To Trope or Not to Trope

It’s Taurus season, and we just keep coming back with more episodes. You’ll never stop us! This month’s episode is all about tenacious and stubborn characters, and the lengths they’ll go to get what they want. With everything you need to know for writing a tenacious character, this episode will teach you how to break a character, how to plot around a stubborn reluctant hero, and how sometimes it r...

Opposites attract… or do they? Whether your grumpy and sunshine characters are falling in love or falling for each other’s nefarious schemes, this episode is for you. Join us as we discuss such pressing questions as “can sunshine characters be introverted… or evil?” and “how sunshine is sunshine enough for this trope?” The answers will probably surprise you. If you’ve ever written grumpy and sunsh...

It’s Pisces season! Go ahead, get emotional. We’ve got a great episode for you all about sensitive and emotional characters, from your moody broody sad boys to your magical girls to every shade of unhealthy emotionality in between. With tips and tricks for how to keep these characters consistent and how to keep them from getting too annoying, you’ll never have to be sensitive about your emotional...

Love is in the air! How long after Cupid’s arrow strikes should a couple wait to get together? If we’re talking fiction, probably longer than you think. Join us this episode as we discuss all things instalove and argue over the proper pacing for writing a believable relationship, including what shortcuts writers can take to get there…and which they definitely shouldn’t. If you’re looking to write...

It’s Capricorn season, so dust off those perennial New Years writing resolutions and channel that ambitious Capricorn energy into a new story. But first, check out this episode featuring everything you need to know about ambitious characters—those morally gray go-getters and hardworking heroes who drive plot and give stakes to a story. Covering such topics as character agency, what to do once a ch...

’Tis the season…for cash grabs and phoning in episodes of your favorite sitcoms. Join us as we talk about all things Christmas Specials, from the good to the bad to the Star Wars Holiday Special and every elf and Scrooge in between. If you’ve ever wondered which iconic holiday tropes you should never write or which of the three of us is a Grinch at heart (the answers might surprise you), this is t...

It’s Sagittarius season, and the sass is strong with this episode. Well, sort of. Join us as we discuss the differences between sass, snark, sarcasm, and wit, and talk about how to write witty characters (and what sorts of characters really shouldn’t have a quick wit). From tips and tricks for how to learn comedic timing and broaden your bank of random references, to such profound advice as “pirat...

It’s nowhere near Cancer season, but we’re talking about it anyway because we’ll be on hiatus in July. Join us this episode as we talk about nurturing characters in every capacity, with such hot takes as “Steve Harrington is a better father figure than Hopper,” “Regina George is more nurturing than Lorelai Gilmore,” and “Carlisle 100% should have been the main character of Twilight.” From smotheri...

Happy Halloveen from your favorite podcasting writers! We’re here this week with an episode all about those blood-sucking demons of the night: VAMPIRES. From your sexy paranormal romance heroes to your evil overlords, from Dracula to Edward Cullen to the Count from Sesame Street, we cover everything a vampire should and shouldn’t be, with writing tips and tricks to make your vampires stand out fro...

With spooky season upon us, we’re here with an episode all about that Mysterious Scorpio Energy. From the Phantom of the Opera to April Ludgate, from faerie princes to not-so-surprising plot twists, this episode covers everything you ever needed to know about writing a mysterious character. …which I suppose is not very mysterious of us, but we’re not here to gatekeep good writing advice. Enjoy! Di...

We love a good corruption arc, almost as much as we love a good redemption arc. Whether your good guys are joining the villains or your bad guys are teaming up with the heroes (or your morally gray characters can’t decide either way), this episode is for you. Featuring such groundbreaking revelations as “it’s not a redemption arc if the character doesn’t actually do anything” and “being hot isn’t...

Libra season is almost upon us, so we’ve got an episode for you all about that indecisive Libra energy and how it may or may not manifest in fictional characters. No matter how it’s branded—thoughtfulness, reluctance, introspection—indecision can be a key trait in character-driven stories. It can also make readers want to throw a book across a room, though, so choose your brand of indecision caref...

It’s Virgo season and we’re back with an episode all about that analytical Virgo energy and how it manifests in characters. From social manipulators to social malcontents, from eclectic eccentrics to nonhuman entities, this episode is here for all your analytical character writing needs. Disclaimer: We are in no way making a comment on actual Virgos, nor are we talking about canonically Virgo char...

It’s…ALIVE! Sometimes dead characters are still necessary to the plot, and sometimes they’re just too beloved to stay off-screen for long. Whether you’re writing a miraculous recovery, a ridiculous misunderstanding, or a magical resurrection, this episode is here for all your Faking the Dead needs. Tune in this week for such fascinating topics as the difference between faking your death for the go...

Accidental cuddling? Blanket hogging? Deep, dark secret sharing? Pick your favorite forced proximity ending in this episode on There Was Only One Bed. Join us as we rant about how this trope (and others) can and should be subverted, and how it very much shouldn’t. A little bit of lampshading, a dollop of deconstruction, and heaping side of subversion mix to make this somewhat meta episode one that...

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow Archetype does, because if you do it right, it’s literally that darkness personified. Sort of. Sometimes. Join us this episode as we try to pick apart what a Shadow character is and isn’t and come to some (fittingly) murky conclusions. Villains and foils and mirrors abound in this conclusion to our Archetype series, filled with a little ps...

We’re getting freaky this week with the Freaky Friday Body Swap trope. Join us as we dive into the philosophical and ethical implications of mind vs body and autonomy and consent, and discuss whose bodies we would and absolutely would not want to be swapped with. Also in this episode are totally foolproof ways to tell if your friends have been body swapped against their will and a heap of writing...

He’s witty, he’s unhinged, and he’s here to give your Hero a hard time. From comic relief sidekicks to actual trickster gods, the Trickster Archetype is a meta character that keeps your protagonist guessing (and occasionally gives them a swift kick in the pants). Join us this episode as we discuss whether it’s possible to write an unlikable Trickster or write from the Trickster’s point of view, an...

Breaking News! According to recent studies, women are, in fact, people. Who knew! Tune in this episode to learn how to write female characters that don’t suck. It’s not that hard, and yet somehow we had to make an episode about it. Including such groundbreaking revelations as “strong female characters shouldn’t be male coded characters with boobs,” “characters who claim to be able to kick everyone...

Werewolves and werebears and Norse gods, oh my! The Shapeshifter Archetype encompasses so much more than just your typical shifters, and in this episode we cover all of it. From repressed emotions to unreliable narrators to sexy boys with bat wings, we cover the big questions, like “how many times can a shapeshifter shift before becoming unbelievably annoying?” and “how morally gray is too morally...

Offed mistresses and sexy pool boys take the stage in this episode continuing our conversation about Love Triangles. This week we dive into the darker side of Love Triangles, and talk extensively about how to make a main character relatable and interesting, especially when the main focus is the love interests. Featuring a lengthy detour about historical romance and bad worldbuilding, this episode...

Sometimes you celebrate Valentine’s Day with flowers and chocolates and a romantic dinner. Other times you celebrate Valentine’s Day trying to choose between two people wildly in love with you who cleverly represent different paths your life could ultimately take and different parts of yourself you probably need to develop. Join us this week for the first part of our unexpectedly long episode on L...

From your classic bridge trolls to your very effective brick walls, Threshold Guardians are here to cause minor problems for your hero and maybe teach them a thing or two in the process. Join us for discussions on pacing and plot and just how exactly the three of us would get past a grumpy bridge troll. Do not pass go, do not collect $200, but maybe do listen to this episode before you write a Thr...

Sometimes the temptation to the dark side is just too much… especially when the dark side is so much sexier than the boringly attractive good guys. With their sharp angles and slicked back hair and suave, competent mannerisms, it’s hard to resist loving the villains. But should we? Join us this episode as we talk about sexy villains, what makes them sexy, and all the potential problems with writin...

Hear ye! Hear ye! Join us this episode as we discuss the character archetype of the Herald and why we don’t really think it should be a character archetype at all. Heartrending betrayals, exciting plot twists, and hot takes on bad writing—this episode has it all! Don’t miss it!