Prose and Cons
This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes we feel like pros, and sometimes we feel like cons.
Brought to you by Precipice Fiction: Six Writers. Six Worlds. Alexandria Burnham, Paddy Boylan, Alex Eldridge, Matan Elul, Phoenix Raig and James Healy. Intro and outro delivery by Nathan Gothard. https://linktr.ee/precipicefiction
Our first anthology is available now! "The New Mythic: A Sci-Fi & Fantasy Collection". Find it in ebook or paperback: https://mybook.to/TheNewMythic
Reach out to us at: https://www.precipicefiction.com/contactpage/
Episodes
124 episodes
What a Twist!
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 o...
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Season 3
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Episode 110
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1:03:04
The Sanderlanche - A Cosmere Royal Rumble - Part II
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'...
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Season 3
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Episode 109
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50:18
The Sanderlanche - What We Think of Brandon Sanderson - Part I
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 lis...
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Season 3
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Episode 108
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1:09:56
Plot vs Story
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 c...
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Season 3
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Episode 107
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50:10
DEATH: What a Terrible Day for this Man.
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 a...
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Season 3
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Episode 106
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1:22:19
Keeping the Momentum - Writing Motivations
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 m...
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Season 3
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Episode 105
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1:06:45
How to start a story
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 st...
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Season 3
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Episode 104
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43:01
Fantasy Deeper Dive
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 wr...
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Season 3
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Episode 103
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1:16:39
What's in a Name? - The Team Discusses (and fails at) Ranking Names
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--...
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Season 3
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Episode 102
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1:28:13
The Penguin: a masterclass in plot and character
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 Th...
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Season 3
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Episode 101
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1:06:29
Celebrating 100 Episodes of Prose & Cons
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, loss...
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Season 2
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Episode 100
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1:26:39
Short story analysis: The Wish by Roald Dahl
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 thought...
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Season 2
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Episode 99
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26:13
Show Don't Tell 2: The Tellening
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 imp...
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Season 2
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Episode 98
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52:35
Anxiety in The Bear: Dialling your mother to 11
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 sp...
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Season 2
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Episode 97
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52:53
Text-based Games and Gamified Literature
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.&n...
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Season 2
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Episode 96
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1:04:21
Tiny but Mighty: Short Stories
Short stories are the brief beloveds of the literary crowd. We here at Precipice love short stories - so why aren't they more popular? And why does (nearly) every great writer still write them? And why should *you* be writing them? Join Matan, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 95
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51:00
The Limits of a Language: Precipice Interview with Matan Elul
Come one! Come all! Join the Zoom call!Today we dive deeply into the Matan-verse – the lore and backstory of our local English teacher and student. With James as your guide, you’ll get a good look at what he’s wr...
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Season 2
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Episode 94
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41:29
Character Arcs
Morally ascending, morally descending; are these star sign terms? No – we’ll go ahead and answer that really quickly for you.But they are two archetypal character arcs, among many others, for you to add to your toolbox.
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Season 2
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Episode 93
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54:03
Bonus episode: James and Paddy have strong feelings about Cormack McCarthy
(Spoiler warning for No Country for Old Men, from about 25:30 to 43:00.) This is not a regular episode. This is an arena. A battleground. A place for scores to be settled; for arguments old and deep to come to a head; for James...
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Season 2
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55:00
Work vs. Writing
What is the *perfect* job for a writer? You know - other than being a New York Times bestseller. Is it something like, say, copywriting? Or is it something with no relation to writing at all - say, a Zookeeper? Today, Matan, Alex, Ally and Jame...
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Season 2
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Episode 92
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57:52
Taking Risks
What do passing notes while the teacher isn’t looking, drinking a big mug of coffee just before a run, and writing a novel-length work in the second person have in common?They’re RISKS, baby!Join Matan, James, and Ally as they tal...
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Season 2
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Episode 91
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52:56
New Release Schedule
Hello all!In order to allow us to keep producing this podcast that we love—in a meaningful way—while still attending to our other projects and things, we've decided to switch from a weekly release schedule to a release every other week....
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Season 2
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1:55
What makes a character interesting enough to write?
Today is a bit of a grab bag of an episode about characters and what makes them interesting to us, interesting enough to write about. James, Paddy and Phoenix go over a number of topics including paleo art, the importance of not overpopul...
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Season 2
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Episode 90
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58:12
Where does inspiration come from?
"If a story is in you, it has to come out." So says William Faulker, and it may well be true. But where does the inspiration for these stories come from? What sparks our creativity and where do we find the impetus to write?On today's ep...
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Season 2
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Episode 89
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46:58
Author Deep-Dive: Dan Simmons
Today we’ve got some book recommendations for you. Join James and Phoenix as they delve into the writing styles of Dan “the man” Simmons (Phoenix added “the man,” so don’t worry if Dan doesn’t respond to that if you call out to him).We’l...
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Season 2
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Episode 88
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56:59