Hello all! Prose & Cons is going on a little bit of a break for the next few months. With a lot of new chapters presently starting, a few months of a break will help us keep our sanity as we navigate the transitions. All good things! But the extra time is needed. We'll be coming back fresh and ready to go! We already have some episodes planned. Until then, we'll still be monitoring our inbox and comments, so feel free to reach out. Be back soon! Send us a message! Contact us at: precipice...

This is it! This is the moment we've been waiting for. Ally Burnham's novel Swallow is coming out this November: listen as the group gathers to discuss her process, beta reading, historical novel(ing) and more. (The episode includes light spoilers and the occasional mutiny) Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes ...

Deus Ex Machina. God from the machine. Writing tool? Or something we should avoid? Paddy, James, and Phoenix dive into this very topic in this episode of Prose and Cons. Like with most genres and writing “rules,” it helps to do your research so you can properly be in conversation with the thing you’re trying to talk about or use—you have to learn the rules to break them, and in the case of Deus Ex Machina A T-REX COMES CRASHING THROUGH THE WALL AND ENDS THE PODCAST DESCRIPTION! STEPHEN KING...

Jimmy was walking to school one day when he tripped over a rock and fell. With a jolt, Jimmy woke up from the dream only to remember that he never walks to school. What does this passage mean?!?! Does Jimmy represent the US empire falling only to wake up and realise the empire was all just a dream? An illusion of power? Could be! But is it what the author intended? Or is it just what you felt while reading? Is it an allegory? Or are we simply applying the story to our lives? This is exactly w...

Between all the writing, it is sometimes easy to forget just how much we love to read. Jump in for a cozy and fascinating conversation between James and Phoenix as they discuss their current reading list--what works, what doesn't, and how about George R.R Martin "cheating" with Fire and Blood and still making it still work? Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging wri...

And then, at the end of all things, James, Ally, and Matan . . . WERE DINOSAURS THE WHOLE TIME! I simply cannot believe it. That’s just a little taste of what you can expect in this twisty, curvy, blind-siding episode of Prose and Cons, where James, Ally, and Matan talk all things twists: What makes them a satisfying flipping of the script vs something that leaves the audience feeling lied to or ripped off?What are some things to keep in mind if you’d like to try writing a twist?...

Annnnnnnd we're back! Tune in to see the 2nd part of the Sanderson festivities--this time centered around Ally Burnham's terrific (and chaotic) Cosmere Universal Tournmanet Arc, in which Matan's partial knowlege of the Cosmere and James's non-knowledge come together to try and decide the winners of these would-be clashes. Find the results and the final bracket here! https://ibb.co/gMLT7WYn Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ===============================...

Of course we couldn't do a Sanderson episode without making it a SERIES! This one ended up ballooning, rightfully so, as Ally, Matan and James discuss not only Sanderson's incredible list of works, but also delve into recommended reading lists, Sanderson's supposed position in Fantasy heirarchy and also, interestingly, his "behind the scenes" process. Stay tuned for Part II to be released in the next few days! Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ================...

Wait, wait, wait - there's a DIFFERENCE between plot and story? Yes there is, and it's an important distinction to make! Let Alex, James and Paddy take you through the key differences between these two important, related, yet rather different concepts. STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 2 TODAY, 115 TOTAL Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. ...

Death . . . what is it good for? Lots of things! Need to fundamentally alter the way your story functions and your characters interact? A character death might be right for you. In this episode of Prose and Cons, Ally, James and Phoenix analyse various character deaths across a number of stories that got it right. They’ll go into what the authors did well and ultimately why these deaths felt so impactful, and maybe even left us stunned. BIG SPOILER WARNINGS: Lord of the Rings Lion Kin...

Writing is a marathon. Unless you're Alex Eldridge, and then writing is a sprint in which you write 20,000 words in one hit--sorta. Jokes aside, listen to the gang discuss their rising (and sometimes falling) motivation, and how they maintain momentum, specifically across large projects. Ally, Matan and Alex discuss also go into a few tangents about writing influence and anxiety-inducing imagery. STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 3 TOTAL: 112 Send us a message! Contact us at: prec...

It's ironic that often the hardest part of writing a story is knowing how to start it. And what makes it harder? The start is often the most important part! But fear not! On today's episode, the gang take you through the do's (and don'ts) of starting your tale, and give examples of some of the very best story openers in literature. STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 1 TODAY, 109 TOTAL Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contactpage/ ==========================================...

It’s as they say: one can’t understand the mouse until they peer beyond the hole in the wall. . . . Maybe they don’t say that, but they should! In this episode of Prose and Cons, Ally and Matan go deeper into the world of fantasy writing, breaking down what fantasy is and what it seeks to do. Some highlights: Fantasy and what is its purpose.Myth and religion and their role in forming fantasy as we know it.The difference between fantasy and sci-fi. STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 0 TODAY, 108...

Atticus Finch! Lord Voldemort! Ebeneezer Scrooge! Or maybe... Eeyore? Listen as Ally, Paddy and Matan try to get to the bottom of what makes a great literary name, followed by 40 arduous minutes of the 1st Annual Precipice Name Ranking--which goes about as well as you'd expect... Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contactpage/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because somet...

This week, we explore hit HBO crime drama The Penguin. Its been much lauded - but *why* is it so good? Join Ally, Paddy and Phoenix this week as they explore the techniques used to create the mesmerising plot, and exceptional protagonist, of The Penguin. Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contactpage/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and somet...

It has been three years since we started this thing – three years and 100 episodes! Join all six of us as we reflect on where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and our hopes for the future. Burn out, hits to our motivation, wins, losses, emotions, we get into it all. Also, Ridley Scott, sorry to hear the movie wasn’t so good, but we’d still be happy to work with you. Also also, Phoenix had fun bleeping something out in this one for the sake of bleeping something out. STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUN...

Today dear audience we're going to do something a little different (GASP!): we're going to read, and analyse, Roald Dahl's short story 'The Wish'. This is a bit of an experiment for us, where we share a story with you and break down our thoughts and feelings about it. And if it goes well, we may even do another, so go ahead and let us know what you think! (Contact details are below). Enjoy x STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 0 TODAY, 106 TOTAL Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction...

The mic sits in front of me, cold, unplugged, as an obligatory software update tries to keep me pacified with a graphic that clearly doesn’t actually indicate how much progress has been made. ... Maybe this information isn’t so important. On this episode of Prose and Cons, Matan leads a discussion with Paddy and Phoenix, dissecting the age-old editor's note 'Show don’t tell'. What are the prose of telling? What are the cons of showing? They’ll get into all this and more. STEPHEN KING...

The Bear: what a show. What a stressful, anxiety-inducing show. On today's menu, Ally, Alex and Paddy deconstruct the writing of The Bear, how it uses its frantic energy to such strong effect, and how you (yes YOU!) can sprinkle some of that special spice into your own writing. (Do note - there are slight spoilers for seasons 1, 2 and 3. Nothing major, but if you really don't want to know anything that happens, maybe leave this one until you're all caught up on the show.) STEPHEN KING REFER...

You’re sitting there, maybe standing, and you’re thinking about listening to this podcast. You have a choice: press play, and you’ll be swept away, or you can close your podcast app and know a normal life. The choice is yours. On this episode of Prose & Cons, Phoenix, Alex, and Paddy bask in some Saturday morning energy and discuss their thoughts around and relationships with text-based games and literature that has adopted a gamified approach. This isn’t a technique-h...