I Finished the First Draft! | LOL 102
From Lex Out Loud: Writing Science Fiction by Lex Starwalker
April 28, 2026 · 50 min · Season 7 · Episode 102
About this episode
Lex Starwalker shares personal updates and discusses the completion of his novel while exploring genre distinctions in storytelling.
It’s been a while since the last episode, so I bring you up to speed on what’s going in my life. I’m moving, and it sucks. I’m living in an Airbnb, which also sucks. But good news, I finished my novel, Citizen Zero. I talk a bit about how some genres, like sci-fi and fantasy, are more about the story’s setting, while other genres, like thrillers, mysteries, and horror, are more about the story’s plot. As a reader and a writer, I especially like stories that combine a “setting” genre with a “plot” genre. Links Check out my novel, Critical Balance . Have you read Critical Balance ? Please leave a review on Amazon . Subscribe via RSS , Apple Podcasts , or Spotify . Support the show on Patreon . Donate to the show. Follow me on Bluesky . Join my Discord server . Email me . Call My Voicemail: 951-465-5391 Check out my YouTube channel . Join my Book Club , now on Discord. I’m looking for alpha & beta readers for my next novel. A Few Notes on the Culture by Iain M. Banks Start The Culture series with Excession . Check out episode 98 for my discussion of Martha Wells’s lecture on AI characters in stories.
People in this episode
Host: Lex Starwalker
Topics covered
- writing
- science fiction
- novel completion
- genre discussion
- personal update
- reader engagement
Keywords
- writing
- science fiction
- Citizen Zero
- Critical Balance
- genre
- novel
- Martha Wells
- AI characters
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Citizen Zero, Critical Balance, A Few Notes on the Culture, Excession
More episodes of Lex Out Loud: Writing Science Fiction
- Comparing the Culture's Contact with the Prime Directive from Star Trek | LOL 103 · May 6, 2026 · 24 min
- Technology of The Culture | LOL 101 · November 19, 2025 · 46 min
- Economics of The Culture | LOL 100 · October 21, 2025 · 42 min
- The Culture's Origins & Government | LOL 099 · September 30, 2025 · 55 min
- AI Characters & Their Role in Science Fiction | LOL 098 · September 22, 2025 · 53 min
- A New Voyage Begins | LOL 097 · August 11, 2025 · 51 min
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