<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Xero Hour Podcast — Episode Summary (October 18, 2025)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In this reflective walking episode, Xero shares practical and philosophical advice for new authors while taking a rainy stroll. The discussion centers on lessons learned from his own writing journey, touching on &lt;strong&gt;worldbuilding, story structure, realism, and formatting discipline&lt;/strong&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;🧠 Writing Philosophy &amp; Lessons for Beginners&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xero begins by explaining that while he once told new writers to “&lt;strong&gt;build the world first&lt;/strong&gt;,” he’s since seen how excessive worldbuilding can trap authors into endless lore dumps. He now advises setting context quickly—like the “a long time ago” intro in &lt;em&gt;Star Wars&lt;/em&gt;—before zooming into the story’s human core (e.g., a character buying a burnt bagel). Info dumps, he says, should never exceed a page or two.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He critiques the urge to make everything fantastical for its own sake—the “&lt;strong&gt;purple florbin problem&lt;/strong&gt;,” where a writer renames a rabbit for novelty’s sake. Instead, speculative fiction should remain tethered to &lt;strong&gt;reality and truth&lt;/strong&gt;. Breaking too many natural rules makes a story incoherent and unrelatable, while removing spiritual reality (as in &lt;em&gt;K-Pop Demon Hunters&lt;/em&gt;, he notes) leaves characters without moral or divine context.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;🛠️ Formatting &amp; Technical Tips&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Drawing from a current formatting project, Xero emphasizes the importance of &lt;strong&gt;proper document structure&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Use real “Header” styles for chapters so digital tools can recognize them.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* Remember that &lt;strong&gt;page count balloons&lt;/strong&gt; when resizing from 8.5×11 to book dimensions like 6×9 or 5.5×8.5.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* His personal preference: &lt;strong&gt;5.5×8.5&lt;/strong&gt; for balance between readability and shelf presence.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He also warns against writing without defined dimensions, as it can distort pacing and perceived length.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;✍️ Storytelling Fundamentals&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xero critiques beginner manuscripts that lack direction, urging writers to &lt;strong&gt;decide what their story is truly about&lt;/strong&gt; before drafting.He encourages outlining at least a start and endpoint (A → B) and asking grounded questions along the way:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;“Why does this person do this? How did they do it? Is there a consequence?”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Establishing a &lt;strong&gt;baseline of normalcy&lt;/strong&gt; is key—even in fantasy. Without it, readers can’t discern when something extraordinary happens. He compares this to Patrick Stewart’s comment that “drama is the baseline for comedy.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;⚖️ Over-Complex Worlds &amp; The Need for Grounding&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;One example he cites involves a writer whose universe assigns &lt;strong&gt;contradictions to every moral action&lt;/strong&gt;—a system so convoluted it “requires a manual to read the book.” For Xero, complexity should serve theme and emotion, not confuse the reader.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He contrasts this with his own method: start small and &lt;strong&gt;hook with character-driven details&lt;/strong&gt; (e.g., “Silas is a technopath who talks to machines”) to invite curiosity.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Marketing hooks, he says, shouldn’t be abstract world summaries (“a future authoritarian world”) but &lt;strong&gt;concrete character snapshots&lt;/strong&gt; that make readers ask questions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;📚 Closing &amp; Project Updates&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Xero wraps up by inviting listener feedback and announcing updates across the &lt;em&gt;Apocalyptiverse&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Support Our Savior: Claws and Courage (Arc 1)&lt;/strong&gt; — The story of Valerie, a cat-girl striving to become a hero.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* &lt;strong&gt;Harbinger (Arc 2)&lt;/strong&gt; — A brutal reinterpretation of &lt;em&gt;The Seven Chinese Brothers&lt;/em&gt; in wuxia style, now entering its intense battle phase.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;He plans to take a &lt;strong&gt;holiday season break&lt;/strong&gt; (Halloween through New Year’s) and shift releases to a slower monthly schedule.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;🎧 Key Timestamps&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:00) Rainy walk intro &amp; mindset reset&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:02) Worldbuilding vs storytelling&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:05) The “purple florbin” and realism in fiction&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:08) Theological absence in modern fantasy&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:10) Practical formatting lessons&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:13) Story focus &amp; outlining advice&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:16) Defining normalcy and reader grounding&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:18) Over-complex moral systems&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:19) Character-driven marketing hooks&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;* (00:22) Apocalyptiverse project updates &amp; holiday sign-off&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Final Message:&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;“Stay holy.”&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit &lt;a href="https://xeroforhire.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&amp;#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2"&gt;xeroforhire.substack.com/subscribe&lt;/a&gt;</description>

The Xero for Hire Podcast

J. K. Slaughter

Random Writing Tips and Ideas for Beginners

OCT 18, 202523 MIN
The Xero for Hire Podcast

Random Writing Tips and Ideas for Beginners

OCT 18, 202523 MIN

Description

<p><strong>Xero Hour Podcast — Episode Summary (October 18, 2025)</strong></p><p>In this reflective walking episode, Xero shares practical and philosophical advice for new authors while taking a rainy stroll. The discussion centers on lessons learned from his own writing journey, touching on <strong>worldbuilding, story structure, realism, and formatting discipline</strong>.</p><p>🧠 Writing Philosophy & Lessons for Beginners</p><p>Xero begins by explaining that while he once told new writers to “<strong>build the world first</strong>,” he’s since seen how excessive worldbuilding can trap authors into endless lore dumps. He now advises setting context quickly—like the “a long time ago” intro in <em>Star Wars</em>—before zooming into the story’s human core (e.g., a character buying a burnt bagel). Info dumps, he says, should never exceed a page or two.</p><p>He critiques the urge to make everything fantastical for its own sake—the “<strong>purple florbin problem</strong>,” where a writer renames a rabbit for novelty’s sake. Instead, speculative fiction should remain tethered to <strong>reality and truth</strong>. Breaking too many natural rules makes a story incoherent and unrelatable, while removing spiritual reality (as in <em>K-Pop Demon Hunters</em>, he notes) leaves characters without moral or divine context.</p><p>🛠️ Formatting & Technical Tips</p><p>Drawing from a current formatting project, Xero emphasizes the importance of <strong>proper document structure</strong>:</p><p>* Use real “Header” styles for chapters so digital tools can recognize them.</p><p>* Remember that <strong>page count balloons</strong> when resizing from 8.5×11 to book dimensions like 6×9 or 5.5×8.5.</p><p>* His personal preference: <strong>5.5×8.5</strong> for balance between readability and shelf presence.</p><p>He also warns against writing without defined dimensions, as it can distort pacing and perceived length.</p><p>✍️ Storytelling Fundamentals</p><p>Xero critiques beginner manuscripts that lack direction, urging writers to <strong>decide what their story is truly about</strong> before drafting.He encourages outlining at least a start and endpoint (A → B) and asking grounded questions along the way:</p><p>“Why does this person do this? How did they do it? Is there a consequence?”</p><p>Establishing a <strong>baseline of normalcy</strong> is key—even in fantasy. Without it, readers can’t discern when something extraordinary happens. He compares this to Patrick Stewart’s comment that “drama is the baseline for comedy.”</p><p>⚖️ Over-Complex Worlds & The Need for Grounding</p><p>One example he cites involves a writer whose universe assigns <strong>contradictions to every moral action</strong>—a system so convoluted it “requires a manual to read the book.” For Xero, complexity should serve theme and emotion, not confuse the reader.</p><p>He contrasts this with his own method: start small and <strong>hook with character-driven details</strong> (e.g., “Silas is a technopath who talks to machines”) to invite curiosity.</p><p>Marketing hooks, he says, shouldn’t be abstract world summaries (“a future authoritarian world”) but <strong>concrete character snapshots</strong> that make readers ask questions.</p><p>📚 Closing & Project Updates</p><p>Xero wraps up by inviting listener feedback and announcing updates across the <em>Apocalyptiverse</em>:</p><p>* <strong>Support Our Savior: Claws and Courage (Arc 1)</strong> — The story of Valerie, a cat-girl striving to become a hero.</p><p>* <strong>Harbinger (Arc 2)</strong> — A brutal reinterpretation of <em>The Seven Chinese Brothers</em> in wuxia style, now entering its intense battle phase.</p><p>He plans to take a <strong>holiday season break</strong> (Halloween through New Year’s) and shift releases to a slower monthly schedule.</p><p>🎧 Key Timestamps</p><p>* (00:00) Rainy walk intro & mindset reset</p><p>* (00:02) Worldbuilding vs storytelling</p><p>* (00:05) The “purple florbin” and realism in fiction</p><p>* (00:08) Theological absence in modern fantasy</p><p>* (00:10) Practical formatting lessons</p><p>* (00:13) Story focus & outlining advice</p><p>* (00:16) Defining normalcy and reader grounding</p><p>* (00:18) Over-complex moral systems</p><p>* (00:19) Character-driven marketing hooks</p><p>* (00:22) Apocalyptiverse project updates & holiday sign-off</p><p><strong>Final Message:</strong> <em>“Stay holy.”</em></p> <br/><br/>This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit <a href="https://xeroforhire.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&#38;utm_campaign=CTA_2">xeroforhire.substack.com/subscribe</a>