The Book I Haven't Finished | The M. Gardner Show

What happens to the stories we never finish telling? Are they failures, or are they simply waiting for us to become the writers we're meant to be?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, M. Gardner opens up about the challenges of unfinished manuscripts, drawing from his experience writing six books and struggling with stories that refuse to come together. From the fading excitement of a new idea to perfectionism, fear of criticism, and the demands of everyday life, we explore why so many stories are left unfinished.

We'll also look at the beauty of incompleteness, the lessons hidden in abandoned manuscripts, and the literary works that remind us that a story doesn't have to be finished to have meaning. Sometimes, the projects we leave behind are the very things that teach us how to become better writers.

In this week's Writer's Corner, M. Gardner shares his personal collection of unfinished manuscripts and offers a challenge: revisit an old story, not to judge yourself for leaving it behind, but to discover what it taught you.

Whether you're a writer with a novel gathering digital dust or someone who has ever left a dream unfinished, this episode is a reminder that you haven't necessarily failed. You might just need more time.

Because there's a difference between a book you couldn't finish and a book you haven't finished.

Some stories aren't dead. They're patient.

📧 Questions or comments? Email m.gardnerbooks@gmail.com.

Thanks for pulling up a chair around my campfire.

Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

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Every writer knows the feeling: you sit down in front of a blank page, you want to write, you know what you want to say—and somehow, nothing comes out.

But what if "writer's block" isn't really one problem?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, M. Gardner takes an honest look at writer's block through his own experiences as a novelist. From struggling with Epic of L to stepping away from writing for an entire year and eventually pouring 180,000 words into Anrith: The Tale of a Bear and His Guns, M. Gardner explores what he learned about creativity, fear, perfectionism, burnout, rest, and creative resistance.

The episode breaks writer's block into several different forms, including emotional blocks, fear, exhaustion, structural problems, resistance, burnout, and skill gaps. It also explores why sometimes the answer isn't to force yourself to keep writing—but to step away, rest, learn something new, or follow another story.

The central question becomes:

What if resistance isn't a sign that you're failing as a writer, but information about what your creativity actually needs?

M. Gardner also discusses the experiences and perspectives of writers including Stephen King, Maya Angelou, Anne Lamott, Margaret Atwood, Haruki Murakami, and Virginia Woolf.

In Writer's Corner, M. Gardner shares the practical approach he now uses when he gets stuck: instead of immediately trying to overcome resistance, he asks, "Why don't I want to write this right now?"

So pull up a chair around the campfire and join the conversation.

Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

📧 Questions or comments: m.gardnerbooks@gmail.com

The M. Gardner Show — Episode: “When Did Angels Get Wings?”

When you picture an angel, what do you see?

A beautiful figure in flowing white robes? A glowing halo? Giant feathered wings?

What if I told you that some of the oldest descriptions of heavenly beings look nothing like that?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, M. Gardner explores the fascinating history of angels—from the messengers described in ancient religious texts to the winged, beautiful figures that eventually became the dominant image in Western culture.

We explore:

👼 What the word “angel” actually means
📖 How angels are described in biblical texts
🌍 How different cultures and religions have imagined celestial beings
🔥 The bizarre and terrifying descriptions of cherubim and seraphim
👁️ The mysterious wheels covered in eyes from Ezekiel's vision
⚔️ The evolution of angels, fallen angels, demons, and warriors
🎨 How medieval and Renaissance art helped create the angel we recognize today
🪽 Where the familiar wings and halos came from
😨 Why “biblically accurate angels” have become associated with horror
🧠 The connection between angels and the psychological concept of the uncanny valley
📚 Seven major angel archetypes that storytellers continue to use

But this episode isn't just about religious history.

It's about storytelling.

Why do we keep reinventing angels? Why do different generations imagine them differently? And what does the way we portray supernatural beings reveal about what we want them to represent?

In the Writer's Corner, M. Gardner goes behind the scenes of his own novel Epic of L, discussing his portrayal of angels, Uriel, Nephilim, black wings, blue eyes, prophecy, and the idea of beings caught between the human and divine worlds.

Because sometimes the best way to create fantasy is to look backward at the oldest stories we have—and ask:

What if we took them seriously?

So pull up a chair around the campfire.

We're going back to the beginning to ask one deceptively simple question:

When did angels get wings?

🎙️ The M. Gardner Show
📖 Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

The M. Gardner Show — Episode: “The Weight of the First Sentence”

Every great story has to begin somewhere.

But why do some opening lines stay with us forever, while others are forgotten the moment we turn the page?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, M. Gardner explores the incredible pressure—and power—behind the first sentence of a novel.

From Dickens's “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” to Stephen King's “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed,” and J.M. Barrie's “All children, except one, grow up,” we examine what makes certain opening lines unforgettable.

We'll explore:

📖 The psychology of first impressions
✍️ Why an opening line needs to make the reader want the next sentence
🎭 How opening lines work differently across genres
❌ Common mistakes that make opening lines fall flat
🔥 What makes a first sentence memorable
📚 How writers like Dickens, King, Tolkien, Melville, Kafka, Camus, and Austen approached their openings
🔑 The relationship between an opening line and the ending of a story
🚪 Why every first sentence is essentially a doorway into another world

M. Gardner also takes listeners into the Writer's Corner, where he works through the opening of his own sixth novel and explores the process of turning a serviceable first sentence into one that actually makes a reader want to know what happens next.

Because the goal isn't to write the most complicated first sentence.

It isn't even to write the most famous one.

The goal is to make the reader want the second sentence.

So pull up a chair around the campfire and join M. Gardner for a conversation about first impressions, storytelling, literary history, and the craft of opening a novel.

The first sentence is the doorway. What happens when the reader walks through?

🎙️ The M. Gardner Show
📖 Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

The M. Gardner Show — Episode: “How Do You Kill a Character Correctly?”

Anybody can kill a character.

The hard part is making the audience care.

Why do some fictional deaths stay with us for years while others are forgotten almost immediately? What makes a character's death feel earned rather than cheap? And once you've killed a character, should you ever bring them back?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, M. Gardner explores the craft and emotional power behind some of fiction's most memorable deaths—from Boromir, Mufasa, Sirius Black, Ned Stark, Uncle Ben, and Tony Stark to the sacrifices and tragedies that define entire stories.

We'll explore:

⚔️ Why meaning matters more than shock
💀 What makes a character death feel cheap
❤️ Why readers become emotionally attached to fictional characters
🔄 When resurrection works—and when it destroys the stakes
🩸 Different types of character deaths and the emotions they create
📖 The four things a great character death can accomplish
✍️ How death can advance a plot, complete an arc, transform a survivor, or reveal a theme
🎭 The craft of actually writing a powerful death scene
🌑 Why sometimes the most important character in a death scene is the person who survives

M. Gardner also applies these ideas to his own novels, including Anrith, Epic of L, and The Last Exorcist, examining what the potential deaths of characters like Bear, L, Hoyt, Honey, Kia Stone, and Artemis Dread could actually mean for their stories.

Because a great character death isn't really about death.

It's about life. It's about meaning. It's about what a character leaves behind.

Pull up a chair around the campfire and join M. Gardner for a deep conversation about storytelling, character development, grief, sacrifice, redemption, and one of the hardest decisions any writer can make:

When—and how—do you let a character die?

🎙️ The M. Gardner Show
📖 Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

The M. Gardner Show — Episode: “The Monster in the Mirror”

What if the monsters we fear most aren't hiding in haunted houses, dark forests, or ancient legends—but inside us?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, M. Gardner explores the monsters that live within us: jealousy, pride, greed, fear, addiction, resentment, and the need to protect ourselves from being hurt.

Using examples from The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Harry Potter, The Picture of Dorian Gray, A Christmas Carol, and other stories, M. Gardner examines why the greatest battles in fiction aren't always fought against external enemies. Sometimes, the real battle is against the darkness growing inside the hero.

The episode also explores redemption and damnation, the psychology of temptation, the role of internal conflict in creating compelling characters, and why great love stories are often secretly stories about overcoming the monsters within ourselves.

M. Gardner also takes listeners into the Writer's Corner, discussing the internal monsters carried by characters from his own novels, including Anrith, The Last Exorcist, and Epic of L.

Because every great story eventually asks the same question:

Can we become better than we are right now?

Pull up a chair around the campfire and join M. Gardner for a conversation about storytelling, human nature, and the monster waiting in the mirror.

🎙️ The M. Gardner Show
📖 Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

Why Do We Love the Hero’s Journey?

Why does the same basic story keep appearing throughout human history?

In this episode of The M. Gardner Show, novelist M. Gardner explores the enduring power of the Hero’s Journey — from ancient mythology and The Epic of Gilgamesh to The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Marvel, and the stories we create ourselves.

Together, we explore why audiences connect with characters who face impossible odds, endure suffering, confront their darkest fears, and ultimately become someone different from who they were.

M. Gardner also looks at the psychological side of storytelling, including transformation, courage, the Shadow, narrative transportation, and why stories can sometimes help us make sense of our own struggles.

And in the Writer’s Corner, he brings the discussion into his own novels, including Anrith, Epic of L, and The Last Exorcist, examining how the Hero’s Journey has shaped his characters and their transformations.

Because maybe we don't love heroic stories simply because they're entertaining.

Maybe we love them because, deep down, we recognize ourselves in them.

Pull up a chair around the campfire. The journey is about to begin.

🔥 The M. Gardner Show
Keep questioning. Keep telling stories. Keep creating.

What drives someone to keep writing when the odds are terrible and the outcome is uncertain?

In this extended episode of The M. Gardner Show, novelist M. Gardner explores the deeply personal origins of his writing life. Beginning with a mental health diagnosis in 2017 and the chaos that followed, he shares how therapy, journaling, and imagination gradually transformed into a commitment to storytelling.

The conversation moves beyond autobiography into the psychology of narrative itself: why writing can create a sense of agency, how flow state affects the brain, and why stories have the power to transport us into other lives. M. Gardner also examines the different psychological drives behind fantasy, horror, thrillers, and romance, and reflects on what famous writers such as Stephen King, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Maya Angelou believed was the true purpose of writing.

This episode is ultimately about one question: What is the question your story is trying to ask?

Whether you’re an experienced author, a new writer, or someone with a story you’ve never dared to finish, this episode offers an honest look at the drive behind the page—and why that drive may be the rarest thing a writer possesses.