The Smarter Artist Show: Episode 20 - The Thing We Haven't Written Yet
Release Date: 06/05/2026
Reader comments and questions (The Smarter Artist Show-38 )
The Smarter Artist Show
In this episode, Dave digs into the YouTube comments and listener emails. The guys tackle everything from direct-to-reader store migrations and messy Amazon backlists to controversial AI thumbnails. Plus, a deep dive into world-building advice for aspiring writers, looking at cause, effect, and internal consistency. TIMESTAMPS 00:01 – Intro 03:44 – Something Cool: Dave: Introducing his son to favorite horror films and the breakout star-making turn in Obsession (Indy Navaret). Johnny: Finally reading Pierce Brown’s sci-fi/dystopian Red Rising series. Sean: Celebrating...
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Smarter Artist Show: 37 -- Selling Direct to Readers
The Smarter Artist Show
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The Smarter Artist Show-36 Mastering TV pilots with Spencer Robinson
The Smarter Artist Show
Writing a great television pilot is one of the most powerful ways to break into the industry and launch a sustainable, multi-season storytelling career. In this episode of The Smarter Artist Show, we sat down with veteran manager Spencer Robinson of Artwork Entertainment to discuss the nuts and bolts of crafting a sellable TV pilot. Robinson, who has represented writers, actors, and producers for over 20 years, shared invaluable wisdom on what makes a GREAT TV pilot and what networks, streamers, and Hollywood buyers are actually looking for. Learn more about the First Look Cohort at: Get...
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The Smarter Artist Show-35: What Makes a Great TV Pilot?
The Smarter Artist Show
This week David W. Wright, Sean Platt, and Johnny B. Truant talk about what makes a GREAT TV pilot. They talk LOST, Breaking Bad, Friends, and many more of the best pilots and shows. They also announce an upcoming cohort to learn how to turn your book into a TV pilot. For more details, sign up for thhe weekly Dispatch
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The Smarter Artist Show-34: Alternate Endings "The Endless"
The Smarter Artist Show
This week, another unreleased episode of Alternate Endings, the podcast where the guys make each other watch movies and TV shows and then they discuss what they liked, didn’t like, and… if they’d change anything. This episode was Dave’s movie pick and he chose 2017’s The Endless by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, Dave’s new favorites.
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The Smarter Artist Show-33: Alternate Endings--Ratatouille
The Smarter Artist Show
This week the guys talk about Pixar's Ratatouille, a movie Dave had actually not seen before. Pixar's love letter to creativity is a must-watch for anyone who tells stories or creates art. Sign up for our Dispatch, a weekly column to inspire your creativity at
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The Smarter Artist Show-32: Dave Screws Up the Show
The Smarter Artist Show
This week’s Smarter Artist didn’t go to plan. It was supposed to be (fittingly enough) a brainstorming episode. But Dave realized partly into it that his concept sucked. So, back to the drawing board. Instead, the guys talked about the subject of last week’s Dispatch, which was what you can get out of bad movies. And they talked about Netflix’s The Last House. But the highlight of the episode was when Sean’s webcam died and Dave threatened to replace his face on the video with an AI atrocity thumbnail that did NOT turn out as planned. If you ever wondered what Sean...
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The Smarter Artist Show-31: Printer Has “Issue” With Johnny’s Book
The Smarter Artist Show
In this episode Johnny talks about an incident when he was about to get his Kickstarter book, Terminal, printed. Just one problem … the printer had an issue with the content. And you’ll never guess why. Then the story gets even weirder. 0:00 — Dave cold open 3:07 — Johnny’s censorship story 10:50 — Sean talks about using Obsidian as a second brain 17:00 — Dave rants about Adobe’s Creative Cloud slowing his computer down to a crawl. 21:00 — Dave attempts to start the brainstorming session but Sean drives him crazy and they’re running out of time. 23:31 — They give up on...
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The Smarter Artist Show-30 (Alternate Endings: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood)
The Smarter Artist Show
This week’s podcast is another Alternate Endings, a show we recorded in 2021 and never released… until now, where we each make the others watch a movie we loved. Think of it like Oprah’s Book Club, if she chose books to piss off the others in the club. This week’s pick was from Sean. And it was his hero, Quentin Tarantino, and his film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Sean LOVES Tarantino. Dave does not. Let the arguments begin! Sign up for our Dispatch, a weekly column to inspire your creativity at
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The Smarter Artist Show-29: What Should I Write?
The Smarter Artist Show
This week we responded to a recent conversation I had with a struggling writer. Which led me to ask Sean and Johnny what made them start writing, why they chose the books they wrote as their first books, and how do they decide what to write next. Despite knowing one another for 15 years, this is the first time we actually talked about our early inspiration. And, oddly enough, we all share one common writer in common as being the most influential on us. Can you guess who? We also talked about discovering your voice versus imitation of your favorites, how to decide between commercial...
info_outlineDave opens by holding up five completely filled journals to the camera, all devoted to a fantasy novel he's been building in his head for at least five years. That kicks off an hour-long conversation about the creative project you haven't written yet: the idea that's too big, too personal, or too risky to touch until you're ready. Sean's version is the very first book he ever wrote in 2007, a 600-page narrative nightmare with, in the words of Cindy's professor friend, "long passages of staggering genius." Both projects are alive, neither is finished… yet.
Timestamps
00:00 — Cold open: Dave shows the journals.
03:30 — Something Cool (Sean): *The Next RenAIssance* by Zack Cass, recommended by Joanna Penn. AI in education and medicine, the case for augmentation, and why Sean thinks school would have worked for him in a different era.
11:36 — Sean publicly praises Dave's screenplay draft as the best rough draft he's ever turned in.
14:30 — What the screenplay feedback was actually about: showing vs. telling, and why a narcissist villain should never be too honest too fast.
16:40 — Something Cool (Dave): *Office Space* (1999), rewatched with his son. Beavis and Butt-Head, the Beavis reboot, and how Winger got cancelled by a cartoon.
25:55 — The actual topic: what is the thing you haven't written yet? Dave's project: a fantasy novel five years in journals, mythology without a single borrowed framework, an ensemble cast, and a central story element he won't reveal on air.
40:15 — Sean's project: the first book he ever wrote, started in 2007 during rest time at the preschool. A 600-page novel that tried to be a fictional *A Short History of Nearly Everything*.
Books and Resources Mentioned
The Next RenAIssance by Zack Cass (Joanna Penn recommendation)
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
The Dark Tower series by Stephen King
The Smarter Artist Method by Sean Platt (leave a review on Amazon)
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