Hi and welcome to X-Write-Z, a podcast fueled by our love of books and the craft of writing. Veronica is a Gen-Xer, and Anna is a Gen-Zer. Together, we’re on an intergenerational mission to help writers write better stories.
We’re baaaack! Welcome to season 2 of X-Write-Z. To get back in the swing of things, we wanted to cover secondary characters and consider the crucial work that they do. They deserve so much more than simply being known as a love interest, a mentor, a sidekick, or a schoolyard bully. In this episode, we cover 5 functions, or types of work, that a secondary character might complete in a story. This episode will help you brainstorm ways to make your secondary characters earn their place on the p...
6 Jul 2026
So Many Story Structures, So Little Time
Some writers' eyes light up when talking about story structure. Others want to run for the hills. No matter how you feel about structure, all stories have an inherent structure. There's a beginning, a middle, and, eventually, an end. As soon as you go beyond this foundation, though, you'll discover a lot of different methods and formulas for story structure. How do you choose the right one for your story? It's a bit like deciding how you want your eggs! Fried, scrambled, poached, or per...
1 Jun 2026
The World of Inspiration Generation
What if you could go to a place where everything and everyone around you had the potential to inspire your writing? What if we told you that you’re already there? This week, we’re headed to Ideation Land – a writer’s Candyland! This week’s episode challenges the idea that inspiration strikes like lightning. We say, get out there and make your own lightning. And have fun while you’re at it! With the right mindset and lens, the things in your everyday life become the raw materials necessa...
11 May 2026
Just Because It Happened, Doesn't Mean You Have to Tell Us
This week, we’re looking at common mistakes or habits surrounding the portrayal of events in a story. Whether a manuscript has multiple actions smushed into one sentence or entire scenes worth of unnecessary set up and transition, we’ve got some solutions. P.S. Just because it happened, doesn’t mean you have to tell readers about it. For all the lessons + tips from this episode in one spot, check out and download this PDF (https://drive.google.com/file/d/13duj5elX1l5IjxHpfk...
20 Apr 2026
Filtering Out Filter Words
If we could only show you one thing, we’d love for it to be this: the importance of reducing filter words in your writing. In this episode, we break down what a filter word is and discuss why it’s worthwhile to cut them + how you can. Filter words add unnecessary distance between your POV character and your reader, effectively turning intense, emotional, and profound moments into reported, secondhand summaries. Unless you want to keep your reader at bay, these sneaky words have go...
20 Mar 2026
What to Look For: Self-Editing Dialogue
This week, Anna and Veronica tackle the common mistakes they see (and, yes, have made) in dialogue writing. Strong dialogue elevates stories, giving us character, voice, conflict, shocking reveals, swoonworthy declarations of love, and more. When it comes time to edit your manuscript or short story, you can use the tips and tricks explored in this episode to refine what your characters say…and how they say it. For all the lessons from this episode in one spot, check out and do...
27 Feb 2026
What Every Writer Can Learn about Worldbuilding from Romance and Horror
We’re baaaaaack! To kick off 2026, Veronica and Anna are considering what romance and horror can teach writers of any genre about worldbuilding. In this episode, we dig into some favorite examples of worldbuilding and discuss how you can apply the same, or similar, techniques to your own writing. For all the lessons from this episode in one spot, check out and download this PDF (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kdH3LxSDM9EjR9H_g_O31PEEaF05kVyS/view?usp=drive_link). No subscr...
9 Dec 2025
What Writers Can Learn from Back to the Future
Are you telling me you built a time machine…out of a DeLorean?! For the last episode of 2025, Anna and Veronica geek out over Back to the Future. Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads! Come along with us to explore what makes Back to the Future so good–and what writers can learn from it. For all the lessons from this episode in one spot, check out and download this PDF (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O1ZHKchli_cUs4Cirjd9Vx3tcCOK2mff/view?usp=drive_link). No subscription or sig...
24 Nov 2025
Routine and Mindset
This time of year tends to make us feel anxious about wrapping everything up and accomplishing our remaining goals. We don’t need to feel this way, though. Especially when it comes to writing. In this episode, we invite you to experiment with your writing routine and explore different ways to get into the writing mood/mindset. For all the tips and tricks from this episode in one spot, check out and download this PDF. No subscription or sign up is necessary. Do you need suppo...
10 Nov 2025
No Flat Characters!
Remember Flat Stanley? We sure do, but we don't want your characters to be like him! Veronica and Anna are back this week to discuss character dimension. In this episode, we invite you to explore different ways to breathe life and dimension into your characters. We discuss some of our favorite techniques for character development and, of course, look at real world examples from literature. For all the tips and tricks from this episode in one spot, check out and download this PDF. No sub...
24 Oct 2025
The Beginning...of Our Podcast and Your WIP
Welcome to the first episode of X-Write-Z hosted by writer-editors, Veronica and Anna! If you want to share in the joy of writing and hone your craft, you’re in the right place. In this episode, we invite you to explore the significance of first lines in storytelling. We discuss how first lines set the tone for an entire narrative, just as first impressions between people set the tone for a relationship. From there, we delve into various techniques for crafting compelling opening line...
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