Just Another Word Podcast

Susurrus

In this episode, we tune our ears to the world as we continue our five-part mini-series on the Five Senses. We explore "Sound" through the word "susurrus"—a beautiful, whispering term that serves as a vital warning for storytellers: just because a word is "literary" doesn't mean it’s the right tool for the job.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Trap of the Niche: Why reaching for a high-level vocabulary word can accidentally "kick" the reader out of the story, and why words with simple translations—like "rustling"—often carry more resonance.
The Pretentious Exception: How to use academic or rare language as a characterization tool to show, rather than tell, that a character loves being the smartest person in the room.
Are you using sound to build an immersive atmosphere, or is your vocabulary drawing the reader's eye away from the story and toward the author?
Subscribe for more episodes and to join me for the rest of our five-part series on the senses!

Nacreous

In this episode, we open our eyes to the light, but we aren't looking at the obvious. We continue our five-part mini-series on the Five Senses by focusing on Sight. We explore "nacreous"—the luster of the mother-of-pearl—and why the most effective visual storytelling happens when the writer provides the spark and lets the reader build the fire.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Mother of Pearl: Diving into the origins of "nacre" to understand a light that doesn't just sit on the surface, but seems to glow with depth and layers from within.
The "Sight Trap": Why trying to provide a 4K blueprint of a scene actually pushes the reader away, and why your job is to be the spark that lets the reader's imagination become the cinematographer.
Controlling Focus: Techniques for using hyper-specific words like "nacreous" alongside consistent context clues to render an image instantly without overstaying your welcome.
Are you overcrowding your reader's eyes with too much detail, or are you providing a single, iridescent anchor that lets them co-create the world with you?
Subscribe for more episodes and to join me for the rest of our five-part series on the senses!

Petrichor

In this episode, we kick off a five-part mini-series on the Five Senses by diving into the "air" of your story: Smell. We explore "petrichor"—the blood of the stone—and why scent is the ultimate storyteller's shortcut to the human nervous system.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Blood of the Stone: Breaking down the ancient Greek roots petra (stone) and ichor (ethereal fluid of the gods) to understand why this word evokes a sense of wonder and transformation.
The Amygdala Connection: Why scent is the only sense that bypasses mental filters to strike the emotional heart of the brain, making it the most powerful tool for triggering a character's memory.
Anchoring the Scene: Techniques for using petrichor to build tension, ground internal monologues, and create sharp contrasts between sterile urban settings and the raw, earthy relief of a breaking storm.
What specific scent in your story triggers a memory for your protagonist?
Subscribe for more episodes and to join me for the rest of our five-part series on the senses!

Z is for Zenith

In this episode, we have reached the summit. We’ve traveled from A to Y, and it is only fitting that we end at the highest point. 
In this episode, we discuss:
Managing the Descent: Why you shouldn't rush the view once your character reaches the top, and how to use prose to bring your story to its natural, hard-earned conclusion.
The sun is at its zenith and the alphabet is complete—what will you do with the final choice at the peak of your character's journey?
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Y is for Yare

In this episode, we explore a word that is as much about a feeling as it is about a function. 
In this episode, we discuss:
The Character of the Explainer: How using niche language like "yare" acts as a window into a character’s high standards, isolation, or private passions.
Is your prose bogged down and sluggish, or is it "yare" ready to guide your reader exactly where you want them to go without any wasted energy?
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X is for Xylophone

In this episode, ground ourselves in the words that try to capture the sound of the world’s bones. 
In this episode, we discuss:
The Skeletal Soundscape: Why the xylophone is the ultimate literary shorthand for the macabre, using its "rib-like" keys to evoke the rattling of bones and Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre.
Phonetic Contrast: How to use the rare, hard "X" sound to "poke" the reader’s attention and build rhythmic, staccato prose that mirrors the striking of wood.
Are you settling for the "lightning bug" of a generic description, or are you finding the "lightning" in the sharp, wooden clack of a xylophonic metaphor?
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W is for Whimsy

In this episode, we open the door to the unexpected, the lighthearted, and the delightfully strange. 
In this episode, we discuss:
Mischief vs. Whimsy: Distinguishing between the sharp, rule-breaking edge of mischief and the gentle, surreal wings of whimsy.
The Puck Principle: Lessons from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream on how whimsical characters humanize high drama and remind us that the world is a playful, benevolent place.
The Reality of Levity: Why dark masterpieces like Pan’s Labyrinth use whimsy not to distract from horror, but to provide the contrast necessary to make the shadows feel truly deep.
Are you obsessing over the pathos of your story, or are you looking for the spaces where a little "pure imagination" can take root and lift the heart?
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V is for Vigil

In this episode, we step onto my own doorstep to look at a word that carries the weight of history, duty, and quiet tension. 
In this episode, we discuss:
The Spanish Roots: Tracing the name Vigil to the rugged soil of Asturias.
The  Nature of Identity: How characters are shaped by their names.
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U is for Universal

In this episode, we explore the paradox of the "one" and the "many." We look at Carl Sagan’s "Pale Blue Dot" to understand why the universal is never found in the vague, but is instead hidden in the hyper-specific, microscopic details of a single life.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Specificity Paradox: Why a moth-eaten wool sweater and the scent of pipe tobacco resonate more deeply than a generic "feeling of sadness," and how hyper-specific details trigger a reader's own unique memories.
Piercing the Veil: Techniques for using local superstitions and physical reactions to anchor your story in truths that transcend culture and time.
Are you trying to write for everyone by keeping things general, or are you writing for one person with the brutal specificity that makes a story belong to the world?
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T is for Tertiary

In this episode, we look at the layer of the story that makes the world feel truly alive.
In this episode, we discuss:
The Art of Balancing Focus: How to "smuggle" depth into your prose through sensory integration, ensuring your world breathes without stalling the forward momentum of your plot.
The Lived-In Detail: Why using the senses to describe the "same air exhaled by many before" creates a reality that feels larger than just two characters talking in a room.
How are you using sensory texture to show the "tertiary" depth of your world without slowing down your primary plot?
Subscribe for more episodes and to join me in this journey through the alphabet!