Brain Velcro is now, “the unmedicated writers club?”
The unmedicated writers club (formerly Brain Velcro) with Author S.L. Funk – the aftershow about basically anything and discussions about storytelling in all mediums. Author S.L. Funk and her friends discuss the interesting finer details of character arcs, plot devices, and long-form storytelling. This is about the stories that stick with you.
What was “Brain Velcro?” And why did you change it to “unmedicated writers club?”
Brain Velcro is and was the podcast and blog I started in 2022 to talk about my more nerdy interests and keep up with making content with friends. We discuss the finer details of character arcs, plot devices, and long-form storytelling. No medium of narrative is unallowed, as long as we have interest and thoughts we just have to share with each other.
Long story short, I changed the inspired name of Brain Velcro to “the unmedicated writers club” (that’s right, all lowercase) out of a last-minute panic over the term “Velcro” being already trademarked. Also, I’d like to be honest with myself and say that I’m not the greatest at titling things in general; also the new title still holds true to the vibe of the publication.
A little history lesson
You might have heard this term before, “brain velcro.” It has been a topic and term used in the world of psychology and self-help. The term refers to when we tend to ruminate on things instead of forget about them, “brain teflon” being the antithesis of the term, since teflon is slippery and velcro is made up of little hooks. If you’re like me, you know that the negative thought patterns are more of the velcro and the helpful or more enlightening, positive thoughts tend to not stick with us for long. We can be very anxious and downtrodden creatures as human beings. One of the things that helped me distract from my negative mental state and spiraling was talking about storytelling, characters, and how I thought they communicated to me. I wouldn’t just talk about them either, but I would find myself writing about them too, and processing my thoughts and feelings about the entertainment I consumed for comfort and interest.
That’s what Brain Velcro was born out of, it’s about what sticks with us, and how we can create a world of our own with what they taught us.
“the unmedicated writers club” is the continuation of this sentiment and a more on-the-nose moniker for the general state of mind we find ourselves in these days.
It’s for nerds, then?
Not exclusively. If you have an interest in storytelling, character-building, and the modern industry of entertainment, then there is something there you can gel with.
Especially if you have strong interests in any of these areas! Originally, I decided to go with the name, Brain Velcro, because there are some things that just ‘stick’ with us, you know?
Whether that’s a tv series, an anime, a comic book hero saga, or just all things fantastical and otherworldly – we like to talk in depth about the things that make us ponder about the world around us through the lens of entertainment and storytelling.
Where can I listen to/read it?
unmedicated writers club/Brain Velcro and some adjacent content are hosted on Substack, an email newsletter service for writers and content creators. You can find it directly at authorslfunk.substack.com, or you can listen to the individual podcast episodes on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
Is Subscription free?
Yes! All podcast episodes and update blog posts are free to the public without a subscription. If you hit the subscribe button, you will receive updates on when articles and episodes go live. If you subscribe on a monthly basis for $5, or annually for $30, you not only get access to all episodes and articles, but archived content and occasional video episodes as well. Finally, if you want to become a “founding member” for up to $50 annually, you receive exclusive content, like short stories, and articles earlier than anyone else.
Who are the members of the unmedicated writers club?
Myself, S.L. Funk (also known as Esselle on Twitch) as well as some of my friends. Most of them I met while trying to grow my writing business online, either through sharing my stories with them or live streaming writing sessions. Many of them join me for personal and general discussions about what makes us as writers and creatives tick, and why we think the stories coming out today work or don’t. At the end of the day, we’re all just here to talk about our passions and what we love to do, which is tell stories. You can find these friends and other wonderful people on the Discord server.
How can I join in the discussions too?
You can join the unmedicated writers club Discord server and talk with all our friends about what we enjoy and the little details in narrative fiction that inspire us and help us navigate the world and create our own stories and art. You can also leave comments on any Un.W.C. content over on authorslfunk.substack.com and possibly join a thread of conversation regarding a particular episode or topic. Admittance to both the comments, threads, and Discord server will rely on your ability to keep a civil and polite conversation with everyone else; no bullying or abuse will be tolerated. Click on the link above or the icon below to connect with us. If you are having trouble reaching the server, contact me and I’ll send you an invitation.
When does it publish?
Roughly at the end of every month. Podcasts are simultaneously available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts as they publish on Substack. Video content is exclusive to authorslfunk.substack.com and usually come out every other month or so. All articles come out around mid-month and are then archived for paid access only after a several weeks. I’m still working on making the publication schedule stick, but all content comes out around a monthly basis.
Is there anything else I should know before I hit ‘subscribe?’
Along with the audio and written episodes about what ‘sticks’ with us, there’s another adjacent publication at authorslfunk.substack.com – my author newsletter. This comes with a free subscription and is not open to the public. I try to send a monthly newsletter about my personal writing journey here on the interwebs on the 28th, which sometimes I miss. Paid subs also receive the author newsletter but a few days in advance. If you don’t want to receive the author newsletter but want to support and keep up with blog/podcast only, please reach out to me with your email address and I will personally remove you from the newsletter list. Either way, your subscription helps support me, my guests, and keep me writing more than you know. I’m very grateful for everyone who wants to show they enjoy my content through any means, whether that’s a like, share, or a subscription.
