All Episodes
Story Magic — 138 episodes
137 - How to write when life is crazy
136 - Return from summer hiatus
135 - Please let your characters make mistakes for the love of God please
134 - How to find the right comp titles
133 - Narrative drive = characters who do shit
132 - Revising while integrating feedback with Sam Cameron
131 - Scene transitions
130 - How to write a believable romantic couple
129 - Finding writing flow
128 - Tips and tricks for staying organized while writing
127 - Using magic as a metaphor for mental health with Ruth McKell
126 - Reclaiming the Lens: How Marginalized Writers Build Worlds for Their Own Communities with Tiffany Grimes
125 - Digital Minimalism with Gauri Yardi
124 - Commissioning artists
123 - Balancing the book of your heart with market decisions
122 - Writing good love triangles
121 - What is the romantasy genre?
120 - How do you know when you're done?
119 - To prologue or to not prologue
118 - Where and when to end a chapter
117 - How to write in different POVs
116 - The brain science behind writer's resistance with Monica Hay
115 - Writing effective descriptions
114 - Happy New Year! 2025 Wrap, 2026 Dreams
113 - Writing unlikeable characters well
112 - Diving into totally new projects
111 - Should you revise or rewrite messy scenes?
110 - Dealing with post-book-release emotions
109 - Return from hiatus
108 - Dictation with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
107 - Book coaching behind the scenes with Sam Cameron
106 - Studying published works
105 - Revising chunks of your manuscript
104 - Atmosphere and setting with Thea Verdone
103 - Publicity and book marketing with Jenn Vance
102 - Tackling serious themes with Michael Dante DiMartino
101 - Intuitive writing with Becca Syme
100 - Celebrating our 100th episode
99 - Acts and act breaks
98 - Hybrid publishing with Evette Davis
97 - Dos and don'ts of writing retreats
96 - Using a penname
95 - You don't have to do anything we say lol
94 - Writing process with Karisa DeLay and Jaime Vendera
93 - Lessons from writing sequels
92 - The market challenges of genre blending
91 - Getting back to your story after a break
90 - Who is the internal narrator?
89 - This is not marketing advice
88 - We are a blip in the universe
87 - Can ambition be anti-hustle?
86 - Perfectionism and hustle culture
85 - Art when the world is falling apart
84 - 4 Pillars to Author Success with Emma Dhesi
83 - How and when to apply the story point
82 - Overthinking vs. thinking something through
81 - Character want vs need
80 - The risk of plagiarism in the writing community
79 - Lower your expectations with Rachael Herron
78 - How to start querying with Abigail K. Perry
77 - Plot + character in the crime/thriller genre with Marybeth Whalen
76 - Negative arcs
75 - Book marketing with Erica Birtles
74 - Reviews and your ideal reader
73 - Beta reading
72 - Sweet and clean romance with Victorine Lieske
71 - Publishing's changing landscape with Nicole Meier
70 - Character arcs across a series with Jennifer Armentrout
69 - Dog Training with Eric Goebelbecker
68 - Lean into messy humanity
67 - All is Lost vs Dark Night of the Soul beats
66 - Writing is not always fun
65 - Spicy and erotic romance with Jordyn Kross
64 - Making intentional writing choices with Kat Caldwell
63 - Convincing antagonists
62 - Shedding the shame of talking about your book with CC Tyler
61 - Rejection mindset with Kayla Stansbury
60 - Author Interview with Emilia Emerson
59 - Being afraid to do it wrong
58 - Return from hiatus
57 - Choosing scene POV
56 - Listen up, procrastinators
55 - The versatility of the writing process
54 - Author interview with Brit KS
53 - Exploring perfectionism with Jocelyn Lindsay
52 - The "standard of excellence" rant
51 - Are character thoughts show or tell?
50 - Use character movement to "show"
49 - The 3 layers of show, don't tell
48 - Emily & Rachel updates
47 - A little rant about "should"
46 - Set goals free from shame
45 - LGBTQ+ representation with Sam Cameron
44 - The art of self-editing with Tiffany Grimes
43 - Static / flat arcs with Lewis Jorstad
42 - NaNoWriMo behind the scenes with Lewis Jorstad
41 - Create consistency without burnout with Lewis Jorstad
40 - Stakes and why they're important
39 - Creating strong and purposeful secondary characters
38 - Low stakes stories
37 - How to come up with ideas you actually like
36 - Tips to trick your inner perfectionist
35 - Reaction progressions
34 - How to grow a thick writer skin
33 - When to write or reject a series with Lewis Jorstad
32 - Digging into character backstory
31 - Harmony in your creative life with Corrie Legge
30 - The pros and cons of external motivation
29 - Build your story with genre with Savannah Gilbo
28 - Where to start your story
27 - Burnout with Gauri Yardi
26 - The flow of learning
25 - Making money with your writing with Nicole Stork-Hestad (Part 3)
24 - Investing in your writing with Nicole Stork-Hestad (Part 2)
23 - How money mindset is crucial to your writing journey with Nicole Stork-Hestad (Part 1)
22 - How to start a revision
21 - Theme, story, and character, oh my! with Emma Dhesi
20 - Internal goals give characters dimension
19 - Intro to Scene Structure
18 - When and why to table a story
17 - Descriptive characterization
16 - Art when the world is burning with Corrie Legge
15 - Staying true to your humanity
14 - Our favorite plotting tool: pivot point plans
13 - Writing is work
12 - "How do I write faster?"
11 - Creating in Sequence with Kristen Kieffer
10 - Do writers actually discover their stories?
9 - Dialogue that feels natural
8 - Toxic positivity in your writing life
7 - Wtf is agency?
6 - The balance between exposition + info dump
5 - Feedback should never feel like this
4 - A stellar brainstorming technique
2 - What if it could be easy?
1 - The writing life you deserve
3 - Flawed people are more interesting
Welcome to Story Magic! - Trailer