Rationally Writing
Episodes
Episode 69 - Political Violence in Fiction
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander talk about the various pitfalls, contradictions, and complications in writing heroes or villains who commit political violence.....
Episode 68 - Red Heart (Guest: Max Harms)
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alex invite Max back on the podcast to talk about his new novel, Red Heart, a modern sci-fi thriller that follows an American spy se...
Episode 68 - Red Heart (Guest: Max Harms)
05 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alex invite Max back on the podcast to talk about his new novel, Red Heart, a modern sci-fi thriller that follows an American spy se...
Episode 67 - MTG Colors, Writing Tops & Bottoms (Guest: TK17)
19 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander hang out with Duncan Sabien (TK17) at LessOnline, and invite him back on the show to chat about his views on the Magic the Gathe...
Episode 66 - The Crystal Trilogy (Guest: Max Harms)
03 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander hang out with Max Harms at LessOnline, and invite him to record an episode on his books Crystal Society, Crystal Mentality, and ...
Episode 65 - AI and Contemporary Fiction
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander talk about AI in writing, both for creating fiction and its impact on writing fiction set in the modern world. Hosted by ...
Episode 64 - Utopian Fiction
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander record in front of a live audience at LessOnline to talk about Utopian Fiction; what it is, why it's so rare, and what it sa...
Episode 63 - Reader Feedback II (Guest: Velorien)
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Short episode where Daystar and Alexander speak with Velorien, one of the writers of Marked for Death, to discuss the impact of reader feedback in ...
Episode 62 - Money in Fiction
27 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the role of money and class in fiction, and how it can affect, or fail to affect, their decisions and interactions. Hos...
Episode 61 - Subverting Expectations (Guest: Jamie Wahls)
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alex and I attended a writing retreat with some other authors in the rationality community, and while there decided to host an impromptu episode on su...
Episode 60 - Animorphs: The Reckoning (Guest: TK17/Duncan Sabien)
15 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we're joined once again by Duncan Sabien, aka TK17, to discuss his incredible rationalfic, Animorphs: The Reckoning. It was recorded shortly aft...
Episode 59 - Worth the Candle Postmortem
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we discuss Alexander's original serial fiction, Worth the Candle, and the various decisions and aspects of the story that came up throughout the...
Episode 58 - Gender in Fiction
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss gender in fiction, and how it cultural gender norms or deviances can inform not just character personalities but can be ...
Episode 57 - Species in Fiction
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss using different species or "races" in fiction, and how it informs characters and is addressed by different types of stor...
Episode 56 - Race in Fiction
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss race in fiction, or rather, species, and how it informs characters and is addressed by different types of stories. Co-ho...
Episode 55 - Politics in Fiction
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss politics as a plot device, and and political fiction as a genre. Co-hosted by Alexander Wales With thanks to Tim Yarbrou...
Episode 54 - Irrational Fiction
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss irrational or non-rational fiction. Co-hosted by Alexander Wales With thanks to Tim Yarbrough for the Intro/Outro ...
Episode 53 - Horror
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss horror in fiction, and the unique challenges and opportunities that come with rational horror. Co-hosted by Alexander Wa...
Episode 52 - Dropped Threads
25 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss dropped threads and side plots in stories, what tends to lead to them and how to manage them as you go. Timestamps 2:34 ...
Episode 51 - Character Flaws
17 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss character flaws; what makes for good ones, how to avoid Mary Sues, and why some flaws show up so often compared to other...
Episode 50 - Abandoning Stories
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the reasons authors abandon stories before they're finished, whether they want to or not. Hosted by Daystar Eld and Alex...
Episode 49 - Ideological Turing Test
27 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss Ideological Turing Tests; what they are, why they're important in fiction, and how to try to pass them as best you can. ...
Episode 48 - Romance
19 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss romance in fiction, particularly in finding meaningful romantic conflicts as either the major plot, or as a subplot in a...
Episode 47 - Timeskips
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the value and pitfalls of using time skips, long and short. Timestamps: 1:13 The Two Axes 11:51 Rules for Timeskips 25...
Episode 46 Bonus
10 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bonus bit of conversation from Episode 46.
Episode 46 - Story Research
11 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the common necessities of research for writing fiction. 0:30 A Stable of Experts 12:49 Inspirational Research 19:15 S...
Episode 45 - Writing as a Skill (Guest: Kuiper)
13 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander are joined by professional game writer Kuiper to discuss writing as a skill, or rather a set of skills, and the ways people can ...
Episode 44 - World Building II (Guest: Erratic Errata)
09 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest Erratic Errata joins Daystar and Alexander to discuss more aspects of world building, particularly in his serial A Practical Guide to Ev...
Episode 43 - Reader Feedback
27 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss reader feedback, and taking criticism constructively. Timestamps: 2:02 Paretto's Principle 6:30 Trends and Spikes 19...
Episode 42 - Worth the Candle (Guest: CthulhuRaeJepsen)
13 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest CthulhuRaeJepsen joins the podcast to discuss pseudonyms, and his story Worth the Candle. Timestamps: 2:19 Writing Under Pseudonym ...
Episode 41 - Worldbuilding: Second Order Effects
08 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss worldbuilding, and why considering second-order effects is so important to making it rational, and can help in finding o...
Episode 40 - Review: The Prestige
10 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander review the movie The Prestige, and explore what made it such a well constructed, perhaps even rational, work of fiction. Timest...
Episode 39 - Children in Fiction
13 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss children in fiction, including what makes them realistic and why reactions to them can vary so widely. Timestamps 0:31...
Episode 38 - The Medium of Prose Fiction
11 Nov 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the unique aspects of the various mediums of prose fiction, and how new technologies introduce new opportunities and cha...
Episode 37 - Power Dynamics
09 Oct 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss how to plan out and navigate different power dynamics to keep your stories engaging. Time Stamps 0:42 Power in Fiction...
Episode 36 - Effective Brainstorming
08 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore brainstorming, and how trope lists, patterns, and symmetry can be used to come up with new takes on old ideas.
Episode 35 - Breaking the Story
15 Jul 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore how to "break the story" when outlining its plot and character arcs. Time Stamps: 00:49 What is Breaking the Story? 5...
Episode 34 - Review of Dark Wizard of Donkerk (Spoilers)
18 Jun 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander review Alex's latest NaNoWriMo book, The Dark Wizard Of Donkerk. Time Stamps: 1:12 Magic Systems 9:18 The Twist 15:53 Spirit...
Episode 33 - Review of Pokemon: OoS (Spoilers to Ch. 43)
20 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander review some of each other's writing, starting with Pokemon: The Origin of Species 3:30 Planning the story 8:36 Present Tense ...
Episode 32 - Multiple Perspectives (Guest: TK17)
06 May 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander are joined by special guest Duncan Sabien (TK17) to discuss multiple perspectives in fiction, including common pitfalls and bene...
Episode 31 - Action Scenes
23 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss action scenes and how to ensure they're engaging and meaningful. Timestamps: 1:23 Action Scenes in Different Mediums ...
Episode 30 - Literary Fiction
15 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss literary fiction, its values and failure modes, and its similarities and differences from rational fiction. 01:20 What ...
Episode 29 - Creative Appropriation, Part 2
08 Apr 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discusses the value of new settings opposed to using an established one, and the idea of others using their own stories and idea...
Episode 28 - Creative Appropriation, Part 1
26 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss creative appropriation, aka "stealing," and the philosophy and benefits behind it. 01:03 How to not be original 11:10 ...
Episode 27 - Description
20 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore the differences between good description and bad description, and analyze examples of descriptions from novels. Timesta...
Episode 26 - Tabletop RPGs and Writing
11 Mar 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore the differences between GMing a tabletop RPG and writing a story. 01:04 Gaming creds 05:10 Starting a story vs an RPG....
Episode 25 - Endings
19 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore what makes endings satisfying, effective, or just annoying. 2:41 What makes endings satisfying? 15:23 Alternate ending...
Episode 24 - Beginnings
14 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the beginnings of stories, and what goes into an effective or boring start. Time Stamps: 0:35 What's in a Beginning? ...
Episode 23 - Force Awakens vs Rogue One
04 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Daystar and Alexander do their first review by comparing the various rationalities and irrationalities of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and ...
Episode 22 - Bottom Up Storytelling
22 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander and Daystar discuss Bottom Up Storytelling, bring up common pitfalls to avoid, and explore some homespun examples. Timestamps 00:35 Top Do...
Episode 21 - Top Down Storytelling
14 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss how authors explore social and political systems through top-down storytelling. Timestamps: 0:25 Top Down World Buildi...
Episode 20 - Religion in Fiction
07 Jan 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the common pitfalls and problems surrounding religious beliefs in fiction, and how to avoid mistakes that can turn off ...
Episode 19 - Exposition
18 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss exposition: the good, the bad, and the common pitfalls. Timestamps: 0:45 Exposition vs Narrative 4:38 Bad Exposition ...
Episode 18 - Writer's Block (Guest: Eaglejarl)
10 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Special guest Eaglejarl joins Daystar and Alexander to discuss their experiences of the dreaded writer's block, including ways to avoid and get throug...
Episode 17 - Serial Fiction, Part 2
20 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander finish discussing serial fiction, namely, chapter length, serial structure, and the need for continuous character growth and new...
Episode 16 - Serial Fiction, Part 1
14 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss serial fiction's history, pros and cons, and how to navigate scheduling. Timestamps 0:45 Features and History 10:30 P...
Episode 15 - Multiverse
07 Nov 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore the different types of Multiverse stories, and how to make them compelling and rational. Timestamps: 0:40 Why we enjoy...
Episode 14 - Time Travel
24 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander and Daystar discuss the ways Time Travel manifests in fiction, and the various challenges and story space created by each. Timestamps 0:30...
Episode 13 - Prophecies
16 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss some of the major problems with prophecies in stories, and ways to potentially avoid the major pitfalls. Timestamps: 1...
Episode 12 - Story Structure, Part 2
12 Oct 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander go into detail on ways to adjust story structures to more rational stories. Timestamps 00:35 Story structures in rational fict...
Episode 11 - Story Structure, Part 1
25 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Alexander and Daystar explore the different ways of planning out and structuring stories, and give examples of their strengths and weaknesses. Time S...
Episode 10 - Antagonists, Part 2
18 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore how to match antagonists against protagonists, how villains should push heroes, and other ways to structure compelling a...
Episode 9 - Antagonists, Part 1
10 Sep 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander explore what makes for compelling story antagonists, and discuss some of their favorites. Timestamps 0:34 What Makes an Antago...
Episode 8 - Types of Conflict
27 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander describe five of the major types of conflicts in storytelling, and the pitfalls and strengths of each. Timestamps: 00:30 Why d...
Episode 7 - Magic Systems, Part 2
20 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander continue discussing magic systems, including advice on constructing one that's rational and compelling. Timestamps: 1:10 Sande...
Episode 6 - Magic Systems, Part 1
13 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss what makes a magic system, what their purpose and function is, and some of the pitfalls and challenges to creating effec...
Episode 5 - Rule of Cool
08 Aug 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss the Rule of Cool trope, and how rational fiction tries to create organically cool moments without sacrificing the story'...
Episode 4 - Fanfiction
31 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
What are the pros and cons of writing fanfiction, and what types of fanfiction work best to inspire rational fiction? Timestamps: 0:40 The Three Typ...
Episode 3 - Originality
24 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
In a world where "everything is a remix," what's so important about originality, and how can you help your writing be original?
Episode 2 - Tropes
16 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Daystar and Alexander discuss what tropes are, why they exist, how they're often used (or misused) in fiction, and a few ways to avoid bad tropes in r...
Episode 0 - History
10 Jul 2016
Contributed by Lukas
A brief history of the Rational and Rationalist fiction genres, their roots in the LessWrong community, and the influences from flagship authors of HP...
Episode 1 - What is Rational Writing?
13 Feb 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Webserial authors Daystar Eld and Alexander Wales share their thoughts on what rational writing is, and describe the Rational and Rationalist writing ...