Fictional Problems

This is Fictional Problems, the podcast where hosts Gary J. Martin and A.R. McNevin discuss writing, politics, and freedom of speech. In this episode, they debate political alignments, cancel culture, and the moral limits of political expression in the wake of recent violent events.
They also examine how contemporary narratives—false-flag tactics, crafted outrage, historical parallels, and genre examples like Star Trek—influence speculative fiction, character creation, and the choices writers make when reflecting politics in their work.

This episode of Fictional Problems explores bad story ideas, how flawed concepts can be mined for better work, and examples from pop culture — including Tolkien’s abandoned sequel 'The New Shadow' and the 2017 film Bright. Hosts Gary J. Martin and A.R. McNevin discuss problematic premises (like racist 'ancient alien' notions), discarded drafts, worldbuilding missteps, and how to salvage or learn from discarded concepts.

Fictional Problems, in association with Speculative Fiction Ireland, explores how to handle action on the page. The hosts discuss choreographing fights, making violence necessary and consequential, and balancing realism with imaginative elements like magic, super science and healing.They also talk about systemising your magic and power rules so stakes remain meaningful, and have a longer conversation about the movie Old Guard and how immortality, worldbuilding and character choices affect believable action scenes.

Welcome to Fictional Problems, the podcast where we discuss all things writing, in association with Speculative Fiction Ireland. On today's episode, we go back to TTRPGs, in particular having a brief discussion about representation, inclusion and disability in these games. Join us.

In Episode 2, Part 3, Al McNevin and Gary Martin explore how tabletop role-playing games inspire writing, from designing character sheets to using game systems as creative scaffolding. They share anecdotes about D&D, Mega Traveller, and other RPGs, and discuss how small logistical details — like the weight of books in a library — make fictional worlds feel real.

This episode explores how failing to be your favourite writer can help you find your own voice, how failure and dislike can become creative fuel, and the choices between writing standalones or series through worldbuilding. We also discuss reworking a space-opera spin-off (using the Obi-Wan/Reva example) and how critiquing existing stories can spark new ideas.Examples, anecdotes and practical thoughts are used throughout, and in the next part we’ll move on to tabletop RPG inspiration, character sheets, book weight, and representation in magic systems.

This is Fictional Problems, the podcast where we discuss all things writing, in association with Speculative Fiction Ireland.
In episode 2, part 1, hosts Alan McNevin and Gary Martin explore where ideas come from, the form of inspiration, whether fan fiction counts as writing, readiness to hit publish, and how series structure shapes storytelling.
Join the conversation about turning influences into original work and preparing a story for readers.

This is Fictional Problems, in association with Speculative Fiction Ireland, the podcast where we discuss all things writing. On today's episode, episode 1, part 2, we'll be talking about the relevancy of what's on the page versus the notes not played.We'll be discussing foreshadowing, making sense of it all, plotting versus pantsing, and we'll tackle an introduction to world building. Join us.

Welcome to Fictional Problems — where two writers, A.R. MacNeillan and Gary J. Martin, dissect the craft of speculative fiction. In Episode 1 Part 1 they explore how character, plot, and worldbuilding interlock; how history and culture shape identities; writing faith and religion authentically; character motivations and moral ambiguity; audience expectations and tropes (hello, vampires); and how small details and omissions invite reader engagement. Join them as they map the decisions that ripple across story worlds and characters.