Hello all! Prose & Cons is going on a little bit of a break for the next few months. With a lot of new chapters presently starting, a few months of a break will help us keep our sanity as we navigate the transitions. All good things! But the extra time is needed. We'll be coming back fresh and ready to go! We already have some episodes planned. Until then, we'll still be monitoring our inbox and comments, so feel free to reach out. Be back soon! Send us a message! Contact us at: precipice...
Aug 21, 2025
1 min
This is it! This is the moment we've been waiting for. Ally Burnham's novel Swallow is coming out this November: listen as the group gathers to discuss her process, beta reading, historical novel(ing) and more. (The episode includes light spoilers and the occasional mutiny) Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. Because sometimes ...
Jul 21, 2025
1 hr 22 min
Deus Ex Machina. God from the machine. Writing tool? Or something we should avoid? Paddy, James, and Phoenix dive into this very topic in this episode of Prose and Cons. Like with most genres and writing “rules,” it helps to do your research so you can properly be in conversation with the thing you’re trying to talk about or use—you have to learn the rules to break them, and in the case of Deus Ex Machina A T-REX COMES CRASHING THROUGH THE WALL AND ENDS THE PODCAST DESCRIPTION! STEPHEN KING...
Jul 8, 2025
1 hr 1 min
Jimmy was walking to school one day when he tripped over a rock and fell. With a jolt, Jimmy woke up from the dream only to remember that he never walks to school. What does this passage mean?!?! Does Jimmy represent the US empire falling only to wake up and realise the empire was all just a dream? An illusion of power? Could be! But is it what the author intended? Or is it just what you felt while reading? Is it an allegory? Or are we simply applying the story to our lives? This is exactly w...
Jun 9, 2025
58 min
Between all the writing, it is sometimes easy to forget just how much we love to read. Jump in for a cozy and fascinating conversation between James and Phoenix as they discuss their current reading list--what works, what doesn't, and how about George R.R Martin "cheating" with Fire and Blood and still making it still work? Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging wri...
May 26, 2025
54 min
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 of Prose and Cons, where James, Ally, and Matan talk all things twists: What makes them a satisfying flipping of the script vs something that leaves the audience feeling lied to or ripped off?What are some things to keep in mind if you’d like to try writing a twist?...
May 5, 2025
1 hr
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's non-knowledge come together to try and decide the winners of these would-be clashes. Find the results and the final bracket here! https://ibb.co/gMLT7WYn Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ===============================...
Apr 21, 2025
50 min
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 lists, Sanderson's supposed position in Fantasy heirarchy and also, interestingly, his "behind the scenes" process. Stay tuned for Part II to be released in the next few days! Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ================...
Apr 14, 2025
1 hr 9 min
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 concepts. STEPHEN KING REFERENCE COUNTER: 2 TODAY, 115 TOTAL Send us a message! Contact us at: precipicefiction.com/contact/ ============================================= This is Prose & Cons - a podcast for emerging writers, by emerging writers. ...
Mar 31, 2025
50 min
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 and Phoenix analyse various character deaths across a number of stories that got it right. They’ll go into what the authors did well and ultimately why these deaths felt so impactful, and maybe even left us stunned. BIG SPOILER WARNINGS: Lord of the Rings Lion Kin...
Mar 17, 2025
1 hr 22 min
Load more