Writer Syndrome

Cover Art Process

Cover art is often your first chance to make an impression on the reader, so you better make it a good one. In this episode, Russ and Tim chat about the cover art process, how Russ approached it for his self-published title, what mistakes he made along the way, and how it's a great way to refill the creative well.

Comps & Originality

Are you original? Do you need to be? In this episode Russ and Tim chat about comps, what they are, why they're useful, and how not to get derailed when you don't feel original.

AI & Writing

Join hosts Russ and Tim on an exciting journey as they explore the fascinating world where writing and AI intersect. From AI-generated story prompts to overcoming writer's block, discover how artificial intelligence can revolutionize the creative process. Get inspired and unleash your writing potential with this insightful podcast. (Credit AI for writing this description, although us humans think this AI is a bit full of itself.)

Dialogue Tags & Action Beats

He said, she smiled, they replied. Dialogue tags and action beats are one of many tools a writer can use to distinguish characters and create dynamic scenes. This episode Russ and Tim chat about lessons learned with dialogue tags and how they used action beats to pump life into their scenes.

Writing Action

Action! For every action there is a reaction. This episode Russ and Tim take a swing at issues they ran into while writing action scenes. From character POV, to purpose, to violence. They touch on it all and share what art served as inspiration.

Launching A Book

If a book launches and no one sees it, does it actually launch? There's more to launching a book than just uploading it to Amazon. There's websites, newsletters, social media, and much more to think about. In this episode Russ chats about launching his first novel, what he's planning, what he's ignoring, and things he'd like to improve upon next time.

Setting & Description

The Devil is in the details. Balancing the details you give to readers in character and setting description is just another aspect of telling a great story. How much is too much? Or too little? This episode Russ and Tim find the Devil in setting and description and how they approached balancing what was important to the senses versus the moving the story along.

Story v Plot

Story versus plot. Is there a difference? Can one overshadow the other and is that OK? This episode Russ and Tim dissect these terms to their core and attempt to find a balance between their importance when crafting a story.

Letting Go of Your Artistic Masterpiece

Letting go is hard, but necessary. The chase for perfection isn't a realistic goal because it doesn't exist. This episode Russ and Tim chat about their own artistic masterpieces, how they used editing goals to determine when they're done tinkering—even while they search for that perfect sentence. 

Building Characters

Just because you are a character doesn't mean you have character. Goals, motivations, wants, needs, height, hair color, and back story. So many things to think about when developing a character, but what's important to get started? Do you need a detailed profile before you can send them on their journey? This episode Russ and Tim dive into their characters. How they failed them, what they discovered along the way, and what they'd do different next time.