The Smarter Artist Show

In this episode Sean and Dave go over a few pages of Sean's corrections on the rough draft of a movie script they're working on. Dave was rusty having been away from scripts for a bit, as he's been working on other things and the podcast. So tune in and hear some of the things he got wrong and how to fix them. Most of these lessons can be applied to any kind of writing.

In this episode of The Smarter Artist Show we're talking about reclaiming your 1,000 true fans. Additionally, Sean talks about the best/worst story I've written with him! Four words: "____ _____ on Christmas.*" *longtime listeners can fill in the blanks at home! TIMESTAMPS 5:00 — Dave's Christmas story. SOMETHING COOL 7:50 — Johnny's writing revelation 13:24 — Dave's movie watch — Caddo Lake 15:54 — 1,000 True fans 19:00 — How do you start rebuilding your mailing list? 23:29 — Understanding your audience's needs 26:35 — Cultivating diehard fans 30:00 — The value of unique content 33:29 — creating a connected universe 38:34 — Engaging your audience consistently 43:29 — Learning from email marketing failures 48:30 — Connecting your assets for deeper engagement 51:07 — One more something cool for fantasy mapmakers! LINKS Inkarnate mention for mapmakers www.inkarnate.com https://smarterartist.net/

They answer playful hypotheticals about creative tradeoffs and wild offers. They debate writing in a single genre for guaranteed success and whether to take millions to stop creating. They imagine living in their own fictional worlds, swapping bodies for a day, and pitching a cringe reality show. They also share comfort-TV picks and alternate careers they might have had.

They reminisce about the early Kindle gold rush and how indie publishing changed over time. They discuss creative burnout, when the magic fades, and how market pressures reshape writing. They explore shifting from ebooks to print, finding strengths, and rebuilding joy. They finish with hypotheticals about what they would create if starting over today.

In this episode of The Smarter Artist Show, we talk about killing your darlings. When do you decide enough is enough on a project? When do you call it quits on a series you're writing? The complexity of selling stories. Do creators owe their audience a proper ending? And Dave horrifies us all with the movie he wants to make someday. Two words: Rom-com. All this and more in this week's Smarter Artist Show. Opening — Sean busts on Dave for not getting the podcast up yet 5:00 — Something Cool: Blue Moon, She Rides Shotgun, and Companion 15:00 — Dave v. Optimism — 15:00 min. 16:20 — Dave's Dream Movie he wants to make 20:35 — The Topic of the Show Killing Your Darlings 35:00 — Do you have an obligation to finish a series that doesn't perform well? 56:09 — Johnny talks about the Reginald the Vampire TV show based on his Fat Vampire book series

THE SMARTER ARTIST SHOW #5 — Indies Growing Up In this episode of The Smarter Artist Show, Sean, Johnny, and I (Dave) discuss the evolution of indie publishing and the importance of maturing as creators. Johnny is back from Kevin J. Anderson's Superstars of Writing Seminars and joins us to discuss experiences at various conferences, highlighting the differences in community and approach between events. The conversation emphasizes the need for long-term thinking, creative collaboration, and the challenges of advertising in the indie landscape. SOMETHING COOL Sean surprises everybody with a VERY unexpected Something Cool this week. Johnny talks about watching the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House with his son. And Dave shares the trailer for a movie he's psyched to see — Undertone.

In this week's episode of The Smarter Artist Show, Johnny is missing in action. Which leaves Sean and I to discuss the controversial topic of AI and how it is affecting creativity and creatives. We explore the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI. Listen or watch at our website: http://smarterartist.net SOMETHINGS COOL In our Something Cool segment Sean talks about the TV show Landman and I talk about the movie Groundhog Day. Does it hold up for Dave or his Gen Z son? THE TOPIC — CREATIVITY EVOLVED Then we talk about how AI is affecting creation in the creative fields — from writing to art to film to music to video games. Technology is changing things, whether we like it or not. So if we can't put the genie in the bottle, what CAN creators do to survive without getting lost? There are no easy solutions or answers. And shit is bad for a lot of people, especially in the area of video games where the past year has seen a bloodbath in layoffs, thanks to AI. So how can creatives evolve and survive, maybe even thrive? Is there a way to use AI to enhance creativity without replacing it? How do you keep your soul in today's market? What opportunities does AI offer people who used to lack access to creative tools? We also discuss why we don't use AI for our stories, but can see areas AI could be useful for writers (like making story Bibles of books already written and to track things.) Then we discuss an area where Sean does enjoy playing with AI — in creating music. It began as an adversarial curiosity, but then he started spending hundreds of hours actually writing lyrics for the songs and engineering the music in his head with AI to make something fun.

In this episode of the Smarter Artists Show, we talk about some of our favorite fictional worlds, the art of collaboration in writing, and we touch a bit on everyone's favorite controversial topic — AI. Some of the worlds we discuss are Dune, A Song of Ice and Fire, and The Matrix. The Smarter Artist Show is hosted by bestselling authors and screenwriters Sean Platt, Johnny B. Truant, and David Wright. Tune in every Friday at noon EST for a new episode! Visit [Smarter Artist](https://smarterartist.net/) for more info and past episodes. ⠀Chapters 00:00 Welcome Back and Listener Comments 02:44 Something Cool: Movies and Shows 05:22 Exploring Fictional Worlds 07:56 The Art of Collaboration in Writing 10:37 World Building and Favorite Universes 13:35 The Influence of AI on Writing 16:20 Diving into Dune and Other Favorites 18:22 The Matrix and Its Impact 20:21 Game of Thrones and Complex Narratives 22:05 Final Thoughts on Fictional Worlds

A lively chat about how AI is reshaping storytelling and attention spans. They debate the vanishing cheap paperbacks and what that means for future readers. The conversation explores kids preferring physical formats and tangible media as a counter to digital life. They also consider niche audiences, creator–fan relationships, and how storytellers must adapt in a streaming, algorithm-driven landscape.

A reunited trio laughs about why they came back and who ended up running the show. They map how self-publishing shifted and why old tactics no longer work. The conversation explores pivots toward IP, film and TV, and using platforms as creative North Stars. Each shares a standout recommendation and teases new weekly bits, all wrapped in nostalgic stories and practical promise for smarter artists.