Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast

25/01/2024

Hit this milestone this week! Thanks to all listeners. I love sharing thoughts about Buffy with you.

23/01/2024

The 2021 movie Our Father is one of the best movies I've seen in a very long time. It's a quiet film where two young women go in search of their estranged uncle after their father's death. Set in Chicago, though as I note in my review (link below) I didn't recognize any of the locales so I'm not sure if it was really filmed here. See what you think.

23/01/2024

In Grave (S6 E22 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), the gang tries to stop Willow from ending the world and Buffy and Dawn battle beneath the earth. But who is the protagonist?

Having more than one protagonist, or a group as a protagonist, can be tricky.

And does the danger Willow poses sideline Buffy’s subplot, making it low stakes or no stakes? (no pun intended)

More on this, along with a recap of Grave, in the latest Buffy and the Art of Story podcast episode. Listen on YouTube, my author website, or in your favorite podcast app. Links in the comments.

09/01/2024

Back from holiday break - in Two To Go Willow shifts from antagonist to true villain. And she's so much more interesting than Buffy. (Sorry, Buffy.)

Listen on your favorite podcast app, YouTube, or my author website. Links in the comments.

20/12/2023

Which Buffy holiday episode most captures the spirit of the season? Which is your favorite?

This bonus episode of the Buffy and the Art of Story podcast compares and contrasts the 6 holiday episodes (and 1 flashback).

Thank you for listening to the podcast this year and season's greetings.

Listen on my author website, your favorite podcast app, or YouTube. Links in the comments. Enjoy!

11/12/2023

Faith Redux! Buffy & the Art of Story is on a holiday break, but you can listen to my take on the Faith crossover episode Five by Five on my favorite Angel podcast Wolfram & Cast! Listen on your favorite podcast app. Link in the comments below.

13/11/2023

In Villains (S6 E20), Warren flees, Buffy and friends grapple with Tara’s death, and Willow’s out for revenge. Or is it justice? Listen on YouTube, my author website, or in your favorite podcast app. Links in the comments.

30/10/2023

Multiple motives abound in Seeing Red, the toughest Buffy episode to talk about. Themes of trust, misogyny, and being a “real man” run through the story as it moves toward the heartrending final moments.

Listen on YouTube, my author website, or in your favorite podcast app. Links in the comments.

18/10/2023

Thanks to everyone who preordered the new Buffy and the Art of Story book or ordered the ebook on the first day! Hitting No. 1 is always a great way to start. And it helps new readers and writers find the book.

16/10/2023

In Entropy, Anya and Spike bond over being rejected and Xander is once again horrible to everyone. Along with the recap, I look at:

(1) locked conflicts in key relationships - though, for a change, not between Buffy and Dawn;
(2) how Xander/Anya and Buffy/Spike mirror one another;
(3) why Dawn is actually likeable in this episode;
(4) writing engaging exposition; and
(5) scene cuts that maximize emotional impact.

Listen on YouTube, my author website, or in your favorite podcast app. Links in the comments.

14/10/2023

So fun to hear Spike’s and Cordelia’s voices again! Listened to the first 45 minutes of Slayers last night and loved it. Planning to try to draw it out by listening a little at a time.

06/10/2023

New Release: Buffy and the Art of Story Season Three Part 1: Write More Gripping Plots, Characters, And Themes By Watching Buffy

What can you learn about fiction writing from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

How about how to create gripping plots, characters, and themes that speak to the audience decades later?

This book delves into each episode of the first half of Season Three of the cult TV series. Each chapter includes questions to help you improve your own writing and storytelling.

If you love Buffy, and you love creating stories – or just taking them apart to see how they work – this book is for you.

Order the paperback or preorder the ebook today. Links in the comments or check my author website.

03/10/2023

Don't miss the recap of Normal Again, where Buffy hallucinates that she’s in a psychiatric facility and her parents are still alive. Also:

(1) Why a kind, compassionate doctor character makes Normal Again more disturbing
(2) Conveying exposition when all the characters already know what’s happening
(3) Adding very new backstory to a long-running storyline

Listen on my author website or on YouTube. Links in the comments.

21/09/2023

Coming Soon!

20/09/2023

What do all the mirrors means in Hells Bells (S6 E16 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer)? Anya looks into one as she practices her vows. Xander surveys himself in a tuxedo before he makes his fateful decision. Willow and Tara are reflected as they reconnect.

The mirrors might reflect the characters' inner lives, as so many of the struggles in this episode are internal.

More in the new Buffy and the Art of Story podcast episode. Listen on YouTube, my author website, or in your favorite podcast app. Links in the comments.

14/09/2023

How did I not know about this? An original Buffy story on Audible starting October 12. Can't tell whether it's a single episode or an on-going series. But includes Spike, so I'll listen either way.

Two decades after the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” finale, James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Anthony Head, Juliet Landau, Emma Caulfield Ford, Amber Benson, James Charles Leary, Danny Strong and Laya DeLeon Hayes reunite for a supernatural audio original.

10/09/2023

At the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago today until 2 PM.

04/09/2023

Why does Riley look so much taller - and so much more James Bond-y - in Season 6's As You Were? And is his wife Sam meant to be a real character? Are Riley and Spike acting out of character? Answers to these questions, plus a recap, in this week's Buffy and the Art of Story episode.

Links in the comments or listen on your favorite podcast app.

21/08/2023

Dawn’s feeling left out and it’s Buffy’s birthday – what could go wrong? Along with the recap, this podcast episode focuses on:

(1) small moments that create deep conflict; (2) protagonist problems; (3) two demons but no antagonists? (4) a lot happening - but slowly.

More in the podcast episode Older and Far Away (S6 E14 of Buffy and the Art of Story). Links in the comments or listen on your favorite podcast app.

18/08/2023

Joss helps proofread the book edition of Buffy and the Art of Story Season 3 Part 1. So close to finishing!