Where'd You Go Bernadette Adaptation
Cinco De Mayo - The House on Mango Street
We Are Going so Dark
Grammar Police
The Literary Spectrum of Color
Paycheck Adaptation
Conflict in Literature
For Mother's Day, we are diving deep into the 2012 epistolary novel by Maria Semple’s, "Where’d You Go, Bernadette," and Richard Linklater’s 2019 film adaptation starring Cate Blanchett. Character Bernadette Fox is a revolutionary architect, a reluctant Seattleite, and a mother on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The book and film merge, forming a picture told through "paper trails," and poignant scenes, to show the complicated relationships between the small nuclear family, their community, and a world focused on academia and status. Join cohosts, AJ and Kyle, as we discuss whether a story built on documents can be justified on the big screen. In this episode, we deconstruct: Structure vs. Cinema: The challenge of adapting a non-linear epistolary novel into a standard movie plot. Character Importance: The way some characters develop better in the novel and have more important roles, versus their lesser parts in the movie or vice versa. Scenery: How the setting influences each person on their journey of discovery, both internally and externally, and the qualities that made it come alive. Whether you’re a "Gnat," or just a fan of a good mystery, join us as we discuss Bernadette's motivations for disappearing, and how a mother-daughter relationship can persevere through even the strangest of circumstances. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc
Along with a brief history of the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo, AJ and Kyle delve into Sandra Cisneros’s A House on Mango Street. This novel comprised of coming-of-age vignettes, explores themes of identity, culture, community, and what “home” really means to a young teen, Esperanza Cordero. This work highlights the Mexican-American experience and the process of finding your own literary voice. Key themes discussed in this episode: The Power of Language: How showing is a powerful tool, rather than telling or exposition. Gender and Autonomy: The "trapped" lives of the women on Mango Street and Esperanza's vow to define her own path. Identity and Heritage: What it means to belong to a place while simultaneously wishing to leave it. Join us as we walk down Mango Street to uncover the beauty, heartbreak, and ultimate triumph found in this essential piece of Mexican-American literature. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc
Why are we so utterly fascinated by the grim, the macabre, and the morally gray? This week on Write-Handed, AJ and Kyle explore Dark Themes across literature, history, and pop culture. We are delving into how different cultures process death, the thin line between scientific discovery and horrific creation. We also discuss the concept of absolute evil and how it is weaponized in narrative suspense. From 14th-century poetry to modern-day psychological thrillers, grab your survival kit—we're exploring the shadows. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc
Join Hosts by AJ and Kyle as they go over all things grammar. Yes! We are judging you not so silently. We’re here to serve and protect the English language—one comma splice at a time. Main Points Redundant Phrases: VIN, PIN, ATM etc.. Mispronounced Words: Laughing at and correcting the words people constantly butcher. Homophones Vs Homonyms: Kyle still doesn’t know. Common Grammar Mistakes: Breaking down the errors people frequently make in everyday writing (like confusing their/there/they're or affect vs effect). Grammar Things We Don't Care About: History of ending a sentence with a preposition. Double Negatives: How to easily fix this problem. YOU WILL WANT TO HEAR THIS! Adverbs: Do it perfectly. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc
This week on Write-Handed, AJ and Kyle dive deep into the way color is used in storytelling. From the dark psychological shadows of gothic horror, to the vibrant decaying imagery of the Blues Age, we are breaking down how authors use the full spectrum in their craft. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc
PAYCHECK A podcast contrasting Philip K. Dick’s 1953 short story “Paycheck” with the 2003 John Woo film adaptation, highlighting the shift from a cerebral, dystopian puzzle to a high-octane action thriller. Key points to touch upon include the protagonist's motivation, the nature of the "trinkets," and the ideological differences between the two versions. Paycheck: From Dystopian Dread to John Woo Action Would you trade your memories for a paycheck only to wake up with an envelope full of junk? While both versions share the core premise of a reverse engineer using "trinkets" from his past self to survive, the similarities often end there. We analyze how Hollywood transformed a lean, thought-provoking tale of corporate blackmail and deterministic fate into a high-stakes action-hero journey about saving the world and changing the future. In this episode, we discuss: The Trinkets: While the items vary greatly in the story version vs the movie, they each show how the main character uses them to reach his ultimate goal. Motivation: The shift from a protagonist driven by economic freedom and blackmail in the story to a hero moved by saving mankind in the film. The Female Lead: We contrast the role of Kelly in the story with the romanticized, "formulaic" character of Rachel in the film. Whether you're a Philip K. Dick purist or a fan of John Woo’s signature dove-fluttering and slow-motion style, join us as we decide if this adaptation captures the author's vision or accidentally subverts it. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC WDPLLC2026@gmail.com
Dive into the heart of storytelling with our podcast on literary conflict. Whether it’s an internal struggle, such as a lone survivor battling the elements, a hero wrestling with their own conscience, or it’s an external war being waged as a societal revolution, conflict is the heartbeat of literature. Join cohosts AJ (a scholar with a mind for all things creative writing) and Kyle (AJ’s sidekick with a twisted view on the world), as we deconstruct the mechanics of personal and communal moral dilemmas in this episode of conflict. We dissect the types of internal and external struggle in detail with literary examples. Who hasn’t faced an internal dilemma, Person vs Self, or feared for safety out in the violent elements, Person vs Nature? We analyze how authors use conflict to mirror our own human struggles, offering you a deeper toolkit for your own writing or your next book club discussion. On this podcast, you’ll discover: Deep Dives: Explaining the differences between each type of conflict presented in writing classics like Frankenstein and MacBeth, to more modern takes dealing with technology and emerging AI. Uses in Your Writing: Whether you’re an aspiring novelist, a literary student, or a subject enthusiast, you’ll see what makes this topic vital to character and plot development. What AJ and Kyle Think: A personal spin on the subject matter and how they believe it correlates to life, real or fiction. New episodes every See you NEXT Tuesday! Listen on Spotify, Apple Music, or your favorite platform. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok: @wdpllc: @wdpllc
Welcome to Write-Handed, with author AJ Knight and Kyle, a space where we invite you to embark on a literary journey with us. Whether you're a passionate reader, an aspiring writer, or someone who simply loves the power of a well-told story, Write-Handed is your new home for all things narrative. In our varied episodes, we will dive into: Literary Terms & Techniques: Ever wondered how an author builds suspense or why a specific metaphor sticks with you? We’ll break down the craft in a way that’s accessible and fun. Honest Book Reviews: From the latest bestsellers to hidden gems and classics, we’ll give you our unfiltered take. Page-to-Screen Adaptations: We’ll analyze how our favorite stories transition to film and TV—and debate whether the book really is always better. (AJ says the book is always better. Kyle is wrong.) The Creative Process: The themes that keep us interested, the characters we love, and the dialogue that keeps us laughing. Our goal is to make literature feel a little less like a classroom and a lot more like a conversation. We’ll be releasing new episodes every See You Next Tuesday, so make sure to subscribe and join the Whining Dog Productions community. Grab your favorite drink, open up your notebook, and let’s get Write-Handed. Contact us: Email: ajknightaj@gmail.com AJ Knight Novels on Amazon: AJ Books Webpage: AJ Knight Site Twitter: @AJKnight3 InstaGram: ajknightauthor Produced by Whining Dog Productions LLC: WDPLLC2026@gmail.com TikTok:@wdpllc