The Wordy Pair Podcast

This week, we're springboarding off of my recent binge-watch of a good chunk of Star Trek (the original TV series). Despite some negative aspects, such as frequent repetition of some plot elements, the show does have quite a few interesting things to say. It sits halfway between the prolific pulp of the early 1900s and the split in the late 1900s that moved a good chunk of sci-fi into a more b...

This week we're springboarding off of Justin's recent trip to the Combobreaker conference to talk about a weird writing format: super short character interaction vignettes and flash fiction narratives! Fighting games are a weird animal (Primal Rage 2 included), and you'd think writing for them is meaningless or just plain silly, but we delve in and explain how even these seemingly supe...

This week we're taking a look at "Are You Being Served?" In case you haven't heard of it, it is an extremely popular British sitcom that ran from the early 1970s through the mid-1980s. It was so popular that it had a film and a theater play, as well as a spin-off series! In 2006, it was ranked 20th out of all British sitcoms, which put it behind shows like Blackadder, but--and th...

After our examination of the seventh book in the series last week, we decided to take a look at the second movie which came out in 2000, 15 years after the first one! This movie combines much of the action of the third book with something that was either made up for this movie, or was part of a later book! The movie is visually stunning, but its writing leaves a lot to be desired--literally! Missi...

This week, we're talking about a random book from the Vampire Hunter D series: Mysterious Journey to the North Sea, Part One. It's got a bizarre fantasy/sci-fi setting with lots of backstabbing characters, mutants with crazy powers, and a ruined civilization of immortal vampires. Hideyuki Kikuchi was greatly inspired by Robert E. Howard for his Vampire Hunter D series, although Kikuchi foc...

This week, we're looking at Rudy's first full-length novel, Pursuit of the Heliotrope. We'll be talking about some of his influences, the techniques he developed while he was writing the book, and the ups and downs (especially the downs) of the "first novel" experience! editor's note: Couldn't get the video version to post properly here on Spotify, so if you want to s...

This week we're trying to see if we can shed any light on making time for writing. It seems like a common complaint: "If only I had the time..." However, we've got a few ideas and strategies, as well as just a few ways to re-organize or re-focus your thoughts to either find some more time to write, make better use of what time you have, or just help you stop beating yourself up b...

Today we're looking at two books Justin wants to talk about. From their titles, you might guess they are related and we listed them in the wrong order! ...However, you would be wrong. Bizarrely wrong. Chill with us as we go through these two strange stories! Check out our other stuff at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://muppy.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Rudy) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@RudolphKohn And follo...

Today we're talkin' 'bout Justin's first published full-size novel (which I somehow thought was his second), "The Rackon." It's a strange book with a great deal of dark humor. The "straight man" PoV character Country Kitchen has to constantly deal with the somewhat... off-putting antics of the Rackon's captain, Milk Muffin, and her tendency to land in da...

Justin continues his adventures in AI ridiculousness with more questions and images from Grok, this time looking at one of his Alien Bangs stories and managing to befuddle the AI by suggesting that a person might do multiple things with his time! We also learn that Grok, despite its odd obsessiveness and inability to follow basic commands, can still apparently see directly into his soul. Check out...

This week we're spending a little time talking about Justin's recent adventures with the Grok AI system. He's tested its abilities to do a variety of different things, and in most ways has found it... wanting. Check out our other stuff at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://muppy.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Rudy) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@RudolphKohn And follow us on Twitter at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter...

We're a bit all over the place in this episode, but our core issue this week is attention to detail, why it matters, and how not to overdo it. As usual, we have our full set of diversions and tangents! If you want to see the two videos about Oblivion and Skyrim compared to Avowed, they are here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhL1NZugsBk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK1wH1YHvaQ Check out o...

A frantic and funny look at some basic Japanese folk stories, with our usual smattering of asides and diversions! Check out our fiction at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://muppy.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Rudy) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://rnkfiction.blogspot.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ And follow us on Twitter at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/NinjaMouseChu⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/Rudolph_Kohn⁠

Today we're talking about analog horror, but before we get there we digress into fast food and the first world problem of having too many places to get it. An analog horror tasting menu for those interested: M'Rohoj https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pq4k1KlDX7c Contingency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c66w6fVqOI No Through Road https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08rj_ioKNSo Mandela Catalogu...

We're putting off our look at analog horror for one more week as we gather more information, so today we're going to talk about our current projects and digress into general writing and editing techniques! Rudy's Derelict Project series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DPJLWCWF Justin's book The Good Guy : https://a.co/d/0wehu5Z Our Iron Fist video (mentioned): https://www.youtube.com/...

Laryngitis is a hell of a drug, or something! We're back and this week we're talking about the book by Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen: "The Science of Discworld!" It combines Pratchett's knack for worldbuilding (literally) and humor with layman-friendly scientific explanations by Stewart and Cohen! Get a copy here: https://a.co/d/6glCvRx By Claude Shannon's...

This week we're looking at another classic of the gothic horror era: Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux. This one is a far cry from Stoker's Dracula, and hints at some of the stereotypical excesses of French literature, especially from this era. Stick with us as we try to figure out the details of this classic novel! Check out our fiction at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://muppy.substack.co...

This week we're reviewing Stephen Baxter's "Massacre of Mankind." It's an official sequel to H.G. Wells's "War of the Worlds," but it was written around 2017! That means a lot of really obsolete ideas and concepts had to be revived to keep things consistent, and Baxter does a good job of maintaining a voice consistent with Wells's worldbuilding! The book has some flaws, but is overall a fun piece...

This series was not what we thought. Justin and I first heard the name "Lensman" because there was an anime movie--and then Justin found one of E.E. "Doc" Smith's books at a used bookseller! So, while my initial mental image was one of colorful costume-wearing superheroes (thanks anime), the actual books are very different--more like a futuristic version of The Untouchables: action-packed stories...

Today we're on a bit of a technical digression... Most writing is done on computers these days (obviously), so what do you need to make yourself comfortable and productive there? We talk a bit about different operating systems! Justin is trying a bunch of different environments. Rudy, on the other hand, has a fairly straightforward setup that seems to be working for him. The question is: What kind...

On the surface, Rayman is just another 2D platformer from the 1990s. However, in this episode, we dig into the subtle and detailed worldbuilding that creates a lush and varied setting for the game! The lesson here is that those little details make a difference. Telling a story with a complex plot and layered characters might still fall flat if it feels like that action is happening in a void. Plus...

In this week's episode, we take a look at judging your own writing and trying to decide when you've polished enough. Aside from the jokes, we cover a few tests you can do to help determine whether something you're writing is not there yet, getting close, or ready for the big Publish button. Stay tuned to the end for a special reveal of Justin's true identity. Check out our fiction at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠...

Today we're talking about the sequel to Beetlejuice, which, while retaining the name of the original, and some of the characters, did next to nothing to maintain the fun atmosphere of the original! It's another hilarious Half-Blind Review! (Because Rudy sure as hell hasn't seen the movie--neither of them.) Check out our fiction at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://muppy.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Rudy) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https...

Justin and I talk about the lackluster book "The Object: Hard Science Fiction." His incredulity as I describe some of the bizarre creative choices leads to a terrifying thought that I had not considered: Was the book written by AI? Probably not, but as we analyze some of the book's issues, it would explain a lot... Check out our fiction at: (Justin) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://muppy.substack.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (Ru...

In this week's episode, we're looking at a variety of adaptations, talking about their good points and bad points, and it's not just as simple as being accurate! After all, any creator might want to change up a few things in an adaptation for a perfectly good reason: to provide a surprise or two for the dedicated fans of the original material. But, as with anything else, there are tradeoffs for th...