Podcast

287: Learning from Others’ Mistakes

Warren Buffett once said,”It’s good to learn from your mistakes. It’s better to learn from other people’s mistakes.” We at the podcast agree, and that is what we are going to talk about on this week’s episode. We start off with a cautionary tale as Jamie’s “what’s up” and then launch into a discussion of mistakes we’ve either made or witnessed in our writing careers so that you can avoid them.

Sprint Prompt: Second Friday Sentence: “She had watched it all unfold from a distance, quietly vowing never to make the same mistake.”

286: Mechanics of Dialogue

Last episode, we discussed dialogue Dos and Don’ts. This week we are continuing the discourse, honing in on the specifics of writing dialogue that works!

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Sprint Prompt: Write an entire scene using only dialogue

285: The Dos and Don’ts of Dialogue

Perhaps you like your hero to be the ‘strong silent type’ or your female protagonist to be introverted and bookish, exuding “black cat energy.” Perhaps you enjoy taking your readers on a scenic meandering of a town or vista, and wonder, “who needs dialogue, anyway?” But guess what? Without dialogue, you couldn’t even wonder such a thing! On today’s episode, we’re going to show you what else dialogue can do for the betterment of your story.

284: Writing the Villain: Can a Bad Guy Point to Christ?

What makes a villain truly villainous? And how can Christian storytellers write villains that both challenge their heroes and point readers toward deeper spiritual truths?

In this episode, we explore the art of crafting compelling villains in faith-driven fiction. We start by unpacking what separates a simple antagonist from a true villain — and why villains are often essential to driving a story forward. From Shakespeare’s Iago to Star Wars’ Darth Vader, we look at iconic villains across literature and film and ask: what makes them unforgettable?

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Put God First in Your Writing Habit

April 4, 2025

As writers—especially Christian writers—it’s easy to get swept up in word counts, deadlines, marketing plans, and the ever-tempting chase of genre trends. But if we’re not careful, we’ll forget the very reason we were called to write in the first place. The heart of it all is simple: put God first in your writing habit.

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283: 5 Ways to Save Your Characters Without Ruining Your Story

So, we’ve convinced you to heap trouble upon your characters, and now you’ve gotten them into a real fix! The question is, how do you untangle this mass of complications, peril, or genuine disaster you’ve created? This week, the ladies have five techniques you can use to save your characters while preserving the believability and relatability you have worked so hard to cultivate earlier in the story.

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282: The Meta Piracy Controversy

If you’re anywhere on social media, you’ve likely encountered The Atlantic’s article about META scraping millions of books and scientific papers to train its AI, without giving a dime of compensation to the authors. One of our hosts has fallen victim to this scheme, and we’re going to talk about it today. Ready or not, AI is here, and it’s coming after our creative works. What are the ramifications, and what can the Indie Author do about it?

The Power of Back Matter: A Guide for Indie Authors

As authors, we pour our hearts into crafting compelling stories, but what happens after “The End” matters just as much as what comes before it. The back matter—the content that follows the final words of your book—plays a crucial role in engaging readers, driving future sales, and building a loyal audience. Let’s break down what back matter is, why it’s important, and what it should (and shouldn’t) include.

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281: From Idea to Manuscript: How a Book Coach Can Help with Elyse Seal

In this follow up to our ‘Should you hire a book coach’ episode, we will be talking to Tina’s book coach Elyse Seal from Author Accelerator. Come join us as we discuss the benefits and details of hiring a book coach.

280: How to Add Conflict to Your Story

This week we’re exploring conflict in the second of two episodes about this meaty topic. At the end of these two shows, it is our hope that you will learn to embrace conflict as an author. This week, we’re talking all about the basics of conflict – why is it necessary? What does it add to your story? It’s sure to be an episode you do not want to miss.