Beyond The Trope

This week we discuss how characters change and story subplots. Mentioned in this episode:BatmanX-MenMaleficent (Movie)MAGIC TREEHOUSE (Book Series) by Mary Pope OsborneBuffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Show)

There are good reasons to read and write cross-genre, and that's what we're talking about this week. Mentioned in this episode:KOP by Warren HammondTHE PARASOL PROTECTORATE (Book Series) by Gail CarrigerTHURSDAY NEXT (Book Series) by Jasper FfordeTerry PratchettDouglas AdamsBen BovaLarry NivenOUTLANDER by Diana GabaldonANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie PerkinsINTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne RiceTHE LEGEND OF DRIZZT by R.A. SalvatoreWilliam ShakespeareStar WarsWILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS by Ian DoescherTHE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST by Oscar WildeCONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC by Sophie KinsellaEdgar Allen PoeJoe AbercrombieMonty PythonSHREK! by William SteigJONAH HEX (Comic)ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth RevisENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES by Patricia Wrede

Non-human characters can be tough to write, but there's always a purpose behind them and a method to making them relatable. After that mini-topic, we bring out another set of Emily's trunk novel pages. Mentioned this week:MISTBORN (Book Series) by Brandon SandersonCODEX ALERA (Book Series) by Jim ButcherDAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini TaylorStar Trek (TV Show)Galaxy Quest (Movie)WINNIE-THE-POOH by A.A. MilneCHARLOTTE'S WEB by E.B. WhiteCIRCLE OF MAGIC by Tamora PierceANIMAL FARM by George OrwellMAUS by Art SpiegelmanERAGON by Christopher PaoliniTHE MAGISTERIUM SERIES (Books) by Holly Black and Cassandra ClaireWarren Hammond

This week we interview cozy mystery writer, Liesa Malik. Mentioned in this episode:FAITH ON THE ROCKS by Liesa MalikSLICED VEGETARIAN by Liesa MalikRocky Mountain Fiction WritersHOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD MYSTERY by James N. FreyJohn GrishamNANCY DREW (Book Series) by Carolyn KeeneMurder She Wrote (TV Show)Dr. SeussPsych (TV Show)Monk (TV Show)Poirot Mysteries by Agatha ChristieMiss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie

It's Mailbag Time! Thank you so much for writing in, everyone. We have some responses for you, and if you keep writing us, we may read your letter on the show. AND we'll respond. Mentioned on this episode:SF SignalPatric HesterWriting ExcusesBrandon SandersonMary Robinette KowalWIRED.com Geek's Guide to the GalaxyDave RobisonThe Roundtable PodcastLibsynSAGA (Comic Book) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona StaplesHarry Potter (Book Series) by J.K. RowlingThe Lord of the Rings (Book Series) by J.R.R. TolkienRocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold ConferenceAnomaly ConNPC Cast (Podcast)J.T. Evans

This week we're joined by J.T. Evans and Patrick Hester who spend most of the episode helping us convince Michelle to start playing nerdy games.

This week we bring you a live recording from Crowfoot Valley Coffee in Castle Rock, Colorado. We' interviewed Harris Gray, the writing duo who put out the Vampire Vic trilogy.

This week we return from the 2015 RMFW Colorado Gold conference to talk about the importance of education for writers, whether it's formal or informal. Interviewees:Chad Mathine: twitter.com/ChadMathineBonnie Ramthun: bonnieramthun.comCorinne O'Flynn: corinneoflynn.comSue Duff: sueduff.comSusan Spann: susanspann.com

This week we talk about the middle of the story, why it's so important for a strong book, and how we can improve the so-called "mushy middle." Interviewees:Chad Mathine: twitter.com/ChadMathineBonnie Ramthun: bonnieramthun.comCorinne O'Flynn: corinneoflynn.comSue Duff: sueduff.comSusan Spann: susanspann.com

The ending of a book is just as important as the beginning. This episode explains why.   Mentioned in this episode: Zealander (Movie) DISCWORLD (Book Series) by Terry Pratchett THE COLOR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett The Dresden Files RPG (Published by Evil Hat) THE CODEX ALERA (Book Series) by Jim Butcher J.K. Rowling THE WELL OF ASCENSION by Brandon Sanderson SOULLESS by Gail Carriger 500 Days of Summer (Movie)

This fourth installment of our craft series is where we talk about the importance of a strong beginning.   Mentioned in this episode: THE HOBBIT by J.R.R. Tolkien A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE by George R.R. Martin THE SILMARILLION by J.R.R. Tolkien THE CODEX ALERA (Book Series) by Jim Butcher Star Wars C.S.I (TV Show) THE DRESDEN FILE (Book Series) by Jim Butcher HARRY POTTER (Book Series) by J.K. Rowling RMFW Colorado Gold Conference

In this week's installment of our craft series, we're tackling themes.   Mentioned in this episode: Stephen King SAGA (Comic Book Series) THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE by George R.R. Martin South Park (TV Show) Star Trek THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE by C.S. Lewis

This week we're tackling another aspect of Writing Craft: Dialogue and Description.   Mentioned in this episode: Star Wars PRUDENCE by Gail Carriger J.R.R. Tolkien HARRY POTTER (Book Series) by J.K. Rowling The Big Bang Theory (TV Show) Star Trek DEAR AMERICA (Book Series) by Ann Turner ROYAL DIARIES (Book Series) by Various Authors

This week we're kicking off a short series of episodes that focus on writing craft, and we're starting with heroes and villains.   Mentioned in this episode: Superman Bella Swan (from TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyer) Smallville (TV Show) Captain America Marvel Studios Luther (TV Show) Durarara!! (TV Show) Daredevil Deadpool Dexter (TV Show) Batman Edmond Dantès (from THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexander Dumas Sherlock Holmes Jim Butcher Tamora Pierce Dr. Horrible Captain Hammer Kingpin (from Daredevil) Joker Long John Silver (from TREASURE ISLAND by Rober Louis Stevenson) Lord Vetinari (from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett) Captain Barbosa from Pirates of the Caribbean (Movie) THE COLOR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett MAKING MONEY by Terry Pratchett Spike (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Show) Joss Whedon Agents of SHIELD (TV Show) Moriarty (as portrayed by Andrew Scott in BBC's Sherlock) Star Trek

In this episode we took our Tropes 101 workshop and applied the principals we discussed to create a new story.   Mentioned in this episode: Anomaly Con RMFW Colorado Gold Conference

Ali Golightly joined us in the studio to talk about the United Authors Association.   Mentioned in this episode: Pop Culture Classroom Thomas A. Fowler J.T. Evans Pikes Peak Writers RMFW Gail Carriger Field of Dreams (Movie) Ernest Hemingway Wordfire Press Kevin J. Anderson Rebecca Moesta James A. Owen Diana Gabaldon Star Fest Vin Browder Gigi Edgley Jim Butcher Neil Gaiman Harrison Ford Amanda Palmer theuaa.org Johnny Depp The Secret Window (Movie)

A closer look at adaptations is where we went with this episode. We focus on books that got turned into movies, then jump into a trunk novel sent in by Veronica R. Calisto.   Mentioned in this episode: ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card ERAGON by Christopher Paolini HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON by Cressida Cowell SHREK! by William Steig AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman STARDUST by Neil Gaiman DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green HIGH FIDELITY by Nick Hornby ABOUT A BOY by Nick Hornby THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams THE RESTAURANT AT THE END OF THE UNIVERSE by Douglas Adams Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Show)

This week we're discussing Amazon's new Kindle Unlimited self-published author payment policy.   Mentioned in this episode: WAR AND PEACE by Leo Tolstoy Riffle Smashwords Facebook Amazon kdp.amazon.com Tor.com Susan Spann Walmart Target Best Buy Kohl's RMFW Colorado Gold Conference Mile High Con

Aaron Michael Ritchey fills in for Emily one final time to talk about writing feedback.   Mentioned on this episode: Peter J. Wacks POST TRAUMATIC STRESS COMMANDER by Aaron Michael Ritchey and Peter J. Wacks FORTUNE'S HORIZON by Andrea K. Stein Jim Butcher Quincy J. Allen Breaking Bad (TV Show) ELIZABETH'S MIDNIGHT by Aaron Michael Ritchey Jean C. Stein Mario Acevedo Warren Hammond Angie Hodapp Travis Heermann Lou J. Berger Liliana Hart THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood Audible.com The Roundtable Podcast Charles Bukowski E.L. James TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyer THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien Shakespeare U2 Led Zeppelin Battlestar Galactica (TV Show 2000s) Ronald D. Moore HARRY POTTER by J.K. Rowling Charlaine Harris Bernard Cornwell Black Widow Avengers 2 (Movie)

Aaron Michael Ritchey is still filling in for Emily, and he did a gave us a great perspective on cons.   Mentioned in this episode: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (Movie) Emerald City Comic Con Mile High Con Anomaly Con Denver Comic Con Wordfire Press The Matrix (Movie) Pop Culture Classroom Ellie Ann Soderstrom Steven L. Sears Kevin J. Anderson Jim Lee (X-Men Artist) Spawn (Comic Book) THE LITTLE MERMAID by Hans Christian Anderson THE JUNIPER WARS by Aaron Michael Ritchey ELIZABETH'S MIDNIGHT by Aaron Michael Ritchey Sword Art Online (Anime) Peter J. Wacks Holly Black Quincy J. Allen HARRY POTTER (Book Series) by J.K. Rowling CLOCKWORK LIVES by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart Levar Burton Tyler Jolley Sherry Ficklin Supernatural (TV Show) Daredevil (TV Show) Agents of Shield (TV Show) Arrow (TV Show) Spiderman Black Widow Avengers 2 (Movie) Iron Man The Incredible Hulk Final Fantasy Batman Batgirl Ian T. Healy Star Fest CHARISMA PLUS 1 by Jessica Brawner