The Dead Robots' Society

Does your future or fantasy world require a system of government? How about a social caste system? How in-depth do you need to be in constructing social norms, mores, and taboos? The DRS Crew discusses. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free...

What effect, if any, would the discovery of aliens have on today's religions? Will those religions change if we become a truly space-faring race? Will new religions take their place? The DRS Crew discusses. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a f...

Audible is literally stealing from content creators, Eleven Labs is accused of stealing voices, and the DRS Crew is at its wits' end.   DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society....

Terry and Veronica wonder about timelines and whether or not Paul exists after his surgery. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com...

What are character arcs vs story arcs? Why do they matter? The DRS Crew discusses. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecoo...

You wrote and sweated over every word. You've revised, you've edited, you've done everything  to make this the best story of your life. You've even got a great cover. So what do you do to make that first sale and to keep it going? In other words, how do you "succeed?" The DRS Crew discusses. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that bre...

When should you distill an entire scene in a couple of sentences? Do you always have to write an entire scene to convey information? Also, how much foreshadowing is too much? The DRS Crew discusses. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free gift...

What's the best way to create a story bible? What about those little fragments you've written? How do you turn those into scenes or stories? Most importantly, however, how do you write yourself out a corner? The DRS Crew discusses.   DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysC...

Hachette pulls a book. Claude source code leaks. HarperCollins signs a deal with an AI animation studio.... The DRS Crew pontificates. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society....

You've taken your characters to the edge. The plot is nearly finished. Now it's time for the big reveal. How do you make it happen? The DRS Crew discusses. DRS caffeinates with  Larry's Coffee . If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs , receive a free gif with your purchase, and help support The De...

"Captain! The doomaflachie is reaching critical something-or-other!" Science fiction literature is rife with technobabble, questionable science, and straight-up fantastical solutions to both celestial and relatively mundane problems. How much is too much? The DRS Crew discusses. Our links: Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www....

Publishers sometimes require a minimum word count, while magazines, contests, etc might impose a maximum word count. While adding words is easy, how do you decide what to cut? Also, what is an "unhappily ever after" story, and why does Paul write them? Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Ver...

Paul is on a walkabout, so Terry and Veronica are on deck to extoll the virtues of John Wick. Chiefly, how he responds to animal abuse. Join Terry and V as they discuss how best to use animals in stories. Also, what not to do... Unless... Chat will bring their favorite pet. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://w...

Gunfights? Explosions? Marvelous melee mayhem? Non-stop action scenes that go on for dozens of minutes? Works great in visual media, but how well does it translate into literature? The DRS Crew discusses. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Disc...

It's Valentine's Day, and the DRS Crew is in the mood for romance. And maybe a little "rumpy-pumpy." Chat will bring flowers and chocolate. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP Enjoy the show? Consider becom...

The DRS Crew recently discussed violating reader expectations. But what should writers expect from their readers? Can you trust them to remember vital clues or key details? Or do you have to repeat them every so often? The DRS Crew has thoughts. We're sure chat will, too.   Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://w...

When as a reader do you draw the line on suspension of disbelief? Should writers mash up genres without significant tells that the story will have left turns? And if you're going to write that kind of story, what should you be concerned about? The DRS Crew discusses.   Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.te...

The DRS Crew didn't do their homework and have nothing planned for today's lesson. Therefore, we'll regale you with whatever comes to mind... Perhaps chat will help/hinder us. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQx...

It's 2026, and the DRS Crew has plans. What are they doing to make 2026 more successful? What are you doing to make your 2026 successful? Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP Enjoy the show? Consider becomin...

While Terry is on a walkabout, Paul and V discuss plans for 2026, including ad budgets, editing budgets, cover budgets, etc. Also? Aren't we supposed to write, too? The DRS Crew discusses. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://dis...

Monsters are not always forces of nature. Sometimes they only come for those who deserve them. The DRS Crew discusses. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy...

A DRS Patron asks the question: Do you need an author website? Do you need a store?  The DRS Crew discusses.   Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Cof...

How does fiction influence society? What about the inverse? Also, can one pull plots from classic literature or films and repurpose them in modern works? The DRS Crew discusses. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgm...

Veronica and Terry have returned from the "Author Nation" convention and have more than a few thoughts. Paul will heckle. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or B...

Can you have subplots when there's only a single main character? How do you handle it when there are no repeated secondary characters? The DRS Crew discusses. Our links: Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley Paul's site:   https://shadowpublications.com Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/ Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/ DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP Enjoy the s...