On Riting

082: To The People: NaNoWriMo Configuration

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 12:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chadd and Sean (MJ was busy making money from her writing) take on the "largest" "ai writing" subreddit, the Rings of Power fandom, and the radioactive core of the streaming economy. It's to the people, it's going to have a speedrun.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Link! Activate!

081: Le Podcaste des Vampires

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 22:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Sean, and Chadd look the Vampyre, the most bougie of all monsters. Other topics include Interview with the Vampire, Pamplicestousness, and the werewolf apocalypse. And NaNoWriMo, yeah.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Oh look, a noble discord link, just for you, dear listener.

080: National Ukelele Apology Month (NaUkApMo)

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 11:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chadd, Sean, and MJ go through the NaNoWriMo drama, specifically the rancid apology letters and the company's defense of AI plagiarism. Other topics include The AI Mummy, the Imaginary Disability Community, and the inimitable oeuvre of Chuck Tingle.

https://linktr.ee/onriting Link! Didn't include it first time, but now it's here!

079: Hustling Samurai

Thu, 29 Aug 2024 12:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean, see examples of bad writing all around them, it's in the WALLS. Other topics include the NYPD, the most interesting man in WW2, and MJ subtweeting (subcasting?) about her nemesis.
https://linktr.ee/onriting C'mon, join the discord, you know you want to!

078: 1812 Overture

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Sean, and Chadd look at canon and canonicity as concepts in writing, and how your writing SHOULD NOT think about canon. Other topics include angry MIT fanmail, Spider-man, and James Baldwin.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Contribute to the war on Mice here!

077: Starting Over From Folklore: A System LitRPG Progression Fantasy Story

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 12:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Sean regales Chadd and Marjorie with the saga of Xianxia, with its roots in folklore to its current dominance of the amazon fantasy bestsellers. Other topics include Chinese Traditional Medicine, Chadd's dating history, and Dragon Ball Z.
https://linktr.ee/onriting has everything you need! Except the sources!
Chen, Nancy N. Breathing Spaces. Columbia University Press; 2003
Hobsbawm E, Ranger T, eds. The Invention of Tradition. Cambridge University Press; 2012.
Taylor, Kim. Chinese Medicine in Early Communist China, 1945-1963; A Medicine of Revolution. Routledge; 2005

076: 10 The People 20 Goto 10

Wed, 17 Jul 2024 22:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ brings the Substack, Sean brings the Reddit Cinematic Universe, and Chadd brings the Lightning Round. Other topics include Achilles, the musical response to Danny, and the return of the Character Sheet Fallacy.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Is the link. Look, we strongly believe in Brady, but this was a mythic prosecutorial failure. Argue here.

075: Dance Dance Dance

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 01:00:00 -0400

In this CROSSOVER EPISODE, Final Fantasy, Writing, and Dance combine! Expert Witness MJ presents her case with the assistance of court recorder Sean and Judge Chadd. Other topics include the dream ballet, the history of Modern Dance, and the legend of Bob Fosse.
https://linktr.ee/onritingThe Link! This one tells the truth!
https://linktr.ee/shoebillpod This link! The other one always lies! The other link would tell you to click itself!

074: Riter to King's F15--Checkmate

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean look at Chess in Fiction, Substack, and the grim specter of Snarf. Other topics include Horses, the protective layer of furries safeguarding the internet, and the dubious Catholicism of Master and Commander's surgeon.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Complain about the migration here!

073: Book Club I: A New Hope

Thu, 30 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chadd's Book Club takes off as he examines a variety of passages in three examples of the neo-Gothic. Other topics include Licensed Fiction Sins, Hauntology, and atypical narrators.
https://linktr.ee/onriting LINKTREE, GO!

072: Morlockmaxxing

Thu, 16 May 2024 01:00:00 -0400

In this CHAOS CONFIGURATION episode, MJ, Chadd, and Goblinsean discuss permanency of publishing and the enduring power of Dune. Other topics include industrial engineering in WW2, Captain America (Nomad), and the illustrious career of Laurence Fishburne.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Link! I don't want to locate that comic, please don't ask for it, but I will provide it if demanded

071: Newtonian Swordmasters

Fri, 03 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chadd, MJ, and Sean talk about the implications of expertise and ease, and why your antagonist is allowed to kick Unlimited Ass. Other topics include Left Behind's confused antichrist, the nature of the sword, and Sean's proclivity to inflict spreadsheets on innocent bystanders.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Is the link! The cat needs your help! Save it!

070: To the 9eo9le

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0400

TO THE PEOPLE TIME! In this episode, Sean, MJ, and Chadd head to reddit, tumblr, and BACK TO REDDIT for the worst of the worst. Topics include the Worst Poem, why you want content warnings, and a friend of the show having shooters in the cast.

069: Anne Ricist

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 02:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Returning Champion MJ, Chadd, and Sean talk about Anne Rice and Adaptations! Other topics include Deadly Drifter, The Beat Poets of Rohan, and the massive antisemitism of Australian Jesus Christ Superstar!

Donate to the cat! Join the Discord! https://linktr.ee/onriting

068: Saints of the Patrickiots

Thu, 21 Mar 2024 12:00:00 -0400

In this SPECIAL episode of On Riting, we recorded a commentary track for The Last Starfighter, Chadd's filmographic home turf! If you want to sync us up, we're paused at 18 seconds, approximately when the rosy fingers of dawn reach over the globe on the newer universal logo, 6 seconds before the old universal logo, if you're watching on a different platform.
And here is a link for you, dear listener! https://linktr.ee/onriting

067: Boat Jams

Sat, 09 Mar 2024 12:00:00 -0500

In this (sadly MJ-less) episode of On Riting, Chadd and Sean explore the strangely ideology-less Death and Other Details, and what it can tell us about using themes without using themes. No, not like that. Other topics include Billy Zane, Huysman, and the eternal specter of Mao.
Feed! That! Cat! https://linktr.ee/onriting

066: Conventional Wisdom

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 01:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean look at Writing Conventions, as well as the darkest road of fanfic. Other topics include Furry Police, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the fate of Pennsylvania.
https://linktr.ee/onriting In many ways, a discord server is *like* a convention, in that there are monsters in the walls. Skittering.

065: Saltier than Riting (Star Wars)

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:00:00 -0500

In this episode MJ, Chadd, and Sean look at a community that feeds directly into r/writing, and the media property that surrounds it. Other topics include Indian In the Cupboard, X-Files licensed fiction, and the Expanded Universe (Bad).
https://linktr.ee/onriting Quickly, the horrible expanded universe shit becomes as air and smoke even as you wait!

064: Not Stephen King One

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ, Shaun, and Chadd basically just fangirl out over Borges. He's a genius, what more do you want us to say? Other topics include Final Fantasy VII, Charlie Chaplin, and the power of numbering drafts.
https://linktr.ee/onriting holds the mystery of Charlie's fate, but are you bold enough to click it, traveller?

063: Red-Flag Reads (Britney's Version)

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 23:00:00 -0500

In this episode of the premiere California Politics Fanfiction Podcast (just kidding we're about writing and writing communities) Shawn, Chad, and MJ take a look at reads, both red-flag and worse. Other topics include the Roald Dahl's kill count, Elf/Dwarf racism, and the secret origin of poems about the Moon.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Has the donate link, donate donate donate.

062: Kill Bill (Because He's a Vampire)

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 03:00:00 -0500

Hi, Bob, in this episode, MJ, Shaun and Chad take a huge vampiric, and yet somehow festive, bite out of the Riting discourse around Bill Shakespeare. Other topics include Middle School, Antisemitism, and Pictures of your Boss Shaking Hands With Christ.
Oh, I know your type: looking for the link, are ye? Well, you're in luck, we just processed the return on this one.
https://linktr.ee/onriting

061: To the People 8 - The Ocho

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Chadd, Sean, and MJ go back to the endless nightmare wells known as reddit and tiktok. Other topics include Mollusk-Donny, The Boodle Fight, and Chadd's psyche shattering like a window crossing the road in front of Jackie Chan in the face of Your Favorite Teddy Bear.
Do you have a novel coming out and want to get your publisher off your back with some marketing? Come on the pod! Or just click the link and gain access to a world of submissions, writers, and 6ft Under memes. https://linktr.ee/onriting

060: An Archetype Named Portia

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 23:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ, Shawn, and Chadd look at a difficult-to-name concept: the neoarchetype. Other topics include the ways in which LotR the Movies were superior to LotR the Books, Cyberdolphins (Ee-Eee-e, E-e-eee-ee?), and a very strange application of the Kingdom Hearts' theme.
We're almost out of NaNoWriMo! If you want to gush about your book, and hear about others, https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you want to be!

059: The Witching Pod w/Diana Helmuth

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ, Sean, and Chadd interview Diana Helmuth, author of the recently-released The Witching Year, available wherever books are sold! Other topics include Vampires, regionalism, and conspirituality, plus about 4,000 '90's movies.
https://linktr.ee/onriting has everything you need to get cat pictures direct from the witchiest state in the union.

058: gnitiR nO | On Riting

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 19:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Chadd, MJ, and Shaun look at the most bilateral of all writing concepts: Symmetry. Other topics include Robocop, Chekov's Arsenal, and the most popular Blake Poem/Painting.
Want to gush about your Nanowrimo? https://linktr.ee/onriting has people who want to hear about it.

057: Suboptimal Stacking

Thu, 26 Oct 2023 02:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Sean, MJ, and Chadd look at substack and other non-networked writing alternatives, and why they might not ever descend into Riting communities. Other topics include Val Kilmer, news cycles, and the Hugo Awards.
https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you can find a writing community where the W is still provably present (thanks, mj!)

056: An Emotionally Dishonest Podcast

Wed, 11 Oct 2023 20:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ deploys a nightmarish Atlantic article on MFA programs and AI that Chad and Sean spend most of the episode crying about. Other topics include Jockey Fiction, Going Infinite, and the Dalloway/Black Leopard, Red Wolf dialectic.
https://linktr.ee/onriting is the link which possesseth all the supporting materials for this episode, including an example of a tiny cat mukbang.

055: Riter By Proxy

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chadd, Shaun, and Em Jay look at the Hulu series The Act and the harmful tropes that it perpetuates, as well as their implications on Riting. Other topics include Made-for-Tv 9/11 Movies, Jeb Bush, and American Regionalism.
Get that cat fed! On god, she murdered a mouse right in front of Chad right after we recorded this episode (Which was actually right before the Bronco's spectacular loss, making this astonishingly precognizant?) https://linktr.ee/onriting

054: Suddenly, Therfore

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean take a swing at a famous philosophy of organization: And, But, and Therefore. Other topics include The Bear, Being Billy Zane, and fighting words, both good and bad, about your favorite anime.
https://linktr.ee/onriting The link! For the cat food!

053: To the People VII: Armored Quora

Thu, 31 Aug 2023 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ (returning Champion), Chadd, and Sean delve into Quora, and go more insane than we honestly expected. Other topics include the Rowling Group, the Ethan Hawke Continuum, and the best anime girl reaction gifs.
Chadd is holding the cat pics hostage, we're not kidding: he's going to delete one an hour until his demands are met. https://linktr.ee/onriting

052: Musical Mt. Everest

Thu, 17 Aug 2023 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Sean and Chadd (MJ WILL RETURN IN TO THE PEOPLE VIII) look at the colonial power of naming, but mostly the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Other topics include Englandbrain, Non-Webber Musicals, and the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.
https://linktr.ee/onriting has everything you need to join the #ritingcommunity, including a donation link to get Wang Miao some wet food. She needs it: she keeps forgetting meals when playing politically-charged VR games.

051: One of Us Has To Be The Keymaster

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean look at Gatekeeping in Riting Communities and media, well, mostly in media. Other topics include Danmei, How To Get A Slot At A Poetry Reading, and the newest member of the podcast.
https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you join the #ritingcommunity. That's not a real hashtag, yet.

050: Victor Lustig's Guide to Publishing (Scams)

Wed, 12 Jul 2023 23:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Shawn, and Chadd break down some common writing scams and schemes, including a few they've been targeted by, personally. Other topics include Stripper Unionization, Dennis Montgomery's relationship with republican donors, and Colleen Ballinger.
Want a (W)riting Community in Progress? https://linktr.ee/onriting is the link you seek.

049: To the People VII Advent Donny

Thu, 29 Jun 2023 03:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chad, Chadd, and Chadwick examine some truly wretched Donny Activity, including on #booktok, r/writing, and positive and negative examples of analysis on youtube. Other topics include Aggro Crag, Cape Fear, and "Five Minutes, Cutter, Make 'Em Count."
https://linktr.ee/onriting is the link to join the #chadnation

048: Riter by Riter

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 22:00:00 -0400

In this (admittedly very echo-y, we tried to fix it, we promise) episode, MJ, Shaun, and Chadd look at Anne Lamott's Bird By Bird, as well as how to use writing advice books in general. Other topics include ICE being obnoxious in San Diego, how to use a writing notebook, and why writing about your childhood is a terrible idea (emote pending).
https://linktr.ee/onriting is the link you seek, bold traveler.

047: Themes a Lot Like Message to Me

Wed, 31 May 2023 23:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Shawn, and Chad look at the most or least important element of any work: Theme. Other topics include the single worst baseball play imaginable, the silliest gospel, and an alarmingly long discussion of Libertarianism.
https://linktr.ee/onriting Linktree link! It has all the stuff!

046: Classically-Trained Riters

Wed, 17 May 2023 23:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Shaun, Mj, and Chadd look at old books, (historical, fictional, pedagogical) and they ways people extract bad ideas from them. Other topics include sending the author to a nice farm upstate, Hessians, and the various turns of the Arthur narrative.
Do you have an answer for Chad's riddle? https://linktr.ee/onriting is the bridge you may cross once it is supplied.

045: Mechanical Belgian (The AI One)

Wed, 03 May 2023 21:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we finally confront the specter over riting communities, the specter of artificial intelligence. Other topics include Bakelite/Formica, fair whodunits, and fantasy atheism.
https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you can find some somewhat-artificial intelligences. Are sentient podcasts AI? Find out for yourself.

044: Jumping the Sharkguffin

Thu, 20 Apr 2023 01:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Shaun take aim at the foulest and most-referenced of taxonomy nexuses: Tv Tropes. Other topics include racism, Destiny 2, and the inevitable conquest of AI over shitwiki's.
https://linktr.ee/onriting is perhaps the link you seek, traveller?

043: To the People 6 - Warrior Cats

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 15:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean are back TO THE PEOPLE, reading reddit posts and submission requests. Other topics include Chadd's mortal hatred of city sims, RA Salvatore, and Gideon the 9th.
Interested in taking Chadd up on that debate? https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you want to go.

042: 2 Saints 2 Patricks'

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 22:00:00 -0400

In this unsober super episode of your third- or fourth-favorite writing podcast, Chadd, Marjorie, and Sean get drunk while talking about Chadd's book, Nazism, and the alarming tendencies of Gardner and gentrad. Other topics include the various beverages Sean acquires and consumes, while the other two stay on the narrow path.
If you want to hang out with us after listening to this, https://linktr.ee/onriting is the link you're looking for.

041: Discord Mods Need Malpractice Insurance

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Margery, Chad, and Shaun look at the use and abuse of therapeutic language in Riting communities, and the best way to protect yourself and your community. Other topics include Godfather (so much Godfather), plagiarism, and a particularly unpopular TikTok.
Want to join a community, but scared by the lack of malpractice insurance? https://linktr.ee/onriting has everything you need.

040: Your Great Idea About A Game

Wed, 22 Feb 2023 21:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ, Shaun, and Chad look at videogame art criticism and the state of theory in gaming. Other topics include Nobody Puts Billy Zane in a Corner, the best track on Just Dance 2022, and the sickening failure to read Dark Souls 3 as the comprehensive story, rather than just lore encyclopedia, that it is.
Do you have a game you want a read on, or perhaps you want to get your read checked by another party? https://linktr.ee/onriting is the place you want to be.

039: Your Great Idea For A Game

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 12:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Chad, Shawn, and MJ go through how people break into videogame writing, and the steps you can take if you want to follow them. Other topics include the literal car crash happening outside the window, taxi navigation, and writing-as-marketing.
Want to listen to the sister pod? https://linktr.ee/shoebillpod is where you want to go.
Do you want to ask Chad about the miserable world of AAA game writing? https://linktr.ee/onriting probably has what you need.

038: Anjou Grenadine

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 10:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ is BACK, with Sean and Chadd to look at the enduring power of untaught old literature and the merits of joy in writing. Other topics include Buying Jenna Moreci's Book, the two works of great literature that are actually Three Musketeers in disguise, and a frankly alarming number of practice points and craft tips.
Want to talk about Rebecca? https://linktr.ee/onriting is the place you want to go.

037: Shut Up and Write the Book w/ Jenna Moreci

Wed, 11 Jan 2023 13:00:00 -0500

In this episode of On Riting, Shawn and Chad are back from hiatus to interview the inimitable Jenna Moreci about her new book, Shut Up and Write the Book: A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Your Novel From Plan to Print. Other topics include "It's more than just Dinosaur Erotica," the worst writing advice anyone's ever received from a web-dev, and who to send your work to in order to get it critiqued (hint, it's not Jenna).
Get the Book! (also available wherever books are preordered)
Get the Savior Series! (same deal: Check your local bookstore before you pull the trigger on Amazon)
Watch Her Youtube Guides!
And, oh right, our link: The answer to the above mystery is "Send your work to Chad, for money, through our discord," which is right here

036: Turbulent Pedagogs (featuring Sean's Understudy, Shaun)

Wed, 14 Dec 2022 23:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Sean, Chadd, MJ, and for the very first time, Sean's robot understudy, Shaun, look at why some really good authors give really bad advice, and how to place yourself in the crowd. Other topics include Dawson's Creek, the continuing search for a podcast platform that isn't Zencastr, and the true origins of the Lo-Fi Beats to Study And Relax To Girl.
We really had a lot of calls to action with that one, huh? Well, here's most of what you're looking for.
Crazy Speilberg/Lucas transcript.
Scary Swiss Movie
Discord! And Socials!

035: NaNoWriMo 4: No More NaNo

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode of the Premiere Liensbrooke Lore Podcast, Chadd and Sean assess how NaNoWriMo went, where they ended up, and the lessons learned. Other topics include Chadd's powerful feud with reddit, the weakness of HDDVD as a format, and the question of how many of us are currently ghosts (hint, Billy Zane).
https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you want to be, as you watch Twitter implode and reddit be just the worst.

034: To The People V

Wed, 30 Nov 2022 15:00:00 -0500

You know what it is: to the people! Chadd, MJ, and Sean take crowdsourced Reddit questions, instagram posts, and the MBTI to task for out-and-out shittiness. Other topics include the reverse-phrenological powers of chair shots, Irish poetic forms, and the true nature of r/worldbuilding.
Want to share a truly shitty reddit post? https://linktr.ee/onriting

033: NaNoWriMo Week 3: Chadd Triumphator

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 15:00:00 -0500

In this special episode of On Writing, Chadd celebrates his victory over NaNoWriMo, Sean laments his failures, and both try to avoid talking about Napoleon for the full hour. Other topics include the Meat Cube, Fanfiction, and the inspirational quality of primary sources.
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/victorian-industrial-towns/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liokytT2TSk
and, of course, the Discord/Socials: https://linktr.ee/onriting

032: Good for Keeping Tents Up

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 13:00:00 -0500

In this NONNANOWRIMO episode of the snarkiest writing podcast, MJ, Sean, and Chadd look at Stakes, those things which give conflict meaning. Other topics include Breeding Pairs, While Holding a Baby, and terrible twists resulting from asymmetrical stakes.
Want a replacement for twitter for finding calls for submissions and follows? https://linktr.ee/onriting has what you need.

031: NaNoWriMo Week 1: Rose and GREAM69

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 15:00:00 -0500

In this special episode, Chadd and Sean [no MJ :(] go over their NaNoWriMo progress, outlining where they are, where they thought they'd be, and the scope of their work, as well are core themes and notes they're working from. Other topics include... mostly just that. It's really easy to get carried away when talking about your own shit, but I promise there are jokes and practice points in there too.
https://linktr.ee/onriting is the place where you can follow us, as well as get input on your WIPs.

030: Unprompted Errors

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chadd, Sean, and MJ look at one of the inciting forces of the whole podcast: writing prompts and where to find them. Other topics include the best poetic form you don't know about, the second shittiest leprechaun we've ever read, and the dark grandeur of the institution known to us mortals as Waffle House.
Need some NaNoWriMo buddies, or want to complain about everyone just not shutting up about it? https://linktr.ee/onriting is the place you want to be.

029: NaNoWriMo 1 - Grenadine Strikes Back

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode of the snarkiest writing podcast, MJ, Chad, Chad's Assassin, and Shawn look at conceptualizing and outlining your NaNoWriMo book, or really any other work of long-form fiction! Other topics include the Assassination of Chad by the Coward [Redacted], the hottest bug girl in fiction, and MJ's incredible marketing prowess.
Want to help some people in need in an underserved illness group? https://www.gbs-cidp.org/
Want some help with that story idea? https://linktr.ee/onriting is where you want to be.

028: Oncler and Future King

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 17:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chad, and Shaun take a look at one of the most contentious and beloved subjects in the writing cosmos: fanfiction. Other topics include honey-induced ursine obesity, the legality of wolfd****, and the seamless transition from great fanfic to great novel.
Want some free tutoring from Chad about how to get your fanfic to sale without having a writer living in Scotland tear you to pieces? https://linktr.ee/onriting has everything you need.

027: Four the People

Wed, 21 Sep 2022 15:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Shaun makes a terrible mistake in sharing the worst thing every written with Chad, while all of Chad, Shaun, and MJ descend once more into the BOWELS of the internet to find the worst writing discourse around. Other topics include purple thunderstorms, the best idea for an already best selling book, and a dramatic reading of aforementioned Worse Thing Ever Written.
Want to show us your own terrible thing, or perhaps get a copy of the Worst Thing to read it yourself? Get in touch with https://linktr.ee/onriting

026: City of Brass Department of Employment Statistics, and Other Setting Failures

Wed, 07 Sep 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode, EmJay, Chad, and Shaun look at the mechanisms by which setting adds meaning to a story. Other topics include Grandfather Clocks, the nature of setting-only storytelling in games, and the curious way Wookiepedia has ruined everything.
Want to tell us exactly how many elves speak draconic in your science fantasy epic? Hell, you know the drill: https://linktr.ee/onriting

025: Assigned Fantasy At Birth

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 13:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Sean, Chad, and MJ look at the vaguest and most instrumental topic in writing your book to be sold: Genre. Other topics include the magnificence of Tana French, the ins and outs of Exploitation, and the legal-into-literary concept of Scènes à faire. If you're a huge genre fan, or someone who's always been skeptical about genre as derivative and flattening, this is probably the episode for you.
Do you want to talk about the works of Tana French? Join our Dublin Murder Squad cult through: https://linktr.ee/onriting

024: Trauma Center - Publishing

Wed, 10 Aug 2022 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Sean, Chadd, and MJ take on conventional publishing's preference for trauma, across writing, gaming, and reality TV. Other topics include Blown Away (movie and Netflix Show), the majesty of Black Leopard, Red Wolf, and the the narrow lanes that the concerned force people into.
Check out the work of Dan Friday, Glassworking God: https://www.fridayglass.com/index.html
If you want to get in touch with us, https://linktr.ee/onriting is probably a good place to start.

023: Doctrine of Acts

Wed, 27 Jul 2022 15:00:00 -0400

Hi campers, MJ, Chadd, and Sean are back with Act Structure and more blown-out microphones than you can shake a manuscript at. Other topics include a LOT of 90's nostalgia, Sean having a meltdown over Canterbury Tales, the act structure of medical procedures, a literary case for baseball, and the WWE implications of the second act. We also talk a lot about J. Campbell, if that Hero's Journey shit is right for you.
Follow us on our socials here: https://linktr.ee/onriting

022: Passive-Antagonistic

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode of the snarkiest writing podcast, MJ, Sean, and Chadd look at Antagonists and Conflict, and the terrible advice people give about 'Villains.' Other topics include The Greatest Movie of All Time, how to fight a hurricane, and algebraic notation for writing an outlining.
Interested in getting feedback on your nanowrimo camp? Join us https://linktr.ee/onriting

021: To The People III

Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0400

MJ, Chadd, and Sean are back with the third To The People, and they've got some extra strange sources: r/writingprompts, r/cormacmccarthy, and r/donnysdaddidntdieinthatmine. Other topics include Captain Kirk's insatiable bloodlust, the occasional poetry of the Rohirrim, and The Rumor Come Out: Does Is Bruno Mars Gay?
If you've got an embarrassing writing question, by yourself of Donny, feel free to join our discord and ask it of it. https://linktr.ee/onriting

020: Biblically Accurate Italian Card Games

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0400

We've gone biweekly! In this episode, MJ, Chadd, and Sean look at the memes surrounding 'accurate depictions' of various mythological critters in Riting Communities, and how the Waters and Mountains tinge everything about Angels, Fairies, Goblins, and, of course, Italian Card Games. Other topics include Garfield's Love Tunnel, Merlin Learned Quick Attack!, and the Ouija Rubicon.
Are you writing about Angels and Demons, and want some input on your drafts? Join us: https://linktr.ee/onriting

019: Squeaky Wheels, Tall Poppies, and Niagara Falls

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 20:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Shaun, Chad, and MJ offer more instantly applicable advice than usual, all while disguising it as snark over the Riting Server revision and critique process. Other topics include avoiding the furor of authorial ghosts, MJ's terrifying closet of uncollected work, and the dark text known as Plain English for Lawyers.
Do you have something for us to critique? Join up at https://linktr.ee/onriting

018: Roleplaying Doesn't Start With W

Wed, 25 May 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode of the snarkiest writing podcast, Chad, Em-Jay, and Sean look at roleplaying games, roleplaying in riting communities, and the perilous example of looking at the licensed fiction-section of the Barnes and Noble. Other topics include how throwing great pool parties has sparked almost as many careers as great prose, Doing the Voices, and the perfection of the vampire known as Dev/Null.
Interested in telling us about your campaign, which didn't end, per se, but you're still really excited to write a novel from it? Get in touch here: https://linktr.ee/onriting

017: How To Suffer In A Riting Community ft. Diana Helmuth

Wed, 18 May 2022 15:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Shawn, and Chadd are joined by backpacker, witch, and published author, Diana Helmuth to talk about the process of suffering outside. There will also be writing advice, a discussion of the alarming impact of Serendipity on writing success, and a brief explanation of What The Bandanas Are For.

If you want more tips about how to look like an anime girl while turning into a Were-Mosquito, check out Diana's tiktok (https://www.tiktok.com/@defnotlost?lang=en), twitter(https://twitter.com/defnotlost), and, of course, her book: https://www.mountaineers.org/books/books/how-to-suffer-outside-a-beginner2019s-guide-to-hiking-and-backpacking
I know, we don't have as many tips about boots -- yet -- but you can join our discord, or follow us on twitter through https://linktr.ee/onriting

016 On Writing: Bad Consumption

Wed, 11 May 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chad, and Shawn look at a fertile vein exposed by the blasting of r/movies: how to be a terrible consumer. Other topics include Drizzt Do'urden, the ending of The Sopranos, Godzilla, simulacra on the practical end of the colonial ambitions of central Europe, and Wulfgar the Barbarian's powerful seed.
Here's that link we mentioned: https://linktr.ee/onriting

015 On Riting: Author, She Wrote

Wed, 04 May 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chad, and Sean look at fictional depictions of authors, and try to extract a lot of myths of riterdom that emerge from all of us having watched too much Californication. Other topics include Bookselling in the late Renaissance, the Lathe of Heaven being on a hair-trigger, and Catfishing, (but only as Jude Law).
Want to get in touch with us to bring up that we never really talked about Romancing the Stone, or its pseudo-sequel The Lost City? https://linktr.ee/onriting

014: The Biggest Community of All

Wed, 27 Apr 2022 13:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Cead, and Shaun get on their eSkateboards and ollie into that vast, mysterious cyber-expanse: what is revealed when you type "How write a novel" into the the gaping maw of google. Other topics include Breaking Rules, the most memorable episode of X-Files, 120 pages on the Battle of Waterloo (No mentions of ABBA, strangely enough), and IGN.
Want to get in touch with us to tell us that, just like Micheal Moorcock, everyone really is telling your novel will never work? Join the discord! https://linktr.ee/onriting

013: To The People II

Wed, 20 Apr 2022 15:00:00 -0400

We're headed back to Reddit and the worst of the worst on Disboard for the second installment of To The People! This time, Chad has gone spelunking on discord, Shaun has undertaken an anthropological study of r/writing's Top-All Time, and MJ has started exploring the rarest (and in some ways, most pathetic) Riting Communities: those that charge for participation. Other topics include Pregnant Women are Uranium, 13 Reasons to Terabitha, and diegetically boring expository soliloquys.
Do you have a question you'd like us to answer the next time we make one of these? Get in touch at https://linktr.ee/onriting

012: Central Irving Agency

Wed, 13 Apr 2022 15:00:00 -0400

In this episode, MJ, Chad, and Sean dive in to the primordial ooze from which a good 50%+ of the writing advice on the internet springs: the Iowa Writers Workshop and their benefactor, the CIA. Other topics include the FBI's tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again, the FBI having really cool windbreakers, and FBI agent Fox Mulder's whole deal. Oh, they also talk about writing occasionally.
Questions, comments, concerns, blacksites? Get in touch https://linktr.ee/onriting

011 On Riting: Problematic Faves

Thu, 07 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0400

24 hours late on the upload for this one! I have to say, the wait was worth it for this one.
This week, Chad, Shaun, and MJ take a look at three of the most influential and monstrous writers of the 20th century, and break down the ideology that motivated both their actions and their writing. Other topics include doing things In Minecraft, Disney Land Speculation, the movie Battleship, and surprisingly, zero Mummy references: a podcast record.
Find everything you need to get in touch with us here: https://linktr.ee/onriting

010 On Riting: On Submitting

Wed, 30 Mar 2022 15:00:00 -0400

You know what, who even cares about submissions? I'll just go on wattpad and post up my stuff; I've got like, 90 followers, 90 views is a lot better than most stuff on there. Fame and fortune will come crashing in any second now!
In this episode, Shion, Chat, and EmJay walk you through all the steps of the submissions process, from what terms to google, to how to get over your bio-writing anxiety. Other topics include how everyone in LA has a screenplay, Uber malfeasance, and the eternality of Hugo Award-winning novels evolving out of short stories.
Wondering where to find a group that posts up contests and submission pages constantly? Join our discord https://discord.gg/8H2jbP9X
Want to send us an unsolicited submission so that Anne can exercise her delete powers? email us at on.riting@gmail.com

009 On Riting: The Sochadic Method

Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Chad takes us on a voyage of discovery, diving into Riting Communities and the specific, terrible answers they gave to his questions, good and bad. Other topics include Plot Holes, Can't Hardly Wait, and the narrative utility of hiring a bunch of bounty hunters while everyone is making their Quizno's order.
We have a discord! https://discord.gg/gEWfVHWU
Want to send us a Can't Hardly Wait spec script? Send it to on.riting@gmail.com

008 On Riting: St. Patrick's Day Special

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 17:00:00 -0400

Oh boy, this one's a doozy. Sean, MJ, and Chadd discuss England, Zombies, Werner Herzog, Robin Williams, Diegesis, the Dialectic, the Czech Republic, Alcohol, George Romero, Carpentry, Jesus, and just about everything else under the sun. Be warned, this is a little more blue and a WHOLE lot longer than other episodes so far.
Join our discord https://discord.gg/gEWfVHWU
Email us complaints about Shaun not remembering Fitzcarraldo: on.riting@gmail.com

007 On Riting: To the People I

Wed, 09 Mar 2022 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Shawn, Chad, and MJ go spelunking in the darkest depths of the mothership itself: r/writing. Other topics include the continuing majesty of Michael Crichton, the 'ph's you should be properly terrified of, and the worst definition of Hermeneutics you've ever heard.
We have a discord! https://discord.gg/UPFhvNy9
We have an email address! on.riting@gmail.com

006 On Writing: Contract Writing

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Chad illuminates the miserable and hazy world of contract writing, including ghostwriting, nightmare clients, and out-and-out fraud. MJ and Sean are also here, doing nonfiction and Finance writing on a salary, but those can't ever sink to the hellish depths and epic highs of fiction for money.
Oh, right, the link: https://www.upwork.com/
We have a discord! https://discord.gg/WZEGU2Kp
We have an email address! on.riting@gmail.com

005 On Riting: Poetry

Wed, 23 Feb 2022 14:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Sean and Chad sit mystified as MJ tries to explain what exactly is so "poetic" about "Poetry." Topics include read poetry, revising poetry, submissions, chapbooks, read poetry, break-up poems, John Milton's eternal Soul, Fullmetal Alchemist, and please, just read poetry, it won't kill you, we promise.
Interested in learning more about the podcast? We have a discord! https://discord.gg/eNVhTV97
Interested in informing us how your break-up was special, and more painful than could be described with anything other than a metaphor about "Tears falling like rain"? Contact us at on.riting@gmail.com

004 On Riting: Worldbuilding

Wed, 16 Feb 2022 20:00:00 -0500

In this episode, our three writers continue their John Grisham fancast with the second largest and SoCal-centric tar pit imaginable: Worldbuilding. Other topics include Brandon Sanderson's freak brain, the criminal excesses of academic anthropology in the 20th century, and Leprechaun calls to adventure.
Interested in sending us an unsolicited manuscript, just for the satisfaction that your work was printed out, read by professionals, then thrown in the trash? Email us at on.riting@gmail.com

003 On Riting: John F---ing G——

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 17:00:00 -0500

In this episode, MJ, Chad, and Shaun talk about our favorite author of books found on the sidewalk: John Grisham. Included topics include LEAVE, how to think about books when you're querying and submitting, and how to get approximately one million free books with the lifehack known as "library."
Take issue with out love for The Pelican Brief? Tell us at on.riting@gmail.com

002 On Riting: Riting Communities

Thu, 03 Feb 2022 03:00:00 -0500

In this episode, Shawn, Chad, and MJ try to decipher the casus belli of this podcast itself: What is a Riting Community? What's the deal with all the 17-year-olds? Where did the submission page go?

We also talk about Goosebumps, MFA programs, and how to make the most of the social media hellscape you have boldly delved.

Want to demonstrate how wrong we are? Bully us at on.riting@gmail.com

001 On Riting: Craft

Wed, 26 Jan 2022 16:00:00 -0500

A recovering academic, a contract writer, and a unlovable everyman try to solve the greatest mystery in the history of writing: what exactly is craft? Some answers include whatever Michael Crichton did with that Kraken, revision, and not worldbuilding.

Are we wrong? Tell us how by email to on.riting@gmail.com