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Fictional InfluenceTruth Between the Lines Author: Kristin McTiernan
Nonsense-Free Kristin is where independent authors and creators learn to build their platforms, master their craft, and create on their own termswithout begging for permission from gatekeepers who hate them kristinmctiernan.substack.com Language: en Genres: Film Reviews, Society & Culture, TV & Film Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Matthew Bockholt - Why "Writing Rules" Won't Make You Better
Episode 20
Wednesday, 10 June, 2026
Matthew Bockholt spent years in video games and marketing before he ever wrote a novel full-time — and it shows in how he thinks about the work. While most indie authors are great storytellers and shaky prose stylists, he treats writing like a skill you drill, not a gift you're born with. In this episode he makes the case for killing the phrase "rules of writing" entirely, explains why genre stopped serving readers and started bossing authors around, and walks us through Fable Vine — his pitch for a third path that sits between the trad-pub trickle and the Amazon firehose. He also writes YA that refuses to talk down to teenagers, opening his debut novel Bloom at a funeral and meaning it. It's a conversation about craft, death, sincerity, and why "just write every day" might be the worst advice in the business.In This Episode* Rules don’t make you good — technique does: Bockholt’s basketball analogy reframes everything: anyone can follow the rules and still be terrible. Rules let you play; technique determines whether you’re worth watching. The fix is treating prose like free throws — something you practice on purpose, not something that improves by accident.* The crutch words bleeding into your prose: His weekly prompt group writes under 300 words with constraints like “no ‘to be’ verbs” and “no adverbs.” The point isn’t a lower word count — it’s precision, and the discipline of the micro quietly upgrades the macro.* When genre flipped from a favor to a cage: Genre started as a way to shelve books readers would like. Now marketing departments use it to dictate what authors are allowed to write, and the defining classics of any genre, Bockholt argues, are the ones that didn’t fit a shelf in the first place.* “Twilight if Orson Scott Card wrote it”: His comp for Bloom is a masterclass in positioning: everyone knows Twilight, and the people who perk up at Orson Scott Card are exactly the readers he wants. A good comp narrows your audience instead of flattering everyone.* Fable Vine and the third option: Trad pub is a careful drip; Amazon is a waterfall you drown in. Bockholt’s concept puts the author in the gatekeeper’s chair — pay to shelve your book, keep 100% of the return, and let an upfront cost do the quality filtering that readers are desperate for.* Killing the five-star review: Borrowing from Steam’s recommend / don’t-recommend model and element-based ratings (concept, execution, ending), he argues for a system that tells readers what an author is actually good at.* Writing death honestly for young readers: Bloom opens at a funeral, and its narrator tells you up front that he dies. Drawing on his own experience with loss, Bockholt makes the case that kids are smarter than we write for them, and that respecting death is what gives a story weight.Guest Links* Read Bloom: https://www.fablevine.com/ebook/bloom* X: @MatthewBockholtKristin’s Links* Editing Services: nonsensefreeeditor.com* Newsletter: https://www.fictionalinfluence.com* YouTube: https://youtube.com/@nonsensefreekristinTimestamps00:00 - Meet the Matthew Bockholt.01:54 - Sharpening Prose Skills.03:12 - Prompts and Style Challenges.04:31 - How Genre Became a Cage.07:28 - Writing Across Genres.09:54 - Fable Vine Third Path.12:20 - Gatekeeping and Reviews.15:26 - Rethinking Rating Systems.17:59 - Visibility and Silent Launch.20:54 - Rules Versus Techniques.23:15 - Practice Beats Habit.23:54 - Ditch Genre Rules.25:05 - Writing Smart YA.28:40 - Death as Story Engine.30:51 - Respecting Mortality.32:11 - Stories That Face Death.36:08 - Heroes and Sincerity.38:27 - Where to Read Bloom.39:07 - Free Copies Debate.40:52 - Community and Conventions.42:52 - Wrap Up and Thanks.About This PodcastNonsense-Free Kristin is where independent authors and creators learn to build their platforms, master their craft, and create on their own terms—without begging for permission from gatekeepers who hate them.New episodes weekly.Subscribe on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube Music. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit kristinmctiernan.substack.com
