We're not fans of novels getting censored, but what happens when you're the one doing the censoring? There is a fine line between being true to the vision of your story and being shocking or sultry just for the sake of it. In this episode, Russ and Tim talk about how they self-censored their own work based on genre, reader expectations, and what th…

You only get one chance to make a first impression. Title your book wrong, and you may lose out on potential readers. Is your title intriguing enough? Is it too similar to others? Does it fit within your genre? In this episode, Russ and Tim tackle these questions and explain why they named their first novels and what they did.…

Pop culture references are a fun way to build on a character, setting, and world within your story. Yet too many references can ruin your reader's suspension of disbelief. So, where's the line? How much is too much? In this episode, Russ and Tim reflect on how they used pop culture references in their first works and the lessons they've learned.…

What's in a name? Character names can allow readers to peer into and gather insight into what makes them tick. Does your protagonist need an epic name? How about your villains or secondary characters? Russ and Tim get into naming characters in this episode and dive into their own naming experiences and missteps in early drafts.…

Symbolism is yet another tool in the author's toolkit for enhancing a story. Whether it be big-picture themes, character behaviors, or a setting, symbolism is a great way to enrich a reader's experience. In this episode, Russ and Tim chat about how they applied symbolism to their stories and lessons learned.…

Backstory is essential to establishing who your characters are and the decisions they'll make in your story, but how much is too much? In this episode, Russ and Tim discuss backstory, how they approached it for their first novels, and how they plan on using it in their new works.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Writing your first novel is hard, but is writing a second novel any easier? In this episode, Russ and Tim chat about how to plan a new project, when to stop researching and start writing, and why their approaches have changed since completing their first works.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Knock, knock... no, we won't do that to you. In this episode, Russ and Tim discuss writing with humor, how they approach it in their works, the different types of humor authors can use, and when to use it.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

In this episode, Russ and Tim are joined by Michael Bahler, a New Jersey-based writer whose short fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times, Glimmer Train, Nerve, and many others, including the Brooklyn Rail. He joins us to chat about the publishing industry, writing short stories, and his jump from short to long-form writing.…

Have you ever read a book and thought the end wasn't particularly satisfying? Well, you're not alone! In this episode, Russ and Tim explore common Act III pitfalls, why they can make your final act fall flat, and how to avoid them.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Why are scene transitions important? Not ony to they ground the reader in POV, setting, and time. They can change mood and create pacing that keeps a reader engaged. In this episode Russ and Tim get into their own approaches to scene transitions and if they were intentional from the start.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

50th episode! We made it! Russ and Tim do a pulse check on their projects, how far they've come, and the path ahead. Here's to fifty more!Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Structure is a good thing, right? In this episode, Russ and Tim discuss chapter structure and how a well-structured chapter can impact pacing and tension and influence the reader to keep turning pages.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Are video games art? What elevates a video game narrative to make it memorable? Will Russ and Tim ever stop playing and get back to writing their second novels? In this special video game-themed episode, we tackle these questions and more.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Author Geoffrey Morrison joins us again for a great chat about his new nonfiction book, Budget Travel for Dummies. We discuss his move from fiction to nonfiction, hostels, deadlines, editing, and more.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Similes are metaphors; metaphors are not similes. In this episode, Russ and Tim explore more tools in the author's toolbox with metaphor and simile usage. What are they? How are they different? And how they use them in their own stories. Along with soup analogies. It's the most fun you can have while learning about figures of speech.…

Have you found your voice as a storyteller? What does that even mean? This episode Russ and Tim explore the many factors that can shape an author's voice, and how they found (or are still looking for) their own.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

There are a slew of writing myths out there. In this episode, Russ and Tim walk through some common myths and even bust a few of the big ones.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

The query process can be a daunting, self-doubt-inducing part of getting published. In this episode, Russ asks Tim about his experience with the query process, the good, the bad, the ugly, and most importantly, how to stay focused on writing.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

A good theme can provide the heart and glue that binds your story together. Characters, dialogue, setting, and symbolism are important in conveying your theme to the reader. In this episode, Russ and Tim dive into the common themes and how they used them in their writing.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

J.D. Edwin, author of the sci-fi fantasy trilogy Headspace, joins us as we discuss querying, marketing, plotting vs pansting, and how to stay sane while writing a series.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Character archetypes were just the beginning, in order to further refine your characters you need to utilize direct and indirect characterization. This episode Russ and Tim discuss the finer details about characters, and the ways to tease that information to readers.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Looking to build out characters for your narrative? Character archetypes can help! This episode Russ and Tim discuss the various archetypes with examples and how they might be used to create interesting and unique characters.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Story archetypes are a great starting point for building your narrative. In this episode Russ and Tim discuss the seven core story archetypes that can be found in most fiction, how they can be used to create a engaging novels, and how they used (or didn't use) them for their own projects.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

It all comes down to this...Act III. Our heroes have been removed from their normal world, thrust into a chaotic Act II world, been through the ringer, hit the bottom of the barrel, now it's time for them to shine (or maybe not?) and finish their journey. Join Russ and Tim as they wrap-up their deep dive into the Save the Cat! Act III story beats.…

Doing their best to avoid strong act II vibes, Russ and Tim continue their deep dive into Save the Cat! Writes A Novel story beats with Act II.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Using Save the Cat! Writes A Novel as a jumping off point, Russ and Tim do a deep dive into the Act I story beats, and reference how this methodology was useful in crafting their own works.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Writer's block...Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Do your characters have the right motivation? Proper motivation is necessary if you want your characters to make believable decisions that lead toward their goals, even if those decisions are flawed. In this episode, Russ and Tim discuss internal and external motivations, how they connect to goals, and how they can change as the story progresses.…

The work doesn't stop once you launch your book. If you want to be read, you need to promote your book to the world. In this episode, Russ and Tim discuss marketing, social media, advertising, and Russ' plan for promoting his new book, HOST.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

The day has arrived! Russ has launched his debut novel, HOST. Tim asks how Russ feels, what happens next, and what improvements he'll make as he ramps on book two. Also, go buy HOST so Russ can be a little less of a starving artist.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Cover art is often your first chance to make an impression on the reader, so you better make it a good one. In this episode, Russ and Tim chat about the cover art process, how Russ approached it for his self-published title, what mistakes he made along the way, and how it's a great way to refill the creative well.…

Are you original? Do you need to be? In this episode Russ and Tim chat about comps, what they are, why they're useful, and how not to get derailed when you don't feel original.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Join hosts Russ and Tim on an exciting journey as they explore the fascinating world where writing and AI intersect. From AI-generated story prompts to overcoming writer's block, discover how artificial intelligence can revolutionize the creative process. Get inspired and unleash your writing potential with this insightful podcast. (Credit AI for w…

He said, she smiled, they replied. Dialogue tags and action beats are one of many tools a writer can use to distinguish characters and create dynamic scenes. This episode Russ and Tim chat about lessons learned with dialogue tags and how they used action beats to pump life into their scenes.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Action! For every action there is a reaction. This episode Russ and Tim take a swing at issues they ran into while writing action scenes. From character POV, to purpose, to violence. They touch on it all and share what art served as inspiration.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

If a book launches and no one sees it, does it actually launch? There's more to launching a book than just uploading it to Amazon. There's websites, newsletters, social media, and much more to think about. In this episode Russ chats about launching his first novel, what he's planning, what he's ignoring, and things he'd like to improve upon next ti…

The Devil is in the details. Balancing the details you give to readers in character and setting description is just another aspect of telling a great story. How much is too much? Or too little? This episode Russ and Tim find the Devil in setting and description and how they approached balancing what was important to the senses versus the moving the…

Story versus plot. Is there a difference? Can one overshadow the other and is that OK? This episode Russ and Tim dissect these terms to their core and attempt to find a balance between their importance when crafting a story.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Letting go is hard, but necessary. The chase for perfection isn't a realistic goal because it doesn't exist. This episode Russ and Tim chat about their own artistic masterpieces, how they used editing goals to determine when they're done tinkering—even while they search for that perfect sentence.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character. Goals, motivations, wants, needs, height, hair color, and back story. So many things to think about when developing a character, but what's important to get started? Do you need a detailed profile before you can send them on their journey? This episode Russ and Tim dive into their ch…

Can a self-publisher have their own imprint? Some say yes, others say it's trickery. This episode Russ and Tim get into the business side of self-publishing and discuss creating an imprint to publish books under. They'll touch on pros, cons, and what to expect when going down this path.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Ideas are out there but how do we find them? How do we nuture them and guide them into a story? When is it OK to let them distract us while working on another? This episode Russ and Tim tackle these questions and their ideation process for their own stories.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Like their protagonists, writers also need goals. It's the start of a new year which is the perfect time to set some writing goals. This episode Russ and Tim chat about their own goals, failures, and what's kept them driven to finish their stories.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

There are plenty of POVs to use to tell your story, but which is the right one? Which are more widely used today? Join Russ and Tim as they navigate from first to third person and every variation in-between.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

The development edit vs. the line edit vs. the copy edit, what's the difference and where do they fall? In this episode Russ and Tim talk through this royal rumble of the editing process and why it pays to plan ahead and when you should pay out for a professional.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

What the hell do you know? Nothing and everything. This episode Russ and Tim chat about the old adage, write what you know. They dig into what it means and how it should be tweaked to not be so vague and pretentious (according to Russ). All that plus caviar.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Maintaining momentum while working toward a goal is hard in and of itself. Picking back up once it's lost can stop creativity in its tracks. This episode Russ and Tim talk about momentum, how they try to maintain it, and when it stops, how they push forward to get moving again.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney

Don't judge a book by its cover. At least, so they say. But covers, blurbs, and genres all set expecations for the reader before they read a single word. How important is it to know your genre before getting started? Russ and Tim chat through these ideas, the basic expectations for popular genres, mixing genres, and laser swords vs shields in the l…

Time. We all have it, but how we use it matters. Procrastination can take it from us and pressure can make it move faster. This episode Russ and Tim chat about the art / life balance and how they're making (or not making) the two work together.Russ Capasso and Tim Letteney