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In this bonus season-finale episode of Writers With Wrinkles, Beth McMullen and Lisa Schmid reflect on the end of the season, share a behind-the-scenes podcasting mishap, and dive into a First Pages critique of a cozy fantasy submission, The Village Mage. Along the way, they discuss why first pages are so hard to get right, how too much backstory can stall momentum, and what cozy fantasy readers expect from the very first paragraph.
What We Cover in This Episode
A Season Wrap-Up
- Why this season felt especially long (emotionally and creatively)
- The surprising reach of the podcast, including international listeners
- Why listener messages matter more than download numbers
Behind the Scenes of Podcasting
- A funny (and harmless) upload glitch
- Why multitasking and podcast production don’t always mix
- A reminder that mistakes happen—and they’re fixable
First Pages Critique: The Village Mage
- Why the tea shop setting immediately signals “cozy”
- What works well in the opening voice and atmosphere
- Where the opening leans too heavily on setting and backstory
- Why character emotion needs to come before worldbuilding
- How early signals of magic shape reader expectations
- The importance of “showing” magic instead of naming it outright
First Page Takeaways for Writers
- Less is more on page one
- Avoid stacking backstory and description in large blocks
- Establish genre expectations immediately
- Use specific, character-centered details instead of generic atmosphere
- Trust the reader—don’t explain everything up front
- Consider whether your story actually starts later than you think
A Common Revision Reality
- Why first chapters are often written as “thinking-through” pages
- How hard it is to cut beloved early material
- Why cutting doesn’t mean deleting—just relocating
Key Writing Advice from Beth & Lisa
- Your first page should hook, not explain
- Genre cues matter—especially in fantasy
- Pacing is created through balance: dialogue, action, and selective detail
- If readers don’t know why they should care about the character yet, they won’t care about the world
What’s Coming Next
- A brand-new season with exciting guest interviews
- More First Pages bonus episodes
- Kicking off the new season with literary agent Erin Casey Westin
Have first pages you’d like feedback on?
Visit the Writers With Wrinkles website and submit your opening pages for a chance to be featured in a future episode.
Thank you for listening, sharing, and sticking with us this season. We’ll see you in the new year—until then, happy reading, writing, and listening.
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