Best James Rasley Podcasts (2026)

1
Point of View in film 1:03:13

Play Pause

4y ago1:03:13

1:03:13

We've talked about character viewpoint in written fiction. That's pretty fundamental, because fiction is created out of words-- words of description and thought and feeling, and it's usually a character doing the describing, etc. Now let's examine how POV works in a very visual medium. You can learn more and enroll here! Building Bolder Scenes with…

1
Character Arc and Ending Questions 1:02:12

4y ago1:02:12

1:02:12

Characters should change-- but gradually, in response to plot events. You can learn more and enroll here! Building Bolder Scenes with Alicia Rasley Email me about the course: [email protected] Learn more about the Building Bolder Scenes course:https://bit.ly/building-bolder-scenes_blank Learn more about the Plot Blueprint course-- http…

1
Interactive Conflict 1:37:42

4y ago1:37:42

1:37:42

There are 3 main conflicts in fiction: External (outside) conflict Internal (inside) conflict Interactional (relationship) conflict. We're talking about the interactional kind-- the conflict that changes relationships in your story. Check out our Building Bolder Scenes course. You can learn more and enroll here! Building Bolder Scenes with Alicia R…

1
Point of No Return example-- from Casablanca- La Marseillaise scene discussion 54:30

4y ago54:30

54:30

Here we discuss "the most important nod in film". Oh, and "the greatest singalong in film." Same scene! This is the La Marseillaise scene from Casablanca, where: Rick defies the Nazis Laszlo risks his life to sing a song Ilsa remembers why she loves her husbands The Nazis back down (just for once), then double down Captain Renault says a funny. Wat…

1
Point of View Basics 1:32:21

4y ago1:32:21

1:32:21

POV basics podcast—Plot Blueprint Podcast Main types of POV: -- 1st person Omniscient Third person More here: POV Basics-- just examples we discuss on the podcast Questions to ask to help you choose what POV is best for your story Individualizing POV Get a free plotting article! http://bit.ly/AliciaRasleyStory Get notified of the intensive Revision…

1
Gaming a Game 1:25:03

4y ago1:25:03

1:25:03

Gaming a game James, the "game master (GM)" for different role-playing games, discusses building a world and a story in collaboration and in real-time. Planning a collaborative TT-RPG World-building on demand/on the fly Game master—what is role , how much control/responsibility do you have? Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you p…

1
Found Footage- Epistolary Stories Updated 1:37:17

4y ago1:37:17

1:37:17

"Found footage" refers to material, evidence, diaries, cassette tapes-- well, you'll have to listen! For story-writers, found footage can be a clever device to add a "meta" or postmodern layer to the story. Think of "Bridges of Madison County," which is a novel that pretends to be the "found footage" of a mother's journal. We'll discuss some exampl…

1
Setting as Character 1:16:09

4y ago1:16:09

1:16:09

n some of the most popular stories, the setting-- the "where and when"-- is so PRESENT that it is almost another character-- one that causes changes in the plot and grows in response to plot events. Think about the Millenium Falcon, Walter Moseley's postwar LA, Jane Austen's villages. We're discussing how to make your setting more than just a backd…

1
Listener Questions 4 acts 35:40

4+ y ago35:40

35:40

A listener asks, what if I don't have a three-act structure? What if I have 4 acts? How do I plot a story like that, with a lot of world-building and then a disaster in the middle? Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major character dev…

1
Antiheroes 56:39

4+ y ago56:39

56:39

Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major character developments? Then enroll in the Blueprint Your Plot course! Wanna try it out first? Here's a free course in creating sympathetic characters. Learn more about making your story and cha…

1
Prologues 43:53

4+ y ago43:53

43:53

"The past is prologue," said the Bard. What is a prologue? Why do so many readers love them? Why do so many editors hate them? We'll discuss what a prologue is, what it can do, and when it can be effective-- and how to make it a powerful intro to your story. New Course! Building Bolder Scenes. here's the link again: http://bit.ly/building-bolder-sc…

1
What's in a Name? 1:10:17

4+ y ago1:10:17

1:10:17

Some of us can't easily come up with character names. Some of us can't start a book without names for the character. What is in a name? Let's talk about how and when and what to name characters. Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major…

1
Choice of Games 46:50

4+ y ago46:50

46:50

There are all sorts of new ways to publish these days. Here's one that is a combination sort of == games and "choose your own adventure" books. It's called Choice of Games, and you can read more about it at: https://www.choiceofgames.com/ Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts a…

1
Epistolary Storytelling: Letters, Diaries, Found Footage 1:51:52

4+ y ago1:51:52

1:51:52

Found footage, letters to a loved one, and many more are discussed in this episode about this classical but nontraditional method of storytelling. Here we discuss different ways storywriters can use “found footage” and the “epistolary” (letter, journal) formats. It’s hard to describe, but novels, film, games—one innovative technique is to use envir…

1
Character Arc Questions 1:02:12

4+ y ago1:02:12

1:02:12

By James Rasley

1
Listener Questions 35:40

4+ y ago35:40

35:40

A listener asks about four-act plots. This is the structure of most disaster films. Sign up for our email list and get a free plotting article! http://bit.ly/AliciaRasleyStory Check out our Plot Blueprint website for more articles about the craft of writing. https://www.plotblueprint.com/ Join the Plot Blueprint Course! http://bit.ly/plotblueprint …

1
What We Wrote today- One of us just starting, one revising 46:14

4+ y ago46:14

46:14

Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major character developments? Then enroll in the Blueprint Your Plot course! http://bit.ly/plotblueprint Wanna try it out first? Here's a free course in creating sympathetic characters. https://bit.ly…

1
Foils 18:38

4+ y ago18:38

18:38

"Foils" refers to a pair of characters who have similar traits but different fates, like Hamlet and Laertes. You can use a foil to emphasize how a character's experiences, actions, and decisions change the resolution. New Course! Building Bolder Scenes. here's the link again: http://bit.ly/building-bolder-scenes Sign up for our email list and get a…

1
What We Wrote Today- Timed Exercise 53:11

4+ y ago53:11

53:11

What We Wrote Today is just that-- we do a writing exercise and then discuss what we wrote. Sign up for our email list and get a free plotting article! http://bit.ly/AliciaRasleyStory Check out our Plot Blueprint website for more articles about the craft of writing. https://www.plotblueprint.com/ Join the Plot Blueprint Course! http://bit.ly/plotbl…

1
Character Goals 2- Ending 44:46

4+ y ago44:46

44:46

This is the second part of the Goals discussion-- about how you can use goals to shape the ending of the story.By James Rasley, Alicia Rasley

1
The Goal of Goals- beginning of stories 1:01:45

4+ y ago1:01:45

1:01:45

We discuss the goal of goals-- to give the character something to do, to deepen the characterization, to give structure to the plot. We'll talk about the beginning of goals here, and in the next episode, we'll talk about how to use the goal to structure the ending of the story. Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your stor…

1
SPICE: Starting your story with Emotion 56:38

4+ y ago56:38

56:38

By Alicia Rasley, James Rasley

1
SPICE: Starting the Story with Character 1:23:15

4+ y ago1:23:15

1:23:15

By James Rasley, Alicia Rasley

1
SPICE: Idea 1:18:00

4+ y ago1:18:00

1:18:00

By James Rasley, Alicia Rasley

1
SPICE: Where do I start my story? PLOT 44:15

4+ y ago44:15

44:15

By James Rasley

1
SPICE- Where do I start my story? SETTING 44:15

4+ y ago44:15

44:15

By Alicia, James, Alicia Rasley

1
Episode Zero 28:50

5+ y ago28:50

28:50

EPISODE NOTES Are you interested in a comprehensive course to help you plot your story from start to finish, all three acts and nine turning points, along with the major character developments? Then enroll in the Blueprint Your Plot course! Wanna try it out first? Here's a free course in creating sympathetic characters: Get a free plotting article!…