In this episode, Megan and Grace are starry eyed, bushy tailed, and a little bit competitive at the start of NaNoWriMo 2021, but will their joy last through this marathon month of writing? At the very least, they are on brand for the month and are getting this episode out a week late - oops! -What we're reading: Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri | Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney | Supernavigators by David Barrie | The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers -What we're...

In this episode, we celebrate Megan getting her first piece of fiction published in High Shelf Magazine! We talk about what it looks like to submit work, why to submit work (or why not), and how grueling the marketing process can be for writers. We end on a high note, with three pieces of advice for all writers heading into NaNoWriMo this month. If you're embarking on the journey of NaNo, join our https://discord.gg/CNMdgkXdqx (Discord channel)! And set up a profile on...

In this week's episode, Megan and Grace sit down with Amber Loutfi, one of the authors of the upcoming book, Sentimental Health, which is a collaboration of poetry and art between Amber, Neeltarni Pratap, and Iizzie Loutfi. We dive into collaborating across mediums and countries, finding inspiration by staying true to your feelings, and the process of self-publishing (dimensions are important!). Get Sentimental Health on Amazon on November 1, 2021 and follow them on Instagram -...

TW: Drug addiction. In this week's episode, Grace and Megan try to get in the spooky season spirit while setting their NaNoWriMo goals, reading their recent writing, and briefly discussing...dung beetles? Yep. Dung beetles. -What we're reading: Supernavigators by David Barrie | The Push by Ashley Audrain -Join our NaNoWriMo Discord community!: https://discord.gg/rUtQemzCkC -NaNoWriMo: https://nanowrimo.org/ -Listen to L.Dre:...

In this week's episode, Megan and Grace host their very first *drumroll please* GAME SHOW! Grace quizzes Megan on her favorite aspects of the fantasy genre - from the Chosen One trope to types of dragons - all in the name of understanding your genre. -What we're reading: The Bad Art Friend by Robert Kolker -Story Prompt: Fantasy | Slaying a Dragon | Mellon -Submit your story: https://www.thewritersclimax.com/contact/ or [email protected] -Follow TWC on Instagram:...

In this week's episode, we talk about desire! Ooh la la! We get into the depths of character desire, the difference between a core desire and a surface-level desire, and how desire propels our narratives forward. In this episode we mention: The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne https://lithub.com/inventory/ (Inventory) by Carmen Maria Machado Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado https://www.thenegroartist.com/product-page/look-black-boy-digital-album (Look, Black Boy) by...

In this episode, Megan and Grace share snippets from their work-in-progress! We're scared and uncomfortable and we're doing it anyway. Grace shares a scene from one of our favorite characters, Gellar, as they turn over their shift at the oscillation. Her work is evocative and grounded in setting. She takes us away to another fantastical world. Megan reads from a scene in the collective (and royal!) "we." This snippet is far into the future and explores what the world might look like in...

In this week's episode, Grace and Megan interview their first guest author - Gerard Duncan Jr.! They discuss what getting a PhD in poetry is like, emotional processing, and hear some of Gerard's work. Gerard Duncan Jr. is a poet from Walla Walla, WA and his work has been published in Northwest Boulevard. He is currently working on his PhD in Poetry at the University of Southern Mississippi where he’s exploring Modernism, Romaticism, Surrealism, and the relationship between music and poetry....

In this episode, Megan and Grace face the debate that's not actually a debate: plotting vs. pantsing. Yes, they already named a previous episode that. No, they didn't actually talk about it then. But they do this time! Will their different approaches tear them apart? No, but cicadas might. -What we're reading: A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza | Anthropocene Fictions by Adam Trexler | The Mom of Bold Action by George Saunders | Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi |...

In this episode, Megan and Grace are thrilled to tell you about their new structure for season two of the pod and what they've been working on. Get ready for more writing chit-chat, discussions with other authors, and even *gulp* readings from their own work. -Learn more about Stop Line 3: https://www.stopline3.org/ -What we're reading: The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson | Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi | How Beautiful We Were by Imbolo Imbue | A Place For Us by...

Megan and Grace are back from summer break with some exciting changes for season two of the Writer's Climax, all made to focus more on their, and hopefully your, favorite thing: writing! -Follow TWC on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewritersclimax/ -Support TWC on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewritersclimaxpodcast -Audio: Track: Will You Be Mine (feat. Karemann) — Broke in Summer [Audio Library Release] | Music provided by Audio Library Plus

In this episode, Megan and Grace discuss the second half of Infinite Country. We talk about the mastery of Engel as she humanizes her characters and addresses some of the most systemic issues in our country. It's a lot to unpack, so bear with us! We're also transitioning to a season-based podcast, which means this is the final episode of season one! Stay tuned for the return of The Writer's Climax Season Two in July. Follow us on Instagram:...

Welcome to (the beginning and the end) of #MayNoWriMo! In this episode, we talk about the beginning of this month-long voyage into a fast and s****y first draft, while also recognizing the rate at which writing will become more difficult this month (spoiler: the rate was rapid-fire). We also talk about the tools we use for our writing projects and how to get started and stay inspired. And of course, we gush about how much we *love* our #MayNoWriMo community. They are the best and we are so...

Buckle up, folks. In this episode, Megan and Grace get righteously angry. Content warning: racism, sexual abuse, animal abuse Infinite Country by Patricia Engel is a power-packed novel about a family who leaves their home in Bogota to pursue the American Dream. But when they wake up, six months and one day later, on foreign soil, they launch themselves into undocumented status. We talk about so many political issues surrounding immigration as well as the notion of America. Our systems are...

In this episode, Megan and Grace don't know the roll-out of their own podcast and think it's May 4th. This is a time-traveling episode! Not really. But we do talk about other trippy topics like: #MAYNOWRIMO, our very own month-long writing sprint to get a s****y-and-fast first draft of our books onto the page. Where do ideas come from? How do we generate characters? How in this wild and raucous world do you plot a novel? We discuss all this and more in episode 17. Learn more about NaNoWriMo:...

In this episode, Grace and Megan discuss the second half of The Lost Apothecary. It. Was. A. WHIRLWIND. Murder accusations, jumping off bridges, solved mysteries, and our favorite: gaslighting. This book has it all! Tune in as we discuss the effectiveness of three main characters, the benefits of moving back and forth in time, and what we (specifically *Megan*) didn't quite love. We also choose our next book club pick, Infinite Country by Patricia Engel. This week's prompt: Historical...

In this episode, we talk about *so many* aspects of the writing life like finding and applying for fellowships, stepping into new projects, and where ideas come from. We also pitch and pick our next book club pick, Infinite Country by Patricia Engel. Grace and Megan have decided to do their own version of NaNoWriMo in May! If you're interested in writing a quick, barebones, 50,000-word draft with us, you can join our Discord channel this month for free: https://discord.gg/YAE7AUz8 Next...

In this episode, Grace and Megan talk about the first half of The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner. We discuss character development and the role empathy plays in creating characters with dark secrets. We also talk about writing a multiple POV book and the pros and cons of writing a novel that goes back and forth in time, told from multiple viewpoints. Also, how badass women are *in general*. Support us on Patreon and join our community of readers and writers here:...

Ever have trouble plotting? Can't figure out why your book isn't working? Want to get ahead of the editorial game? The Story Grid Method by Shawn Coyne has been a game-changer for both Megan and Grace. While Megan's still getting the hang of it, Grace's story grid is what type-a dreams are made of. Listen along as we discuss the various ways The Story Grid has helped us develop our novels and why we swear by it before starting our second drafts. Join our community on Patreon:...

CW: Eating disorders, disordered eating, racism In this episode, we talk about the intensities of Jayne's ED, the sporadic relationship between Jayne and her family, and the character development of our favorite Yolk characters. We also talk about plot: when are there too many plot points? Could this book have done with a little less chaos? Tune in to find out! Plus, we pitch and pick our next book! Next week's story prompt: A 500-1,000 word short story with the character from last week's...

What does it mean to be a writer? How can you stay committed to your writing projects? In this episode, we talk about our writing projects and the natural upheaval that comes with writing something that's book-length and years-long. We also talk about launching our Patreon! If you want a dedicated space to talk about our current book club pick or an online writing community, consider supporting us and gaining access to our private writing and reading communities! Support us on Patreon:...

CW: Eating disorders, racism What are the repercussions of perfectionism? How do you form an identity? What does it mean to be human? In this episode, Megan and Grace discuss the first 200 pages of Yolk, a young adult novel by Mary H.K. Choi. In this roller-coaster of a novel, we follow our narrator and protagonist, 20-year-old Jayne, as she grapples with life in New York City. After her sister's cancer diagnosis, Jayne tries to navigate even more: identity fraud, an eating disorder, and the...

First things first: we're updating our episode structure! We'll now publish two writing-specific episodes each month and two book club episodes each month. In this episode, we talk about abandoning projects and characters. Megan has decided to *gasp* abandon her current project. Which really means she's putting it on her hard drive where it will torment her endlessly until she eventually returns to it. Grace talks about cutting characters out of her book and the ever-popular term, "Murdering...

In this episode, we finish out The Midnight Library! One of the biggest takeaways: we're not only important in our own lives, but in the lives of those we interact with. Our small connections can have a major impact on the people around us. As writers, we also discuss the importance of tenses in our own stories (and spoiler: our own lives!) and when and why to introduce characters into the narrative. Writing prompt: Soap opera - slapping someone - power Read Grace's short story here:...