Bards and Balladeers Podcast

We’ve talked about the Hero’s Journey, traveling in stories, vehicles, weapons, and even maps. But what makes for a good QUEST? We explore the elements that make a quest feel real and satisfying, how obstacles and...

Character backgrounds and how they influence motivations and thus the story. How do we go about writing backgrounds for characters, and how do different backgrounds affect motivations? We've spoken before about...

We recommend stories all the time, but what actually makes a recommendation good? We explore how our tastes, relationships, and favorite story elements shape what we recommend, why we trust certain people to know what...

Children see the world differently, and that perspective can make them some of the most compelling characters in a story. We explore how to write child characters who feel authentic, relatable, and capable of growth...

"Show, don't tell" is one of the most common pieces of writing advice, but every storyteller relies on exposition at some point. We explore when exposition strengthens a story and when it becomes a crutch. Why some...

We have talked about character motivations, but what are the different kinds of characters themselves? From heroes and protectors to outlaws, drifters, idealists, and every archetype in between, we explore why these...

Exploring the open-ended nature of worldbuilding. Need a tavern? A planet? A forest? An artifact? How do you decide what to create in depth, what to revisit later, and what works best as a one-time set piece? How do we...

It's time to revisit tropes, this time through the lens of genre. From fantasy quests and locked-room mysteries to haunted houses, starships, love triangles, and historical epics, we explore the recurring plots and...

We always hear that talking about the weather is boring, yet everyone does it. Why? Because weather shapes daily life, influences decisions, and affects every character whether they acknowledge it or not. We explore how...

What drives a character to make the choices they do? We explore how motivations, priorities, and self-perception shape a character's actions, and why who they believe they are often differs from how others see them...

What is a myth, and what sets it apart from other kinds of stories? We explore why myths have endured across generations, how people respond to them, and what makes them so compelling even today. From creating new myths...

Sometimes a story begins with a single step into the unknown. Whether through a wardrobe, a portal, a dream, a wormhole, or a fracture in time, we are fascinated by the experience of encountering realities beyond our...

Why do we care about ignorant, simple, slow, delusional, or even genuinely foolish characters? Because they are part of reality, and stories lose something when every character is clever, educated, and always right. We...

<p>They say it is all about the journey, but what makes the journey matter? We explore how traveling from place to place can drive plot, reveal cultures and histories, challenge characters, and slowly uncover the world...

<p>A timeless story is not something you can force from the beginning. It emerges when every major pillar of storytelling works together in harmony. We explore what gives stories lasting power, why certain worlds and...