21.38: Rules, Tools, and History’s Fools

On this episode

About this episode

“Tools, not rules” gets flipped on its head this week. Our hosts revisit the Turkey City Lexicon, a snarky collection of writing “rules” that circulated widely among speculative fiction writers in 1988, and ask what still holds up—and what happens when useful terminology turns into rigid prescription. From “show, don’t tell” to white room syndrome and TV Tropes, we look at our recurring desire for an easy answer to what makes writing work. Then everyone picks a writing hill they’re willing to die on. Homework: Make a time capsule of who you are as a writer right now. Write down one piece of writing advice that’s working for you, one you disagree with, and one writing hill you’ll die on.…