A stolen Margaritaville notepad, a semester spent teaching “Writing After AI” at the oldest writers’ conference in the country, and the eternal question of whether you’re supposed to outline your novel or just vibe your way through it. Josh and Dasha dig into what a stack of AI-generated writing controversies reveals about the culture wars, then take on a listener’s plea for outlining advice (snowflake method, reverse outlining, and Freytag’s Pyramid included) with a pit stop at clown school along the way.

Links:
“Clown for Writers,” Substack post by Rebecca Van Laer
“Shy Girl” AI authorship controversy, reported by the Irish Times
“The Serpent in the Grove” Granta/Commonwealth Prize controversy, reported by Literary Hub
Harper’s Bazaar UK’s 2026 Short Story Competition winner, “Back and Forth”
Irish Times AI-generated op-ed controversy, reported by the Irish News
Save the Cat (screenwriting method)
Lost Highway, dir. David Lynch
Deb Olin Unferth
Gustav Freytag’s Pyramid

Theme music: “1982” by See Jazz — https://seejazz.bandcamp.com/album/is-this-anything