Podcast Summary: The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

Episode: Plausibility: Serendipity and Kismet vs. Coincidence

Release Date: September 25, 2025
Hosts: Bianca Marais, Carly Watters, CeCe Lyra
Guest: Julia McKay (pen name of Marissa Stapley)

Episode Overview

This episode features a lively and in-depth discussion with bestselling author Marissa Stapley (writing as Julia McKay) about her new holiday romance, Christmas at the Ranch. The hosts and Marissa explore the challenges writers face when balancing serendipity, kismet, and coincidence in fiction—especially in romance and romcoms. They share practical advice on maintaining plausibility, developing authentic obstacles, and crafting believable secondary characters. The conversation is filled with industry insights, writing tips, and humorous personal anecdotes—a must-listen for emerging writers aiming to hone their craft.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Inspiration and Family Influence

Time: 05:12 – 07:08

• Marissa shares that the initial seed for Christmas at the Ranch came from her daughter, Maya, who was "very captivated by the idea of a return to a small town and the Gilmore Girls vibe."
• The book’s dedication is to Maya, and Marissa describes the joy her daughter felt seeing her idea come to life.
• She also reveals that she names characters after family members as “little Easter eggs,” joking, “I'm like Taylor Swift just dropping Easter eggs all through my romance novels.” (06:37)

2. Authenticity in Writing Settings & Professions

Time: 07:19 – 08:25

• Marissa’s personal experience with horses informed the ranch setting, giving an authentic feel to the book's equestrian scenes.
• “Anyone who is an equestrian or knows anything about horses will be very satisfied with this read because they're not just thrown in there. Those scenes are very real.” (08:25)

3. Switching Genres: Process & Challenges

Time: 09:49 – 11:41

• Marissa discusses the complexity of moving between women's fiction and romcoms, particularly adjusting tone and prose style.
• There’s no set formula for switching genres: “You just have to keep kicking at that can…what you think you're about to write is never going to be. It's never going to sound the way you think it's going to in that first draft. So just keep going and edit and keep trying.” (11:35)

4. Distinguishing Women's Fiction vs. Romance/Romcom

Time: 11:41 – 14:14

• The panel unpacks the common confusion between women's fiction with romantic elements and true romance or romcom.
• In romcoms, "You have to come back to the love story. You have to make the, you know, romantic hero very multifaceted...[in women's fiction] maybe the love story plays second fiddle to other elements." (12:13)

5. The Physicality of Falling in Love

Time: 13:21 – 15:02

• Highlighting the importance of sensory details in romance: “They're in the room together and their hairs are standing up and he smells like sawdust and saddle soap and leather and all of those things that...It's very evocative.” (13:53)
• Editors often push for rich sensory moments: “What is she/he feeling? How does his skin?...we need these sensory details.” (14:37)

6. Rituals & Mood When Writing

Time: 15:02 – 16:08

• Marissa shares her ritual of using music, rather than candles or scents, to evoke the right mood for scenes: “Music is my way of setting the mood, and that works for me.” (15:18)

7. Serendipity, Kismet, and Plausibility in Plotting

Time: 16:57 – 22:08

• Exploring how to make coincidental plot points feel organic and not contrived.
• Marissa advocates for grounding serendipitous events in “deeper meaning” and character motivation: “It can't just be for convenience, you know, sake...what I try to do is I always just try to have a deeper meaning if they're happening to bump into each other.” (18:32)
• Real-world anecdotes illustrate that life often defies plausibility, but fiction must work harder to earn these moments.

8. Layering Conflicts and Obstacles

Time: 22:08 – 24:35

• Bianca praises how each “domino tips” logically in Christmas at the Ranch, with circumstances and other characters conspiring authentically to create obstacles—never feeling forced.
• Marissa admits it takes practice: “To kind of watch it, as you said, the dominoes falling, is a lot of fun for me.” (23:00)

9. Misunderstandings and Character Misbelief

Time: 23:43 – 28:08

• Discusses why misunderstandings are integral but must be rooted in character flaws or wounds, not just plot devices.
• Marissa observes, “Rom com and romance readers…hate the misunderstanding and the, you know, miscommunication trope...But I also then look around at the world and I’m like, oh, really?…That’s not really how it works.” (24:35)
• The group agrees, “It has to be tied to that character’s misbelief...whether it’s shame or embarrassment, or believing they aren’t lovable, etc.” (27:32)

10. Creating Secondary Characters Who Advance the Plot

Time: 28:47 – 33:48

• Importance of giving side characters “life circumstances” that support the main plot, without letting them overwhelm the story.
• Marissa’s method: “You can get to know that character through how their friend sees them and how they treat their friends...You can’t just have your two romance people in love...as these islands in your book, like, the world that surrounds them...is really, really important.” (29:18; 31:29)
• Marissa shares a tip: “Do that with your secondary characters too. Be like, okay, we’re gonna take out two life circumstances here. No ex-husband, no him leaving her in the middle of the night. We’re good. There’s just twins.” (33:29)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I’m like Taylor Swift just dropping Easter eggs all through my romance novels.” – Marissa Stapley (06:37)
• “You just have to keep kicking at that can and realize that what you think you’re about to write is never going to be...in that first draft. So just keep going and edit and keep trying.” – Marissa Stapley (11:35)
• “They're in the room together and their hairs are standing up and he smells like sawdust and saddle soap and leather.” – Marissa Stapley (13:53)
• “I believe in magic. I’ve had it happen with books so many times. And when I’m on the right path with a book, weird coincidences start happening in my life.” – Marissa Stapley (18:43)
• “It has to be tied to that character’s misbelief...so that when they do these kinds of things, the reader doesn’t get super frustrated, they feel empathy. They go, oh my God, you’re damaged. And this is why you can’t just say these things.” – Bianca Marais (27:32)
• “Do that with your secondary characters too. Be like, okay, we’re gonna take out two life circumstances here. No ex-husband, no him leaving her in the middle of the night. We’re good. There’s just twins.” – Marissa Stapley (33:29)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 05:12 – Origin of Christmas at the Ranch and the role of family in Marissa’s writing.
• 07:19 – Authenticity in writing about horse culture.
• 09:49 – Techniques for switching genres and voice.
• 12:13 – Distinguishing women's fiction from romance/romcom.
• 13:21 – The importance of the physicality and sensory details in romance writing.
• 15:18 – Rituals for getting into a writing mood.
• 16:57 – How to use serendipity and make coincidence feel earned.
• 22:08 – Domino effect of plot points and maintaining plausibility.
• 24:35 – Reader reactions to misunderstandings and why misbelief matters.
• 29:18 – The utility and complexity of secondary characters in plot development.
• 33:29 – Keeping secondary characters balanced and in their lane.

Takeaways for Writers

• Serendipity and kismet can—and should—exist in fiction, but must be grounded in character choices and motivations to feel authentic.
• Rich sensory detail is essential in romantic fiction to convey the physicality of falling in love.
• Misunderstandings work only when they spring organically from character flaws, beliefs, or wounds.
• Secondary characters should enrich the world and impact plot progression, but avoid overshadowing the main love story.
• Playful rituals (music, candles, etc.) can help writers consistently access the emotional tones their story needs.

Final Thoughts

This episode offers an engaging, relatable look at the "plausibility" challenge all writers face, especially in romance. Marissa Stapley’s insights, coupled with personal anecdotes and practical tips, make the discussion both motivational and actionable for aspiring authors.