# Episode 164: Worldbuilding and the Lens of Perspective, ft. MARTIN CAHILL Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/worldbuilding-for-masochists-469649/episode-164-worldbuilding-and-the-lens-of-perspective-ft-martin-cahill Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/worldbuilding-for-masochists-469649/episode-164-worldbuilding-and-the-lens-of-perspective-ft-martin-cahill.md Podcast: [Worldbuilding for Masochists](https://stenobird.com/podcast/worldbuilding-for-masochists-469649) Published: 2025-09-24T14:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://worldbuildingformasochists.podbean.com/e/episode-164-worldbuilding-and-the-lens-of-perspective-ft-martin-cahill/ Audio file: https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/2yj9t6f8c859kmyz/WFM708_Assembly79cof.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/worldbuilding-for-masochists-469649/episodes/episode-164-worldbuilding-and-the-lens-of-perspective-ft-martin-cahill Duration seconds: 2150 ## Resource A point-of-view character's experience of the world will shape the information that the reader gets about that world. So, a lot depends on who that character -- or characters -- might be! How can you turn their knowledge -- or lack thereof -- into a plot hook? Does the audience have information before a POV character does? How does their personality affect how information gets communicated to the reader? Guest Martin Cahill joins us to discuss! We also chat about one-off POVs, the context added by interstitial material and ephemera, and whether or not it's possible to write a story from the point of view of a dress. [Transcript for Episode 164] Our Guest: Martin Cahill is an Ignyte Award-nominated science fiction and fantasy writer living in Hell’s Kitchen, NY and works as the Marketing and Publicity Manager for Erewhon Books. He’s a graduate of the Clarion Writers’ Workshop of 2014 and a member of the NYC-based writing group, Altered Fluid. You can find his fiction work in Clarkesworld, Lightspeed Magazine, Nightmare Magazine, Shimmer Magazine, Fireside Magazine, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. His short story, “Godmeat,” appeared in The Best American Science Fiction and Fantasy 2019 anthology. He was also one of the writers on Batman: The Blind Cut from Realm Media. Martin also writes, and has written, book reviews, articles, and essays for Tor.com, Catapult, Ghostfire Gaming, Book Riot, Strange Horizons, and the Barnes and Noble Science Fiction & Fantasy Blog. You can find him online at @mcflycahill90. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/worldbuilding-for-masochists-469649/episodes/episode-164-worldbuilding-and-the-lens-of-perspective-ft-martin-cahill/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/worldbuilding-for-masochists-469649/episode-164-worldbuilding-and-the-lens-of-perspective-ft-martin-cahill.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.