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Episode 3.9 - Slapsgiving
A good romance author will tell you that kissing and even sex are not markers of intimacy.

Gina Denny
Nov 5, 20215 min read


Episode 3.8 - Spoiler Alert
This is the second thing the writers did really well: the writers gave us a really, really powerful distraction.

Gina Denny
Oct 29, 20214 min read


Episode 3.7 - Dowisetrepla
Good fiction is made up of bad decisions.

Gina Denny
Oct 22, 20212 min read


Episode 3.6 - I’m Not That Guy
Which all begs the question: Why are they selling themselves to this one specific lawyer so hard?

Gina Denny
Oct 15, 20213 min read


Episode 3.5 - How I Met Everyone Else
When adults read YA fiction, or watch YA shows, the teen behavior is suddenly seen as stupid, vapid, unrealistic, or even reprehensible.

Gina Denny
Oct 8, 20215 min read


Episode 3.4 - Little Boys
They all prevaricate about her, but they all do it in different ways.
This is more about the other characters than it is about Robin.

Gina Denny
Oct 1, 20212 min read


Episode 3.2 - We’re Not From Here
This is the reality of the Manic Pixie characters: they can't really function.

Gina Denny
Sep 17, 20213 min read


Episode 3.1 - Wait For It
Stereotype characters are often a sign of lazy writing. This episode gives us a good example of when to use shortcuts.

Gina Denny
Sep 10, 20212 min read


2.22 - Postpone
Ted can’t tell a short version of a story to save his life, so this is the principle we’re learning: postponing a reveal.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20213 min read


2.21 - Predictable
Lily and Marshall’s wedding is finally here, and since this is a sitcom, you know absolutely everything is going to go wrong.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20213 min read


2.20 - Perfidy
Your characters’ false beliefs might affect their behavior like Barney’s.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20214 min read


2.19 - Presume
7 steps to redeeming a villain or antagonist in your writing.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20215 min read


2.18 - Portend
If you’ve gotten to the end of the story, and you don’t feel like you’ve earned it, you need to back up.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20213 min read


2.16 - Petty
This episode isn’t really about the stuff and it isn’t really about the play. Both are just highlighting character conflicts.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20214 min read


2.15 - Penny!
To get a story, you have to dig. Either dig into the past, asking “but why?” or “but how?” or dig into the future by asking “so what?”.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20215 min read


2.14 - Prescient
They focused on the emotional impact, not the specifics. Barney loses money, the friend group holds their tradition a day late.

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20215 min read


2.13 - Power Dynamics
This episode opens with a flashback to kindergarten, where Ted wants to be an architect but is bullied for it. It immediately flashes...

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20213 min read


Episode 2.12 - Performances
This week, we’ll be talking about an old writing adage: Show, don’t tell. A lot of writers get annoyed by this advice because all writing...

Gina Denny
Jun 15, 20214 min read


Episode 2.9 - Payoffs
This week, we are talking about Red Herrings and the awesome payoff you get when you execute them well, so we need to start talking about...

Gina Denny
Mar 26, 20216 min read


Episode 2.7 - Protagonists
The episode opens with the guys hanging out in a coffee shop where two main things happen. 1. The barista has a crush on Marshall and he...

Gina Denny
Mar 12, 20215 min read
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