Podcast
Storysmithing
Hosted by John Gulick · EN
A sandbox for readers and writers to follow stories through brainstorming and drafting. Enjoy the development of fresh stories, and absorb the writing process as principle meets practice.
All stories are available to read at https://sites.google.com/view/storysmithing/home.
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
#51: 2025 Review and 2026 Goals
Jan 400:21:58Tap to summarizeAn overview of what I read and wrote in 2025, lessons learned, and my goals for 2026.
Transcribe →#50: Appreciation for Books 1-3 of We Hunt Monsters by Aaron Oster
Sep 2100:58:28Tap to summarizeI review my favorite elements of books 1, 2, and 3 of the We Hunt Monsters series as a reader, then a writer. I also share a few thoughts on areas that could be reconsidered.Overall, I would highly recommend this series for any fans of LitRPG!
Transcribe →#49: Designing a Dungeon Crawler Card Game in One Hour
Sep 2101:00:01Tap to summarizeWe design a (99%) complete dungeon diving card game in one hour. The abbreviated, complete ruleset of "Dungeon 53" is available at the Storysmithing website.I hope you enjoy!
Transcribe →#48: Interviewing Minichirops of Royal Road
Sep 2100:33:09Tap to summarizeA conversation with Minichirops touching on his journey as a writer, the snowflake outlining method, and more.
Transcribe →#47: Brainstorming Delving High: Outlining a Combat Scene
Aug 1701:07:43Tap to summarizeThe least interesting aspect of a combat scene should be the combat. Here, I outline how Chapter 5's combat scene should develop our characters and worldbuilding through the action.
Transcribe →#46: Brainstorming Delving High: Update After 60 Hours
Aug 1300:15:59Tap to summarizeAfter 60+ hours of brainstorming, the shape of the story has evolved significantly. I overview how the characters and wordbuilding have grown along with the plot now stretching to seven books.
Transcribe →#45: Brainstorming Delving High: A Royal Road Story (Mob Types)
Jul 2602:04:41Tap to summarizeHave you ever met a Smogback or a Lunchmeat Slabber? Me neither, but we create over 50 of these mobs that our cast of heroes will encounter at Delving High. Another 200 mobs, and we'll be all set!
Transcribe →#44: Brainstorming Delving High: A Royal Road Story (Classes, Variants, Charisms)
Jul 2000:38:27Tap to summarizeWe continue delving into our new brainstorm by digging into the trident of character progression: Classes, Variants, and Charisms.
Transcribe →#43: Brainstorming Delving High: A Royal Road Story (World and Plot)
Jul 5, 202501:36:44Tap to summarizeWe brainstorm the LitRPG/LitRoguelite novel, Delving High. The story will follow Jack Stalk and his squad's quest to survive the dangers (and other students) of Delving High. I plan to release chapters on Royal Road as time goes on. I hope this will be a nice forray into the genre!
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#42: The Jester's Son: Chapter 3 Reading
Feb 1, 202500:30:17Tap to summarizeCheck out the draft of Chapter 3!
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