By the end of the episode, Tim and LeeAnna have dragged us through the labyrinthine mess of incel ideologies, the self-sabotaging behaviors, and the desperate cries for connection. But here’s the kicker: Tim’s golden nugget of wisdom is that writers can’t just write the fight between the incel and the world. No, no. Writers, you have to write the attempt to save sanity first.

Welcome to part 2 of The Tragedy of the Incels, where Tim and LeeAnna continue to dive into the fascinating world of Incels - because why not tackle one of the internet’s favorite rage-fueled, basement-dwelling subcultures?

Writer's Prompts for the podcast "Love Unscripted | The Tragedy of the Incels"

I mean, who needs romance when you can have resentment and an endless supply of internet forums to air your grievances, right?

Join Tim and LeeAnna as they dive into the fascinating, cringeworthy world of incels – the involuntary celibates who somehow think blaming women for their lack of romantic success is a viable strategy. In this first part of a two-parter, our podcasters explore the tangled mess of low self-esteem, entitlement, and, yes, a shocking lack of empathy.

Writer's Prompts for the podcast "Love Unscripted | Love's Corner Case"

Look, there’s nothing like a Tennyson poem to make you question everything about love, life, and immortality. And you know what? That’s the fun part. If you can look at Tithonus, reflect on that grim future, and still believe in love, you’re either a masochist or incredibly optimistic. But that’s the whole point, right? Life, love, and time - none of it makes sense.

Tim and LeeAnna – and Alfred, Lord Tennyson – talk about what it means when love’s beauty fades, when immortality isn’t just a dream, but a “living hell”. We’ll also hit on how some relationships can evolve into a painfully unfixable mess. So grab a tissue (you’ll need it) and tune in to the podcast that proves eternal love can really suck.

Writer's Prompts for the podcast "Love Unscripted | Fix It or Forget It"

Repair Attempts: Because Who Needs to Have a Healthy Argument When You Can Just Make It Worse for Your Characters?

Whether you’re a writer looking to add some depth to your fictional couples or just a human who’s had one too many “whataboutism” blow-ups, this episode is for you!

Writer's Prompts for the podcast "Love Unscripted | Riding The Four Horsemen"

From jabs of criticism to emotional retreat, we’ve got your guide to the worst relationship habits - and how to write them without setting your characters on fire (well, not immediately). Get ready for some brutal truth and a one very angry (fictional) couple.

Tim dives into the first Horseman of the Relationship Apocalypse: Criticism. Oh, joy. Apparently, criticizing your partner isn’t just about voicing your displeasure over them leaving their dirty socks everywhere. Nope, that’s just a complaint. Criticism is the attack on their very soul, because you’re now “questioning their entire character.” Get it right, folks - if you’re going to nitpick, you better do it in an existential way.

This week on Alchemy, Tim and LeeAnna crack open the hood of modern romance to show us what love looks like when it’s firing on all cylinders… or stalling dramatically on the freeway of emotional dysfunction.

Writer's Prompts for the podcast "Love Unscripted | Love in Full Color: The Emotional Landscape"

Tim advises writers to build characters who are emotionally complex, full of contradictions, and hopefully not emotionally totaled by chapter three. He urges you to give your characters engines too - emotional ones, with inputs and outputs. Let them stall, restart, sputter, maybe explode.

Writer's Prompts for the podcast "Love Unscripted | Love’s Quiet Desperation… Prufrock’s Struggle with Desire"

LeeAnna signs off with the most backhanded compliment of the day to Tim: "You’re so good with this disillusionment thing."

Welcome to the Alchemy’s podcast, where Tim and LeeAnna take on The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock - the ultimate guide to how not to face your feelings (or do much of anything, really). Along the way: dead Popes, risqué Bible passages, a prophecy about the death of podcasting, and one balding, peach-fearing romantic in freefall. Come for the poetry, stay for the existential dread - and maybe bring a drink. You’ll need it.