Writing is Dumb.

February 20

1h 4m

Episode Description

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As Matt recovers from an illness he likely picked up at some auction for 19th century farm equipment, Kevin flies solo to give us some new insights on his ongoing novel “Sleep Warrior.” To be more specific, he’s cracking down on why most writing advice doesn’t survive contact with a complicated book, and why tips from fellow authors often fall flat.

We take some time for a deep dive into the plethora of writing structures and methods out there, which leads us to a bigger question: why do so many authors struggle to finish their books? Well, Kevin thinks he has a solution. He introduces us to his “sandbox theory” that just might reveal the root cause of what’s bogging all these writers down.

On a more candid note, Kevin talks about how the pace of his writing has changed over the last few months, and how a recent discovery completely changed his perspective on his entire workflow.

After that, we confirm a hotly contested issue as a universal truth: LENGTH MATTERS…in writing books, that is. That takes us into an analysis of Brandon Sanderson’s advice, and how it completely flipped the way Kevin views the relationship between the reader and every chapter of a story.

We round things off with a sobering question: Who cares? Is writing fiction in 2026 completely irrational? But, perhaps more importantly and in spite of all that…why doesn’t Kevin care?

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CREDITS:

Hosts: Kevin Lieber and Matt Tabor

Executive Producer: Ben Webster

Editor: Spencer Vann

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