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© 2026 Write Your Heart Out
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Two writers. Zero gatekeeping. Maximum drafts. Kayla & Rachel read your stuff, roast their own, and dive into craft, contests, and the messy, hilarious writer life. Drops every other Wednesday. Submit: contact@writeyourheartoutpod.com
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29 Episodes
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What happens when the thrill of drafting collides with the slog of revision? We open the door on a month of messy pages, tempting new ideas, and the uneasy question: hobby or publication. Kayla makes the case for hiring a developmental editor early, sharing how professional notes outpaced even the best beta reads and saved months of wheel‑spinning. Rachel weighs the cost, the goal, and the head noise of a manuscript with promise. Along the way we look at how to study the market without losing...
In this STORYTIME episode of Write Your Heart Out, Kayla and Rachel dive into the mailbag to read and critique work from two listeners they’ve never met! The duo travels from the eerie, rain-soaked landscapes of Ireland to the literal depths of the afterlife, finally landing under the vast, star-filled skies of the Atlantic. In this episode, we explore: "Pink Rotary Telephone" by Barry Malone: A chilling horror story about a piece of obsolete technology that rings with a message no one wants ...
We are officially relevant. In this episode of Write Your Heart Out, Kayla and Rachel dive into Jeanette McCurdy’s debut novel Half His Age, the much-anticipated follow-up to her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died. We unpack the controversial age-gap dynamic, the power shifts between predator and prey, and how McCurdy flips the traditional narrative by centering the teenage girl’s desire. Is the novel really about the relationship — or is it about worth, longing, addiction, and the hunger to be seen...
In this craft-focused episode of Write Your Heart Out, hosts Kayla Ogden and Rachel Cyr tackle one of the biggest questions in creative writing: what is voice? From author voice to narrator voice to character voice, they break down how voice shows up on the page—and how to strengthen it through sentence variety, rhythm, and intentional POV choices (especially in first-person). They also recap their first in-person Write Your Heart Out writers group in San Mateo, reflect on the learning curve ...
My Hero Academia fanfic meets Write Your Heart Out storytime! In this first episode of 2026, Kayla and Rachel reflect on how their definition of “success” has shifted—from big, flashy milestones to the small, meaningful moments that truly matter. They talk about flu season, waiting on editorial feedback, writers’ group nerves, and late-night classes (three hours?!). Then, things get emotional as they read and discuss a fanfiction tribute submitted by listener Nova, honoring a friend nam...
In our final episode of the year, we reflect on how Write Your Heart Out began (yes, including the lucky underwear lore) before diving into a sharp craft conversation inspired by Rebecca Makkai’s essay on why novels shouldn’t be written like movies. We unpack what film gets wrong about fiction, from “show, don’t tell” to interiority, structure, and setting. We talk about how to use the tools only the page can offer. Plus, a Storytime submission update and news about our new in-person writers ...
In this wide-ranging, candid episode of Write Your Heart Out, Kayla and Rachel talk about creative resistance, privilege in publishing, and what it really takes to get a book across the finish line. Kayla shares a hopeful, behind-the-scenes story about reaching out for developmental editing support—and the complicated feelings that come with having access to resources not everyone can afford—while Rachel celebrates a new literary journal publication. The conversation then turns sharp and unfi...
Ever cried reading your own poem on mic? Rachel did. And Kayla cried too, because friendship. And then Jessie Wingate blew our minds with The Beholden. And THEN Kayla read the full #VanLife you’ve all been asking for... wink wink... okay, maybe only Reka. This description isn't A.I. Okay it was only partly written by ChatGPT. I came up with the wink wink thing... I know... pretty good. The first sentence is obviously A.I. lol (Kayla) Send us your own poems and stories at writeyourheart...
On a rainy night Kayla and Rachel brought clipboard to the movie theater to watch Bugonia (2025).Now they’re breaking down this absurdist black-comedy thriller beat by beat. Is there any chance that Yorgos Lanthimos’s newest film follows the Save the Cat structure, or are we just trying to shove a genre-bending film into a litterbox? We talk about opening and final images (cutest bee ever), themes, midpoints, Dark Night of the Soul moments, and that finale we absolutely did not see coming. We...
We’re back—and now bi-weekly! Kayla and Rachel dive into the messy middle of revisions: what developmental editing actually looks like, why you should delay line edits, and how to plant undercurrents so readers guess the twist two beats before you reveal it. Rachel talks through changing her killer (and giving everyone a motive) in her one-night “Dinner for Eight” mystery—plus why a simple house map might save your pacing. Kayla shares hard-won lessons about cutting travel filler, building La...
It’s a craft special! We kick off with Elizabeth Gilbert’s latest (yes, the hairdresser, the church, the drugs—what is even happening), then dive into the good stuff: how to build believable, unforgettable characters using the Enneagram. Rachel walks us through types, wings, stress/safety arrows, and why intention > vibes, while Kayla talks “thisness,” denial as a human engine, and how appearance can serve plot (hi, Lani). We compare detailed character bibles vs. trusting your brain, debat...
In this solo mini-episode of Write Your Heart Out, host Kayla Ogden dives headfirst into the lyrical feud—or maybe flirtation?—between pop titans Taylor Swift and Charli XCX. With Taylor’s The Life of a Showgirl and Charli’s Brat still dominating playlists, Kayla unpacks the songs that set off a thousand think-pieces: “Actually Romantic” and “Sympathy Is a Knife.” She breaks down the verses, tone, and writing style of each, tracing the messy, fascinating overlap of art, ego, and emotional hon...
Kayla and Rachel host a reader-submitted showcase featuring three luminous poems by Blair Vischer—“Easy Dark,” “Halfway Heroes,” and “Salt”—plus Rachel’s one-hour continuation of her “Enemies to Lovers” work-in-progress, a moody, Poe-tinted short piece by Dave Richanbach that riffs on “more weight” and the Salem trials, and MJ’s aching new poem “Strangers,” a call-and-response to Scott Gibson’s piece from last week. Along the way, we talk rejection resilience (hi, Novelry shortlist), why hum...
This week we go full craft-nerd. Kayla shares how adding interiority (yes, telling!) is transforming Pillow Forts Down, and we break down the long-misunderstood “show, don’t tell” rule—from Chekhov to Hemingway’s iceberg theory—and land on a modern balance: show and tell. We walk through quick edit tools (for every scene: desire, fear, misbelief), why character expectations create delicious reversals, and how to build emotional dynamic change in scenes (with detours through Little Women adapt...
This week we’re back with a Storytime episode! Kayla shares a whirlwind night at a Mountain View writers group (hello, kindred spirits), then we dive into short pieces we wrote in under 2 hours. We’re also featuring two terrific listener pieces: “Fairytale in Bangkok” by Scott Gibson — a tender, whiskey-soaked poem about young love. Scott is currently working on a documentary where he interviews the longstanding, bona fide punk artists of Indonesia. “Elon” by MJ — a sharp, slam-poetry cr...
A Challenge to Listeners! We're going to spend two hours or less drafting something new. We want you to do it too! Send us your fast writing at Contact@writeyourheartoutpod.com with the subject line: Two Hour Story and we'll read it on the next storytime episode! That means you, David. These are the prompts (via Writer Threads) that can inspire your new work: Enemies to Lovers: 1. Bold of you to assume that I'd care. 2. You're hurt? Why are you always hurt? 3. Get behind me. Angry Confessio...
As promised, we take out our hoops and smear vaseline on our cheeks to battle. Kayla is pro ChatGPT in helping her. Rachel thinks it's cheating. Rachel is scared of ChatGPT. Kayla is scared of dolls coming to life and taunting her. Who will be victorious? (ChatGPT refused to help me with this description! Seriously. I think it's hurt. - Kayla) Trigger warnings: Suicide Also scary A.I. stories, tipsy banter and irreverence Please subscribe, rate and review! New episodes every other Wednesday...
After a summer hiatus, Kayla and Rachel are back—and ready to get into a new writing flow. Rachel shares her progress on Dinner for Eight, including how she’s realizing her protagonist’s marriage needs more depth (or maybe more dysfunction). Kayla talks about experimenting with feeding her dystopian novel The Woman Tree into ChatGPT for a Save the Cat breakdown—only to discover some hilariously creepy “cry triggers” involving underwear drawers and divorce letters. The two dive into craft with...
After a little summer hiatus (camping, in-laws, a spiral-bound manuscript from FedEx…), Kayla and Rachel are back in the podcast saddle and diving deep into the storytelling structure that screenwriters love and novelists love to hate: Save the Cat. Rachel reveals she finished a whole-ass book (?!), and together they break down Blake Snyder’s iconic 15-beat “beat sheet” and genre system—using Dinner for Eight and The Woman Tree (working title) to show how the structure can help shape a novel ...
This week, we attend a virtual "lunch and learn" hosted by the Women’s National Book Association and featuring legendary San Francisco literary agent Andy Ross—and yes, we actually lunched. While the rest of the Zoom played it cool, we munched focaccia and dished about querying, rejection, and whether you can ever send your manuscript to another agent at the same agency (spoiler: the answer was… confusing). We share the best and weirdest advice from the talk (a query letter in Q&A format?...
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