Podcasts about protagonists

David Applegate, the Director of Competitions at US Soccer and the Commissioner of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, joins the show to discuss his path to the top of the best competition in the world, how he discovered the love of the game, and what's next for the Open Cup.

Piše Miša Gams, bereta Maja Moll in Jure Franko. Pesnik in pisatelj Samo Kreutz je avtor dvanajstih knjig v slovenskem jeziku in šestih v angleščini. V kratkoprozni zbirki Lomljene poti ponuja v branje osem zgodb, v katerih vsakič znova vznika sodobni “zlomljeni” človek, ki razgalja potrošniško družbo 21. stoletja, iz katere na vsak način želi pobegniti. Bodisi prekine z dobro plačano službo in družino bodisi postane pozoren na razpoke v neoliberalni ideologiji, ki zazevajo ob ravnanju z brezdomci, vaškimi posebneži, neindoktriniranimi protestniki in nič hudega slutečimi živalmi … Stil pisanja variira med realističnim, nadrealističnim, znanstveno-fantastičnim in poetičnim in na trenutke se zazdi, da se znajdemo v možganih protagonista, o katerem ugotavljamo ali je umetniški genij, psihotik ali le izjemno senzibilno bitje, ki se v polni meri zaveda vpliva nezavednega na manifestacijo stvarnosti. Čeprav nas naslovnica s fotografijo dveh dečkov in razrite zemlje v ozadju navdaja z mislijo, da gre za realistično zasnovan potopis, nas že prvi zgodbi Dom, ki se zgodi in Prvič s prababico k maši “prizemljita” s svojim poetično-filozofskim slogom in polemiziranjem na temo begunstva in krščanskih stereotipov. V zgodbi Indigo in jaz, ki v podpoglavjih razpne ves barvni spekter refleksij pisarniške delavke, ki se poleg pritiska nadrejenih in sodelavcev morebiti sooča tudi s svojo avtističnostjo, ugotavljamo preplet subjektivnih misli in objektivne realnosti. Protagonist zgodbe Ugrez v obdobju korone ugotavlja, da vsi ljudje niso ujeti v ideološki diskurz o “reševanju drugega”, čeprav v procesu razsvetljevanja izgubi soprogo in sina in tudi delovno mesto. Zdi se, da ga preplavi notranji mir prav ob ugotovitvi, da se tam zunaj nahajajo ljudje, podobni njemu, z zasejanim dvomom o celem naboru rekvizitov in strategij, vpeljanih skupaj z novodobnim medicinskim imperativom: “In začutil je olajšanje. Vseobsegajoče. Morda zato, ker je bil končno zunaj, izven dosega te družbe, in je popoldanski piš vstal, da bi prevetril prostor pred njim. Mogoče. Ali pa morebiti zaradi tega, ker jih je videl. Ljudi. Ogromno njih, kako so hodili sem in tja. Počasi, sproščeno. Predvsem pa … brez mask. Zdaj si je lahko spet domišljal, niso še vsi – prodani.” Čeprav se zgodba zasuka v smer maščevanja bogatemu in nadutemu šefu, pisatelj ne pozabi omeniti taborov, ki so se oblikovali v času epidemije covida, in medsebojnega obtoževanja naših in vaših, cepilcev in “antivakserjev”. Zgodba je zanimiva tudi zato, ker ponuja pogled v delovanje možganov in ustvarjanje prepričanja na podlagi retoričnih fraz in vizualizacij, ki lahko pripeljejo do dramatičnih razsežnosti. Primer magičnega realizma, ki ga povzroča lucidna samohipnoza, je zgodba, Simon med stvarmi. Brezdomec Simon, ki je s svojo prisotnostjo tako rekoč sestavni del velikega trgovskega centra, namreč izgine, njegovo dušo pa zajamejo izpovedi goloba, otroka iz soseske, ženske in varnostnika in s svojimi pričevanji odkrivajo koščke mozaika njegovega življenja in izginotja. V nekem trenutku se pojavi Simonovo vsevidno oko in se zlije s poletom ptice, ki zakriči: “Izginotje je zlitje s tem, kar ljudje spregledajo.” In v nadaljevanju: “Kot bi zamaknjenost v trenutku popustila, so se mimoidoči začeli prisiljeno nasmihati drug drugemu. Niso več vedeli, zakaj so se zbrali tukaj. Ali pa so potihoma govorili o nekom, ki asfalt spreminja v vodo.” Čudeži, ki se dogajajo protagonistom zgodb so možni zaradi prekrivanja različnih dimenzij subjektivne realnosti v skupinsko hipnozo, pisatelj pa z njihovimi citati tke simbolne vezi, s katerimi vnaša v fizikalni svet magijo kot čarovnik, ki se zaveda vpliva besed na konkretna dejanja. Tudi zadnje tri zgodbe so polne ekspresionističnih refleksij in simbolike, povezane z zvokom, glasbo, barvami in doživljanjem vojne oz. miru, ki ga protagonist zgodbe Beethoven ni odgovoril tako vztrajno išče. V dnevnik si zapiše: “Mir ni odsotnost sovražnika. Mir je takrat, ko lahko sovražniku rečeš – ti si del moje simfonije.” Zgodbi Kleejeva zanka in Tri spirale modrine sta poklon dvema imenitnima slikarjema, Paulu Kleeju in Van Goghu, ki sta se navduševala nad metafiziko svetlobe, barv in glasbe. Pisatelj odslikava zgodbi, kot bi nanašal barve na platno, in se pri tem poigrava z ekspresionizmom in nadrealizmom. Čeprav v opisih lahko začutimo tudi pisateljevo bit, kako vibrira z bitjo umrlih umetnikov, pod njo zaslutimo (z)lomljenost sodobnega človeka, ki išče prizemljitev za svoja hrepenenja in besede, s katerimi bi lahko opisal svojo razcepljenost v poblaznelem svetu nadrealnih pričakovanj, klasifikacij in semantičnih paberkovanj, ki se dostikrat vrtijo v začaranem krogu. Kratkoprozna zbirka Sama Kreutza Lomljene poti, ki v uvodu nosi domiselno posvetilo “tistim, ki nosijo namesto zemljevidov – brazgotine”, je namenjena posamezniku, ki se zaveda svojih ran in brazgotin, ki jih prekrije čas, je počastitev skozi uprizoritev njegovih notranjih bitk, ki jih zrcali sodobna družba. Avtorja moramo pohvaliti za inovativen stil, ki se na določenih mestih pojavi kot nadrealističen kolaž različnih žanrov, in za strukturo zbirke, zastavljene kot luciden hologram, ki ga lahko hkrati beremo na več diskurzivnih ravneh.

Welcome to the first episode of this special project, where John Darowski and Producer Andrew will discuss the Redwall book series by Brian Jacques in publication order. The first book, Redwall, follows the mouse Matthias as he learns to become a hero and … Continue reading →

Anna Johnston draws on her experience working in her grandfather's nursing home to tell the stories of older people. She delves into here new book, When Lemons Give You Life, in conversation with Jane Tara.

Welcome to another episode of Death Don't Do Fiction, the AIPT Movies podcast! The podcast about the enduring legacy of our favorite movies! It was recently July, so that meant it was time for our “Julygantic” series! Where we cover monster movies! In our season 5 finale, Alex, Tim, and returning guest Matt Naughton discuss the classic mockbuster that asks “what if Jaws could swim in the sewer and walk on city streets?” 1980's Alligator! Booger Alley! A monster that knows how to make an entrance! Male pattern balding! Alligator flirting! Animal sadness! Suspiciously aerodynamic eyebrows! Multiple examples of bad parenting! Bribing street kids with beer! A surprisingly stealthy-yet enormous alligator! A dark, cavernous, and beautifully-shot sewer system! A deeply committed photographer! An incredibly memorable wedding! A pool-related prank gone horribly wrong! irresponsible hand grenade use! A strategic pots and pans parade! Gator profiteering! An attack on the free market! Dramatic guestlist checking! An incompetent Police force! A fun giant alligator puppet and actual alligators walking around miniature sets! Plentiful alligator attacks, including the match we've all been waiting for: gator vs. limo! A cast that includes an iconic performance from Jackie Brown's Robert Forster and Henry Silva as an ineffective big game hunter! All that and more in this cash grab with character development that somehow succeeds in being a real movie, where the true villain is corporate greed! In addition, the gang shares their spoiler-free thoughts on Hot Fuzz, Tenet, Alan Ritchson's Motor City, and The Long Walk! You can find Death Don't Do Fiction on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. As always, if you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave us a positive rating, subscribe to the show, and tell your friends! The Death Don't Do Fiction podcast brings you the latest in movie news, reviews, and more! Hosted by supposed “industry vets,” Alex Harris and Tim Gardiner, the show gives you a peek behind the scenes from two filmmakers with oddly nonexistent filmographies. You can find Alex on Twitter, Bluesky, or Letterboxd @actionharris. This episode's guest, Matt Naughton, and Tim can't be found on social media because they don't exist. If you have any questions or suggestions for the Death Don't Do Fiction crew, they can be reached at aiptmoviespod@gmail.com, or you can find them on Twitter or Instagram @aiptmoviespod. Theme song is “We Got it Goin On” by Cobra Man.

Protagonists are the main leading characters of your webcomic who drive the story forward, and this can be through either internal arcs of development, external conflicts with antagonists, or both. Whether or not a reader is invested in those main characters can make or break your audience's engagement with your story, so it's worth exploring what makes these characters compelling to follow in a long-form webcomic.❓Tell us about your protagonist(s)! ⭐️Support us on Patreon for monthly bonus episodes and bloopers⭐️https://www.patreon.com/screentonescastCheck out https://www.screentonescast.com for webcomic episodes, blog posts and more!☕️ Buy the hosts some coffee on Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/screentonescast----Episode Credits:Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) - she/they, https://chirault.sevensmith.net https://wychwoodcomic.com Christina Major (Delphina) - she/her, https://sombulus.com Miranda Schwemmer - she/her, https://mirandacakes.art https://intotheswellcomic.com Claire Niebergall (Clam) - she/her, https://phantomarine.com----The Intro "DO IT (feat. Shia LaBeouf)", and the Outro "It's Good To See You Again!!", both by Adrianwave, have been used and modified in good faith under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Licensed. Edits include: Fade IN/OUT, and a repeat added to the beginning of "It's Good To See You Again!!". For more information on this creative commons use, please reference https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3

Es gibt so Bücher, da quält man sich. Ob man das muss, gerade als freier, unbezahlter Rezensent, aber auch als schnöder Leser von Büchern, es ist ein ewiger Streit. Ein Streit, in dem Anzahl und Vehemenz bejahender Argumente reziprok mit dem Alter des Argumentierenden korrelieren. Ok, man kann auch formulieren: Je näher man dem Grabe ist, desto weniger ist man geneigt, einen Autor langsam zur Sache kommen zu lassen. Aber das klingt grausam, oberflächlich, und Anne Findeisen setzt gerade zum “OK Boomer” an.Und es ist tatsächlich ungerecht dem Autor gegenüber, einschränkend: sobald man ihm ein Niveau zugesteht oberhalb des seit ein paar Jahren aufgrund irgendeines Marketingkurses so heftig promoteten “Deutschen Krimis mit Lokalkolorit”, ein Genre, in dem arbeitslose Redakteure von regionalen Tageblättern ihr Gehalt aufbessern, indem sie uns weiß machen wollen, dass es in Berlin-Marzahn fast genauso zur Sache ginge wie in Chicago Southside.Gehen wir also von den guten Autoren aus.Ein Autor schreibt auf leerem Blatt eine Story, und je ferner sie von der Lebenswirklichkeit des Lesers entfernt ist, desto größer des Autor-Dilemma: Erklärt er mit Begriffen, die dem Leser nahe sind, die ferne Seltsamkeit seiner Phantasie, oder lässt er es den Leser selbst herausfinden? Ersteres vergrößert die Chance auf die Bahnhofsbuchhandlung und erhöht die Anzahl der Bücher, die der Leser bis zum Grabgang, siehe oben, lesen kann, enorm, aber es ist auch potentiell langweilig, bricht die Magie, nicht zu reden von der künstlerischen Integrität des Auteur.Kann man also Regeln finden, die man anwenden kann, wenn man auf Seite 10 eines Buches noch kein Wort verstanden hat?Statt theoretisch zu salbadern, greifen wir in den Fundus der aktuellen Falschgoldschen Buchliste “in progress”. Der Punkt, dass darunter ein Buch aus Papier ist, so zum Blättern, mit Rascheln und so, macht deutlich, dass wir hier nicht von anekdotenhafter Beweisführung, sondern regelrecht von Empirie reden können, so alt ist der Rezensent, so viele Bücher las er schon. Dem Zuhörer kommen die Tränen.Das papierne Buch ist dunkelgrün, ein Paperback, und öffnet sich automatisch auf Seite 374/375 - Ein Eselsohr! Wenn man genau hinschaut, sieht man, dass der Papierschnitt, also die Außenseite des geschlossenen Buches, von dieser Stelle an bis zur Seite 1014 glatt ist, die Seiten davor uneben. Denn ich habe Ulysses von James Joyce schon so oft angefangen, und bin so oft nur bis zur Hälfte gekommen, dass ich einmal den Traum hatte, dass der Quizmaster unseres monatlichen Kneipenquiz die Frage stellt, welches Buch folgendermaßen beginnt:Erste Seite UlyssesSTATTLICH UND FEIST erschien Buck Mulligan am Treppenaustritt, ein Seifenbecken in Händen, auf dem gekreuzt ein Spiegel und ein Rasiermesser lagen. Ein gelber Schlafrock mit offenem Gürtel bauschte sich leicht hinter ihm in der milden Morgenluft. Er hielt das Becken in die Höhe und intonierte: “Introibo ad altare Dei.”Woraufhin ich meinem Kollegen beruhigend zuzwinkere “Hab ich”. Im Sinne von “die Antwort”, aber auf keinen Fall “verstanden”. Denn jetzt, auf Seite 374 sitzt Leopold Bloom immer noch am 16.6.1904 und frühstückt Leber. Sehr sympathisch, und das mit dem Frühstück ist nur ein educated guess, ein Drittel im Buch, das berühmterweise einen Tag im Leben eines Anzeigenverkäufers in Dublin beschreibt, das muss noch Frühstück sein.Ach, ich lese mal kurz rein..Dreißig Minuten später habe ich noch keine Ahnung, ob es Frühstück, Brunch oder Mittag ist, aber mehr als eine davon, warum ich das Buch immer wieder beginne: Es ist ein Rätsellabyrinth. Zusammengehalten von der Einfachheit der Prämisse: Ein Mann, ein Tag, eine Stadt, und damit unkompliziert reinzukommen, ist es fast unmöglich, wieder rauszufinden: So viele Fragen gestellt in bildlichster Sprache, man sieht sie vor sich, die verrückten Dubliner, immer etwas schmuddlig, nie unter 3,8 im Turm und dennoch gebildet, klug und rätselhaft. Wenn man weiß, dass man etwas nie ganz verstehen wird, befreit das ungemein, und wenn man weiß, dass das Literaturprofessoren so geht, nicht zu reden von Übersetzern und Rezensenten, ist das ein Argument, das Buch immer wieder zu beginnen, ohne das Ziel, es jemals zu beenden.Ein weiteres Beispiel, ein ganz anderes: Am 20.1. diesen Jahres 2020 kam der neue William Gibson raus, “Agency”, und der Vorbestellen-Knopf war schon halb gedrückt, als ich aus den Augenwinkeln das Cover sah, mh.. erinnert an etwas, und auch die “Kunden kauften sonst noch”-Zeile des bösen Onlinebuchhändlers erinnerte an Bekanntes. Genauer an Gibsons 2014er Roman “Peripherie” und daran, dass ich trotz heftigem Fanboyseins das Buch nicht nur nicht zu Ende gelesen habe, nein, dass ich kaum über Seite 30 hinweggekommen war. Was zumindest für diesen Rezensenten, der eine Buchserie von vorn bis hinten lesen muss, ohne Lücken, es unmöglich macht, den neuen Gibson zu lesen, ohne den alten Gibson gelesen zu haben. Anne Findeisen murmelt übrigens gerade wieder “Ok Boomer”, bekanntermaßen kann sie Simon Beckets David-Hunter-Serie Buch 6 lesen und Buch 5 mal eben so locker überspringen. Sie ist ein Monster.Ich bin keines, also holte ich mir “Peripherie” von William Gibson auf den E-Reader und kann berichten, ich bin sechs Jahre älter, nicht weiser. William Gibson ist ein allgemein anerkannter Visionär und Erfinder des allgegenwärtigen Begriffes “Cyberspace”, der, wie sich das gehört für unsere oberflächliche Zeit, mit dem “Cyberspace” in Gibsons Newromancer nichts, aber auch gar nichts gemein hat. Daraus scheint mir Gibson sein Lehren gezogen zu haben und erklärt nun einfach gar nichts mehr. Wir springen aus dem Wohnwagen eines Kriegsveteranen in ein Computerspiel, Fragezeichen, gespielt mit einem faltbaren, Fragezeichen, Handy als Controller und dargestellt auf mehreren, Fragezeichen, Displays, physischen, Fragezeichen. Eine Welt aus Fragezeichen, aber noch hat Gibson drei Bücher minus 30 Seiten, von denen eines noch nicht mal geschrieben ist, Zeit, uns zu erklären, wie wir bald leben werden, und schon jetzt spüre ich, dass er ziemlich weit daneben liegen wird, denn schon lange ist es nicht mehr möglich, ein Buch in der nahen Zukunft anzusiedeln, ohne von dieser bei Veröffentlichung überholt zu werden. Aber William Gibson muss gelesen werden, er ist Kanon, und kein Weg führt an der Tatsache vorbei, dass es aktuell keinen genaueren Beobachter unserer gegenwärtigen Zukunft gibt. Ich ignoriere also zunächst die Fragezeichen und werde mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit in Kürze hier an dieser Stelle berichten können, ob Gibson recht hat, ob Periphery und Agency uns helfen, uns zu verstehen.Sich zu verstehen, ist das Hauptproblem des titelgebenden Haupthelden in einem Buch, welches kaum diametraler sein könnte als die bisher angesprochenen “schwer lesbaren” Werke. “The Death and Life of Schneider Wrack” ist kein Bestseller, es spielt weder an einem Tag noch in naher Zukunft. Es ist ein Roman in einer fremden und seltsamen Welt. Geschrieben wurde er von Nate Crowley, einem Briten, den mein Lieblings-Online-Computerspielmagazin mit Namen “Rock, Paper, Shotgun” letztes Jahr eingestellt hat. Ja, Herr Falschgold liest nicht nur seit 25 Jahren Ulysses, sondern auch Computerspielmagazine. Clearly the most interesting man in the world. Gleich nach Nate Crowley muss er jedoch neidlos anerkennen. Nicht nur hat er, wie Herr Falschgold, eine Vorliebe für eine Nische im Computerspielkosmos, in der sich Games an ein Publikum wenden, das nicht reaktionsschnell das fünfhundertachtzigste x-beliebige Monster zu Brei ballern will, sondern stattdessen, das Kinn in die Hand gestützt, stundenlang virtuellen Figuren zuschaut, wie sie nur geringst von ihrem ihnen zuschauenden Gott beeinflusst ihrem Leben nachgehen. Für fantasielose Träumer von Eigentumswohnung und Minivan sind das die Sims, in dem sich realistische 3d-Instagrammodels in realistischen Mietwohnungen realistisch langweilen, für milde fantasiebegabte das aktuelle Lieblingsgame des Rezensenten namens “Rimworld”, in dem drei zufällige und meist ziemlich gestörte Raumfahrer auf einem Planeten stranden und versuchen, ohne dem Kannibalismus zu verfallen, von diesem wieder wegzukommen, dargestellt in der Draufsicht von liebevoll gezeichneten kleinen Pixelmenschen in einer Welt voller Gefahren. Nate Crowley jedoch machte auf sich aufmerksam durch das, was er aus dem Spielen des Programmes “Dwarf Fortress”, also “Zwergenburg”, machte. Ein Spiel, in dem die Personen nicht in 3d gezeigt werden oder pixelsüß animiert sind, sondern einfach nur verschiedenfarbige Buchstaben auf einem schwarzen Bildschirm, die sich blinkend von A nach B bewegen und deren Tun und Sein in Statistiken und gelegentlichen Beschreibungen aufgezeigt wird. Klingt trocken, aber mit dem fantasievollen Kopf eines Nate Crowley wurde daraus eine 23-Folgen-Fortsetzungsstory über “The Basement of Curiosity”, in dem Nate seine alphanumerischen Zwerge die wildesten, lustigsten Abenteuer bestehen lässt und darüber in solch schillernden Farben berichtete, als ginge es um den neuesten photorealistischen Blockbuster unter den Spielen und nicht um eine Textwüste in Grün auf Schwarz. Dazu hat Nate Crowley einen Twitteraccount, auf dem er Fotos seines Terrarium/Aquarium zeigt, welches statt mit den üblichen Fischen und Fröschen komplett mit Krabben, Langusten und ähnlich vielbeinigem Krustengetier bewohnt wird.Wenn man solcherlei seltsames Hobby mit derlei ausschweifender Phantasie kombiniert, muss ein Roman rauskommen. 2017 war es soweit, und es ist ein Trip. Unser Hauptheld Schneider Wrack war gerade noch Bibliothekar in einer postapokalyptischen Hafenstadt und erwacht auf einmal auf.. einem Schiff? Er weiß es nicht. Er weiß so gut wie gar nichts mehr. Er weiß noch nicht mal, ob er lebt. Er bewegt sich, er sieht und fühlt, aber.. er atmet schon mal nicht. Zumindest muss er es nicht. Um ihn herum sind ein paar hundert Menschen, die einen riesigen Wal mit Äxten und Messern traktieren und das rausgehackte Fleisch in Wagons verladen. Das Ganze passiert auf hoher See, so viel scheint klar, aber das Schiff ist so groß, dass er nicht sieht, wo es beginnt und endet. Auch sagt keiner ein Wort, zunächst noch nicht mal er selbst. Es scheint sich niemand um ihn zu kümmern, also beginnt er, auf dem Schiff zu wandern, und sieht die seltsamsten Dinge. Aufseher mit zugewachsenen Mündern, als Wachtiere begleiten sie Haie auf metallenen Beinen. Die Arbeiter haben alle Verletzungen, die auf einen gewaltsamen Tod hindeuten - und doch bewegen sie sich wie.. Zombies! In einer abgelegenen Halle finden sich in eine Ecke gestapelt so kaputte Exemplare, dass sie nicht mehr zur Arbeit zu gebrauchen sind, aber, Horror, sie bewegen sich noch. Auf Händen, so noch welche dran sind, oder sie schauen verwirrt von links nach rechts, wenn der Kopf noch dran ist, der Rest aber schon ab. Es ist eine Freakshow und nichts für schwache Gemüter. Es ist einem permanent ein bisschen schlecht. Es wimmelt von Worten, die ich nicht kenne und Wikipedia auch nicht, Fischarten vermutet man, halb-lateinisch klingend, aber auch Namen von Orten und Städten, bei denen man ob der Tatsache, dass sie so klingen, als müsste man sie kennen, Google Maps aber nichts findet, noch verwirrter ist als unser Hauptheld Schneider Wrack.Endgültig fertig macht Schneider, einige Seiten im Buch, dass er mit niemandem kommunizieren kann, sich niemand um ihn kümmert. Bis er eine Frau mit einem Loch in der Brust trifft, typische Säbelwunde, die leise vor sich hin jammert. Er tauft sie Moana und spricht leise auf sie ein. Bis sie ihm antwortet..Nate Crowley hat einen der abgefahrensten Romane in einer der abgefahrensten Settings ever geschrieben - und ich habe jetzt schon fünf Bücher von Jasper Fforde gelesen, wir erinnern uns, die Detektivin Thursday Next, die in Büchern lebt. Wir müssen unser Vorstellungsvermögen anpassen, alles ist größer als man denkt, und dann noch ein Stück. Wale so groß wie Fußballfelder werden von Kraken gefressen, so groß wie kleine Ostseeinseln. Wir bereisen den Amazonas und bemerken als Leser spätestens dann, warum Nate Crowley dazu neigt, deutsche Worte einzubauen, man sieht die Inspiration zum Buch in dem fiktiven Werk, welches Schneider Wrack, unser Protagonist, auf einmal im Körper einer Krabbe, fragt nicht, liest, es ist der Bericht einer Amazonasexpedition wie geschrieben von Alexander von Humboldt. Wir können das Buch, obwohl lange nicht explizit geschrieben, nur als Parabel auf eine Ökokatastrophe lesen und werden dazu mit moralischen Dilemmata konfrontiert - wann ist man tot und wann ist man so richtig tot? Und was passiert, wenn dann künstliche Intelligenz ins Spiel kommt. All das ist kaum zu greifen durch bestsellergewohntes eiliges Lesen. Man muss sich Zeit nehmen, man muss das Buch weglegen, schon weil einem manchmal ein bisschen übel ist. Aber man wird es immer wieder aufnehmen, man will mehr wissen von dieser fremden und seltsamen Welt des Schneider Wrack und Nate Crowley.Und das ist am Ende das Kriterium für jedes “schwere Buch”. Will man mehr wissen? Und da ist es egal, ob man mehr wissen will, weil man kaum etwas versteht, wie bei Joyces Ulysses, ob man mehr wissen will, weil man weiß, dass der Autor viel zu sagen hat, wie bei jedem Roman von Will Gibson, oder weil man einfach wissen will, ob sich Moana und Schneider, zu Beginn des Romans Zombies und zur Hälfte der eine eine Krabbe und die Andere ein Kampfroboter, am Ende doch bekommen und warum die Welt des Nate Crowley so abgefuckt ist, wie sie ist.Ja, Bücher sind manchmal schwer, inhaltlich, sprachlich, emotional, aber wir haben ein Leben Zeit, oder um es mit James Joyce zu sagen: “„Der längste Umweg ist der kürzeste nach Hause.“ - und hätte ich den Ulysses zu Ende gelesen, hätte ich vielleicht ein wirklich passendes Zitat gefunden. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit lobundverriss.substack.com

A Pod of two halves! Josh checks in with Patrick Infurma, co-founder of Vermont Green FC, while he had to find a place to record from within the confines of Atwood Stadium. We talk about the path VGFC took to get to another final and the legacy their building as an organization. Then, we catch up with President of Flint City Bucks, Mr. Costa Papista, and talk about the team who has been successful for 30 years; how they have consistently challenged for titles and how they have prepared to host the 2026 USL League Two Final.

Andrew Berry discusses his evolving leadership style and draws a unique comparison between Todd Monken and the protagonist of the show Landman. Daryl Ruiter provides a skeptical evaluation of the ongoing quarterback competition between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders. They also weigh the pros and cons of a Jadeveon Clowney reunion and the high expectations surrounding rookie Jared Verse. 02:19 - Coach Riz Joins 05:32 - Watson And Sanders Competition 09:23 - Potential Clowney Reunion 16:51 - Daryl Ryder Joins 22:35 - Browns Offensive Weapons 26:30 - Andrew Barry Reconciliations 31:57 - Baker Mayfield Outlook 39:37 - Monken Versus Stefanski

With the USL W League Final having just wrapped and the USL League Two Final right around the corner, Josh Duder catches up with Joel Nash, Senior Vice President for both leagues, to lament the end of the season. Before we get too low, its time to hype up for the clash between legends Flint City Bucks and legends in the making Vermont Green - Josh and Joel talk about how we got here and where the league is going to next.

Why do readers stay up until 2 a.m. turning pages? It's rarely because of the plot. It's because they care about the person living through it. In this one-hour writing workshop, Hank Garner breaks down the core principles behind unforgettable protagonists—the characters readers will follow anywhere, even when they aren't always likable. You'll learn how to build characters with emotional depth, compelling motivations, and authentic character arcs that keep readers invested from the first page to the last. In this workshop you'll learn: What a protagonist actually is (and how they're different from your POV character or hero) The three pillars every great protagonist needs: Desire Wound Lie The difference between what your character wants and what they truly need Why readers don't have to like your protagonist—they simply have to be compelled by them How specificity, contradictions, vulnerability, and voice make fictional people feel real How to avoid passive protagonists by giving your characters meaningful choices A simple five-question character test you can use on every novel you write You'll also complete a practical character-building exercise and see how Dabble's Character Notes and Plot Grid make it easy to organize your protagonist's arc from beginning to end. Whether you're outlining your first novel or revising your tenth, this workshop will give you a practical framework you can immediately apply to create protagonists readers won't forget.

Readers don't read your book because of your clever plot. Readers fall in love with your book because of your CHARACTERS. Each book is about a person, and your protagonist is the lightning rod of your book. In this Fireside chat, Hank and Brooke talk about what makes a great protagonist and how to craft characters that bring people back time and again.

What's up Gamers?! We're continuing Jurassic July with a Hunter vs Hunter matchup that even we didn't see coming, as Aloy from the Horizon series takes on Oondasta, the Devilsaur of World of Warcraft! Can the famous Protagonist of Horizon fell the Beast? Or has she met her match?! Listen now to find out!Please consider leaving us a 5 Star Rating and/or Review, so we can continue to grow!Check out the other shows on the Dynamic Podcast Network, including:Dynamic Duel: Marvel vs DCMax Destruction: Movie FightsSenjoh World: Anime BattlesCheck us out on Instagram, TikTok, Bluesky, and Mastodon!and check out our Website, hosted by Riverside.com!#sega #nintendo #microsoft #xbox #epicgames #gog #steam #valve #horizon #worldofwarcraft

In this episode we share our lessons learned and a-ha moments about the 4 Types of Protagonists and the Premise statement. The ability to summarize your story in one sentence is an absolute must and over the course of the season, Melanie explored several different methods for doing just that. Which one was her favourite and why? This week, she reveals all. And for my part, I explored the 4 different types of protagonists and was happily surprised to have found three such different examples of the anti-hero — a protagonist type that, I think, is both misunderstood and under used. What do you think? -V. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!

The boys discuss their thoughts on what video game protagonists would look like in different universes. Recorded 6/15/2026

Founder of theCup.us joins Dan to discuss his entry into soccer, his goals for covering the Open Cup, and how he'd change the competition to make it more viable for the future. 

Als junger katholischer Priester war Frank Richter 1989 wichtiger Protagonist der Friedlichen Revolution in der DDR. Auch später engagierte er sich. Heute ist er kein Priester mehr, er lebt in Sachsen-Anhalt und sieht mit Sorge auf die Landtagswahl. Florin, Christiane www.deutschlandfunk.de, Zwischentöne

On episode 162 of the Director Watch Podcast, co-hosts Ryan McQuade and Jay Ledbetter are joined by the host of The Waffle Press Movie Podcast, Diego Crespo to discuss the next film in their Christopher Nolan series, Tenet (2020). Welcome back to Director Watch! On this AwardsWatch podcast, the boys attempt to breakdown, analyze, and ultimately, get inside the mind of some of cinema's greatest auteurs. In doing so, they will look at their filmographies, explore what drives them artistically and what makes their decision making process so fascinating. Add in a few silly tangents and a fun game at the end of the episode and you've got yourself a podcast we truly hope you love. We live in a twilight world, or should we say, we live in a Nolan's world, and we are lucky to be living in it where films like Tenet are getting made. In an attempt to make his own spy film, Nolan creates an uncompromising, complex, loose thriller about an unnamed secret agent working to take down a rich, Russian billionaire who has discovered objects from the future and brought them to the past to end the world as we know it. Along the way, our Protagonist enlists the help of our villain's wife and a fellow spy (unknowing it's his best bud) and with just the titular word as his guild, doors open to a puzzle he finds himself at the center of. Complicated, confusing, and downright brilliant, Nolan stops explaining everything in this film, instead, opting for the audience to "just feel it" and make a film off good vibes and technical wonder; and doing so, made one of his best films. Ryan, Jay, and Diego break down their love of this film, when they saw it and how they saw if given the COVID-19 virus, and it's questionable release schedule, Kenneth Branagh's accent, the use of Elizabeth Debicki's height, what Hollywood is going to do with John David Washington, how good looking Aaron Taylor-Johnson is, what makes a modern movie 5 stars on Letterboxd, their excitement over the phrase "temporal pincer movement," if they like hot sauce with their meals, and whether the movie makes sense and if that even matters at all. You can listen to the Director Watch Podcast wherever you stream podcasts, from iTunes, iHeartRadio, Soundcloud, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Amazon Music and more. You can also listen on the AW YouTube page. This podcast runs 2h50m. The guys will be back next week to continue their series on the films of Christopher Nolan with a review of his next film, Oppenheimer. You can stream it on Peacock or rent it via iTunes and Amazon Prime rental in preparation for the next episode of Director Watch. Till then, let's get into it. Music: MUSICALIFE, from Pond5 (intro) and "B-3" from BoxCat Games Nameless: The Hackers RPG Soundtrack (outro).

George Black, guest author, introduces two central protagonists, Manus Campbell and Chuck Searcy, who arrived in Vietnam in June 1967. Campbell, a young Marine from New Jersey, was driven by a desire to prove himself to his demanding father and joined the elite Marines to become a hero. He was assigned to the first battalion of the fourth Marines and deployed to I Corps, the most dangerous combat zone in the country. Conversely, Searcy, a former Goldwater supporter from Georgia, enlisted in military intelligence to avoid the frontline combat he dreaded. While Campbell faced the brutal reality of the A Shau Valley—a strategic North Vietnamese stronghold that was never recovered by the US—Searcy was stationed in Saigon. In Saigon, Searcy began to see the war's disconnect from reality, observing that intelligence reporting was often manipulated to provide the "rosy face" demanded by politicians and generals. The A Shau Valley remained critical because its difficult, fog-shrouded terrain provided a bastion for the North to launch attacks on cities like Hue during the upcoming Tet Offensive. Both men arrived as the war reached a stalemate, forcing both sides to change their tactics. The Long Reckoning (3)

Independence Day just happened and what better way than to focus on those people who use their freedom to complain about lady characters in video games. The newest target is God of War Laufey and as Holden goes through the history of this topic we see this isn't the first time an announced game has been attacked for having a female protagonist and with a cottage industry that profits off the outrage it most likely won't be the last. Gamergate, Sweet Baby Inc.. and Samus bravely taking that helmet off in 1986 are just a few of the stops we take along the way as we give our personal reasons for why it's totally fine that not every protagonist is a dude. Want even more Nerd of Mouth? Support us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/nerdofmouth Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Nerd of Mouth ad-free.Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Longtime soccer journalist Charles Boehm sits down with Dan to discuss his entry into soccer, how the game has changed over the years, and how this year's World Cup will impact the future of the game in the United States.

Marisa ist blind. An ihrer Seite läuft der weiße Königspudel Rainer, ihr Blindenführhund. Gemeinsam bewegen sie sich durch Parks, Straßen, Märkte, Geschäfte, kurzum: durch das Leben. "Rechts, voran, such Weg!" - Marisas Hörzeichen an Rainer ermöglichen beiden, sich durch das akustische Geflecht aus Verkehrsströmen, Schritten, Stimmen und Bahnansagen zu navigieren. Es ist eine Welt, deren Elemente ständig in Bewegung sind: Baustellen verschließen Laufwege, E-Roller blockieren Eingänge, wo gestern noch ein Durchgang war, stehen heute Fahrräder. Die beiden haben ein präzises Zusammenspiel aus Kommunikation und Vertrauen entwickelt. Im Zentrum dieses O-Ton-Features steht ihre Beziehung zueinander und die Frage, wie Orientierung jenseits des Sehens funktionieren kann. Gleichzeitig erzählt das Stück Marisas Geschichte - von ihrer Erblindung, ihrem Alltag, ihrer Identität als Frau und Mutter und davon, dass fast alles möglich bleibt, auch wenn das Sehen nicht mehr möglich ist - denn Marisa sagt: "Ich bin nur so weit behindert, wie ich behindert werde." Auch Rainer wird hörbar in diesem Feature - als gleichwertiger Protagonist an Marisas Seite.

Veteran broadcaster Jason Davis joins The Protagonist to discuss his entry to the sport, his goals behind the mic, and how he's managed to stay relavent for almost two decades covering the beautiful game. 

A trailer for Stellar Blade: Blood Rain released, and everyone who detests attractive women in games instantly accused the new protagonist, Evie, of looking like a child. We discuss the reaction along with Shift Up's defense of her design along with news of Grand Theft Auto VI and the Steam Machine's prices, Microsoft's ridiculous “considerations” for developers and their shuttering of Xbox studios, Lara Croft's classic look in the upcoming Tomb Raider game, Bungie layoffs, and more.

In this episode, Drew and Cody analyze the US Men's National Team's recent performances, tactical decisions, and player signings for Sporting Kansas City. They also delve into World Cup stories, fan experiences, and coaching insights, providing a comprehensive look at current soccer developments. In this episode, Drew and Cody discuss the latest in soccer, including World Cup highlights, fan culture, coaching insights, and MLS updates. They explore how passion and organization elevate the game and share their thoughts on the US Men's National Team's performance and future prospects.Music by The Spin Wires

Did this podcast even happen, or are we stuck in a temporal pincer movement? This week, we're diving into Christopher Nolan's mind-bending 2020 epic, TENET! With special guest (and former Nolan employee!) Stacey Schrom, Jason and Ashley attempt to unravel the mysteries of time inversion, the mechanics of turnstiles, and whether Jason's wild theory about multiple Protagonists actually holds up. From John David Washington's smooth moves, we're breaking down the movie that left audiences scratching their heads—and hitting rewind. This is a podcast you'll want to listen to twice … or did you already? We don't even know what happened on this episode!!For more exclusive bonus podcasts like our Justice League Review show, our Teen Titans Podcast, and our GHL Exclusive Discord, join the Geek History Lesson Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/JawiinGHL RECOMMENDED READING from this episode► https://www.geekhistorylesson.com/recommendedreadingFOLLOW GHL►Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geekhistorylessonThreads: https://www.threads.net/@geekhistorylessonFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/geekhistorylessonGet Your GHL Pin: https://geekhistorylesson.etsy.comYou can follow Ashley at https://www.threads.net/@ashleyvrobinson or https://www.ashleyvictoriarobinson.com/Follow Jason at https://www.threads.net/@jawiin or https://bsky.app/profile/jasoninman.bsky.socialThanks for showing up to class today. Class is dismissed!

One of two voices for the unique and entertaining broadcast team of San Francisco City FC, Jack Lowery, joins Josh on the pod. They discuss his unique format with Mark Federico Moreno, who was unable to join us. We get into Jack's soccer origin story then talk a little about the great season that SF City FC is having. 

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 guest, Jessica Goldstein, is a style, arts, and humor writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Marie Claire, Vulture, and the humor site McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Her debut novel, Retro, published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is out now.Today, we talk about:* the ins and outs of time travel,* crafting humor,* books in pop culture,* writing opinion pieces in major publications,* and so much more.

“In addition to your villain's goal, they need a motivation. They feel like they're the hero of their own story. They have a good reason for wanting what they want.” - Beth BaranyIn some stories long after the final page is closed, the villain often captivates the reader over a hero. Their backstory, portrayal, beliefs and even down to certain acts of heroism, but how do you make your villain compelling?In the latest How To Write the Future podcast episode, titled “Crafting a Compelling Villain: Goals, Motivation, Conflict” host Beth Barany, shares how to craft a compelling villain to engage readers, drive the plot of their story, and ways to build an depth conflict within their journey.Use the steps outlined in the episode to plan and draft out your villain and apply it to your story.Support us! https://ko-fi.com/bethbaranyGet the workbook: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/ Join the Edit Lab before the price goes up! https://bethbarany.com/editlab✶GET SUPPORT FOR YOUR FICTION WRITING BY A NOVELIST AND WRITING TEACHER AND COACHSchedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/✶ABOUT BETH BARANYBeth Barany is an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. Through her services and products, she guides novelists to write, revise, and publish stories that matter—blending practical craft guidance with a big-picture commitment to bright imagination, deep meaning, and wide-open possibilities. She calls writers to create with hope and courage—and to speak truth through art, even when it stretches them into a new version of themselves.✶ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCASTHow To Write The Future is a podcast for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to imagine better worlds—and write stories that bring those futures to life. Each episode offers practical craft guidance, creative prompts, and big-picture inspiration to help you draft, revise, and publish with purpose.--------------------SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth BaranySHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDadeEDITORIAL by Iman Llompartc. 2026 BETH BARANYhttps://bethbarany.com/Questions? Comments? Send us a text!Support the show---♦︎ JOIN THE MEMBERSHIP: For fiction writers! You've finished your first draft! Congrats! Now what?Join the Edit the Future: Sci‑Fi/Fantasy Revision Lab. Get premium weekly lessons and a monthly Q&A on Zoom. Subscribe: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2012061/subscribe♥︎ FREE: Sign up here for the Edit Your Novel ChecklistHelps writers revise faster with less overwhelm by focusing first on diagnosis, not fixing. Get yours at http://edityournovelchecklist.com.♡ SHOP: Sci‑Fi & Fantasy 24 Writing Prompts: https://ko-fi.com/s/4ac9160a74❤️ Want to be interviewed on the podcast? => Email us!CONNECT WITH BETHvia emailvia LinkedInCREDITSEDITED WITH DESCRIPT (Affiliate link)MUSIC: Uppbeat.ioDISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465

The Literary Legacy and Final Days of the Alcotts. Guest: Bruce Nichols. Following the success of Little Women, Alcott resisted fan demands for her protagonist to marry Laurie, choosing an independent path. As the circle aged, both Emerson and Bronson Alcott suffered significant cognitive decline, with Louisa providing essential financial and personal support until her death in 1888. 12HAWTHORNE'S  WAYSIDE

R.F. Kuang's fantasy novel Katabasis, first published in 2025, is out in paperback. The book is about two rival doctoral students studying magic at Cambridge University. Together, they travel to hell to rescue their recently deceased thesis advisor. Last year, Kuang joined NPR's Emiko Tamagawa for a conversation about the novel at a live event in Boston. They spoke about Kuang's rigorous approach to the study of magic, how the author sees herself (and her husband) in Katabasis' protagonists, and the myth of the male genius in academia.To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookofthedaySee pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

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 guest, Sarah MacLean, is a New York Times, Washington Post & USA Today bestselling author. Vulture Magazine writes - “MacLean is a master at weaving passion and vulnerability equally in her characters. When it comes to historical romance, she's one of the best…” These Summer Storms is her first contemporary novel. In addition to her novels, Sarah is a leading advocate for the romance genre, speaking widely on its place as a feminist text and a cultural bellwether.Today, we talk about:* putting everything on the page,* romance vs. women's fiction,* what romance teaches us,* the power of our pleasure,* and so much more.xo, Joanna & Evelyn

In memory of the recently passed Marjane Satrapi (1969-2026), re-airring our chat about Persepolis from July 2024). Rest In Peace/Power.https://www.npr.org/2026/06/04/nx-s1-5846531/marjane-satrapi-obituary“The normalization of things being taken away. You see all the things going on in Tehran in 1979 — you see them here as well, which makes it a sad, scary, and timeless tale.”PERSEPOLIS, by Marjane Satrapi is an award winning, now banned graphic autobiography from the early 2000s about a young girl growing up in Iran, and becoming a woman overseas, returning home, and dealing with everything in between.Originally published in French, Persepolis has sold millions of copies worldwide, and Satrapi also produced an award-winning film of the same name. In Persepolis, we meet young Marjane “Marji” Satrapi growing up in Tehran just before and during the Iranian Revolution of 1979, as well as thru the start of the Iran + Iraq War in the 1980s. Her parents are secular, upper-middle class activists, who worry for their precocious daughter's safety in the increasingly conservative and dangerous Iran, so send her off to Austria to become a teenager. Her teen years are fraught with all the drama you can expect from such an experience, but Marji - now becoming a young woman - always maintains the experience of an outsider looking in - with her feet in both worlds. Marji eventually returns to Iran to find that not only has her mother country changed, but she as well. This book was a surprise and illuminating for us in many ways, making us question - what would WE do in such a situation? This conversation is originally from from Quarantined Comics, where Raman + friends read comics that are so much more than just superheroes. PERSEPOLIS is a very Modern Minorities appropriate work, especially for the times we're living in, which you'll get to here us reflect on. Longtime friend of THAT pod Joshua joins from his most excellent podcast RABBIT FIGHTERS, where they pretty much do the same thing, but about movies and music. 

In the past weeks, we've discussed three great games named after their main protagonist - Victor Vran, Max Payne, and Alan Wake. Who will emerge victorious in today's brodown episode? Listen now to find out which one was our favorite.Follow us onX @BrosBossBattlesYouTube @BrosBossBattlesInstagram @BrosBossBattleshttps://brothersandbossbattles.com/

In this episode, we sit down with Kidd Bandit — one of the most unique and talked-about names in independent wrestling today. Known for blending anime culture, cosplay inspiration, video game aesthetics, and high-energy wrestling into one unforgettable package, Kidd Bandit has built a loyal following while redefining what a modern pro wrestler can look like.

On this show, Josh catches up with the first ever Univision Sueño winner, former Chivas USA, Portland Timber, LA Galaxy, Laguna Santos, and US National Team player, Jorge Villafaña. They discuss the differences in leagues, player development, and his transition from player to coach. Bangers FC are currently top of the USL League Two, PacNW Division, and Coach Villafaña tells us what we can do to help them earn a playoff spot!

What type of protagonist does your story feature? There are 4 types, each of them can be a constant character or a change character, and each one evokes a different emotion from your reader/viewer. And that's exactly what I'm studying this season starting with the hero which could be a literal superhero, or it could be a little old lady. And Melanie is studying the story premise and how to articulate a story in one sentence (because it's a skill EVERY writer needs!). There's loads of great stuff coming up this season, starting with this episode all about Murder, She Said. Enjoy! -V. Submit your query letter and first 10 pages writing sample at storynerd.ca.For access to writing templates and worksheets, and more than 70 hours of training (all for free), subscribe to Valerie's Inner Circle.To learn to read like a writer, visit Melanie's website.To subscribe to Kat's Keynotes (Substack), click here.Watch us on YouTube!

Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty about her new novel The Tapestry of Fate, writing a more mature, middle-aged protagonist in The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi series, portraying motherhood on the page, blood family vs. found family, Middle Eastern poisoners and demons, balancing science with the occult, writing complex antagonists, the value of day jobs, breaking into publishing and more.NOTE: This is part one of a two-part chat with Shannon. Stayed tuned next week for her writing masterclass on Drawing from Global History.

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, Donna Jackson Nakazawa, is an award-winning science journalist and an internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neurobiology and human emotion. Her book, Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media, was named a best book of 2022 by The Washington Post. Her latest book, Mind Drama: The Science of Rumination and How to Outwit Your Inner Defeatist, is out now.Today, we talk about:* rumination - what to do about the negative looping stories in our heads,* protecting space in our brain for creative insights,* the creative process of non-fiction writing,* among other delights!xo, Joanna

Josh Duder sat down with legendary player and coach, Frank Yallop, to find out what the former Ipswich and Tampa Bay Mutiny Player was doing coaching soccer in McKinney, Texas. After decades of coaching teams like the San Jose Earthquakes, the Canadian National Team, and most recently, Monterey Bay FC, Coach Yallop tells us why the Chupacabras are so special. 

Former professional goalkeeper Jeff Attinella sits down with Josh Duder to discuss his career, the state of American soccer, and his current work with the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL.

The Offering, 3min., Canada Directed by Banpreet singh https://www.instagram.com/banpreet_gill 
Setting: Canadian streets at night. 
The Protagonist: a man living on the razor's edge of poverty, working gruelling hours for wages that barely cover his rent in an increasingly expensive urban landscape. 
The Conflict: After a particularly lean month, protagonist finally treats himself to a modest meal from a local grocery store—a rare moment of indulgence intended to quiet the persistent ache in his stomach. As he starts to eat food outside the store, he notices a figure sitting nearby road. —— Subscribe to the podcast: https://twitter.com/wildsoundpod https://www.instagram.com/wildsoundpod https://www.facebook.com/wildsoundpod

The Blue Flower is considered Fitzgerald's masterpiece, and for good reason. It's challenging--an entirely different approach to historical fiction, with subtle, nuanced, gorgeous prose. She makes late-1700s Saxony feel immediate and accessible and you FEEL so much for these people. Listen in to fully appreciate how she produces a book that readers go back to again and again, gaining so much more every single time.

Ian Buruma details the Soviet occupation of Berlin, characterized by mass looting and rape. He tracks the fates of his book's protagonists: his father Leo narrowly escaped execution by a Russian soldier, while resistance leader Borchardtwas tragically killed by a stray shot after liberation. (8/16)1939

Semi stocks soaring, as Intel and memory names jump double digits. How much more this trade can climb, and how our traders are positioning in the chip rip. Plus, Meta's copyright complications, Coinbase cuts heads as AI shakes up the workforce, and the CEO of biopharma company Protagonist on its recent drug approval and the stock's big run up over the past year. Fast Money Disclaimer Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Check out Cam's latest novel / audio drama here! Hokum is by far the scariest movie of 2026, a rapturously original story that also feels like a thoughtful, whip-smart meditation on the legacy of The Shining. In this episode, we're exploring a dozen similarities and diversions between this modern classic and the most influential work in the genre. LINKS: Patreon, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram Feedback & Theories: secondbreakfastpod@gmail.com 00:00 Intro / Impressions 01:00 Thesis: The Shining 01:55 Protagonist 03:38 Adaptation 05:37 Hotel Setting 06:24 Hedge Maze / Tie Pattern 07:56 Dick Halloran 10:23 Familial Implosion 11:38 Burial Ground 12:16 Doomed Bartender 12:38 Chatty Ghosts 13:04 Rabbit Suit 14:01 The Old Lady 14:29 Danny's Tricycle 15:50 Closing Thoughts

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

Hey — let's talk Gothic. If you loved the Wuthering Heights episode but aren't sure what “Gothic” means, here's a friendly, no‑pressure rundown: it's a literary vibe that exploded in the late 1700s and early 1800s (part of Romanticism) and stuck around because people couldn't get enough of spooky mystery, big feelings, and weird houses. At its core Gothic mixes suspense and the supernatural with secrets from the past: ghosts (or things that feel like ghosts), hidden diaries or cursed heirlooms, murmured scandals, and the sense that history is still very much alive — and maybe angry. Stories often leave the door open between a rational explanation and the uncanny, so you're always wondering what's real. The setting matters: remote, isolated places—windy moors, stormy cliffs, spooky woods, and usually a grand but slightly crumbling manor. That atmosphere of beauty plus decay is basically Gothic's aesthetic fingerprint. Protagonists are frequently women, which made these books especially thrilling for female readers back when options for adventurous stories were limited. Other common threads: intense emotion over reason, troubled or doomed romances, the ever‑present shadow of death, and objects that carry memory or menace. Short stories work great as an intro (hello, Poe), and novellas are perfect if you want a quick, delicious chill. Gothic isn't one thing — it splinters into cool subgenres. Southern Gothic, for example, folds in religious hypocrisy, the legacy of violence, and heavy landscape feeling. Contemporary takes like Mexican Gothic (Silvia Moreno‑Garcia) remix classic Gothic tropes—isolated mansions, family secrets—with new cultures, histories, and anxieties. Other great touchstones: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, The Turn of the Screw (Bly Manor), Shirley Jackson's Hill House, Daphne du Maurier, Edgar Allan Poe, and even films like Crimson Peak that lean into the look and mood. Gothic also shows up in real cultural practices and local histories: think of rituals that try to heal a place's memory or reckon with past violence. Those real world echoes are part of what keeps the genre alive and relevant — it's not just spooky houses, it's how communities remember and reckon with what happened there. If you want to dive in, try a Poe short story, a classic like Jane Eyre, or a modern pick like Mexican Gothic or a T. Kingfisher novella. And hey — if you've got favorites, tell us. I want to know what weird, moody books give you chills.

3. Guest Author: George Black Headline: Two Protagonists and the Ashau Valley Summary:This segment introduces Manis Campbell and Chuck Searcy, exploring their motivations and the critical strategic importance of the rugged, North Vietnamese-controlled Ashau Valley. (3)1968 AUSTRALIA IN VIETNAM