Hi! We are Tina (Story Excavator) and Ina (Magical Mystery Coach) and we’re both writers and writing coaches. The Writers' Toolbox podcast is dedicated to helping you crack the craft of writing fiction. Each episode, we trade off teaching each other, and by extension hopefully you, about a different writing technique that excites us.
This is the sixth and final episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Dramatic irony is not just the perfect tool for making readers cry, but to make them laugh out loud, too! Especially suitable for children’s and young adult books, but also in lighter stories for adults, we’ll look at how to create the funniest scenes, using The Amulet of Samarkand as our main example.
We’ll refer a lot to the psychological model called the JohariI window in this episode, you can see a visual representation here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johari_window).
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E11: Maintaining Story Momentum and Pacing
This is the sixth episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. She covers how to assess and improve your story momentum and structural pacing. To see a visual of the momentum measure table and read more on the topic, visit: https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/maintaining-story-momentum (https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/maintaining-story-momentum )
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E10: Dramatic Irony for Tragedy
This is the fifth episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Tragic stories can reach epic heights with a good dose of dramatic irony—this goes all the way back to Shakespeare and the ancient Greeks. Using Game of Thrones and Arcane: League of Legends as examples, we’ll look at the importance of backstory and worldview to charge a tragic scene that hits the reader hard.
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E9: Self-Editing Your Prose to Hook Readers
This is the fifth episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. She breaks down the complex diagnostic tool of content versus function and explains how it can help improve your pacing, structure, and help you check that your scenes are accomplishing more than one thing. To read more about the twelve elements that comprise the functions of a piece of fiction, visit: https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/content-versus-function (https://www.storyexcavator.com/post/content-versus-function)
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E8: Dramatic Irony in Prologues
This is the fourth episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Prologues are beloved and hated, but instead of going too much into whether you should or shouldn’t use it, we’ll talk about what a prologue can do to both reveal and hold back information, looking at Mistborn: The Final Empire and Game of Thrones, and how this information changes the reader’s perception of the story—so you can make an informed choice.
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E7: Engaging Readers with Subplots
This is the fourth episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. Subplots can sometimes be treated as an afterthought, but their true function is to develop the emotional stakes of the story. Tina discusses what genres lend themselves most to being subplots and how to avoid creating a disjointed narrative.
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E6: Dramatic Irony to Escalate Tension Towards the End
This is the third episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. As good dramatic irony can create incredibly tense scenes, one of the best ways to use it is to make your ending explosive. Here we cover how to do this, using Twin Peaks and The Housemaid as examples. Spoiler alert: we’ll talk about the reveals!
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E5: Writing Engaging Characters
This is the third episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. Here she discusses the keys to writing characters that readers find compelling, including what to focus on with motivations, stakes, and how to embed characters into the world of the story.
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E4: Two More Questions to Make the Most of Dramatic Irony
This is the second episode in Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony. Here she goes through two questions to make sure you’re making the most out of dramatic irony in a longer multiple POV story, using Game of Thrones as an example.
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
23 Apr 2026
S1.E2: Get Started with Dramatic Irony
This episode kicks off Ina’s series on Dramatic Irony— the secret sauce that can make multiple POV stories incredibly tense and engaging. What is dramatic irony, and how do you make sure it’s used in the most effective way that glues readers to the page?Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
15 Apr 2026
S1.E3: Using Humor to Engage Readers Across Genres
This is the second episode in Tina's series on Reader Engagement. Here she covers likability as a key engagement tool and how humor is a powerful technique to connect with your readers and keep them engaged.Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator)
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com (http://www.magicalmysterycoach.com)
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
15 Apr 2026
S1.E1: Readers Don't Ask "What Happens Next", They Predict It
This episode kicks off Tina's series on Reader Engagement. Here she covers the power of curiosity as a key engagement tool and why it's important to understand that your readers are active participants in your story, not passive vessels waiting to hear what happens next.
Find us here:
Tina: www.storyexcavator.com (http://www.storyexcavator.com)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator (https://www.youtube.com/@StoryExcavator )
Ina: www.magicalmysterycoach.com ( www.magicalmysterycoach.com )
Instagram: @inanesauthor
YouTube: youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach (http://youtube.com/@magicalmysterycoach)
Music: "Energy" by Benjamin Tissot
Licensed via bensound.com (http://bensound.com/)
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