Just Another Word Podcast

Timothy Vigil
  • 5.0 (4)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED DAILY

Just another Word Podcast is a daily podcast designed to help people become better storytellers through the exploration of words. Join host and Author Timothy Vigil on a daily journey through words and the power of storytelling. 

  1. 14H AGO

    Austere

    In this episode, we look at the power of the unadorned. We explore the Austere archetype and why stripping away the noise often reveals the most unyielding truths of a character. In this episode, we discuss: The Medieval Model: Using the "Architecture of Silence" found in Cistercian monks to create characters who cannot be bribed or tempted. The Weight of Less: How the "Precedent" of an austere character's silence ensures that when they finally speak, every other character in the room is forced to listen. In your current draft, are you hiding a character’s weakness, or have you stripped the room bare to see what they are actually made of when the fire goes out? Subscribe for more episodes!

    11 min

  2. 2D AGO

    Machiavellian

    In this episode, we go back to Renaissance Italy to meet the "Prince of Florence" and explore the cold, calculating heart of power.  In this episode, we discuss: The Architect and the Arsonist: Comparing Thomas Cromwell to Littlefinger to see how manipulation moves a plot. The Historical Backbone: How anchoring your worldbuilding in the cynical realities of real-world politics like the War of the Roses makes even the most fantastical elements feel plausible and grounded. In your current draft, are your leaders defined by their morality, or are they treating your characters like variables in a Machiavellian equation where the only result that matters is power? Subscribe for more episodes as we continue to map the "blueprints" of humanity!

    12 min

  3. 5D AGO

    Mercurial

    In this episode, we explore characters who are impossible to pin down. In this episode, we discuss: The Quicksilver Element: Tracing the word from the Roman messenger god to the liquid metal that shatters and reforms, providing a metaphor for characters who refuse to hold a permanent shape. Consistency in Inconsistency: The secret to writing "random" behavior that feels earned, ensuring that rapid mood shifts reveal deeper layers rather than just serving the plot. In your current draft, is your character a solid rock, or are they quicksilver? Subscribe for more episodes as we continue to map the "blueprints" of humanity!

    8 min

  4. FEB 11

    Subvert

    In this episode, we look at the ultimate tool of the rebel and the most dangerous weapon in a writer’s arsenal: the power to take a foundation and flip it. In this episode, we discuss: Subversion from Within vs. Below: Exploring the difference between the high-level politician dismantling control from a desk and the disruptor throwing a wrench into the gears from the ground floor. The Shutter Island Effect: Why subverting a reader’s observations creates a story that lingers long after the final page by forcing a total re-evaluation of the facts. In your current draft, are you building a predictable fortress, or are you acting as the termites in the floorboards, preparing to pull the rug out from under your audience? Subscribe for more episodes!

    8 min

  5. FEB 10

    Reorient

    In this episode, we talk about the most painful part of the creative process: cutting away what we love to save what we need. In this episode, we discuss: The Three-Day Pivot: Why I'm moving from a daily model to three episodes a week. In your current project, are you holding onto a habit because it’s useful, or are you just afraid to kill a darling that’s keeping you from your best work? Subscribe for more episodes as we move into our new three-day-a-week rhythm!

    7 min

  6. FEB 9

    Vagabond

    In this episode, we explore what might be the most misunderstood resident of the social ladder. In this episode, we discuss: Gravitas over Status: How the word "vagabond" shifts a character from a "problem to be solved" to a weathered observer whose lack of a destination is a deliberate identity. The Gleeman Model: Using the example of characters like Thom Merrilin (from The Wheel of Time) to show how a vagabond can have a vocation that keeps them mobile, useful, and perpetually untrusted. In your current draft, is your wanderer just someone looking for a home, or do they carry the perspective of someone who has realized that belonging to a place means closing your eyes to the rest of the world? Subscribe for more episodes as we continue to map the "blueprints" of humanity!

    7 min

  7. FEB 8

    Precedent

    In this episode, we explore the invisible architecture of human interaction. We look at precedent, not as a legal term, but as the weight of history that dictates how characters trust, fear, and manipulate one another before a single line of dialogue is even spoken. In this episode, we discuss: The Predictability of the Past: Why a character’s "baseline" behavior should dictate how other characters interact with them. The Break in Pattern: How to signal that something is "terribly wrong" by having a character violate their own established precedent. The Dialogue Trap: Why you should avoid "As You Know, Bob" backstory dumps and instead "smuggle" history into the subtext through instinctive physical actions and behaviors. Is your character’s behavior a sudden surprise to their lifelong friends, or are you building the weight of their history into the subtle patterns of their movements? Subscribe for more episodes as we continue to look at the blueprints of human behavior!

    8 min

  8. FEB 7

    Venerable

    In this episode, we explore the Venerable archetype and the quiet, heavy burden of being a monument in a world that keeps moving. In this episode, we discuss: The Burden of the Pedestal: Why the venerable character rules through history rather than power, and the collective "standing up" that happens when a legend enters the room. The Relic of a Former Age: Exploring the friction that occurs when an ancient master is called back to action in a world they no longer recognize, forcing them to be a monument that moves. Is your legendary character an unyielding statue, or are you allowing the reader to see the cracks where the human is struggling to live up to being a living legend? Subscribe for more episodes as we continue to map the "blueprints" of humanity!

    6 min
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About

Just another Word Podcast is a daily podcast designed to help people become better storytellers through the exploration of words. Join host and Author Timothy Vigil on a daily journey through words and the power of storytelling. 

Information

  • Creator
    Timothy Vigil
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    44
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Just Another Word Podcast