This is the first episode that Tim gets noticeably frustrated. Shawn is trying to teach him how to avoid cliches, hit the right conventions for his genre, and make sure his character's motivations are clear. Unfortunately, Tim is having a hard time catching on.

This is an epic episode. Shawn and Tim talk through finding a marketable genre and how to build a book that fits. Then, once the episode was over, they keep talking with the mics on for another half hour. This is a great behind-the-scenes episode.

After a week of Tim floundering with his first draft, Shawn starts to rescue him from the pit of despair. Of course, they go back to genre to find the way home. This is a wide ranging episode on how you can start picking up the pieces of your first draft.

Feedback and next steps for Tim's first draft; Importance of genre and commercial considerations; Choosing a genre and theme; Nailing down the controlling idea theme; Analyzing the issue of content overload and pace; Importance of voice, point of view, and overcoming trauma.

Tim has finished his first draft and Shawn gives advice on what happens next and what questions Tim should be asking himself. If you'd like to read Tim's first draft, you can download it by clicking here.

Topics include chicken sexing, Deliberate Practice, hands-on learning and feedback, mastering the scene, including fundamental elements, pronunciation and writers' research, book advances and publishing, understanding publishing contracts and advances

Strategies and personal experiences to write faster, pushing beyond mental limits in writing, benefits of switching keyboard layouts, analyzing a superhero story, Quentin Tarantino's genre conventions, setting up emotional moments at the end, and resources for listeners.

Another wide ranging episode that eventually lands on an important question. Kurt Vonnegut said "You cannot be a good writer of serious fiction if you are not depressed." Is this really true?

The podcast discusses the importance of beginning hooks, high concept pitches, and receiving feedback from other writers. They explore examples from movies and novels to illustrate their points. They also emphasize the need for clear transitions and the role of supportive characters. Additionally, they highlight the significance of making major points high-stakes moments and constructing scenes that reflect the story's arc and theme. The podcast concludes with a discussion on a character's growth and development and an ad for therightpractice.com.

It was at 8000 words in that Tim realized his writing was terrible. So how does he keep going? Shawn offers his advice on overcoming this and other types of resistance.