Dissecting Dragons

Episode 263: The Blade Itself - the Genesis of the Sword in History, Mythology and Speculative Fiction

Any SFF reader will recognise a sword as an archetypal object with a myriad types of symbolism even before you get into it's designated uses. Swords with names, swords with magical powers, swords used to perform great and terrible deeds are rife in mythology all over the world. This week the dragons take a look at this elegant and deadly weapon, following a trail through history, various martial styles, folklore and finally into how blades have been used in speculative fiction. On the slab this week The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman, Star Wars, Excalibur, The Neverending Story by Michael Ende and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic 

Episode 262: Of Liking and Loathing - How to Hook Readers on your Characters

One of the most difficult things for most writers is finding their target audience. Assuming you've managed the basics - finishing a book, selling/ publishing it, packaging it to appeal to your target audience - how do you hook a new reader and keep them reading? One of the key things to consider is writing compelling, narratively likeable characters. (This doesn't mean they need to be conventionally likeable of course!) In this episode Jules and Madeleine get in the weeds on what makes a character compelling, how to design a character from the ground up and how to apply these tactics to side characters. As well as the authors' own work, this week's line up includes A Court of Thorns and Roses, Wuthering Heights and many more.

 

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Episode 261: Reading the Classics - Hidden Meaning and Censorship in Stoker, Bronte and Shelley

Every so often the dragons like to go off on a tangent and look at something that's slightly outside their usual podcasting terrain. This week Jules and Madeleine tackle the question: are you really reading what you think you're reading? Publishing, mindset and the context of the time something was written in can vastly change it's essential meaning, and that's before the inheritors of a writer's estate start chopping and changing things! Using Frankenstein, Dracula and the Tenant of Wildfell Hall as examples, the dragons take you on a tour of the story behind the story. It's a wild ride.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 260: Links and Linguistics - Why Word Choice Matters in Writing

Writing on it's most fundamental level is putting the right words in the write order with the intention of communicating your meaning, often in the form of a story. But are there words which should be off the table when it comes to storytelling? Why do authors pick the words they do? How do you shape prose to create a style that is true both to your voice and the story? And what exactly is euphonics in terms of writing? Reaching new depths of nerd-dom, this week the dragons look at words. From etymology to being authentic to story (without being a dick), Jules and Madeleine have got you covered.

 

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Episode 259: Taking a Toxicity Reading - Criticism and Compromise in Speculative Fiction

The bookish community has its fair share of people with opinions and most of the time that's a good thing. However there are times when differences of opinions on speculative fiction lead to figurative blows and even all kinds of nastiness. One of the big issues seems to be whether a reader or viewer can enjoy something which someone else considers problematic. And one of the problems is that criticism which starts off as reasonable either becomes abusive or is met with abuse. This week the dragons delve into this thorny subject with a look at why, how and what to do to avoid these situations spiraling.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 258: Frills and Flirtations - What Clothing brings to Speculative Fiction

Whether you're a dedicated follower of fashion, a bit of a clothes horse or see clothing as a necessity rather than a pleasure or form of self expression, clothes feed into how we are judged since they make up part of our appearance. This is also true in speculative fiction - clothing can signal political or religious affiliations, enhance world building, describe character and a fulfil a number of other tasks as well. This week the dragons move well outside their element and look at how clothing and fashion are used in books, TV and films to support (or not!) speculative fiction. Under the microscope this week - Bridgerton, The Hunger Games, Frozen, A Court of Thorns and Roses and many more. Join Jules and Madeleine for a sartorial ramble.

 

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Episode 257: Peacekeepers to Punishers - The Police Force in Speculative Fiction

Science fiction and fantasy have often provided a testing ground for examining old idea and testing new ones. This can be especially true of potentially contentious issues such as 'who does power belong to?' This week the dragons take a look at how law enforcement organisations are portrayed in speculative fiction - from The Watch books of Terry Pratchett's Discworld franchise to the totalitarian Peacekeepers of Farscape. Why is this trope so common in various sub genres of speculative fiction and how does it reflect our real societal issues? On the slab this week - Michelle Sagara's Cast series, Tamora Pierce's Beka Cooper series, Star Trek TNG, Life on Mars and many more.

 

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Episode 256: Assembling the Skeleton - Showing, Telling and Cutting Out Scenes in Speculative Fiction

It may sound counterintuitive, especially to newer writers, but leaving scenes out actually makes your book stronger and more engaging. So how do work out what to cut or which darlings to murder, whilst still meeting your audience's expectations? This week Jules and Madeleine take an in depth look at how to put together 'good bones' for a book - a skeleton that will hold the story you want to tell. From the throughline (both individual novel and series) to character arcs, child arcs and the anatomy of a scene, the dragons will discuss how to structure a story without losing your sense of direction. Under the microscope this week - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Game of Thrones and many more.

 

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Episode 255: The Trials and Triumphs of 2020

Its safe to say that 2020 is one of the most tumultuous years the world has experienced for some time. The warm up act was fire, storms and floods. The main event was a global pandemic unlike anything seen for a century. And as a bit of light relief, the UK, US and many other places have also had massive political upheavals. 

It could be tempting to succumb to gloom but as the dragons do their yearly wrap up, they have chosen to make this episode about hope. Lots of good things happened in 2020 too - it was just easy to miss them with everything else taking up time on the news. o join Jules and Madeleine as they look at the best bits of 2020, both macroscopically and on a personal level.

 

The Dragons wish all heir listeners a very Happy New Year

 

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Episode 254: Blood on the Snow - The Darker Christmas Stories

It's now something of a tradition for the dragons to tackle the yearly Christmas episode by telling you something mildly horrifying about Christmas traditions. This year, Jules and Madeleine have delved further than ever before into the practices and traditions that predate the ideal of a modern winter festival. Looking at everything from Wren Hunts to Seasonal Monarchs, Krampus to Christmas Trees, this is an episode for those of you who want a little break from the saccharine slant of the season.

 

Wishing all our listeners a very Merry Christmas, Cool Yule or non-denominational winter celebration of your choice.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic