302 / We’re talking about the power of tropes in storytelling with Jennifer Hilt, uncovering why elements like scars, secrets, and shame drive compelling mysteries and thrillers—and how they show up in every genre.

Jennifer shared insights from her Trope Thesaurus series, and both guests revealed how understanding and leveraging tropes isn’t just a writing shortcut—it’s a way to deepen character, amp up conflict, and even supercharge your marketing.

• Tips for handling co-writing and collaboration
• Breaking down “scars and secrets” as trope superstars
• How to make the tropes unique and memorable to your story
• Using tropes to analyze popular media with examples from Severance, The Housemade, and Justified
• The storybeats of tropes
• Plus we brainstorm a story with the armenia trope
  
  
  

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes
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⚡Links:

• www.jenniferhilt.com
• Mystery and Thriller Trope book: https://books2read.com/MysteryandThriller
• Jennifer Hilt on Trope Con and Planning Online Events: https://wishidknownforwriters.com/262-2/
• How to Use Tropes to Create Strong Characters and Deepen Conflict with Jennifer Hilt: https://wishidknownforwriters.com/155-2/

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🚀 Jami’s Consulting and Workshops: https://www.jamialbright.com/authorworkshops

❤️ Jami’s books https://amzn.to/3wSraA5

🔎 Sara’s books https://www.sararosett.com/bibliography/

📚 Sara’s How to Write a Series book and audiobook: https://www.sararosett.com/how-to-write-a-series/

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes https://bookshop.org/lists/recommenced-resources-for-writers-from-the-wish-i-d-known-then-podcast

301 / In this 301st episode, hear from listeners (thanks for the voicemails!) about their favorite topics and takeaways and another long-time supporter, Belinda Kroll joins us. Belinda is a cozy fantasy romance author and illustrator, and shares how she's streamlining her business to lean fully into her artisan side.

• Shifting from serial to artisan-focused publishing
• Leveraging Kickstarter and Shopify for book launches
• Balancing writing and business with family life
• Learning from setbacks and focusing on what works for you
• Adapting to industry changes and technology, including AI

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast: https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support or https://wishidknownthenpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes but the 200 episodes in the vault
• Shoutout on a future episode

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⚡Links:

• Trope Book: https://books2read.com/MysteryandThriller
• Jami’s branding workshop: https://www.jamialbright.com/authorworkshops
• Aimee Robinson: https://www.aimeerobinsonromance.com
• Stephanie Faris: https://www.stephaniefaris.com
• Stephanie Faris on Steamy Instalove Shorts, Sweet Romance, and Dictation:https://wishidknownforwriters.com/278-2/
• Belinda Kroll:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/worderella/an-uncanny-bargain

https://worderella.com

https://worderella.com/links

https://brightbirdpress.com/

Writing Cozy Fantasy as a Joyful Side Hustle with Belinda Kroll: https://wishidknownforwriters.com/171-2/

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🚀 Jami’s Consulting and Workshops: https://www.jamialbright.com/authorworkshops

❤️ Jami’s books https://amzn.to/3wSraA5

🔎 Sara’s books https://www.sararosett.com/bibliography/

📚 Sara’s How to Write a Series book and audiobook: https://www.sararosett.com/how-to-write-a-series/

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes https://bookshop.org/lists/recommenced-resources-for-writers-from-the-wish-i-d-known-then-podcast

300 / In this 300th episode, we take a walk down memory lane, sharing behind-the-scenes stories from the early days of the podcast and reflecting on how far we’ve come—with over 500,000 downloads and listeners tuning in from all around the world. We chat about the most popular episode, our sometimes dodgy sound, and the connections we’ve made with authors and vendors in the indie publishing community.

Joining us is long-time listener and sports rom com author Parker Finch, who shares how staying reader-focused has helped her build a sustainable writing career. We discuss the ever-changing publishing landscape, creative fulfillment, and why mixing panic with positivity is totally normal for writers.

In the next episode, we’ll hear more from listeners (thank you for the voicemails!) and have another special author interview.

💙 Become a supporter of the podcast https://wishidknownforwriters.com/support

• Access to backlist of exclusive supporter episodes
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⚡Links:

Parker Finch Parkerfinch.com

Melanie Harlow episode: https://wishidknownforwriters.com/209-2/

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Support the show

🚀 Jami’s Consulting and Workshops: https://www.jamialbright.com/authorworkshops

❤️ Jami’s books https://amzn.to/3wSraA5

🔎 Sara’s books https://www.sararosett.com/bibliography/

📚 Sara’s How to Write a Series book and audiobook: https://www.sararosett.com/how-to-write-a-series/

The Big List of Craft and marketing books mentioned on WIKT podcast episodes https://bookshop.org/lists/recommenced-resources-for-writers-from-the-wish-i-d-known-then-podcast