The Dead Robots' Society
Writers discussing writing, writers discussing publishing, writers discussing life.
Find Your Way Back!
We all have projects that have been put on hold for various reasons. Perhaps it was due to writer's block. Maybe they were pushed aside for a paying project, or maybe you had to abandon it for other reasons.
Regardless of why, how do you get back into the world you created? How do you breathe life back into your characters?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a...
DRS After Dark - Public Edition
Join Paul and V for a special episode of After Dark where we invite everyone to join us.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
...Q&A With Cooley
Terry is playing Traveler, V will be late, and Paul is available. So why not join him, ask questions, and more or less misbehave?
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS...
Living Up To The Promise
How often have you been disappointed by a story that had a less-than-satisfactory ending? How do storytellers ensure that the final act lives up to the promises made in the preceding acts?
The DRS Crew Discusses
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: htt...
Third Rail World Building
Politics, religion, and taboos are all parts of a good fictional world. What should authors drag into their world, and how should they highlight differences between cultures?
The DRS Crew Discusses
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Ve...
Time To Let This Mother Rip?
When do you start the action in your story? How much introduction do the world and characters need before things go off the rails?
The DRS Crew Discusses
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.vo...
Info Dumps and Scams
How do you best convey the background or history of your story's universe without lengthy exposition and info dumps? Also? The scams are out of control in the publishing industry. The DRS Crew discusses what to watch out for.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's s...
Specificity and Vaguefulness
The DRS Crew discusses when it's appropriate to pontificate in extremis on a facet of your world, technology, science, etc and when being vague is the smarter move.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
Plot Monogamy - Mindful or Menace?
Should you start a series and only write in that series until it's finished? Or should you "play the field" and work on as many different books as you feel like? Which is better for your career and sanity?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's si...
Human Prove Human Wrote
Accusations of using AI to write fiction are growing in number and severity. How can you prove you wrote the story without the assistance of LLMs and other assistive technologies?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.te...
A Passive Protagonist?
Protagonists are usually active participants in solving plot complications. But what if they aren't? What happens when the minor characters take over?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
Refill The Tank!
Writing a novel requires a lot of energy. Finishing one often leaves you depleted and struggling to write another word. What do you do to recharge and avoid burnout?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.co...
I Am X So How Do I Write Y?
While V is at an undisclosed location, Terry asks the age-old question: how do you write believable characters when they're a different sex than you?
Terry and Paul discuss.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Ver...
Edit This!
Before you send it to the editor, before you let another person set eyes on the manuscript, you need to edit. There are plot holes to look out for, character voice inconsistencies, and all those pesky punctuation marks. How do you catch it all?
What are some strategies to help get you from the rough draft to something presentable, let alone publishable?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a f...
Challenging vs Challenged Characters
How smart is your protagonist? Can they realistically solve the dread puzzle you've laid before them? Or is the situation tailor-made for their skillsets? How can you keep your characters feeling genuine while testing their limits of intellect or skill?
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Te...
Author/Series/Book Branding and Other Marketing Nonsense
The DRS Crew discusses in-depth branding for authors and their work.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or...
Writer? Meet Public. Public? Meet Writer
Readers leave comments. Readers send emails. Readers respond to your social media posts.
But how should you interact with them? The DRS Crew discusses the ground rules.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://ww...
Quotables, Homages, and Outright Theft
When should a character or narrator use a quote? Does it have to be attributed? What about aping characters from an existing property? How do you do that?
Most importantly, what kind of trouble can you get into?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/pa...
Infinitely Told Tales
So-called "fairy tales" are some of the oldest tales. As writers, what tropes/plots/character archetypes can we steal to use in our speculative fiction stories?
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DR...
Humans Do It Better
Michael J Strazinski wrote an article called "Silence Where a Story Would Have Been" that argues that the current state of the art AIs are incapable of writing great, memorable stories. Is he right?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Te...
SciFi/Fantasy Social Systems and World Building
Does your future or fantasy world require a system of government? How about a social caste system? How in-depth do you need to be in constructing social norms, mores, and taboos?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://ww...
Aliens and Religion
What effect, if any, would the discovery of aliens have on today's religions? Will those religions change if we become a truly space-faring race? Will new religions take their place?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.te...
Audible, AI, and Lawsuits
Audible is literally stealing from content creators, Eleven Labs is accused of stealing voices, and the DRS Crew is at its wits' end.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Dis...
Timelines and Other Temporal Mischief
Terry and Veronica wonder about timelines and whether or not Paul exists after his surgery.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Co...
Arcs Vs Arcs
What are character arcs vs story arcs? Why do they matter?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy th...
So You Wrote A Novel... Now What?
You wrote and sweated over every word. You've revised, you've edited, you've done everything to make this the best story of your life. You've even got a great cover. So what do you do to make that first sale and to keep it going? In other words, how do you "succeed?"
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
...
Brevity, Foreshadowing, And Sanity
When should you distill an entire scene in a couple of sentences? Do you always have to write an entire scene to convey information? Also, how much foreshadowing is too much?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://ww...
Bibles, Fragments, and Corners
What's the best way to create a story bible? What about those little fragments you've written? How do you turn those into scenes or stories? Most importantly, however, how do you write yourself out a corner?
The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: htt...
Publishing Industry News...Now With AI!
Hachette pulls a book. Claude source code leaks. HarperCollins signs a deal with an AI animation studio....
The DRS Crew pontificates.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gift with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://di...
How Do You Climax?
You've taken your characters to the edge. The plot is nearly finished. Now it's time for the big reveal. How do you make it happen? The DRS Crew discusses.
DRS caffeinates with Larry's Coffee. If you want to purchase fair-trade, organically grown beans that brew into smooth, balanced, never-bitter coffee, visit LarrysCoffee.com/drs, receive a free gif with your purchase, and help support The Dead Robots' Society.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.co...
Sciency-Solutions and Technobabble
"Captain! The doomaflachie is reaching critical something-or-other!"
Science fiction literature is rife with technobabble, questionable science, and straight-up fantastical solutions to both celestial and relatively mundane problems. How much is too much? The DRS Crew discusses.
Our links:
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and for as little as $1 a month, you can help keep the podcast free and r...
Slimmin' Down and Toe-Taggin'
Publishers sometimes require a minimum word count, while magazines, contests, etc might impose a maximum word count. While adding words is easy, how do you decide what to cut?
Also, what is an "unhappily ever after" story, and why does Paul write them?
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and f...
The Lesson of John Wick
Paul is on a walkabout, so Terry and Veronica are on deck to extoll the virtues of John Wick. Chiefly, how he responds to animal abuse.
Join Terry and V as they discuss how best to use animals in stories. Also, what not to do... Unless...
Chat will bring their favorite pet.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? C...
John Wick Is Boring
Gunfights? Explosions? Marvelous melee mayhem? Non-stop action scenes that go on for dozens of minutes? Works great in visual media, but how well does it translate into literature?
The DRS Crew discusses.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and for as little as $1 a month, you can help keep the p...
Love, Lust, and Sex
It's Valentine's Day, and the DRS Crew is in the mood for romance. And maybe a little "rumpy-pumpy."
Chat will bring flowers and chocolate.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and for as little as $1 a month, you can help keep the podcast free and receive exclusive content. More information a...
Repeat The Plot?
The DRS Crew recently discussed violating reader expectations. But what should writers expect from their readers? Can you trust them to remember vital clues or key details? Or do you have to repeat them every so often?
The DRS Crew has thoughts. We're sure chat will, too.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Bu...
Space Opera With Dinosaurs!
When as a reader do you draw the line on suspension of disbelief? Should writers mash up genres without significant tells that the story will have left turns? And if you're going to write that kind of story, what should you be concerned about?
The DRS Crew discusses.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or...
Topic? What Topic?
The DRS Crew didn't do their homework and have nothing planned for today's lesson. Therefore, we'll regale you with whatever comes to mind...
Perhaps chat will help/hinder us.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and for as little as $1 a month, you can help keep the podcast free and r...
Happy New Year! Now Get To Work!
It's 2026, and the DRS Crew has plans. What are they doing to make 2026 more successful?
What are you doing to make your 2026 successful?
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and for as little as $1 a month, you can help keep the podcast free and receive exclusive content. More information at h...
2026 Approaches...
While Terry is on a walkabout, Paul and V discuss plans for 2026, including ad budgets, editing budgets, cover budgets, etc. Also? Aren't we supposed to write, too?
The DRS Crew discusses.
Our links:
Paul's store: https://payhip.com/paulecooley
Paul's site: https://shadowpublications.com
Terry's site: https://www.terrymixon.com/
Veronica: http://www.voicesbyveronica.com/
DRS Discord: https://discord.gg/pgmQxaVbGP
Enjoy the show? Consider becoming a Patreon or Buy Me A Coffee supporter and for as little as $1 a month, you can help keep the podcast f...
