149.  Balancing World Building Elements for the Reader Experience with Jasper Ezekiel

“I"m always really fascinated by what gets trimmed off the edges. And because there"s gold in there sometimes. And why would a creative professional choose to include this, but not that?” -- Jasper Ezekiel  In this How To Write the Future episode, host Beth Barany chats with speculative fiction writer Jasper Ezekiel, and talks about what parts of our story worlds we include in our fiction and what gets left out including balancing story elements for the reader experience.  About Jasper Ezekiel Jasper Ezekiel is a queer author from the SF Bay Area. He"s a jack of all trades, writing poetry, non-fiction, fiction, and plays. He"s also a visual artist who specializes in illustration, a fiber artist with dreams of being a pattern creator, and a big ol" goofball. His first book of poetry, Good, Clean Mania was published in 2023. You can find it on multiple platforms here: https://books2read.com/u/3Gp5gO Social media links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/s8nicangel/ My personal Substack: https://jasperezekiel.substack.com/ My writing Substack: https://jasperezekielk.substack.com/ ABOUT THE HOW TO WRITE THE FUTURE PODCAST The How To Write The Future podcast is for science fiction and fantasy writers who want to write positive futures and successfully bring those stories out into the marketplace. Hosted by Beth Barany, science fiction novelist and creativity coach for writers. We cover tips for fiction writers and get curious about the future of humanity. ABOUT BETH BARANY Beth Barany, an award-winning fantasy and science fiction novelist, teaches novelists how to write, edit, and publish their books as a coach, teacher, consultant, and developmental editor. RESOURCES GET HELP WITH YOUR WORLD BUILDING - START HERE Free World Building Workbook for Fiction Writers: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/world-building-resources/ Sign up for the 30-minute Story Success Clinic with Beth Barany: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/story-success-clinic/ Get support for your fiction writing by a novelist and writing teacher and coach. Schedule an exploratory call here and see if Beth can support you today: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/discovery-call/ SHOW PRODUCTION BY Beth BaranySHOW CO-PRODUCTION + NOTES by Kerry-Ann McDade c. 2025 BETH BARANY https://bethbarany.com/ Questions? Comments? Send us a text! -- CONNECT Contact Beth: https://writersfunzone.com/blog/podcast/#tve-jump-185b4422580 Email: beth@bethbarany.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethbarany/ CREDITS EDITED WITH DESCRIPT: https://get.descript.com/0clwwvlf6e3j MUSIC: Uppbeat.io DISTRIBUTED BY BUZZSPROUT: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=1994465