. Right. Butyeah.Jennie: Is, is that one of the things that could be in the book that those readers. That would delight those readers.Andrew: Right. I like, I feel like there are a lot of ways I can leave Easter eggs for Dracula fans.Jennie: Yeah.Andrew: Um, that aren't, that aren't germane to understanding the plot of the motivations of the characters, but that, like a Dracula fan will appreciate, oh, I see what you did there. That was a nice touch. Um,Jennie: and soAndrew: I,Jennie: oh, I think they, they're gonna love that andAndrew: Yeah.Yeah.Jennie: You know, there's also then. This is just where my brain goes in terms of marketing. There's also then a whole [00:29:00] thing of, you know, a connection to a literary, uh, to literature readers, which could potentially be students and scholars and, you know, that sort of thing. Yeah.Andrew: Yeah.Jennie: So I don't, I don't think you should so quickly dismiss.John Stewart, but it's a Adrianna's father being named Jonathan, I was wondering about.Andrew: Mm-hmm. Okay.Jennie: And, and you do not have to care that Jennie can't keep him straight. Uh, I'm, I'm 62. My brain doesn't work the same way it used to, but I can't tell you the number of times. I'm like, wait. Was that like I wasAndrew: right.Jennie: Really snagging on that. So, um, just a point of information.Andrew: Gotcha, gotcha. No, it's worth thinking about though. It's worth thinking about. But I, I had a, I had a question for you.Jennie: Yeah.Andrew: If now is an appropriate time to ask it.Jennie: Ask it. [00:30:00] Yeah.Andrew: I've been, I've been spending a lot of brain power on the question of POV.Jennie: Yeah,Andrew: and I've been go like, and going back and forth about whether this is going to be a single POV, uh, and Abriana is, Abriana is our narrator, or if it's more third person omniscient, or maybe this is a dual POV. And I think most recently I've been thinking this is a dual POV between Abriana and her namesake Van Helsing, and like.Which is also create some time traveling, uh, mechanisms because we'll be, we'll be talk, he'll be talking about his experiences, uh, before Abriana was born and as she, as she's a child, and she'll be talking about her experiences as a young woman. And so, but now as we're talking about a Adrianna's mother, I'm more, I'm wondering like, do I want the dual POV to between, between Abriana and her mother?Um. What question should I [00:31:00] be considering to help me make that decision?Jennie: Uh, well this is a huge question, Andrew. Um, there, I feel like you just named so many excellent structural ways forward, right? And the question of what do you ask yourself? You're asking such good questions, like what do you ask yourself to make that decision?And. I'm gonna, my answer's gonna be something really unsatisfying in many ways because it's, you gotta go back to your why, why are you writing the story? Mm-hmm. Okay. Why does it matter to you? Mm-hmm. What is your point? Who do you, who do you want to speak to? Uh, those fundamental questions are going to inform the POV because if you, well, I know you originally had an idea about the brother.Um, her brother being a narrator, and you didn't mention him this time, you mentioned No, [00:32:00] the mom. So a story in which the mom and daughter are narrating and the mom and they're never going to meet.Mm-hmm.Jennie: Those two people in, I don't think, well, no, that's not true. Uh, uh, an unden person could meet a, a human walking the earth, um, right.Andrew: And that may be, that may be part of the climax.Jennie: Yeah. SoAndrew: of the novel. ButJennie: that, um, that a mother daughter who, who don't think that they can, maybe the daughter doesn't think that they will ever meet, you know, that's a real particular. Kind of a story. Mm-hmm. So I do think, going back to your why, why do I care about this?Why, you know, I, I asked you in our, our initial conversation, you know, you're, you're a man. You're writing about [00:33:00] suffragettes, you're writing about a woman protagonist, a young woman, protagonist, and you talked a lot about your sister.Mm-hmm.Jennie: Understanding those motivations and interests and passions because that mother-daughter story will carry a certain kind of weight.The, if we think of the, the Van Haling being a narrator, that taps into what we were talking about before. How connected is your story to that lineage ofright,Jennie: of that one. ‘cause now you're. Not only having Bram Stoker's character, you're giving that character a POV voice. Mm-hmm. Which is another level of connection to that mm-hmm.Literary lineage. Mm-hmm. Um, so that would take it in a different, you can see how that would take it in a really different direction. So POV is, [00:34:00] you know, in some stories it's quite. Instant. Um, you just sort of know, um, in other stories it's not, and this one, it, it is not. Um mm-hmm. I think it's, it's clear Abriana is your protagonist.It's her our core following. Mm-hmm. It's her. Transformation. We're interested in her, uh, solving the murder, her understanding her legacy, her coming into her own power. Those are the things we want to see resolved. Um, so whether or not she is a POV though, because there's a, then there's, there's third person.Mm-hmm. I mean, third person has different, you know, there's different permutations of it. There's third person close mm-hmm. Which is sort of functions in some ways, like first person, because in third person close, you don't go into anybody else's head. Mm-hmm. Um, I, I sometimes don't understand why, [00:35:00] why that is even a choice.Then I read books that do it, that work beautifully, and it's like, oh, okay. You know? So, uh, you know, everything can be a choice, but, um, you know, so we know that she's at the center. So then the question I'm circling around to answering your question, how do you help yourself solve this? What other voices would amplify?Mm-hmm.Jennie: Her transformation, that's really what it is, is it's her story. You know, the, the mother, POV would take it in one direction. Van Helsing would take it in a different mm-hmm. Uh, third person where we're,I don't know, a third person narrator that goes back in time feels odd to me.Andrew: Okay.Jennie: I think if it's, and I'm just talking out loud here. I think if it's third person, it, it, we could go into all the heads of everybody. Walking the earth [00:36:00] right now. But I feel like if you go into someone you can see I'm betraying my not understanding Vampire vampires very well.They never die, right?Andrew: Yes. They're undead.Jennie: They never die. So. Okay, so I think, ignore what I just said, A third person, omniscient narrator, could go into their heads as well. Um, right. And go back in time as well. But your time travel, like, like actually having that, that's a really different story, so.Mm-hmm.Jennie: Um, how you're going to answer is you're gonna sit with that question of what is gonna make a adrianna's story resonate the most at that end, right? What, mm-hmm. What knowing is going to, to amplify that the most. And then the second thing to ask yourself, and you might need to do a little more work, uh, in order to answer [00:37:00] this once you get the inside outline done.Looking at the key scenes. Yeah, you may just see, oh, there is no way that this is gonna work in a certain POV, or I have to have this other POVI can't convey. I can't go to that scene. I have to go to that scene. Or alternatively a scene that you can't go to. Then you think, alright, how will I get this?Into How do I convey this? I'm thinking of that. Um. You know, there's so many, uh, there's so many, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? I'm thinking of JK Rowling and Harry Potter and all the things that she did, you know, the mirror Yeah. That shows Harry or his parents and the pen sea that, you know, gets the memories outta somebody's head.Like all these, um mm-hmm. Mechanical ways Yeah. Of show, showing us what happened.Yeah. [00:38:00]Jennie: Back, back in the day. You know, that's a particularly kind of story with particularly kind of magic. But there, there, you don't know. You might have this, they're devices.Yeah,Jennie: that's the word I was looking for. Devices, yes.That you might have one or two scenes, it's like, do I need a whole POV just to convey these scenes or is there another way I could get this information in? So it's two parts, it's both. Um, I would say heart a heart. A heart-centered thing. What, what do I want? What will amplify my why and my point the most?What, what I think would be interesting and fun to write the question of, um, then Helsing, do I want to embrace that? Mm-hmm. For some reason I'm thinking of that, um, novel, um, the Hillary Clinton alternative history novel. Um. Called Rodham, uh oh, by, [00:39:00] is it Curtis Sittenfeld, I think. Um, Rodham, but so courageous and daring.She, yeah, she imagines, um, what would have happened had, had Hillary not married Bill, and it follows the, their lives and their meeting and their love story and all this whole thing, which he just chooses not to marry him. And, you know, like. That's a certain kind of bravery as an author to, to take that sort of a character.And you'd be, you'd be doing that. So do you, do I wanna do that? So it's all those hard questions and then there's plot questions, so Right. I'm gonna say that for the next, your next bit of homework. Mm-hmm. Um. Is to, I would go to the inside outline and start trying to pin this plot down and noodling around with it.And we know that it's going to change based on your research. Mm-hmm. Based on the fact that it always changes. [00:40:00] Um, but just noodle around with it and try it from different POVs. See, see what happens. You know? Take, take the, um, this is the reason, by the way, listeners, why I insist that the insight outline at the beginning is only three pages because Andrew can do one that is a Briana's, POV only.What does that look like? Uh, AA and her mom, what does that look like? Abriana and um. Van health sink, what does that look like? Uh, third person, what does that look like? You could do four, three page outlines and it's not gonna kill you. Right. Right. You could just to sort of get a feel for it, and I promise you mm-hmm.That what's gonna happen is one of ‘em is gonna feel more alive.Andrew: Right.Jennie: So that's the sortAndrew: of, okay,Jennie: unsatisfying [00:41:00] answer is one of them is gonna feel more alive. So you're gonna start with your why. Start with your point. Try to sit with that, then try those things on. One of them's gonna feel more alive.Okay.Andrew: So you're not just gonna tell me which POVs to use then?Jennie: No, it'sAndrew: not. That's not how thisJennie: works. I know, it's such a bummer. Um. I mean, it's such a, such an important question and people often skim past it, butAndrew: mm-hmm.Jennie: You know, take, I think it's the time, like dig, dig into the outline with the intention mm-hmm.Of landing on POV. How about, how about that for your homework?Andrew: Okay. That sounds good. That sounds good. I can do that.Jennie: Okay. Well, I can't wait to hear how it goes. And for our listeners. Until next time, stop playing small and write like it matters.Outro: The hashtag am [00:42:00] Writing podcast is produced by Andrew Perilla. Our intro music aptly titled Unemployed Monday was written and played by Max Cohen. Andrew and Max were paid for their time and their creative output because everyone deserves to be paid for their work. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

This week, I talk with writing duo Katherine Greene, aka Claire C. Riley and A. Meredith Walkters, about their new small town thriller Where the Truth Lies! We dive into: Writing a thriller inspired by real-life events and the challenge of balancing fiction with truth How this story came from Abbi's family history and a decades-old newspaper clipping The emotional difficulty of writing characters based on real people vs. fictionalizing them Crafting multiple POVs + dual timelines to build tension and a fuller picture of the crime Exploring toxic masculinity and how it develops, including how “nice” men can be influenced The concept of the “perfect victim” and how readers often unfairly judge women vs. men Where The Truth Lies Synopsis A picture-perfect couple's sordid past threatens to rock a sleepy southern town to its core. Told in alternating timelines and inspired by real events, this multi-POV thriller explores toxic masculinity, gender-based violence, and female rage in the tradition of Darby Kane. Childhood sweethearts Rhett and Lucinda seem to have the perfect marriage, the child they always wanted, and even the white picket fence. But fifteen years ago, the couple came very close to losing everything. When outsider Jennifer Moore arrived in their tight-knit Kentucky town, a brief but explosive affair between the newcomer and the soon-to-be-married Rhett stirred up a violent storm of betrayal that ended with a dead body and a mystery riddled in corruption and deception. Now, new evidence has surfaced-including an eyewitness who places Rhett at the scene of the brutal crime. Soon, the carefully constructed life Rhett and Lucinda built starts to crumble-and the truth waiting beneath the surface could destroy them both. In a town steeped in deadly southern charm, secrets don't fade-they fester. Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba

This week, Daphne Olive is back to discuss her work on season 2 of Disney+ Percy Jackson and the Olympians! Discussion topics may include: building the myth of Thalia Grace, Daphne's prophecy theories, Excalibur, flashback POVs, looking toward Luke's future, radical humanity, and Larry the Tentacle.Check us out on Patreon to submit questions for future interviews, and to get early episodes, cut material, art previews, and more! https://www.patreon.com/MonsterDonutPodcastHave a question? Want to contribute your own analysis? Feel like arguing? Email monsterdonutpodcast@gmail.com.Come say hi and check out the sketches Phoebe made this episode on Twitter, Instagram, or TikTok! @PJOPod on all platforms.Find our new Monster Donut merch here!: https://www.redbubble.com/people/monsterdonut/explore.More information on the show can be found at https://www.monsterdonutpodcast.com/THEME SONG:"The Mask of Sorokin," music and arrangement by Dan CordeGuitars - Dan CordeBass - Quinten MetkeDrums - Todd CummingsRecorded, mixed, & mastered by Todd CummingsOUTRO MUSIC:"Shadow Run," music and arrangement by Dan CordeGuitars - Dan CordeBass - Quinten MetkeDrums - Todd CummingsRecorded, mixed, & mastered by Todd Cummings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Surviving the morning rush looks a lot different depending on your dad status! ☕️ In this episode of the Working Perspectives Podcast, Matt, Bern, and Liam are tackling the chaos of the dad morning routine from three entirely different walks of life. Before we get into the coffee and carpools, we're kicking things off by reading and reacting to YOUR comments from the YouTube channel. Keep them coming—we love hearing from you! Then, we dive into our main segment: The Dad Morning Routine. How does getting the day started differ when you are a married dad (Matt), a divorced dad (Bern), or a single dad (Liam)? We break down our alarms, breakfast struggles, and the wildly different ways we manage the early hours.

In this episode, we tackle one of the biggest hidden causes of reader disengagement: unstable point of view. The problem usually is not whether you chose first person, third person, or multiple POVs. It is whether the story keeps changing the rules. When that happens, readers don't experience it as a technical slip. They experience it as a breach of trust.You'll learn what the POV contract really is, why Scene 1 is where that contract gets made, and how to strengthen the three promises that hold it together: access, attitude, and authority. We also dig into multi-POV switching rules, accidental head-hopping, and a simple micro-rewrite method you can use to test whether a scene is truly staying inside the promised viewpoint.By the end, you'll have a practical POV checklist you can use straight away, plus a sharp sentence-level diagnostic to catch drift before your reader does.If your POV has ever felt a little slippery on the page, this episode will help you lock the rules in and keep the reader with you.

People don't fail under pressure. They reveal their level of self-leadership.“I almost reacted. Then I remembered: sovereignty is a choice.”Three kryptonites to human awakening, personal growth, and real leadership:• Validation loops• Not learning self-regulation• Unembodied intellectual leaders who lack integrationThe last one often looks like leaders who:– model epistemic laziness– amplify polarization– rely on tribal certainty– manipulate emotional charges– reinforce biases and divisive narrativesTogether with broader emotional immaturity, these patterns keep people stuck in non-leadership roles within themselves.And when people cannot lead themselves, they cannot lead others.You can see the impact inside organizations:Mediocrity becomes normalized.Work-life balance deteriorates.Employee morale drops.Why?Because the capacity to stay emotionally steady and mentally clear under activation is missing.Self-leaders choose differently.They build nervous system fluency.They train the pause.They respond consciously instead of reacting automatically.That inner work is decisive in how you show up everywhere:in leadership, in conflict, in business, and in life.If you practice journaling or reflective mindset work, I've created prompt-based PDFs and inner-growth micro-habit exercises designed to help build emotional steadiness and self-leadership.You can explore them in my Payhip store.✨ Start Here — Inner Growth Framework & BundlesExplore the complete Inner Growth ecosystem (awareness → resilience → embodied self-leadership):

People don't fail under pressure. They reveal their level of self-leadership.“I almost reacted. Then I remembered: sovereignty is a choice.”Three kryptonites to human awakening, personal growth, and real leadership:• Validation loops• Not learning self-regulation• Unembodied intellectual leaders who lack integrationThe last one often looks like leaders who:– model epistemic laziness– amplify polarization– rely on tribal certainty– manipulate emotional charges– reinforce biases and divisive narrativesTogether with broader emotional immaturity, these patterns keep people stuck in non-leadership roles within themselves.And when people cannot lead themselves, they cannot lead others.You can see the impact inside organizations:Mediocrity becomes normalized.Work-life balance deteriorates.Employee morale drops.Why?Because the capacity to stay emotionally steady and mentally clear under activation is missing.Self-leaders choose differently.They build nervous system fluency.They train the pause.They respond consciously instead of reacting automatically.That inner work is decisive in how you show up everywhere:in leadership, in conflict, in business, and in life.If you practice journaling or reflective mindset work, I've created prompt-based PDFs and inner-growth micro-habit exercises designed to help build emotional steadiness and self-leadership.You can explore them in my Payhip store.✨ Start Here — Inner Growth Framework & BundlesExplore the complete Inner Growth ecosystem (awareness → resilience → embodied self-leadership):

People don't fail under pressure. They reveal their level of self-leadership.“I almost reacted. Then I remembered: sovereignty is a choice.”Three kryptonites to human awakening, personal growth, and real leadership:• Validation loops• Not learning self-regulation• Unembodied intellectual leaders who lack integrationThe last one often looks like leaders who:– model epistemic laziness– amplify polarization– rely on tribal certainty– manipulate emotional charges– reinforce biases and divisive narrativesTogether with broader emotional immaturity, these patterns keep people stuck in non-leadership roles within themselves.And when people cannot lead themselves, they cannot lead others.You can see the impact inside organizations:Mediocrity becomes normalized.Work-life balance deteriorates.Employee morale drops.Why?Because the capacity to stay emotionally steady and mentally clear under activation is missing.Self-leaders choose differently.They build nervous system fluency.They train the pause.They respond consciously instead of reacting automatically.That inner work is decisive in how you show up everywhere:in leadership, in conflict, in business, and in life.If you practice journaling or reflective mindset work, I've created prompt-based PDFs and inner-growth micro-habit exercises designed to help build emotional steadiness and self-leadership.You can explore them in my Payhip store.✨ Start Here — Inner Growth Framework & BundlesExplore the complete Inner Growth ecosystem (awareness → resilience → embodied self-leadership):

Amazon Prime Video's The Gray House is an American historical miniseries with a huge cast and a pilot that drops us into Richmond on July 4th, 1860. While jumping around several POVs throughout the ~hour-and-20-minute premiere, we start to see how the Van Lew family carefully sidesteps the most controversial politics in public while risking everything behind the scenes.From alligators to fireworks to horse-jousting duels, there's a lot to cover in our discussion. Colin Morgan is unrecognizable, and Mary-Louise Parker is once again protecting Mary Jane — just not in the same sense you probably think. Tune in to hear our favorite and least favorite moments. Welcome to Today's Episode!

This bonus episode of Insider Interviews: With Media & Marketing Pros came together super spontaneously at On Air Fest in Brooklyn, where podcasters, creators, and technologists gathered recently to talk about the future of audio and, no spoiler alert, the future of AI. After a keynote session that talked about living WITH machines by keeping humanity present I had to grab Baratunde Thurston and Terry Rice to keep talking about how creators, entrepreneurs, (and parents) are navigating exactly that. Both of these conversations landed on the same core idea as my previous episode with Jack Myers: The real differentiator won't be the machines—it'll be the humans using them. Baratunde Thurston, author, speaker, comedian, and “thought leader of interdependence,” has been thinking about this balance for years and created his podcast Life with Machines to really explore that. As he asks: How do we live well with technology, instead of just enduring it? Living Well with Tech per Baratunde He's experimenting with AI directly in his own creative process—even creating an AI character named “Blair” as a kind of co-producer on his show. But he's also clear that there's a line between assistance and authorship. #AI can help with research, feedback, or execution. But the deeper creative work, like ideas, voice, perspective, still needs to come from a human. “There's something slower and messier about crafting things yourself—but there's also a pride of creativity that I want to maintain.”  Baratunde, and not surprisingly after him Terry Rice, also raised an issue that's only going to become more important: authenticity. As generative AI content becomes harder to identify, the industry may need new ways to verify that a real person is behind what we're seeing, hearing, or reading. Some technologists are already exploring ideas like “proof of humanity.” But Baratunde's take was refreshingly simple: “I think the thing we're going to trust the most is this: I feel you. We're sharing the same air.” (He grabbed my arm to illustrate, saying “THIS is what matters.”) In other words, real-world presence and connection may become even more valuable in a digital ecosystem increasingly filled with synthetic content. My second conversation was with Terry Rice, entrepreneur, speaker, and host of The Signal, a podcast designed to help entrepreneurs cut through the noise and focus on practical strategies for growing their businesses. Terry uses AI in his own workflow, like generating prep guides before interviews (which I wish I had done for these spontaneous chats!) or organizing research. He also got so inspired by his kids that he built a way to help parents, with a way to build their own app for their kids! Trust me, you have to listen and hear what he did. But he made an important distinction: the value isn't letting AI do all the thinking. It's knowing what good looks like. “The real skill isn't producing every answer yourself—it's recognizing when something is good and when it isn't.” That was one of those lightbulb emoji comments. It’s also a mindset that he's already teaching his kids. In fact, his ten-year-old daughter summed it up in a way that might be the most useful rule for all of us navigating AI right now: “It's okay to fight with AI.” Out of the mouths of (this generation’s) babes. Question it. Push back. Refine the answer. Through lines? AI will absolutely change how content gets made and how businesses operate. But creativity, judgment, curiosity—and yes, a little humanity—are still very much part of the equation. And for now at least, that's something machines can't replicate. (But props to Chat GPT for helping me summarize some of this brilliance!) Key Moments: 01:36 – Baratunde Thurston on the philosophy behind Life with Machines02:40 – Experimenting with AI as a co-producer03:20 – Where creators should draw the line with AI06:43 – The emerging concept of “proof of humanity”07:55 – Why physical presence may matter more in an AI world10:13 – Should AI try to imitate humans?11:10 – Could real human experiences become a luxury?12:18 – AI's environmental impact and future possibilities 15:54 – Build With Them AI Parenting 17:18 –  A Brand Marriage: The Signal and Fiverr 19:54 –  Vulnerability Builds Trust 22:47 –  No Guilt Using LLMs 23:52 –  Teaching Kids to Challenge AI Connect With: Baratunde Thurston — Author, comedian, cultural thought leader; host of Life with Machines Podcast Terry Rice — Journalist, entrepreneur; host of The Signal and founder of Build With Them On Air Fest Connect with E.B. Moss and Insider Interviews: With Media & Marketing Experts            LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mossappeal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/insiderinterviews Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InsiderInterviewsPodcast/ Threads: https://www.threads.net/@insiderinterviews Substack: Moss Hysteria Please follow Insider Interviews, share with another smart business leader, and leave a comment on @Apple or @Spotify… or a tip in my jar!: https://buymeacoffee.com/mossappeal!  THANK YOU for listening!

Happy Tuesday Besties and welcome to the Half Time Show for the NAPDxCAC Crossover Event!!! If you haven't already, head over to National Park After Dark's Feed and listen to Part 1 (Trail Tales 88) and then enjoy this little intermission as we wait for Part 2 to release over here on Thursday (E284: Creepy Accounts Vol. 61)!! Today, we've got an Advice Column and AIMS (Am I Missing Something) Episode for you!! What makes this so special is the different POVs that we have to offer with Cassie and Danielle having this opportunity to chime in with us!! Thanks so much for everyone who wrote in and for joining us!! We will finish this party on Thursday!! Love ya so much, see ya then!!! For up to 60% off your order, head to https://VeracityHealth.co and use code CACBESTIES. ----------------------- Need to Call Susan (Angel Wings and Healing Things)? Text Ellen at 704-562-3476 to book!! Make sure to tell her we sent you for a Besties only Special discount!! If you have a Creepy Account of your own you would like to submit, you can go to our Reddit (CreepsandCrimes) or email it to us at CREEPSANDCRIMES.CA@GMAIL.COM Creeps and Crimes Merch: ⁠⁠https://creepsandcrimesmerch.com/⁠⁠ Join our OG Pick Me Cult (Patreon): ⁠⁠https://patreon.com/creepsandcrimes⁠⁠ SUBSCRIBE AND SUPPORT WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS: - Apple Podcast: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creeps-and-crimes/id1533194848⁠⁠ - Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0v2kntCCfdQOSeMNnGM2b6?si=bf5c137913dd4af7⁠⁠ - Youtube: ⁠⁠https://youtube.com/@creepsandcrimespodcast?si=e6Lwuw6qvsEPBHzG⁠⁠ Business Inquiries please contact Management: ⁠⁠maggie@MRHentertainment.com⁠⁠ FOLLOW US ON SOCIALS: Creeps and Crimes Podcast - Insta: ⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/creepsandcrimespodcast/?hl=en⁠⁠ - Facebook: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/creepsandcrimespodcast/⁠⁠ - TikTok: ⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@creepsandcrimes⁠⁠ Taylar Jane (True Crime Host) - Insta: @Taylarj - TikTok (True Crime Channel): @TaylarJane98 - TikTok (Personal): @TaylarJane1 Morgan Harris (Paranormal & Conspiracy Host) - Insta: @morgg.m - Tiktok: @morgg.m Want More Info? Check out our Website: ⁠⁠www.creepsandcrimespodcast.com⁠⁠ Send Us Mail & Fan Art to our PO Box!!! CREEPS AND CRIMES PODCAST PO BOX 11523 KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE 37939 Have a Creepy Account You'd like to share and be featured on the Podcast? Email it to: ⁠⁠CreepsAndCrimes.CA@gmail.com⁠⁠ Submit it through the Portal on our Website (Listed above) or Post in on our Reddit Thread with the tag "creepy account" Love our TBB episodes and want to get in on the Action or submit an AIMS? Head over to our Reddit Community: @creepsandcrimes Need to contact us or request sources? Email us at ⁠⁠creepsandcrimespodcast@gmail.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kicking our new season off with a conversation about BENZENE IN BEAUTY!??? This convo features the POVs of chemist, Michelle Wong, PhD (AKA Labmuffinbeautyscience), and toxicologist, Lyle Burgoon, PhD, ATS. Is benzene in cosmetic products actually something people should be worried about? Long story short, probably not. IMO the real concern is around the bad science, sensationalism and unscrupulous reporting that drove all the fear that is now widespread... Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm! Thank you also to CM Studio+ for supporting this podcast episode as a sponsor. CM Studio+ has a free formulation, costing and PLM software that could be super helpful in product development. Check them out here: https://cmstudioplus.com/

Hello, Protagonists!Welcome to another episode of the Creative, Inspired, ALIVE podcast—where we go behind the scenes with the storytellers shaping our culture.Our next guest, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, is the author of the instant New York Times bestselling novels The Nest (named a best book of the year by People, the Washington Post, and NPR) and Good Company (a Read with Jenna selection). Her work has been translated into more than 28 languages, and The Nest is in development as a limited series with AMC Studios. Sweeney holds an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars.Today, we talk about:* writing distinct and integrated POVs,* finding the right pace of writing for yourself,* how we sometimes scare ourselves out of taking risks in writing,* the truth of having work developed into a TV series,* and so much more!xo,Joanna & Evelyn

Self-led digital practices for emotional resilience, inner growth mindset development, and steady living through uncertainty — and beyond.Designed for people who choose self-responsibility, emotional maturity, and inner authority as a way of living.✨ Start Here — Inner Growth Framework & BundlesExplore the complete Inner Growth ecosystem (awareness → resilience → embodied self-leadership):

In this episode of Reading With Your Kids, host Jed Doherty welcomes Cliodhna O'Sullivan, author of the YA romantasy Her Hidden Fire, and Steph Carse, creator of the picture book I Am Awesomely Made. First, Jed chats with Cliodhna O'Sullivan about her powerful new YA romantasy that blends magic, romance, and sharp social commentary. We meet Aya, a girl with a rare magical gift who secretly gives her power to her best friend to save his family's status. That one choice pulls her into a darkly enchanting magic academy on remote islands inspired by Ireland's castles and misty landscapes. Cliodhna shares how growing up poor with an alcoholic, gambling-addicted father shaped her understanding of exploitation, sacrifice, and systems built on the backs of vulnerable people—core themes in Her Hidden Fire. She also talks about love triangles done right, multiple POVs across the trilogy, and her long, twisty road to publication that included losing both an agent and a publisher before finally finding the right home for her book. Later, Jed talks with Steph Carse about I Am Awesomely Made, a picture book and movement rooted in his nonprofit YICount.org. Drawing on his own bullying experiences, Steph explains how the book helps kids build self-worth, understand their incredible bodies, and use the power of words to push back against bullying—especially in the age of social media and cyberbullying. Together, they explore how families can start life-giving conversations that remind kids they matter and are, truly, awesomely made.

Self-led digital practices for emotional resilience, inner growth mindset development, and steady living through uncertainty — and beyond.Designed for people who choose self-responsibility, emotional maturity, and inner authority as a way of living.✨ Featured BundleIf you're moving through uncertainty and want to build steadiness from within — without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity — the Uncertainty to Steadiness Inner Growth Mindset Practice Bundle offers self-led practices designed to support emotional resilience, nervous system safety, and intentional living over time.

This week, I talk with Susan Walter about her new airplane thriller Murder at 30,000 Feet.  She shares her inspiration from the story, how she writes such cinematic thrillers, and how she managed multiple POVs. Murder at 30,000 Feet Synopsis It's a ticket to paradise. Flight 868 with nonstop service to San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over a dozen tipsy passengers are off to a destination wedding. A team of high school baseball players are headed to a tournament. The plane is packed with people eager to escape their lives, and others who can't wait to return to their beloved home. But sweet anticipation turns to terror when a lightning strike short-circuits the avionics and plunges the plane into darkness. When the lights come back on, a passenger is found brutally murdered, with only a bewildered air marshal to solve the crime. He soon realizes that several passengers are harboring dark secrets, but the identity of the murderer eludes him. There's only one certainty: the killer is on the plane. Thousands of feet above the earth with thunderstorms closing in, the danger outside is as grave as the mounting threat within. Can the captain outrun the storm? Or will the murderer among them bring the plane down first?   Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba

Self-led digital practices for emotional resilience, inner growth mindset development, and steady living through uncertainty — and beyond.Designed for people who choose self-responsibility, emotional maturity, and inner authority as a way of living.✨ Featured BundleIf you're moving through uncertainty and want to build steadiness from within — without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity — the Uncertainty to Steadiness Inner Growth Mindset Practice Bundle offers self-led practices designed to support emotional resilience, nervous system safety, and intentional living over time.

This one is being released a bit late, but take a look back at 2025 Horror with us as we go through our TOP 10 HORROR MOVIES OF 2025! 2025 was another HUGE year for horror. This year we saw everything from experimental ghost and animal POVs, killers on land and in the sea, sexy monsters, and DIY resurrections! Some horror directors have solidified their names in the history of horror with more insanely good follow ups. We also had a bunch of INDIE HORROR movies give us a fresh take on the genre. In this episode we look at all these plus some bonus honorable mentions. What will make our top 10 list for 2025?? Listen to find out!Also, we want to know what your favorite Horror movies of 2025 were. Drop your favorites in the comments!❤️‍

Self-led digital practices for emotional resilience, inner growth mindset development, and steady living through uncertainty — and beyond.Designed for people who choose self-responsibility, emotional maturity, and inner authority as a way of living.✨ Featured BundleIf you're moving through uncertainty and want to build steadiness from within — without bypassing emotions or forcing clarity — the Uncertainty to Steadiness Inner Growth Mindset Practice Bundle offers self-led practices designed to support emotional resilience, nervous system safety, and intentional living over time.

Kate Scott-Dawkins, Global President of Business Intelligence at WPP Media, joins AdTechGod to share how agencies use economic signals, advertiser trends, and emerging AI shifts to forecast the future of advertising while helping brands stay ahead in a rapidly changing world. Takeaways Kate's early exposure to advertising storytelling sparked her marketing path. A linguistics background trained her to spot patterns and build forecasts. Staying at WPP let her shape long-term strategy and thought leadership. Modern forecasting blends government, financial, and proprietary client signals. Global events, politics, economics, and climate directly move the markets. Industry consolidation is accelerating, concentrating ad revenue among a few sellers. WPP packages insight via forecasts, weekly updates, and rapid client POVs. AI adds speed by summarizing large datasets and supporting analysis workflows. AI is less reliable for producing genuinely original insight on its own. Commerce and creator ecosystems may be disrupted faster than search. Authenticity, disclosure, and watermarking are becoming critical trust issues. Verified human-made content could become a premium tier in the future economy. Career Girls' work focuses on expanding STEAM imagination and opportunity for girls Chapters 00:01 Introduction: Kate Scott-Dawkins joins the podcast and outlines her role at WPP Media. 01:30 Career inspiration: An early advertising example sparked her interest in storytelling. 02:45 Career foundation: How linguistics and international experience shaped her perspective. 03:35 WPP tenure: Why she stayed and how her remit evolved over time. 05:10 Long-range forecasting: Advertising trend planning through 2030 and beyond. 06:20 Data and regulation: How access constraints and policy changes reshaped the industry. 07:30 Intelligence inputs: Blending consumer data, government signals, and client investment insights. 08:10 Global framework: A structured view across politics, economics, society, and technology. 09:20 Market consolidation: Increasing concentration of ad revenue among top sellers. 10:40 Insight delivery: Cadences spanning major forecasts, weekly updates, and rapid client POVs. 12:55 AI applications: Operational support for analysis, synthesis, and speed at scale. 17:05 Early 2026 outlook: Emerging models, including advertising-supported AI consumer services. 26:05 Career Girls: Mission, impact, and Kate's strategic support to expand STEAM opportunity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Gare and I chat with May Cobb about her new, messy thriller All the Little Houses! She shares the inspiration for the story, how she managed multiple POVs, and what it was like on the set of The Hunting Wives.All the Little Houses SynopsisIt's the mid-1980s in the tiny town of Longview, Texas. Nellie Anderson, the beautiful daughter of the Anderson family dynasty, has burst onto the scene. She always gets what she wants. What she can't get for herself… well, that's what her mother is for. Because Charleigh Andersen, blond, beautiful, and ruthlessly cunning, remembers all too well having to claw her way to the top. When she was coming of age on the poor side of East Texas, she was a loser, an outcast, humiliated, and shunned by the in-crowd, whose approval she'd so desperately thirsted for. When a prairie-kissed family moves to town, all trad wife, woodworking dad, wholesome daughter vibes, Charleigh's entire self-made social empire threatens to crumble. Who will be left standing when the dust settles? Check Out Author Social Media PackagesCheck out the Bookwild Community on PatreonCheck Out My Stories Are My Religion SubstackGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramOther Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mba

Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing in different POVs.What you'll learn from this episode:Knowing your character well enough to see from their perspective1st person vs 3rd person perspectives Tips and tricks for differentiating between your different POVsReady to make readers so in love with your characters they can't stop biting their nails in anticipation?  Grab The Magic of Character Arcs free email course: https://www.goldenmayediting.com/arcsmagicJoin Tenacious Writing! With the perfect combo of craft, mindset, and community resources, you will build a writing life that feels sustainable, fulfilling, and fun—without any prescriptions or rules. Learn more: https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/If you enjoyed Story Magic, please rate, review and follow on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast!Follow us on social media!Rachel: https://www.instagram.com/bookcoachrachel/Emily: https://www.instagram.com/ebgoldenbooks/Join us on February 25th, 2026 at 12pm EST for our FREE + live masterclass called Fix Your Novel! In this class, we'll show you how to identify these 5 common problems in your own work, and give you next steps and TONS of resources to get started fixing them with confidence. All you have to do is register to save your spot at https://www.tenaciouswriting.com/fixyournovel! See you there!

On this episode, Pete and Julie revisit the show's annual “Where HR and Payroll Leaders Should Focus…” episode, sharing POVs and insights for the Top 5 focus areas for HR & Payroll leaders in 2026! Connect with the show: LinkedIn:  http://linkedin.com/company/hr-payroll-2-0 X: @HRPayroll2_0  X: @PeteTiliakos  X: @JulieFer_HR BlueSky: @hrpayroll2o.bsky.social YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HRPAYROLL2_0  WRKDefined Podcast Network: https://wrkdefined.com/podcast/hr-payroll-20  Thank you to our marquee sponsors for powering the HR & Payroll 2.0 podcast forward!  G-P ‘Globalization Partners': https://www.globalization-partners.com/  OneSource Virtual: https://hubs.ly/Q03YFNR90 Zoho: https://www.zoho.com/press.html Thank you to our ‘wizard behind the curtain' and show producer Ryan Kielma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-kielma/

Hello future humans with self-agency inspiring human potential!Be yourself: Nervous system & self sovereignty, self-regulation, integration, resilience, intelligence - 5D mystic pseudoscience mentor for people who pursue Inner growth for personal growth &/or spiritual growth.IHP content resonates with those who live intentionally, cultivate restorative embodiment and resilience, and embody a holistic well-being mindset through conscious lifestyle choices, habits, and daily practices. It's designed for individuals committed to emotional and mental intelligence—those choosing to live as mature, healthy, self-worth–empowered adults. This space is for people who seek to tap into our higher human consciousness potential, live at their “A game,” and leave a meaningful legacy for future generations, with emotional and mental maturity guiding their evolution—and humanity's.Inspiring Human Potential spotlights higher-self mindset lifestyle POVs, stories, ideas & practices

In this episode of Coaster Radio, Mike and EB kick off the 21st season of the original theme park podcast, reflecting on their long journey and the excitement of returning after a break. They discuss the latest news in the amusement industry, including potential changes in park ownership and the implications of new trademarks filed by Six Flags. The conversation shifts to the recent opening of Falcon's Flight at Six Flags Qiddiya, with both hosts expressing surprise at its completion and discussing the ride's intensity based on initial POVs. They also share trip reports from listeners, highlighting experiences at various parks, including Dollywood and the anticipation for upcoming attractions.

The crew is back from a small hiatus to bring you cheer during the holidays ! Sip (@sse_sip) , Nevatell [@nevatell] , Jaytona [@jaytonasupreme] , and Cambino [@coastboymook] collab once again to discuss their real life updates mixed in with some of the cultures' hottest topics . To begin , the guys swap phones and read off each others' 2025 Apple Music Top 10 Artists Lists which is full of surprises !The artist review leads us to Atlanta Rapper , 21 Savage & his recent #FckTheStreets Campaign as the gang gives their unique POVs . This ties into the insightful question that Nevatell poses around the room of ‘What is your biggest insecurity about yourself?' The transparency leads to an interesting ‘Story Time w/ Jay : Daycare Edition' segment ! This is one episode you don't wanna miss as cover everything from Naked Doritos , Mitchell Gordon Cologne ,and so much more ! Recorded : 12/20/25

Success is in the eyes of the beholder. For projects, that means winning over the top decision makers in the C-suite. How can project management office leaders best share project progress with executives? How can you better engage the C-suite to manage their POVs? We discuss this with Douglas Pulini, PMP, PMI-PMOCP, head of the strategic management office at SPC Brasil in São Paulo, and Stephan Wohlfahrt, PMI-ACP, DAVSC, PMP, head of the project management office at Bosch Mobility in Stuttgart, Germany. Key themes00:56 The C-suite's role in project success02:33 How PMO leaders decide what information to share with executives05:24 Ways to engage executives to benefit project success10:26 Choosing how to best present project updates to the C-suite14:28 Must-have skills for PMO leaders to effectively manage stakeholder perceptions

Discover why clarity (not secrecy) is the key to keeping your readers engaged, curious, and emotionally invested in your story.Writers often think suspense means withholding information, but what if the opposite were true?In this episode, I'm joined by Daniel David Wallace, author, writing teacher, and founder of the annual Escape the Plot Forest Summit, to discuss why holding back details can leave readers confused or disconnected rather than curious.Daniel explains how sharing the right information at the right time builds trust, deepens emotion, and makes every twist hit exactly the way you intended. Here's what we cover:[02:25] Why trying to keep readers guessing for too long kills tension, and what actually makes a mystery feel exciting instead of confusing.[06:35] How the fear of being ‘too obvious' causes writers to hide key details, and why showing your hand sooner can keep readers even more engaged.[10:00] What The Hunger Games can teach us about foreshadowing in fiction through the famous berry scene.[18:00] What it really means to treat your reader like a friend, and how building trust keeps people invested in your story from start to finish.[20:00] Where writers go wrong with multi-POV—and why including more POVs isn't always the way to make your story clear to readersIf you've ever worried that giving too much away will ruin your story, this episode will change how you think about suspense, clarity, and reader trust.

We talk with KJ Steinberg, showrunner of Hulu's The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, about concentrating on Knox's perspective while still showing how others perceived her, and the legal tightropes that shaped the series. She details the refracted structure (episodes from the prosecutor's to the co-defendant's POVs) and why the story follows Knox through re-entry. As she puts it, “the echoes of trauma are loud and long.” Also: Israel's hostage ethos, why twenty remaining names can command a nation's focus, contrasted with how Americans register their own wrongfully detained citizens. Plus: SecDef Pete Hegseth's “Semper Shorntis” beard decree. Produced by Corey Wara Production Coordinator Ashley Khan Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠thegist@mikepesca.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ To advertise on the show, contact ⁠⁠⁠⁠ad-sales@libsyn.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ or visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://advertising.libsyn.com/TheGist⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://subscribe.mikepesca.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Youtube Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4_bh0wHgk2YfpKf4rg40_g⁠⁠⁠⁠ Subscribe to The Gist Instagram Page: ⁠⁠⁠⁠GIST INSTAGRAM⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow The Gist List at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Pesca⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Profundities | Mike Pesca | Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠