In this 56th episode of Bald and Bloviating, Mookie Spitz takes the scalpel and chainsaw to one of the most destructive habits in writing: H.A.I.T.E. — “Here’s An Idea, The End.” Too many writers fall in love with clever concepts, elaborate world-building, and exposition, while forgetting the timeless truth that stories live or die on the backs of characters in motion, solving problems to attain clearly expressed goals. Drama isn’t built on ideas, instead on people fighting for something they desperately want.
Mookie unpacks how this mistake derailed his own early attempts at writing longer narratives, especially science-fiction — stories bloated with devices, poker-game gems, and multiverse mechanics — before he finally found his voice by scrapping empty constructs and letting a flawed anti-hero drive the narrative. Along the way, he pulls wisdom from David Mamet, Trey Parker & Matt Stone, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and even the heartbreak of Sylvester and the Magic Pebble.
He doesn't just rant against passive writing habits, but offers a manifesto for storytelling that bleeds, sweats, and cries through its characters. Whether you’re a novelist, screenwriter, or aspiring creator stuck in the swamp of “cool ideas,” this episode is a wake-up call: stop writing for your ego, start writing from the heart. Because only when your protagonist struggles, suffers, and survives — or fails — does the audience feel the catharsis they came for.
Early Failed "H.A.I.T.E."-ful Short Story
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