Shows / Story Magic
Story Magic
Hey fiction writer! Want your readers to stay up until 2am, so engrossed in your story they just can’t put it down? Want to build a successful, fulfilling, and sustainable writing life that works for YOU? Story Magic is the place for you. Every week, professional book coaches and editors Emily and Rachel from Golden May dive into writing craft, community, and mindset tips, tricks, and advice so you can write and publish books you’re damn proud of, again and again. We cover craft topics like…
Episodes
- Story Magic
144 - The Theme Stated beat
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the Theme Stated! What you’ll learn from this episode: What is the theme stated Where it goes in story structure The purpose…
- Story Magic
143 - Including an antagonist POV
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about antagonist POVs. What you’ll learn from this episode: Effective uses of an antagonist POV Pitfalls and issues to be aware of…
- Story Magic
142 - Planning for the author life you want with Daphne James Huff
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about planning for the author life you want with guest Daphne James Huff. What you’ll learn from this episode: The realities of…
- Story Magic
141 - Writing content warnings
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about content warnings. What you’ll learn from this episode: what content warnings are the attitude behind writing them keeping them…
- Story Magic
140 - How to know when to take a break
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about taking a writing break. What you’ll learn from this episode: the pressures of not taking a break why and when you should take…
- Story Magic
139 - Navigating parasocial relationships online
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about navigating parasocial relationships. What you’ll learn from this episode: what are parasocial relationships how to set…
- Story Magic
138 - How beliefs drive goals
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how character beliefs drive goals. What you’ll learn from this episode: Internal goals, external goals, and internal obstacles…
- Story Magic
137 - How to write when life is crazy
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing when life is challenging. What you’ll learn from this episode: Practical disruptors vs mindset disruptors Addressing…
- Story Magic
136 - Return from summer hiatus
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about returning to the podcast! What you’ll learn from this episode: what we've been up to how we've been dealing with challenges…
- Story Magic
135 - Please let your characters make mistakes for the love of God please
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about letting your characters make mistakes. What you’ll learn from this episode: Why it’s important for characters to make mistakes…
- Story Magic
134 - How to find the right comp titles
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about finding comp titles. What you’ll learn from this episode: What are comp titles? How to encapsulate the vibes of your book…
- Story Magic
133 - Narrative drive = characters who do shit
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about narrative drive. What you’ll learn from this episode: What is narrative drive Why is it SO important for reader engagement How…
- Story Magic
132 - Revising while integrating feedback with Sam Cameron
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about revising while integrating feedback with Sam Cameron! The audio from this episode came from Emily's interview on The Truant…
- Story Magic
131 - Scene transitions
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about scene transitions. What you’ll learn from this episode: grounding readers with context making time and space clear to the…
- Story Magic
130 - How to write a believable romantic couple
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing believable romance. What you’ll learn from this episode: What makes characters romantically compatible How tropes play…
- Story Magic
129 - Finding writing flow
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing flow! What you’ll learn from this episode: What is flow state How to find flow state Experimenting with your unique…
- Story Magic
128 - Tips and tricks for staying organized while writing
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about organization! What you’ll learn from this episode: Emily and Rachel's personal processes Deciding on what your priorities are…
- Story Magic
127 - Using magic as a metaphor for mental health with Ruth McKell
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about magic as a metaphor for mental health with guest Ruth McKell. What you’ll learn from this episode: using writing as catharsis…
- Story Magic
126 - Reclaiming the Lens: How Marginalized Writers Build Worlds for Their Own Communities with Tiffany Grimes
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about how marginalized writers build worlds for their own communities with guest Tiffany Grimes. What you’ll learn from this…
- Story Magic
125 - Digital Minimalism with Gauri Yardi
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about digital minimalism with guest Gauri Yardi! What you’ll learn from this episode: What is digital minimalism? Emily's and…
- Story Magic
124 - Commissioning artists
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about commissioning artists for book covers and artwork. What you’ll learn from this episode: when and why you might work with an…
- Story Magic
123 - Balancing the book of your heart with market decisions
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing what you want vs writing to market. What you’ll learn from this episode: staying true to writing what you love…
- Story Magic
122 - Writing good love triangles
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about love triangles! What you’ll learn from this episode: our personal preferences tying love triangles back to character avoiding…
- Story Magic
121 - What is the romantasy genre?
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about romantasy! What you’ll learn from this episode: expectations of the genre navigating the vibes discussing the genre's critique…
- Story Magic
120 - How do you know when you're done?
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about knowing when your draft/book is done. What you’ll learn from this episode: Being confident in your choice At what point should…
- Story Magic
119 - To prologue or to not prologue
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about prologues! What you’ll learn from this episode: Subjectivity is part of this process and industry What makes prologues not…
- Story Magic
118 - Where and when to end a chapter
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about ending chapters! What you’ll learn from this episode: Scene vs chapter Scene structure Ending in the middle? SCENE STRUCTURE…
- Story Magic
117 - How to write in different POVs
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing in different POVs. What you’ll learn from this episode: Knowing your character well enough to see from their…
- Story Magic
116 - The brain science behind writer's resistance with Monica Hay
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the brain science behind resistance with special guest Monica Hay! What you’ll learn from this episode: What causes our brains…
- Story Magic
115 - Writing effective descriptions
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about descriptions! What you’ll learn from this episode: What makes a good description? How character perspective impacts what they…
- Story Magic
114 - Happy New Year! 2025 Wrap, 2026 Dreams
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about their 2025 years, and what they hope for 2026! Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting…
- Story Magic
113 - Writing unlikeable characters well
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about unlikeable characters. What you’ll learn from this episode [insert bullet points] What does ‘unlikable’ mean, and who decides?…
- Story Magic
112 - Diving into totally new projects
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about jumping into new projects. What you’ll learn from this episode: Moving onto new projects - like a totally new set of…
- Story Magic
111 - Should you revise or rewrite messy scenes?
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about revising and/or rewriting messy scenes. What you’ll learn from this episode: How to know if you should rewrite or revise messy…
- Story Magic
110 - Dealing with post-book-release emotions
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about post-book-release emotions! What you’ll learn from this episode: what it's like to release a book into the world mindset…
- Story Magic
109 - Return from hiatus
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about what happened during the time we've been on hiatus! Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop…
- Story Magic
108 - Dictation with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer
Today, Emily & Rachel are back from hiatus to talk about dictation with guest Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer! What you’ll learn from this episode: Incorporating…
- Story Magic
107 - Book coaching behind the scenes with Sam Cameron
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about book coaching behind the scenes with Sam Cameron! This is a special edition episode originally recorded for Sam Cameron's…
- Story Magic
106 - Studying published works
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about studying published works. What you’ll learn from this episode: why studying published works is our fav trick for leveling up…
- Story Magic
105 - Revising chunks of your manuscript
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about revising large parts of your manuscript! What you’ll learn from this episode: Rewriting words is so normal How to know you…
- Story Magic
104 - Atmosphere and setting with Thea Verdone
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about atmosphere and setting with Thea Verdone. What you’ll learn from this episode: what makes a setting 'gothic' bringing…
- Story Magic
103 - Publicity and book marketing with Jenn Vance
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about publicity and book marketing with guest Jenn Vance. What you’ll learn from this episode: how publicity services can help you…
- Story Magic
102 - Tackling serious themes with Michael Dante DiMartino
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about tackling serious themes with guest Michael Dante DiMartino. What you’ll learn from this episode: How to navigate serious…
- Story Magic
101 - Intuitive writing with Becca Syme
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about Intuitive Writing with guest Becca Syme. What you’ll learn from this episode: What is intuitive writing Learning how to…
- Story Magic
100 - Celebrating our 100th episode
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about celebrating our 100th episode! Ready to make readers so in love with your characters they can’t stop biting their nails in…
- Story Magic
99 - Acts and act breaks
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about story structure acts and act breaks. What you’ll learn from this episode: What are acts Different story structures (3 act vs 4…
- Story Magic
98 - Hybrid publishing with Evette Davis
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about hybrid publishing with guest Evette Davis. What you’ll learn from this episode: what is hybrid publishing (vs indie or trad…
- Story Magic
97 - Dos and don'ts of writing retreats
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about writing retreats! What you’ll learn from this episode: Resetting mindset What to do with your time Tips and tricks for making…
- Story Magic
96 - Using a penname
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about pennames What you’ll learn from this episode: What pennames are When to use them Circumstances to consider when deciding Ready…
- Story Magic
95 - You don't have to do anything we say lol
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about not doing what we say! What you’ll learn from this episode: Finding what works for you Using tools in your writer toolbelt…
- Story Magic
94 - Writing process with Karisa DeLay and Jaime Vendera
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the individuality of the writing process with guests Karisa DeLay and Jaime Vendera. What you’ll learn from this episode: How…
- Story Magic
93 - Lessons from writing sequels
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about what we've learned from writing sequels. What you’ll learn from this episode: how much of a sequel needs to be planned before…
- Story Magic
92 - The market challenges of genre blending
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about the market challenges of genre blending. What you’ll learn from this episode: what constitutes a historical fiction how to…
- Story Magic
91 - Getting back to your story after a break
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about returning to your story after a break. What you’ll learn from this episode: resetting your mindset reacquainting yourself with…
- Story Magic
90 - Who is the internal narrator?
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about internal dialogue and internal narration. What you’ll learn from this episode: Who are your characters talking to within their…
- Story Magic
89 - This is not marketing advice
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about book marketing. What you’ll learn from this episode: What is going on with social media How do we market our books when social…
- Story Magic
88 - We are a blip in the universe
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about mindset when the world is a dumpster fire. What you’ll learn from this episode: a little follow up to our Art when the world…
- Story Magic
87 - Can ambition be anti-hustle?
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about ambition and anti-hustle. What you’ll learn from this episode: What is anti-hustle? The intersection of ambition and…
- Story Magic
86 - Perfectionism and hustle culture
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about perfectionism and hustle culture. What you’ll learn from this episode: how perfectionism and hustle culture intersect the root…
- Story Magic
85 - Art when the world is falling apart
Today, Emily & Rachel talk about creating when the world sucks. What you’ll learn from this episode: What to do when the world is falling apart Seeking refuge…