Plot Lab

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  Lisa Roe and the Complex Lives of Mothers and Daughters 08.10.2026 24dk

  Lisa Roe steps into the lab with Kristi and Beth for a brainstorming session. First, we play a warm-up game called The Book Imposter, challenging Lisa to guess the real novel between two book descriptions.Then, the real experiment begins. Lisa picks a headline from three choices, one she remembers hearing about in recent news. Our brainstorming session begins. The scene becomes the opening for a mother-daughter story about healing old wounds and finding second chances. We discuss story structure as an opportunity to build fully imagined characters with redeeming qualities, moving back and forth in time, and how sometimes a love interest can heighten the stakes. Lisa is fast on her feet with ideas, specific details, and how a culminating moment can deliver a huge payoff for the reader. Meet Lisa RoeLisa Roe graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and spent many years as an advertising creative director and copywriter in New York City before she accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom and turned to writing fiction—mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, reluctant empty nester, and Dr. Doolittle wannabe, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband, David and three incorrigible dogs. She is the author of Welcome to the Neighborhood and Big & Lily. www.lisaroe.comBooks MentionedLisa Roe, Big & LilyLisa Roe, Welcome to the NeighborhoodSloane Crowley, Cult ClassicBeth Uznis Johnson, “Deep Dark Tan”A short story in issue #46/47 of Story Quarterly.Join the experimentVisit our Prompt Incubator to share your ideas, write, or read what others are creating. Your work could be featured on a future episode.Where to Find UsInstagram: @plotlabpodFacebook: Plot Lab on FacebookWebsite & Prompt Incubator: Visit Plot LabPlot Lab. From Spark to Story.
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  Stephen G. Eoannou And the Practice of Turning Headlines into Fiction 24.09.2026 26dk

  Plot Lab, Stephen G. Eoannou steps into the lab with Kristi and Beth for a brainstorming session. First, we play a warm-up game called The Book Imposter, challenging Steve to guess the real novel between two book descriptions.Then, Steve picks a headline from three choices. What starts as one strange image, gradually becomes a story about a life somebody wasn’t ready to let go of, the people who are relieved he’s gone, and the one person who he’d rather stay with.We discuss different elements of craft, like why Steve can’t write a word without a title, how he builds character before plot, how sensory detail can pull a reader into a room, and how a dark premise can still be very funny.Meet Stephen G. EoannouStephen G. Eoannou grew up in Buffalo, New York, reading Hardy Boys books and watching old Humphrey Bogart movies on The Late Show. His love of history and writing led him to SUNY Buffalo (BA), Miami University (MA), and Queens University of Charlotte (MFA). He is the author of the short story collection Muscle Cars and the historical novels After Pearl, Yesteryear, and Rook. Eoannou lives in Buffalo, New York. When not writing, he can be found restoring his 1865 Second Empire Victorian home.More information can be found at www.sgeoannou.com.Books MentionedStephen G. Eoannou, RookElizabeth Gilbert, Big MagicStephen G. Eoannou, YesteryearTess Gunty, The Rabbit HutchCharles Dickens, A Christmas CarolKathleen Rooney, Man Overboard!Join the experimentVisit our Prompt Incubator online community. Share your ideas, write, or read what others are creating. Vote for your favorites. Your work could be featured on a future episode of Plot Lab.Where to Find UsInstagram: @plotlabpodFacebook: Plot Lab on FacebookVisit Plot LabPlot Lab. From Spark to Story.
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  Melissa Faliveno and the Midwestern Instinct to Keep Going 10.09.2026 33dk

  Plot Lab, Episode 1: Melissa Faliveno and the Midwestern Instinct to Keep GoingWhat happens when you hand an acclaimed author three headlines and ask, What story do YOU think is hiding in there?For our inaugural episode of Plot Lab, Melissa Faliveno, author of the novel Hemlock and the essay collection Tomboyland, steps into the lab with hosts Kristi Leonard and Beth Uznis Johnson for a brainstorming session and discussion.First, we play a warm-up game called One Star Wonder, challenging Melissa to identify a beloved classic novel from one particularly grumpy one-star review. Then, the real experiment begins.We give Melissa three completely unrelated headlines. She chooses the one that sparks her interest and, from there, the three of us start the storytelling process. What Melissa envisions as a dramatic, opening image gradually becomes a story about a lonely man, the life he has lost, his carefully maintained world, and the impending danger that might finally force him to look toward the future.Along the way, we discuss different elements of story, like what makes a character feel real, how grief and loneliness sneak into the smallest details, how a dramatic setting can elevate tension, and how nothing raises the stakes like a ticking clock. Then, we try to answer one of our favorite questions in storytelling: What larger transformation is really taking place for our character? Meet Melissa FalivenoMelissa Faliveno is the author of Hemlock (Little, Brown, 2026) and the essay collection Tomboyland, a Best Book of 2020 pick by NPR, NYPL, Oprah Magazine, and Electric Literature. She teaches creative writing at the UNC and lives in the woods outside Chapel Hill.Melissa’s fascination with the natural world runs deep. A talking deer helped inspire Hemlock, and in this episode she talks about animals behaving badly, tornadoes, the Wisconsin Northwoods, and the strange places where story ideas begin. Find Melissa online at her websiteBooks MentionedHemlockTomboylandF. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great GatsbyJoin the ExperimentThe headlines we bring into the lab don’t just belong to us. They’re writing prompts for you, too. Grab one, let it collide with your imagination, and write your own story. Then share it in our Prompt Incubator community, read what others are creating, and look for your writing on a future episode.Join our community hereInsta: @plotlabpodFacebook: Plot Lab on FacebookWebsite: Visit Plot Lab
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  Plot Lab Trailer 08.08.2026 1dk

  Plot Lab takes pop culture headlines, trending topics, and viral moments and turns them into original fiction ideas, with a guest author. Hosts Kristi Leonard and Beth Uznis Johnson bring the prompts and then the brainstorming begins. Part game show, part writers' room, every episode is a front row seat to the messy, surprising, wildly fun process of watching a story take shape. It's story creation as a spectator sport.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/jonny-easton/aspireLicense code: X5HTMEOYPYKXJ8NW