Got writing questions? You’ve come to the right place! Diane Callahan—writer, editor, and YouTuber—answers listener-submitted questions related to the craft of fiction writing. Each episode is themed around a different topic, from characterization and plot structure to point of view and grammar. Submit your question for an upcoming episode on Spotify or the Quotidian Writer YouTube community page: www.youtube.com/@QuotidianWriter/community.
Theme song: "Clockwork, part two" by Vindsvept
Episode 4: Predicting 2026 Book Publishing Trends (with K.C. Norton!)
What will be the big book market trends in 2026? Why are somany people gravitating toward horror and cozy fantasy? And what can we do about declining literacy rates? I discuss all these questions and more with author and bibliophile K.C. Norton, who made it her goal to read ONE THOUSAND books this past year.
From reflecting on the fate of literary fiction to predicting ridiculous micro-trends like “dank cottagecore” and virus romances, we discuss all things bookish.
Read the episode transcript here: https://quotidianwriter.medium.com/predicting-2026-book-publishing-trends-quotidian-writer-episode-4-406d50b6b8e1 (https://quotidianwriter.medium.com/predicting-2026-book-publishing-trends-quotidian-writer-episode-4-406d50b6b8e1)
K.C. Norton’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09693FVNG?ccs_id=bbe1aa80-598b-42e4-ba99-a03b80e559c5 (https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B09693FVNG?ccs_id=bbe1aa80-598b-42e4-ba99-a03b80e559c5)
List of Literary Magazine Rankings by Brecht de Poortere: https://www.brechtdepoortere.com (https://www.brechtdepoortere.com)
What’s In, What’s Out (0:00)
Kat’s Favorite Reads This Year (7:48)
Why Are Horror and Cozy Fantasy So Popular? (11:09)
Diane’s Favorite Reads This Year (16:40)
Book Market Trends (18:05)
What’s Happening with Male Readers? (20:38)
The Current Reading Culture (23:01)
Upmarket and Book Club Fiction (27:19)
Are Solarpunk andHopepunk on the Rise? (28:55)
Trend Predictions for 2026 (32:43)
What Will Be the Next Bestsellers? (35:13)
Declining Literacy Rates (39:36)
Are Books Becoming Oversimplified? (45:54)
The Literary Fiction Market (55:08)
AI Writing (57:28)
What’s Happening with Literary Magazines? (1:04:09)
Writing in the Current Political Climate (1:08:51)
6 Mar 2025
Episode 3: Worldbuilding
This episode is a companion piece to my video Fantasy and Sci-Fi Worldbuilding Fundamentals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn3mKI43ELI&t=914s), with even more tips and answers to your questions! How do you avoid "infodumping"? What's the best way to differentiate fictional cultures and subcultures? How do you know where to start and stop worldbuilding?
I draw on my experiences as an editor and writer to answer your questions, which are also submitted through my YouTube community page (https://www.youtube.com/@QuotidianWriter/community). You can read the episode transcript here (https://quotidianwriter.medium.com/quotidian-writer-episode-2-characterization-c94cead0275c?source=friends_link&sk=1b38eb4765d208cac2cc766907dd8c9b ).
Keep writing,
Diane
www.quotidianwriter.com (www.quotidianwriter.com)
10 Apr 2024
Episode 2: Characterization
How do you prevent characters from being clones of yourself? How do you differentiate characters from each other? And how do you ensure your protagonist isn’t carrying the “idiot ball”?
Diane Callahan draws on her experiences as a writer and editor to share advice on these questions and more!
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quotidianwriter/message
13 Feb 2024
Episode 1: Starting New Writing Projects
What’s the most engaging way to start a story? How do you approach returning to an old project? Diane Callahan draws on her experiences as a writer and editor to share advice on these questions and more!
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Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/quotidianwriter/message
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
26,861,161
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
4.9 / 5
8 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
55
Social presence
0
YouTube
93
Engagement
32
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