Making the Reader Cry

After a summer hiatus, Kayla and Rachel are back—and ready to get into a new writing flow. Rachel shares her progress on Dinner for Eight, including how she’s realizing her protagonist’s marriage needs more depth (or maybe more dysfunction). Kayla talks about experimenting with feeding her dystopian novel The Woman Tree into ChatGPT for a Save the Cat breakdown—only to discover some hilariously creepy “cry triggers” involving underwear drawers and divorce letters.The two dive into craft with insights from James A. Hurst’s YouTube channel, exploring the ideas of “the hero’s gift” and “the unity of opposites,” and how these concepts can deepen both conflict and character. They also swap stories about questionable teenage fashion choices, brainstorm writing groups they might join, and get interrupted mid-recording by breaking news about Taylor Swift.It’s a mix of craft talk, laughter, and candid writing-life updates—plus a teaser for next week’s episode, where Kayla and Rachel face off in their own “unity of opposites”: Kayla’s growing appreciation for AI tools vs. Rachel’s anti-AI stance. Will it end in conflict…or clarity?Please subscribe, rate and review! New episodes every other Wednesday.E-mail us your short story at [email protected] us on instagram @writeyourheartoutpod Leave us a message at 650-260-4885