Bad On Paper Podcast — "March 2026 Three Things" (March 11, 2026)

Episode Overview

In this week’s “Three Things” episode, hosts Olivia Muenter and Becca Freeman dive into their usual mix of books, life updates, pop culture musings, and thoughtful debate. The conversation jumps from heartwarming personal stories and nostalgia about childhood media, to industry trends in contemporary romance, writing processes, and small joys like new music and easy meals. Throughout, Olivia and Becca maintain their signature friendly banter, vulnerability, and encouragement—both to each other and their audience.

Key Discussion Points

1. Highs and Lows of the Week

[00:56] - [06:47]

• Olivia’s High:

  • A moving two-hour conversation with George, the brother of Gigi, a beloved bookstore owner who recently passed away; Olivia reflects on unexpected, meaningful human connections:

    "It’s just about coming across people who are so kind and generous... you find some sort of connection with them." —Olivia [02:56]

• Becca’s High:

  • Enjoying her new Clinton Hill neighborhood in Brooklyn for the first time with friend visits, long walks, and local restaurants; excited by change and spring.
  • Metaphorically speaks to the "energy" of nice weather and a new environment [04:36].

• Lows:

  • Olivia: Was pulled over and ticketed for holding her phone while driving (didn’t know the law), learned her lesson but finds it frustrating. [06:21]
  • Becca: “Highs only this week. I’m feeling really good.” [05:20]

2. Things from Childhood: What Has Aged Well and What Hasn’t

[08:40] - [17:57]

• Olivia’s Picks:

  • Aged Poorly:
    • What Not to Wear and America’s Next Top Model: “It is not maybe as bad as America's Next Top Model... but... it was just a hot, hot mess that I think has aged incredibly poorly.” —Olivia [10:15]
  • Aged Well:
    • The Chicks (music group): “The Chicks as a band have aged very, very well... they're so talented, and why so many people still love them.” [12:11]

• Becca’s Picks:

  • Aged Poorly:
    • The movie The Air Up There: “I have to imagine it’s horrifically racist and white savior oriented.” [14:22]
    • Beanie Babies: “I absolutely thought, and I think a lot of people thought, that these would be worth real money. Not only do I not have any of them, even if they were worth real money...” [15:58]
    • Teenage crush on Leonardo DiCaprio—now “questionably” aged; “Is he somebody I would want to have a crush on today? Probably not.” [17:08]

• Discussion:

  • Both share that it’s often easier to find things that have aged poorly, and reflect on changing cultural mores and personal nostalgia.
  • Olivia: “The aged poorly category is definitely the easier choice.” [12:53]

3. Chasing Talents vs. Chasing Passion: The Reese Witherspoon Reel

[17:59] - [28:41]

• Becca’s Dilemma:
  • Reacts to Reese Witherspoon’s viral video claiming we should follow our "talents," not our "dreams." This triggers self-questioning for both.
  • “It fucked me up for a couple days... what are my talents?” —Becca [19:33]
• Olivia’s Take:
  • Believes "passion" is a more important driver than innate talent. “Passion is much more of a determining factor... especially when it comes to creative things.” [21:59]
• Mutual Realizations:
  • Talent is only part of the equation; luck, tenacity, and attitude matter, too.
  • Women in particular can have trouble owning success:

    “I think women have trouble owning our successes and talents sometimes just because of gender dynamics and stuff.” —Olivia [26:01]

  • On arbitrary measures of ‘talent’: “Who gets to decide what talent looks like?” —Olivia [22:19]

4. Looking Ahead: Month-by-Month Predictions

[28:47] - [37:28]

• Olivia prompts Becca to pick one thing to look forward to in each remaining month of 2026.
• Highlights include:
  • Becca: trips to Boston and Italy, her 40th birthday, new book release, possibly hosting Friendsgiving in her new apartment.
  • Olivia: birthday and book events, kitchen renovation, gardening, family vacations, hoping for a January 2027 trip.
• Notable exchange:

  “I think it's going to be a really good 2026. I just am saying that with the state of going to y’all Costco.” —Olivia [37:05]

5. Romance Genre Trends — “Contemporary Romance Is Dead(?)”

[39:26] - [50:44]

• Becca brings up recent online debates and industry chatter about whether contemporary romance is oversaturated or "dead."
  • “Contemporary romance is dead, etc, etc. But it did get me thinking... it just made me reflect on my own behaviors as a reader.” [39:53]
• Discussants highlight market saturation, difficulty for debuts, and how viral authors dominate auto-buy reader behavior.
• Olivia: “I just don't really think you can [extrapolate trends] in publishing because it’s such a unique beast.” [41:19]
• Becca notes personal taste shifting toward originality, variety over formulaic tropes, and the trend of “romances for people who don’t like romance.”
• Store anecdote: Olivia shares contemporary romance dominates sales in her local bookstores [47:03].
• On Emily Henry stepping out of her genre comfort zone:

  “I wonder if her next book... will also either stretch the limitations of the contemporary romance genre or step outside of it altogether.” —Becca [48:56]

6. Writing Process, Goal Setting, and Creative Paralysis

[53:14] - [63:43]

• Becca asks: How to set achievable writing goals for Book 3?
  • “In the past I have set both aggressive weekly goals and then aggressive deadlines... and then become very mean to myself when I don't hit them.” [53:17]
• Olivia’s approach: five days a week, word count tracking, but flexibility — “That’s the only thing I found works is just the consistency...” [55:05]
• Both discuss being “mean to themselves” for missing self-imposed deadlines, and switching to more compassionate, realistic goal-setting.
• On creative impasses:

  “Do you know that feeling when you're writing and there's something that is, like, kind of scratching at your brain?... you freeze trying to decide which is best.” —Olivia [58:53]

  • Becca: “I think that's inevitable in the writing process... Stop trying to write the perfect draft the first time… sometimes it’s just not failure.” [60:01]
• Theme: Accepting process over perfection, the value of outside brainstorming, and weekly sprints/check-ins.

7. Rapid-Fire "Things": Internet Rabbit Holes, Obsessions, Book Recs

[50:48] - [73:25]

Internet Rabbit Holes

• Becca: Kennedy family Wikipedia deep-dive after watching Love Story [51:09].
• Olivia: Downward spiral into the recent public and personal troubles of Shia LaBeouf; reflects on darker sides of child stardom [51:53].

Favorite Recent Obsessions

• Olivia: “The Hand” by Annabel Dinda — a new favorite song she discovered via Spotify. :"One of the most intense reactions to a song I’ve had in a really long time." [66:25]
• Becca: Viral Costco rotisserie chicken "bag" rice bowl recipe. “It was so good. I’ve been eating it for lunch all week... It doesn’t even count as cooking.” [67:59]

What They've Read

• Becca (with notable quote):
  • Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano — a book she’d previously DNF’d but now loved:

    "I sobbed through the end of it. Oh my God. It was so good." [69:28]

  • Plot: “A loose retelling of Little Women, very family centric, sister centric, very interesting mental health plot lines, very interesting romance plot lines. Very sobby at the end.” [71:11]
• Olivia: Light on reading this week — binged “Love After Lockup” instead. “Don’t recommend that at all. I feel ashamed." [71:21]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It was just one of those moments where life is really distilled and really simple. And it's just about coming across people who are so kind and generous... you find some sort of connection with them.” —Olivia, [02:56]
• “Everyone needs a skinny belt to define their waist. Stripes are horrible. Obviously.” —Olivia, parodying ‘What Not to Wear’ [10:35]
• “I'm a little sick of writing about Christmas. My next book hopefully will take place over the summer.” —Becca [49:16]
• “Passion informs your tenacity and your attitude about something.” —Becca [22:15]
• “I want your perspective on this. Because something I'm really struggling with right now is...that feeling is so paralyzing.” —Olivia [58:53]
• “It’s always so much easier to give somebody else grace than to give yourself grace.” —Becca [62:10]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Highs and Lows: 00:56–06:47
• Childhood Nostalgia — What Aged Well/Poorly: 08:40–17:57
• Talent vs Passion (Reese Witherspoon Reel): 17:59–28:41
• 2026 Month-by-Month “What’s Exciting You?”: 28:47–37:28
• Contemporary Romance’s Future: 39:26–50:44
• Writing Process & Goal-Setting: 53:14–63:43
• Obsession and Book Recommendations: 65:23–73:25

Final Thoughts

This “Three Things” episode highlights why Bad On Paper is so beloved: smart, self-aware pop culture commentary; emotional candor; writing-in-process honesty; and plenty of lighthearted asides. Whether you’re a fellow writer, reader, or just love thoughtful female friendship, this episode delivers an engaging and varied conversation with lots to relate to—plus reminders to be gentle on ourselves, both in creativity and in life.