Dissecting Dragons  By  cover art

Dissecting Dragons

By: J.A. Ironside & M.E. Vaughan
  • Summary

  • Authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan talk about books, films and all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
    Copyright 2016 . All rights reserved.
    Show more Show less
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT
Episodes
  • Episode 426: Change, Uncertainty and Unhappiness - making low stakes compelling
    Jul 26 2024

    Not every story can be or needs to be high octane intensity. In fact some of the best books are objectively quiet affairs. Low stakes does not mean low story or lack of compelling reading or viewing experience however. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at why low stakes can be just as enthralling as high stakes, and in many ways can provide deeper connections between the reader and the characters. How do you make a low stakes story compelling? What are the dos and don'ts of writing low stakes? And how do you keep a reader's attention focused on your MC when the world isn't ending?

    On the slab this week - Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness, Swordheart by T Kingfisher and many more.

    Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 7 mins
  • Episode 425: A Thousand Ships - The Awkward Side of Retelling Greek Myths
    Jul 18 2024

    Myths and stories from the classical world have always been popular inspiring works of art, poetry, books and plays across centuries. Lately, Greek mythology has enjoyed an even bigger revival powered by the era of the 'feminist retelling'. However, while many of these books may be enjoyable stories in their own right, they are almost always bad retellings of the original source material - although 'original' is a relative term. This week, Jules and Madeleine take a frank look at why this happens, why overlaying a modern lens over literature that is several thousand years old is often doomed to failure and how you can find a balance between anachronistically modern and incomprehensively contemporaneous with the original. On the slab this week - A Thousand Ships - Natalie Haynes, The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller, The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker and many more.

    Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 43 mins
  • Episode 424: Starving Artists and Worshipped Writers - unrealistic depictions of creatives in Film and TV
    Jul 12 2024

    Every profession has at some point suffered from misrepresentation in fiction, however the inaccurate way writers are often depicted in screenplays is especially ironic. However, the dragons do acknowledge that exaggeration and outright fabrication often make for better storytelling so with that in mind, Jules and Madeleine take a look at the main writer character types used in fiction. From tormented geniuses to hardbitten hacks, this tongue in cheek episode is full of characterisation ideas if you ever want to include a writer character in your own writing.

    On the slab this week - Argylle, Limitless, The Help and many more.

    Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 41 mins

What listeners say about Dissecting Dragons

Average customer ratings

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.