Ballads of Beyond

We are given an introduction to our world and setting through a stolen woman and her secret daughter. (Awkward discussion ensues because we’re still learning how to podcast.)

Our heroine is given a once in a lifetime chance to escape and see the world, and we explore the magic system. Bekah and Debbie discuss the beauty of simplicity in writing.

Evenn and her new travelling companions are sent off on a dangerous mission (already). Debbie and Bekah talk about character backgrounds that were accidentally not expounded on.

Evenn's face-to-face with her first banshee, and that's not even the worst fight she's going to have today. Beks and Debbie also discuss the varying confidence of different beginners, and how long it takes to master a craft.

Evenn follows banshee-Daer all the way to a mysterious Cavern (oooh, I wonder if that's important). Debbie and Beks discuss the unintuitive ways the three main characters fit together, and the subtle objectification of characters in books.

Don't forget to show us your fan-art of Evenn's visions! The ship, the baby, the god, the mirrors, and the roads... What are you imagining? What are your theories?

We deep-dive into Daer's childhood, and then the truth accidentally... falls out of Evenn's mouth. Oops. Beks and Debbie analyse the romance and chemistry between the two (hidden though it may be at this moment).

Daer and Evenn are going back to the Cavern, but not before a Stern Word from a sleep-deprived Tip. And Debbie and Beks share their technique for making sure the middle of your story-cake is fully cooked.

Daer and Evenn go through the Cavern and out the other side... followed by an unwelcome visitor. Beks and Debbie share some of the beloved scenes they've deleted for a good story, and some they locked away forever.

You are all invited to join our Killed Darlings Memorial Service in the comments. Share the scenes you've deleted and light a candle in their memory. Tea and scones served at 4.

Haftan's eyes are on the Cavern, and the Battle of Puca is beginning. With a conspicuously absent Daer and Evenn (and Spud), Tip must face his history with the Cavern alone. Later, Debbie and Beks discuss their favourite villains... and those they relate to.

Haftan is trying to break Tip, and Evenn and Daer have a sneak-peek into the immediate future… and the consequences of failure. Beks and Debbie discuss building stakes and breaking characters.

As Daer dies (there’s a countdown), he and Evenn share a moment. Debbie and Beks discuss Daer’s arc and how to kill characters well.

We see Tip’s Level Up from his own perspective, and Haftan takes advantage of the situation in his usual fashion. Beks and Debbie solve a plot hole and share some of the struggles of writing time travel.

Haftan, Evenn, Tip and SPUD are world-hopping, where they meet a certain mysterious woman and her baby, and find some answers they’d rather not have discovered. Debbie and Beks discuss deus ex machina, plotting vs pantsing, and co-authoring.

Note: you're not crazy; this is episode 13. Please understand that Debbie is a musician and therefore cannot count above 12.

Daer meets a long-lost father in another world, while Tip and Evenn struggle to get him back before the paths between worlds close for good. Beks and Debbie discuss enemies to lovers and Daer's character arc.

Tip and Evenn are working hard to bring Daer (and Ozan) home. And there’s a KISS. And Beks and Debbie discuss rise and fall in tension, and writing wholesome and selfless romantic epiphanies (when you’ve never had a romantic epiphany 🥲). 

Daer and Evenn return to the manor where it all began, to reunite with their parents. Beks and Debbie wrap up loose ends, share their opinions on writing endings, and the panic-inducing amnesia of multitasking projects. (Season final.)